HB 473 - Charter School Legislation

• Expands charter school eligibility to provisionally accredited and fully accredited school districts with restrictions on sponsor types and requirements for three consecutive years of provisional accreditation status before charter eligibility.

• Creates the Missouri Charter Public School Commission with nine gubernatorially-appointed members to serve as a statewide charter school sponsor with authority throughout Missouri.

• Establishes stricter sponsor accountability requirements including annual reporting to the joint committee on education, mandatory compliance with sponsorship standards, and potential withholding of sponsorship funds for non-compliance.

• Requires charter schools to meet specific academic performance standards for renewal including 70% graduation rates for high schools, non-placement in lowest-achieving 5% of schools, and demonstrated growth on state assessments in three of four years.

• Implements enhanced oversight mechanisms including criminal background checks and family care safety registry checks for charter board members, mandatory performance contracts with detailed metrics, and closure procedures for persistently underperforming schools.