MS HB1172

Reenacts and amends Mississippi's charter school law (Sections 37-28-1 through 37-28-19) that was repealed by operation of law on July 1, 2009, creating two pathways for charter schools: converting existing public schools to charter status or establishing new open enrollment charter schools

Limits the State Board of Education to approving up to 6 conversion charter schools statewide (with distribution requirements across congressional districts and the Delta region) and up to 12 open enrollment charter schools (no more than 3 per congressional district)

Open enrollment charter schools receive state funding calculated by multiplying average daily attendance by the base student cost; employees are considered state employees eligible for state benefits programs

Initial charter terms are 4 years for conversion schools and 3 years for open enrollment schools, with renewal possible in increments up to 4 years and 3 years respectively

Repeals the Conversion Charter School Act of 2010 (Sections 37-165-1 through 37-165-27) and requires the State Board of Education to submit annual reports to the Legislature on charter school status, including academic performance comparisons and best practices