Summary of Session Law 2016-79 (HB 242)

• Establishes separate sections for charter school review and renewal (G.S. 115C-218.6), requiring State Board review at least once before charter expiration and allowing renewal for 10-year periods unless school fails financial audits, has non-comparable academic outcomes, or violates compliance standards.

• Creates new provisions for material and non-material charter revisions (G.S. 115C-218.7 and 218.8), with enrollment growth over 20% requiring State Board approval; allows State Board discretion to waive enrollment thresholds for capital expansion projects if properly documented.

• Defines low-performing and continually low-performing charter schools (G.S. 115C-218.94) based on school performance grades and growth scores, with continually low-performing schools designated after at least two of three consecutive years of low performance.

• Adds enrollment priority options for charter schools including siblings of current/former students, children of employees and board members (up to 15%), and students transferring from other charter schools lacking their next grade level.

• Modifies charter school facilities provisions to require local boards decide on facility lease requests within 90 days and allows county commissioners to resolve disputes; clarifies fast-track replication timeline to decisions no later than October 15 of the year preceding school opening.