Charter schools.
Allows charter schools to opt in to the state health insurance plans. Establishes the charter school board as a statewide sponsor of charter schools. Provides that the department of education shall provide staff to the charter school board until the board begins receiving administrative fees from schools chartered by the board. Adds certain nonprofit private colleges and universities as eligible charter school sponsors. Establishes certain accountability criteria for charter school sponsors, and places charter schools under accountability standards for public schools. Adds: (1) student academic growth; (2) financial performance and stability; and (3) board performance and stewardship; to the list of items to be included in a charter school’s charter. Requires uniform and consistent transfer of credits for students who transfer from a charter school to another public school. Stipulates that a teacher in a conversion charter school may be an employee of the charter school or the school corporation as determined in a charter school’s charter. Provides that at least 90% of the full time teachers in a charter school must be licensed or in the process of obtaining a license. Ends the virtual charter school pilot program, and allows existing virtual charter schools to seek sponsors. Provides that a virtual charter school’s funding is equal to the sum of: (1) the virtual charter school’s ADM multiplied by 85% of the school’s foundation amount (rather than 80% of the statewide average basic tuition support, under current law); plus (2) the total of any special education grants to which the virtual charter school is entitled. Provides that each school year, at least 60% of the students who are enrolled in virtual charter schools for the first time must have been included in the state’s ADM count for the previous school year. Sets out the conditions, accounting process, and reporting procedures for a charter school sponsor concerning the collection of fees from its sponsored charter schools. Requires the department of education to establish a charter school page on the department’s Internet web site. Establishes the charter school facilities assistance program and fund. Specifies the purposes for which grants and loans of money in the fund may be used. Provides that money in the fund may be used to match federal grants from the United States Department of Education for charter school facilities, and deletes current law that allows common school fund interest to provide these state matching funds. Changes the procedure for converting a public school into a charter school. Establishes a process by which charter schools may lease or purchase unused, closed, or unoccupied school buildings that are maintained by school corporations and are not being used for classroom instruction. Permits the state board of education to close a charter school, transfer sponsorship of a charter school, or reduce the administrative fees collected by the sponsor of the charter school, if the charter school remains in the lowest performance category or designation for five years. Permits the state board of education to suspend the authority of a sponsor if at least 25% of the sponsor’s charter schools have been subject to an accountability action. Provides that a charter school that has received an advance for operational costs from the common school fund does not have to make principal or interest payments during the state fiscal years beginning July 1, 2011, and July 1, 2012. Makes conforming changes. Repeals provisions concerning the number of charter schools an executive of a consolidated city may sponsor and that include teachers in a conversion charter school in the school corporation’s bargaining unit.