Missouri charter schools would need district boards as sponsors

Charter schools could operate in any Missouri district with its school board or special administrative board as sponsor. A special administrative board is a board appointed to oversee a district. A charter contract in effect on the section’s effective date would remain protected until it expires. The commission could not approve or renew charters on or after the section’s effective date. It would close 30 days after its last charter contract in effect on that date expires.

Sponsors could approve a charter only if it is necessary to meet district students’ needs and would improve the local public school system. Reviews would examine district resources, effects on nearby schools, and fair access for students. Before approving or expanding a charter school, the district would need an independent, public impact review developed with community input. State appeals could address only an improperly followed approval process or a decision made without a reasonable basis or against the law. After a hearing that finds one of those problems, the State Board of Education could send the application back to the sponsor for correction.

Charter schools would follow district school safeguards and standards, employ certified teaching staff, and operate through their own boards and chief administrators. Safeguards would cover public records, civil rights, and academic standards. Charter schools would count in their districts’ state school improvement reviews. The certification rule would not apply to noncertified staff employed by a charter school under a contract in effect on the section’s effective date. Schools could buy support services from outside providers, but those providers could not operate the school.

Charter schools would enroll district residents under their contracts and district enrollment laws. When space is short, schools would give timely applicants an equal chance and could not discriminate based on parents’ ability to pay. Schools could limit admission by age or grade. Single-gender schools could limit admission by gender. Schools could not restrict admission based on traits such as race, disability, or income. The contract exception would cover contracts in effect on the section’s effective date.

Charter contracts would govern performance reviews, responses to school problems, and disputes over money owed by districts. A charter school facing financial stress and its sponsor would have to agree on a revised budget and education plan. Sponsors would need a policy for ending a charter when clear evidence shows poor performance or a violation of law or public trust threatens students or public money. The financial plan would need to assure uninterrupted education for the rest of the current school year.