Senate Bill sb2278

    Florida Senate - 2004                                  SB 2278

    By Senator Lynn





    7-1287-04

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to charter schools; amending s.

  3         1002.33, F.S.; prohibiting the consideration of

  4         an application for charter school status for

  5         grades below kindergarten; prohibiting the

  6         renewal of previously granted charter school

  7         status that includes prekindergarten levels;

  8         providing an effective date.

  9  

10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

11  

12         Section 1.  Subsection (3) of section 1002.33, Florida

13  Statutes, is amended to read:

14         1002.33  Charter schools.--

15         (3)  APPLICATION FOR CHARTER STATUS.--

16         (a)  An application for a new charter school may be

17  made by an individual, teachers, parents, a group of

18  individuals, a municipality, or a legal entity organized under

19  the laws of this state.

20         (b)  An application for a charter school may not be

21  considered if the applicant proposes to include in the charter

22  school a grade level below the level of kindergarten. If,

23  before July 1, 2004, a school district has approved charter

24  status for a school that includes a grade level below the

25  level of kindergarten, the school district may not include a

26  prekindergarten level in a renewed charter contract.

27         (c)(b)  An application for a conversion charter school

28  shall be made by the district school board, the principal,

29  teachers, parents, and/or the school advisory council at an

30  existing public school that has been in operation for at least

31  2 years prior to the application to convert, including a

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2004                                  SB 2278
    7-1287-04




 1  public school-within-a-school that is designated as a school

 2  by the district school board. An application submitted

 3  proposing to convert an existing public school to a charter

 4  school shall demonstrate the support of at least 50 percent of

 5  the teachers employed at the school and 50 percent of the

 6  parents voting whose children are enrolled at the school,

 7  provided that a majority of the parents eligible to vote

 8  participate in the ballot process, according to rules adopted

 9  by the State Board of Education. A district school board

10  denying an application for a conversion charter school shall

11  provide notice of denial to the applicants in writing within

12  30 days after the meeting at which the district school board

13  denied the application. The notice must specify the exact

14  reasons for denial and must provide documentation supporting

15  those reasons. A private school, parochial school, or home

16  education program shall not be eligible for charter school

17  status.

18         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2004.

19  

20            *****************************************

21                          SENATE SUMMARY

22    Prohibits considering an application for charter school
      status which applies to grades below kindergarten.
23    Prohibits including prekindergarten levels when renewing
      charter school status that was granted before July 1,
24    2004.

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.