NEWS

What's next for charter schools in Kentucky?

Allison Ross

@allisonSross

With the passage of House Bill 520 out of the legislature and onto Gov. Matt Bevin's desk, Kentucky could soon become one the last few states in the nation to add a charter schools law onto the books.

Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions following the legislature’s fast-paced approval of the charter schools bill.

What is a charter school?

Charters are publicly funded schools that are run by outside organizations, rather than a traditional school district and school board. They do not charge tuition.

Those outside organizations enter into a contract, or a charter, with their authorizer – which, under the bill, would be the local school district or the mayor of Louisville or Lexington. Those contracts spell out what a charter school must do and how it will be kept accountable.

Under the bill, charter schools would still be held accountable to the state-mandated testing and accountability system, like other public schools.

In general, charter schools are freed from some of the regulations placed on traditional public schools, with the idea being that it would allow the charter schools to better innovate.

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What happens now?

Both the House and the Senate have passed the charter schools bill, as well as House Bill 471, which provides a way for charter schools to be funded. Both bills are awaiting the governor's signature. Bevin has publicly backed the charter schools bill, so he is expected to sign it into law.

Once the bill becomes law, the Kentucky Department of Education must come up with regulations on how to implement portions of the bill. The drafting of the regulations, which generally includes public hearings, takes a minimum of six months, the department said.

The bill is written to allow charter school authorizers to begin approving applications next school year.

When would charter schools open in Kentucky?

Under the bill, charter school authorizers can begin approving charter school applications in the 2017-2018 school year, so it’s expected that the earliest that Kentucky would see a charter school open would be the following school year, in the fall of 2018. The bill does not put any limits on how many charter schools can open.

It’s much too early to say where charter schools will first open their doors or how they will look or what they will offer to parents and students.

Who can open a charter school?

Kentucky’s charter school bill states that "teachers, parents, school administrators, community residents, public organizations, nonprofit organizations or a combination thereof" can apply to open charter schools.

When asked on Wednesday by fellow legislators, Sen. David Givens, a Greensburg Republican, said that for-profit companies do not count as "public organizations."

However, the bill does not preclude a charter school from contracting with a for-profit entity to handle all the management or operations of the school.

How are they funded?

House Bill 471 said that charter schools will be funded largely the same as traditional public schools, with schools getting state and federal money based largely on the number of students in the school.

However, the bill said that charter schools do not get any capital outlay funds, and have to give up 3 percent of their total funding as an administrative fee to the charter school authorizer. There are also a few other restrictions and stipulations regarding charter school funding in the bill, as well.

Who would be able to go to a charter school?

Any student can apply to attend a charter school that is open in their school district.

The bill said that charter schools must give enrollment preference to students who attended the charter school the previous year, as well as any siblings of students attending the charter school.

The charter school can choose to give preference to students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch – a common indicator of poverty – or for students who attend a persistently low-achieving non-charter public school, Kentucky’s bill said. However, charter schools don’t have to offer that preference.

And the bill said that charter schools must use a “randomized and transparent lottery” to pick students if applications exceed the school’s capacity.

Who will be keeping an eye on charter schools?

Local school districts and the mayors of Louisville and Lexington will be in charge of approving charter school applications in their areas (although denials can be appealed to the state board of education), which means that it will be largely up to the authorizers to ensure that approved schools are living up to their charter.

Kentucky’s bill would also allow a collaborative of local school boards to approve the formation of a regional charter school for students living in the combined districts' attendance area.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer this week said that as a charter school authorizer, he'll be looking for charter applications that will focus on low-income students and will offer things such as mentoring, tutoring and out-of-school programs. But he noted that "this is all very new" and his office is still evaluating the bill and options.

How will this affect existing public schools?

Opponents of charter schools contend that they siphon money and resources from traditional public schools, while proponents say the competition will force traditional public schools to be more innovative. Exactly how any charter schools will affect existing Kentucky public schools is yet to be seen.

Kentucky's charter school bill will require local school districts to provide transportation for charter school students or else give a proportionate amount of its transportation budget to the charter school. The bill also requires school districts to grant up to a two-year leave of absence to teachers who choose to work in a charter school, among other stipulations.

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What's a conversion charter school?

Kentucky's bill would allow an existing public school to be converted into a charter school.

This could happen in a few different ways.

First, a public school that's been identified by the state as being in the bottom 5 percent for performance of schools in the state can be converted to a charter if 60 percent of parents attending the school sign a petition to a charter school authorizer asking for the conversion.

Secondly, a school that does not fall into that bottom 5 percent can be converted after a petition signed by 60 percent of parents of a school and approval by a majority of the school board of the district for the school.

A school board with authority over a school can also vote to convert the school to a charter.

Do you have more questions about charter schools? Send your questions to reporter Allison Ross at aross@courier-journal.com and she will try to get them answered.

Reporter Allison Ross can be reached at 502-582-4241. Follow the Courier-Journal's education team at Facebook.com/SchooledCJ.

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