Provides that charter school applications shall be approved or disapproved by the local school board in certain districts

1 Co-sponsor

• Eric T. Schneiderman

Title of bill

An act to amend the education law, in relation to local approval of charter schools in certain districts

Purpose

To ensure some local oversight over charter schools outside of New York City.

Summary of provisions

Amends section 2851-a of the education law to require a charter school to submit an application to the local school board for approval before an application can be submitted to a chartering entity. This application must include an economic and financial impact statement in addition to other information relevant to the application. If the local school board does not approve the charter school application, the applicant cannot apply to a chartering entity.

Justification

Currently, there have been nine charter schools approved for the Albany City School District. When these schools are operating at full capacity the school district expects 22.71 % (approximately $49 million) of their funding to be diverted into these charter schools. Under the current law, the school district has had no input into the approval process that has resulted in the district's saturation. The goal of this legislation is to provide school districts with input into the process that affects them greatly.

Legislative history

2005/2006 - S.7137 Remained in the Senate Committee on Education 2007/2008 - S.715 Remained in the Senate Committee on Education

Fiscal implications

To be determined.

Effective date

The act shall take effect on the July 1st after it shall have become law.