Chapter 671 Oregon Laws 2007

AN ACT

HB 3178

Relating to public charter schools; amending ORS 338.045.

Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:

SECTION 1. ORS 338.045 is amended to read:

338.045. (1) An applicant seeking to establish a public charter school shall submit a written proposal to a school district board.

(2) The proposal shall include, but need not be limited to:

(a) The identification of the applicant;

(b) The name of the proposed public charter school;

(d) A description of the curriculum of the public charter school;

(e) A description of the expected results of the curriculum and the verified methods of measuring and reporting objective results that will show the growth of knowledge of students attending the public charter school and allow comparisons with public schools;

(f) The governance structure of the public charter school;

(g) The projected enrollment to be maintained and the ages or grades to be served;

(h) The target population of students the public charter school will be designed to serve;

(i) A description of any distinctive learning or teaching techniques to be used in the public charter school;

(j) The legal address, facilities and physical location of the public charter school, if known;

(k) A description of admission policies and application procedures;

(L) The statutes and rules that shall apply to the public charter school;

(m) The proposed budget and financial plan for the public charter school and evidence that the proposed budget and financial plan for the public charter school are financially sound;

(n) The standards for behavior and the procedures for the discipline, suspension or expulsion of students;

(o) The proposed school calendar for the public charter school, including the length of the school day and school year;

(p) A description of the proposed staff members and required qualifications of teachers at the public charter school;

(q) The date upon which the public charter school would begin operating;

(r) The arrangements for any necessary special education and related services provided pursuant to ORS 338.165 for children with disabilities who may attend the public charter school;

(s) Information on the manner in which community groups may be involved in the planning and development process of the public charter school;

(t) The term of the charter;

(u) The plan for performance bonding or insuring the public charter school, including buildings and liabilities;

(v) A proposed plan for the placement of public charter school teachers, other school employees and students of the public charter school upon termination or nonrenewal of a charter;

(w) The manner in which the program review and fiscal audit will be conducted; and

(x) In the case of an existing public school being converted to charter status:

(A) The alternative arrangements for students who choose not to attend the public charter school and for teachers and other school employees who choose not to participate in the public charter school; and

(B) The relationship that will exist between the public charter school and its employees, including evidence that the terms and conditions of employment have been addressed with affected employees and their recognized representative, if any.

(3) In addition to the requirements of subsection (2) of this section, the school district board may require any additional information the board considers relevant to the formation or operation of a public charter school.

(4) At the request of the applicant, the school district board may provide technical assistance in developing the proposal for operation of the public charter school.

[(5) To the extent such information is reasonably available, education service districts shall make available to the public lists of vacant and unused public and private buildings or portions of buildings that may be suitable for the operation of a public charter school. School districts shall provide to the public and to their education service districts lists of unused or underutilized buildings that are owned by the school districts. Nothing in this subsection requires the owner of a building on the list to sell or lease to a public charter school a building or any portion of a building.]

(5) School districts, education service districts and other public bodies, as defined in ORS 174.109, shall make available to the public lists of vacant and unused public buildings and portions of buildings that may be suitable for the operation of a public charter school. The lists shall be provided to developing or operating public charter schools within 30 days of a written request. Nothing in this subsection requires the owner of a building on the list to sell or lease the building or any portion of the building to a public charter school or a public charter school governing body.

Approved by the Governor June 27, 2007

Filed in the office of Secretary of State June 27, 2007

Effective date January 1, 2008

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