Signed by Governor Haley Barbour

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to adopt a conference report that allows parents of public school students enrolled in "chronically under-performing" schools to petition to convert such schools into charter schools, and establishes a process by which public schools that are considered "failing" for a specified period of time shall become "new start" schools under the administration of the Mississippi Recovery School District.

Highlights:

-Allows a public school that has been designated as "low-performing," "at-risk," or "failing" for 3 consecutive years, as determined by the State Department of Education, to become a conversion charter school upon approval of a petition and conversion plan by more than 50 percent of the families of the students and subsequent approval by the State Board of Education, among other requirements (Sec. 7) -Allows parents and guardians of the students, upon approval of a conversion charter school petition, to select certain parents and guardians to serve on the conversion charter school's local management board, which shall have authority to make certain decisions for the school, including, but not limited to, selecting a person to be employed as the principal, selecting licensed teachers who are qualified under the No Child Left Behind Act, and determining the salaries of those teachers (Sec. 7). -Specifies that the initial contract issued by the State Board of Education for a conversion charter school shall be for a minimum of 3 years, and specifies that the contract may be renewed on a one-year or multi-year basis, not to exceed 3 years, if approved by a majority vote of the parents and guardians (Sec. 11). -Allows the State Board of Education to approve up to 12 conversion charter schools in the state during a period of 6 years (with no such schools authorized to begin operations before July 1, 2013), and prohibits more than 3 conversion charter school from being approved in each congressional district (Sec. 13). -Establishes the New Start School Program, under which public schools that are considered "failing" for 3 consecutive years shall become "new start" schools administered by the Mississippi Recovery School District (Sec. 1). -Allows the State Board of Education to grant a one-year delay of the deadline on which a school must become a "new start" school if it determines that "circumstances merit giving the school an additional year to achieve academic improvement" (Sec. 1).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to adopt a conference report that allows parents of public school students enrolled in "chronically under-performing" schools to petition to convert such schools into charter schools, and establishes a process by which public schools that are considered "failing" for a specified period of time shall become "new start" schools under the administration of the Mississippi Recovery School District.

Highlights:

-Allows a public school that has been designated as "low-performing," "at-risk," or "failing" for 3 consecutive years, as determined by the State Department of Education, to become a conversion charter school upon approval of a petition and conversion plan by more than 50 percent of the families of the students and subsequent approval by the State Board of Education, among other requirements (Sec. 7) -Allows parents and guardians of the students, upon approval of a conversion charter school petition, to select certain parents and guardians to serve on the conversion charter school's local management board, which shall have authority to make certain decisions for the school, including, but not limited to, selecting a person to be employed as the principal, selecting licensed teachers who are qualified under the No Child Left Behind Act, and determining the salaries of those teachers (Sec. 7). -Specifies that the initial contract issued by the State Board of Education for a conversion charter school shall be for a minimum of 3 years, and specifies that the contract may be renewed on a one-year or multi-year basis, not to exceed 3 years, if approved by a majority vote of the parents and guardians (Sec. 11). -Allows the State Board of Education to approve up to 12 conversion charter schools in the state during a period of 6 years (with no such schools authorized to begin operations before July 1, 2013), and prohibits more than 3 conversion charter school from being approved in each congressional district (Sec. 13). -Establishes the New Start School Program, under which public schools that are considered "failing" for 3 consecutive years shall become "new start" schools administered by the Mississippi Recovery School District (Sec. 1). -Allows the State Board of Education to grant a one-year delay of the deadline on which a school must become a "new start" school if it determines that "circumstances merit giving the school an additional year to achieve academic improvement" (Sec. 1).

Full Bill Text