Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that establishes a public charter school pilot project.

Highlights:

• Establishes a public charter school pilot project for the purpose of creating high standards for student performance, closing achievement gaps between public school students, and providing expanded opportunities for community involvement in the public education system (Sec. 1).

• Defines “charter school” as a public school that has autonomy over its decisions, is governed by an independent board, is a school to which parents choose to send their children, and admits students on the basis of a lottery if more students apply for admission than can be accommodated (Sec. 2).

• Authorizes a maximum of 2 charter schools to be established per year in a county with a consolidated local government and 2 charter schools to be established per year in a county with an urban-county government, beginning in the 2016-2017 academic year and continuing through the 2020-2021 academic year (Sec. 1).

• Limits the total number of charter schools established during the pilot project to 5 per county (Sec. 1).

• Requires a charter school to be located within a 5 mile radius of a public school in which at least 50 percent of students qualify for a free or reduced-price lunch (Sec. 1). 

• Authorizes charter schools established during the pilot project to continue to operate beyond the 2020-2021 academic year if the school continues to meet or exceed state performance measures (Sec. 1).

• Establishes the “Kentucky Public Charter School Commission” as an independent state agency with statewide chartering jurisdiction and authority, consisting of 9 members appointed by the governor by July 31, 2015 (Sec. 4).

• Establishes the “Kentucky Public Charter School Commission Trust Fund” to support the operation of the commission (Sec. 8).

• Requires a local school board to allocate state and local funds directly to a charter school for each student who is a resident of the district and enrolled in the charter school, by using the same formulas and allocation processes used to distribute funds to other schools in the district (Sec. 14).

Full Bill Text