Agenda - Council - 07/12/2022 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Although charter schools are not required to provide transportation for students who reside outside of the school district in which the charter school is located, a parent whose family is below the poverty level as determined by the federal government may be entitled to reimbursement by the charter school for costs of transporting a pupil from the pupil's residence to the border of the district in which the charter school is located.The reimbursement must not exceed the pupil's actual cost of transportation or 15 cents per mile traveled, whichever is less. Reimbursement may not be paid for more than 250 miles per week. If a charter school does not provide transportation, transportation must be provided by the district in which the charter school is located. If the district does provide transportation,the scheduling of routes,manner and method of transportation,control and discipline of the students,and any other matter relating to the transportation falls within the control and discretion of the school district. Charter Noncompliance and Termination (Minn.Stat.§124E.10) A charter school is allowed to continue in duration for the length of the Charter Contract between the charter school and the authorizer. A Charter Contract may be unilaterally terminated or not renewed by the authorizer for: (1) failure to demonstrate satisfactory academic achievement for all students, including the requirements for pupil performance contained in the contract; (2) failure to meet generally accepted standards of fiscal management; (3) violations of law; or (4) other good cause. If an authorizer intends to not renew a contract with a charter school, it must provide written notice to the charter school at least sixty (60) days prior to the proposed nonrenewal or termination. The board of directors of the charter school may make a request to have an informal hearing within fifteen(15)business days of receiving notice of nonrenewal or termination of the contract. Failure to request a hearing will be treated as acquiescence to the proposed action. Upon receiving a request for a hearing,an authorizer shall give ten(10)business days' notice to the charter school's board of directors of the hearing date. The authorizer shall take final action to renew or not renew a contract no later than twenty (20) business days before the proposed date for terminating the contract or the end of the contract. If the authorizer and the charter school board of directors mutually agree not to renew the Charter Contract, or if the governing board of the authorizer votes to withdraw as an approved authorizer, a change in authorizers is allowed. The authorizer and the school board must jointly submit their intent in writing to the Commissioner to mutually not renew the contract. The authorizer that is a party to the existing Charter Contract must inform the proposed authorizer about the fiscal and operational status and student performance of the charter school, as well as any outstanding contractual obligations. The charter contract between the proposed authorizer and the school must identify and provide a plan to address any of these obligations from the previous contract.The proposed contract must be submitted at least 105 business days before the end of the existing charter contract. The Commissioner will have 30 business days to review and make a determination, after which the proposed authorizer and the school have 15 business days to respond and address any issues identified by the Commissioner.A final determination shall be made no later than 45 business days before the end of the current charter contract. If no change in authorizer is approved, the school and the current authorizer may withdraw their letter of nonrenewal and enter into a new contract. If the transfer is not approved and the current authorizer and school do not withdraw their letter and enter a new contract, the school must be dissolved. The Commissioner may terminate the Charter Contract, after providing reasonable notice to the board of directors of a charter school and existing authorizer, after providing an opportunity for a public hearing if the charter school has a history of. (1)failure to meet pupil performance requirements;(2)financial mismanagement or failure to meet generally accepted standards of fiscal management;or(3)repeated or major violations of law. Upon termination of a Charter Contract,a pupil who attended the charter school,siblings of a pupil or another pupil who resides in the same place as the pupil may enroll in the resident district or may submit an application to a nonresident district at any time. The closed charter school must transfer the student's educational records within ten (10) business days of closure to the student's school district of residence where the records must be retained or transferred. If the Charter Contract is not renewed or is unilaterally terminated the charter school must dissolve according to the applicable provisions of Minn. Stat. Chapter 317A. C-5