Update on the Status of Charters Recently Awarded and
Attendance at the Generation 17 Applicant Conferences
January 26, 2012
COMMITTEE ON SCHOOL INIATIVES: DISCUSSION
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION: NO ACTION
SUMMARY: This item provides staff with the opportunity to brief the Committee on School Initiatives on the progress in clearing contingencies made by open-enrollment charters authorized in September 2011 and the charter authorized in November 2011 to be operated by The University of Texas at Tyler. In addition, staff will brief the board on attendance at the two Generation 17 applicant conferences and provide information on the applications submitted for the 2012-2014 Public Charter School Start-Up Grant.
PREVIOUS BOARD ACTION: The State Board of Education (SBOE) approved Generation 16 open-enrollment charters on September 16, 2011, and on November 18, 2011, approved a charter to be operated by The University of Texas System at The University of Texas at Tyler. The SBOE approved the Seventeenth Generation Open-Enrollment Charter Guidelines and Application on July 22, 2011, which required each Generation 17 applicant to send at least one sponsoring entity board member to one of the two applicant conferences, which were held on October 6, 2011 and December 8, 2011.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND SIGNIFICANT ISSUES: Senate Bill (SB) 1, 74th Texas Legislature, 1995, granted the SBOE the authority to establish up to 20 open-enrollment charter schools to eligible entities. In 1997, the 75th Texas Legislature granted the board the authority to approve 100 additional open-enrollment charters and an unlimited number of open-enrollment charters to serve students at risk of dropping out of school. In 2001, House Bill (HB) 6, 77th Texas Legislature, called for the combination of the two types of charters described above into one open-enrollment category and limited the number of charters to 215. In addition, HB 6 gave the board authority to approve an unlimited number of charters to public senior colleges or universities that meet additional requirements. In 2009, HB 1423 was passed in the regular session of the 81st Texas Legislature. This bill extended the board authority to approve an unlimited number of charters to public junior colleges that meet requirements similar to those of public senior colleges and universities.
FISCAL IMPACT: None.
PUBLIC AND STUDENT BENEFIT: Open-enrollment charter schools provide avenues for local restructuring, flexibility, innovation, and choice options for parents and students.
PROCEDURAL AND REPORTING IMPLICATIONS: None.
PUBLIC COMMENTS: None.
ALTERNATIVES: None.
OTHER COMMENTS AND RELATED ISSUES: None.
Respectfully submitted,
Robert Scott
Commissioner of Education
Staff Members Responsible:
Lizzette Reynolds, Deputy Commissioner
Policy and Programs
Laura Taylor, Associate Commissioner
Accreditation and School Improvement
Mary Perry, Director
Charter School Administration