September 2014 Committee on School Initiatives Item 8
Review of the Commissioner of Education’s
Generation 19 Charter Proposals
September 19, 2014
COMMITTEE ON SCHOOL INITIATIVES: ACTION
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION: ACTION
SUMMARY: This item provides the committee an opportunity to review the commissioner’s list of proposed/recommended Subchapter D open-enrollment charter schools scheduled to open in school year 2015-2016. If awarded, the charters will have a five-year term with a July 31, 2020 contract end date.
STATUTORY AUTHORITY: Texas Education Code (TEC), §12.101.
PREVIOUS BOARD ACTION: At the November 2013 board meeting, the State Board of Education (SBOE) took into consideration the four applicants recommended by the commissioner of education for charter award. The SBOE motioned and voted to take no action on the following three (3) charter applicants: Carpé Diem, El Paso Leadership Academy, and Magnolia and Montessori for All. A motion was made and carried to veto the Great Hearts of Dallas charter application.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND SIGNIFICANT ISSUES: Senate Bill (SB) 2, 83rd Texas Legislature, 2013, granted the commissioner the authority to award up to 305 open-enrollment charters on a graduated basis by the year 2019 to eligible entities that: are considered capable of carrying out the responsibilities of the charter, are likely to operate a school of high quality, have been nominated by the commissioner, and are not vetoed by a majority of members of the SBOE present and voting. Prior to the charter school award cycle, the commissioner adopted the Nineteenth Generation Open-Enrollment Charter Guidelines and Request for Applications document establishing the procedures for the application cycle, the contents of the application, and the criteria by which charter schools would be awarded to eligible entities. Inclusive of the criteria, Generation 19 applications must have earned an average score of 298 out of a possible 425 points in order to be granted an interview.
Sixteen of the 27 applications submitted by the March 27, 2014, deadline were deemed to be complete after review by Texas Education Agency staff. The external reviewers, designated through a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process, scored the 16 applications for charter. Of the 16 applications, 11 met the 70% cut score and were granted an interview. One applicant removed themselves from the process. The commissioner’s designee conducted interviews with 10 sponsoring entity representatives from July 21-23, 2014. State Board of Education members were invited to attend the interviews.
FISCAL IMPACT: A fiscal implication would be likely for local school districts as a result of open-enrollment charters being authorized. A decrease in state revenue to local districts would occur as the result of students attending an open-enrollment charter school instead of a traditional district school.
PUBLIC AND STUDENT BENEFIT: In accordance with current statute, the approval of open-enrollment charters will provide new avenues for flexibility, innovation, local restructuring, and school choice options for parents and students. Charter schools are a public school choice option that approximately 4% of our Texas students participate in.
PROCEDURAL AND REPORTING IMPLICATIONS: Open-enrollment charter schools are subject to the public school accountability system under TEC, Chapter 39, Subchapters B, C, D, E, F, G, and J. Reporting requirements referenced in TEC §12.104 including but not limited to PEIMS, criminal history records Chapter 22, Subchapter C, Special Education Chapter 29, Subchapter A, and Bilingual Education Chapter 29, Subchapter B.
PUBLIC COMMENTS: None.
ALTERNATIVES: No alternative actions are proposed regarding this item.
OTHER COMMENTS AND RELATED ISSUES: No other comments or related issues are presented.
MOTION TO BE CONSIDERED: The State Board of Education:
Take no action on the list of proposed Generation 19 open-enrollment charters submitted by the commissioner of education.
Staff Members Responsible:
Sally Partridge, Associate Commissioner
Accreditation and School Improvement
Heather Mauzé, Director
Charter School Administration
Attachment:
Applicants Proposed by Commissioner of Education for a Generation 19 Open-Enrollment Charter. (PDF, 19KB)