Plain English Breakdown
The official text does not specify an exact effective date for this bill, only that it passed the legislature.
School Board Vacancy Elections and Charter School Renewal Data Rules
This law changes how special elections are held for school board vacancies by combining them with regular elections when possible, and extends the time charter schools can use extra data to prove academic growth during renewal.
What This Bill Does
- Requires county superintendents to combine a requested special election with the next regularly scheduled election if that date is at least 88 days after ordering the election.
- Allows a person temporarily appointed to fill a school board seat to stay in office until the results of the combined election are officially certified.
- Requires chartering authorities to consider extra data on academic achievement or postsecondary outcomes for lower-performing charter schools during renewal, instead of stopping this practice after January 1, 2026.
- Extends the use of extra data requirements until a state-approved student-level growth model for English and math is fully implemented with two years of necessary data.
Who It Names or Affects
- County superintendents of schools
- School district and community college governing boards
- Charter school operators seeking renewal in the lower performance tiers
- Local educational agencies acting as chartering authorities
Terms To Know
- Provisional appointment
- A temporary person chosen to fill a seat on the board until an election is held.
- Special election
- An extra vote called specifically to fill a vacancy, separate from regular scheduled elections.
- Chartering authority
- The group or agency that grants permission for a charter school to open and renew its contract.
Limits and Unknowns
- Reimbursement payments depend on whether the Commission on State Mandates decides costs were created by this law.
- The timeline for ending extra data requirements depends on when the new student-level growth models are fully implemented with two years of data.