HB1322 • 2026

Schools, Charter

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 13, relative to charter schools.

Education

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Lamberth, Johnson
Last action: 2025-04-29
Official status: Comp. became Pub. Ch. 275
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details about financial impacts, effective dates, or anticipated applications for replication.

Changes to Tennessee's Charter School Laws

This act modifies Tennessee's laws regarding charter schools, allowing existing charter school operators and sponsors in certain circumstances to apply directly to the state commission for new or replicated charter schools.

What This Bill Does

Allows governing bodies of existing public charter schools that have been operating for at least one year to apply for replication within their current LEA (Local Education Agency) or directly to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission if they meet certain criteria.
Enables sponsors whose applications were previously denied by an LEA but overturned three times in a three-year period by the commission, to apply directly to the commission for new charter schools.
Requires prospective sponsors of public charter schools to send letters of intent to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission instead of the Department of Education and mandates that these letters be posted on the commission's website within 10 days.
Establishes a timeline for the commission to approve or deny applications, with provisions allowing sponsors to amend denied applications and have them reconsidered.

Who It Names or Affects

Existing public charter school operators
Sponsors of new public charter schools
Local Education Agencies (LEAs)
The Tennessee Public Charter School Commission

Terms To Know

Replication: Creating one or more charter schools that use the same academic focus as an existing charter school.
Authorizer: A local board of education, the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission, or the Achievement School District that makes decisions about approving, renewing, and revoking public charter school applications.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify an effective date.
It is unclear how many existing charter schools will apply for replication under these new rules.
There are no details on the financial impact of these changes on local education agencies or the state commission.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HA0229

Amendment 1-0 to HB1322

Plain English: The amendment allows a Tennessee higher education institution to apply directly to the charter school commission for approval of its public charter school application, instead of going through the local board of education.

Adds new subsection (d) in Section 34, allowing the commission to create rules for replication applications submitted under this section.
Replaces subdivision (i)(1) in Section 12, permitting public higher education institutions to apply directly to the charter school commission for approval of their charter school application.

The amendment text does not specify all details about how replication applications and direct applications will be processed.
Some technical language may require further explanation or context that is not provided in this amendment.

SA0120

Amendment 1-0 to SB1310

Plain English: The amendment allows a Tennessee commission to create rules for approving applications from public institutions of higher education that want to open charter schools, and it changes how these institutions can apply directly to the commission.

Adds new subsection (d) in Section 34, allowing the commission to make rules for approving replication applications from public institutions of higher education.
Changes subdivision (i)(1) in Section 12 to allow public institutions of higher education to apply directly to the commission for charter school approval.

The amendment text does not specify what 'replication applications' are, which could be unclear without additional context.
It is not clear from the provided information how this change will affect existing processes or outcomes in Tennessee's education system.

Bill History

2025-04-29 Tennessee General Assembly
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 275
2025-04-29 Tennessee General Assembly
Effective date(s) 07/01/2025
2025-04-29 Tennessee General Assembly
Pub. Ch. 275
2025-04-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Signed by Governor.
2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Transmitted to Governor for action.
2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Signed by H. Speaker
2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly
Signed by Senate Speaker
2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly
Enrolled and ready for signatures
2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly
Comp. SB subst.
2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed H., Ayes 70, Nays 19, PNV 2
2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly
Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0229)
2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly
Subst. for comp. HB.
2025-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly
H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/14/2025
2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/10/2025
2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee
2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Government Operations Committee for 4/7/2025
2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Government Operations Committee
2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly
Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.
2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Education Committee for 4/1/2025
2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Action def. in Education Committee to 4/1/2025
2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Engrossed; ready for transmission to House
2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 27, Nays 5
2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0120)
2025-03-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/24/2025
2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/25/2025
2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Action def. in Education Committee to 3/25/2025
2025-03-14 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/18/2025
2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 7, Nays 2 PNV 0
2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Action def. in Education Committee to 3/18/2025
2025-03-07 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/11/2025
2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 3/12/2025
2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Education Committee
2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal K-12 Subcommittee for 3/4/2025
2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c K-12 Subcommittee
2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly
P2C, ref. to Education Committee
2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education Committee
2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly
Intro., P1C.
2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly
Introduced, Passed on First Consideration
2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction
2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law generally requires a sponsor seeking to establish a new public charter school to apply to the LEA in which the school will be lo
cated. This bill authorizes a charter school operator (a "governing body") that has at least one public charter school authorized by an LEA or the Tennessee public charter school commission (the "commission") that has been in operation for at least one f
u
ll school year to apply for replication in the LEA in which the governing body is currently operating to the LEA or directly to the commission. This bill also authorizes sponsors of public charter schools in LEAs whose denials of public charter school ap
p
lications have been overturned by the commission three or more times in a three-year period to apply directly to the commission.

Present law requires a prospective charter school sponsor to submit a letter of intent to the department of education and the
authorizer of its plan to submit an application to operate a charter school 60 days before the application process begins. This bill requires the prospective sponsor to send the letter of intent to the commission instead of the department. This bill re
q
uires the commission to make letters of intent that it receives available on its website within 10 days of receipt.

If the sponsor of a new public charter school by way of replication elects to apply directly to the commission, then the application proce
ss must be conducted in accordance with the notice, application, donation disclosure, and application fee requirements applicable to all charter school applications, and with the following:

(1) The commission must approve or deny the application within
90 days of receipt of a completed application. If the commission fails to approve or deny a replication application within 90 days, then the application is deemed approved;

(2) If the commission denies a replication application, then the grounds for de
nial must be stated in writing and must specify objective reasons for the denial. A sponsor has 30 days to submit an amended replication application to correct any deficiencies. Upon receipt of an amended application, the commission has 60 days to deny
o
r approve the amended application. If the commission fails to approve or deny the amended application within 60 days, then the amended application is deemed approved;

(3) If the commission approves a replication application, then the commission is the a
uthorizer and LEA for that public charter school; and

(4) The commission's decision is final and not subject to appeal.

This bill adds that, if the commission has overturned a LEA's decision to deny a public charter school application on three separa
te occasions within a three-consecutive-year period, then, for the five-consecutive-year period immediately following the date on which the commission overturned the LEA's third decision to deny a public charter school application within the last three ye
a
rs, any sponsor that seeks to establish a new public charter school in that LEA may apply directly to the commission. The provisions for replication described in (1)
–
(4) will also apply to applications made directly to the commission. After the five-c
o
nsecutive-year period during which a sponsor may apply directly to the commission, a sponsor that seeks to establish a new public charter school must apply directly to the LEA.

Present law specifies that it is the intent of the Tennessee Public Charter S
chools Act of 2002 to provide local school systems the option to work in concert with the state's public higher education institutions to establish charter school laboratories of teaching and learning as a means of fostering educational innovations for im
p
lementation statewide. This bill adds authorization for a public institution of higher education in Tennessee that seeks to open a public charter school to apply to the LEA or directly to the commission.

Present law requires a sponsor to submit an appli
cation to the authorizer and the department on or before February 1 of the year preceding the year in which the proposed public charter school plans to begin operation. This bill removes the requirement that the application be provided to the department
a
nd adds a requirement that the authorizer report each application, including applications for renewal, it receives to the commission within 10 days of receipt.

Present law requires that an authorizer report to the department of education whether the auth
orizer approved or denied a charter school application, together with a copy of the authorizer's resolution that provides the authorizer's decision and the reasons for the authorizer's decision, within 10 days of the approval or denial. This bill adds th
a
t the decision and resolution must also be provided to the commission.

Present law authorizes a public charter school to give an enrollment preference to children of the public charter school's employees or to the children of a member of the public chart
er school's governing body, not to exceed 10% of the public charter school's total enrollment or 25 students, whichever is less. This bill adds that a public charter school sponsored by a public institution of higher education in Tennessee may give an en
r
ollment preference to children of the public institution of higher education's employees or members of the institution's governing body, not to exceed 25% of the public charter school's total enrollment.

This bill transfers from the department to the
commission responsibility for monitoring and maintaining information related to charter school applications. This bill requires the commission shall annually make such information available on its website.

Present law requires the governing body of a pu
blic charter school to make an annual progress report to the authorizer and to the commissioner of education. The reports are public and the commissioner is required to use the reports as the basis for an annual report to legislative committees. This bi
l
l removes the requirement for progress reports and requires the commissioner to prepare an annual report on public charter schools.

Under present law, if the commission approves the renewal of a charter agreement on appeal from an LEA, then the public
charter school and the commission are required to enter into a renewed charter agreement. Present law specifies that the duration of initial and renewed charter agreements is 10 years. Under this bill, if the commission approves the renewal of a charter

agreement on appeal from an LEA, then the public charter school and the commission are required to enter into a renewed charter agreement for a term of no less than five academic years, but no more than 10 academic years, as determined by resolution of th
e
commission.

Present law requires an authorizer to notify the department within 10 days of adopting a resolution to renew, revoke, or deny renewal of a charter agreement. This bill adds that the authorizer must also notify the commission.

If the commi
ssion approves the renewal of a charter agreement for a public charter school that was authorized by the achievement school district, this bill requires the public charter school and the commission to enter into a renewed charter agreement for a term of n
o
less than five academic years, but no more than 10 academic years, as determined by resolution of the commission.

This bill transfers various functions concerning public charter schools from the department to the state board of education. These include
functions such as developing forms, data collection, developing guidelines for the review of charter schools, developing a model performance framework, and providing information to the public.

This bill also deletes provisions of the Tennessee Public Ch
arter Schools Act of 2002 that have become artifacts due to expiration of their effective periods.

ON MARCH 24, 2025, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1310, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 makes the following revisions:



Authorizes
the Tennessee public charter school commission
("commission")

to
promulgate rules
, in accordance with
the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act
,
for the authorization of replication applications submitted to the commission pursuant to
the bill
.



Removes the requirement that the application process, when
a public institution of higher education in this state elects to apply directly to the commission for approval of its public charter school application
, be conducted in accordance with all of the following:



The commission
must
rule by resolution, at a regularly or specially called meeting, to approve or deny a public charter school application no later than

90 days after the date on which the commission received the completed application. If the commission fails to approve or deny a public charter school application within 90 days, then the public charter school application is deemed approved
.



If the commission denies an application, then the grounds for denial must be stated in writing and must specify objective reasons for the denial. Upon receipt of the grounds for denial, the sponsor has 30 days to submit an amended application to correct any deficiencies. Upon receipt of the amended application, the commission has 60 days to deny or approve the amended application. If the commission fails to approve or deny the amended application within 60 days, then the amended application is deemed approved
.



If the commission approves an application, then the commission is the authorizer and LEA for that public charter school
.



The commission's decision is final and not subject to appeal.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

SENATE BILL 1310
By Johnson

HOUSE BILL 1322
By Lamberth

HB1322
000922
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
Chapter 13, relative to charter schools.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-104, is amended by deleting
subdivision (4) and substituting instead:
(4) "Authorizer" means a local board of education, the Tennessee public charter
school commission, or the achievement school district as defined in § 49-1-614, that
makes decisions regarding approval, renewal, and revocation of a public charter school
application or agreement;
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-104, is amended by adding
the following as a new subdivision:
( ) "Replication" means the creation of one (1) or more charter schools pursuant
to the process authorized in § 49-13-137 that utilize the same academic focus of an
existing charter school operated by a sponsor or governing body;
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-106(i), is amended by deleting
the subsection and substituting instead:
(i) If a sponsor seeks to establish a new public charter school, including an
opportunity charter school, then the sponsor must apply to the local board of education
or to the commission, if direct application to the commission is authorized in this chapter.
SECTION 4. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-107(a), is amended by
deleting "department of education" and substituting instead "commission".

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SECTION 5. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-107(a), is amended by adding
the following language at the end of the subsection:
The commission shall make letters of intent received by the commission available on its
website no later than ten (10) days from the date on which the letter was received.
SECTION 6. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-107(b), is amended by
deleting the language that precedes the colon ":" and substituting instead:
On or before February 1 of the year preceding the year in which the proposed
public charter school plans to begin operation, the sponsor seeking to establish a public
charter school shall prepare and file with the authorizer an application using an
application template developed by the state board of education in coordination with the
commission. The authorizer shall report each application received by the authorizer to
the commission no later than ten (10) days from the date on which the authorizer
received the application. A completed application must provide the following information
and documents
SECTION 7. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-108, is amended by deleting
subdivision (b)(4).
SECTION 8. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-108(b)(5), is amended by
deleting the language "Beginning immediately upon the repeal of subdivision (b)(4)" and
substituting instead the language "Beginning on January 1, 2021".
SECTION 9. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-108(b)(5)(D), is amended by
deleting the language "department of education's" and substituting instead "state board of
education's".
SECTION 10. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-108(g), is amended by
adding the language "and the commission" after "department of education".

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SECTION 11. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-108(g), is amended by
adding the language "and the commission" after "provide the department".
SECTION 12. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-108, is amended by deleting
the language "This section only applies to" in subdivision (b)(1) and substituting instead the
language "Subsections (b)-(d) only apply to" and by adding the following new subsections:
(h)
(1) Beginning on July 1, 2025, if the commission has overturned a local
board of education's decision to deny a public charter school application on three
(3) separate occasions within a three-consecutive-year period, then, for the five-
consecutive-year period immediately following the date on which the commission
overturned the board's third decision to deny a public charter school application
within the last three (3) years, any sponsor that seeks to establish a new public
charter school in that LEA may apply directly to the commission.
(2) If a sponsor elects to apply directly to the commission pursuant to this
subsection (h), then the application process must be conducted in accordance
with § 49-13-107 and with the following:
(A) The commission shall rule by resolution, at a regularly or
specially called meeting, to approve or deny a public charter school
application no later than ninety (90) days after the date on which the
commission received the completed application. If the commission fails
to approve or deny a public charter school application within ninety (90)
days, then the public charter school application is deemed approved;
(B) If the commission denies an application, then the grounds for
denial must be stated in writing and must specify objective reasons for the
denial. Upon receipt of the grounds for denial, the sponsor has thirty (30)

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days to submit an amended application to correct any deficiencies. Upon
receipt of the amended application, the commission has sixty (60) days to
deny or approve the amended application. If the commission fails to
approve or deny the amended application within sixty (60) days, then the
amended application is deemed approved;
(C) If the commission approves an application, then the
commission is the authorizer and LEA for that public charter school; and
(D) The commission's decision is final and not subject to appeal.
(3) After the five-consecutive-year period during which a sponsor may
apply directly to the commission for approval pursuant to this subsection (h), a
sponsor that seeks to establish a new public charter school must apply directly to
the local board of education unless the conditions in subdivision (h)(1) are met in
the future.
(i)
(1) A public institution of higher education in this state that seeks to open
a public charter school may apply to the local board of education or directly to the
commission. If a public institution of higher education in this state elects to apply
directly to the commission for approval of its public charter school application,
then the application process must be conducted in accordance with § 49-13-107.
(2) Notwithstanding § 49-13-113(d)(6), a public charter school sponsored
by a public institution of higher education in this state may give an enrollment
preference to children of the public institution of higher education's employees or
members of the institution's governing body, not to exceed twenty-five percent
(25%) of the public charter school's total enrollment.

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SECTION 13. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-110(d), is amended by
deleting the subsection and substituting instead:
(d) The governing body of the public charter school may petition the authorizer
to amend the charter agreement. The commission shall determine the timelines for
approval and the appeal process. If the authorizer is the commission, then an appeal
shall not be made of the commission's decision to deny a petition to amend the charter
agreement. The governing body of a public charter school may petition the authorizer
for voluntary termination of the charter agreement before the charter agreement expires.
SECTION 14. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-111(a)(4), is amended by
deleting "Except as provided in § 49-13-142(d), receive" and substituting instead "Receive".
SECTION 15. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-116(a), is amended by
deleting "department" and substituting instead "state board".
SECTION 16. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-116(b), is amended by
deleting "department of education" and substituting instead "commission".
SECTION 17. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-116(b), is amended by
adding the following language at the end of the subsection:
The commission shall annually make the information described in this subsection
(b) available on its website.
SECTION 18. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-120, is amended by deleting
the section and substituting instead:
(a) The commissioner of education shall prepare an annual report on public
charter schools that includes, at a minimum:
(1) Public charter school enrollment;
(2) Geographic distribution of public charter schools; and

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(3) Public charter school performance, as evidenced by the information
provided pursuant to subdivision (b)(3).
(b) In addition to the annual audit of accounts and records of its approved public
charter schools pursuant to § 49-13-127, each authorizer shall, by January 1 each year,
submit an annual authorizing report to the state board of education and make the annual
authorizing report available on its website. The annual authorizing report must include:
(1) The operating status of the public charter schools approved by the
authorizer with a designation of:
(A) Approved, but not yet open;
(B) Open and operating;
(C) Revoked, including the reason for revocation;
(D) Nonrenewed; or
(E) Closed, including the closing date and reason for closing;
(2) The oversight and contracted services, if any, provided by the
authorizer to the public charter schools approved by the authorizer; and
(3) A performance report for each public charter school it oversees, in
accordance with the performance framework set forth in the charter agreement.
SECTION 19. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-121(a), is amended by
deleting "department of education" and substituting instead "state board of education in
consultation with the commission".
SECTION 20. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-121(a), is amended by
adding the following language at the end of the subsection:
The authorizer shall report each renewal application received by the authorizer to
the commission no later than ten (10) days from the date on which the authorizer
received the renewal application.

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SECTION 21. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-121(d), is amended by
deleting "progress reports" and substituting instead "authorizing report".
SECTION 22. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-121(e), is amended by
deleting the subsection.
SECTION 23. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-121(f), is amended by
deleting "Beginning immediately upon the repeal of subdivision (e)" and substituting instead
"Beginning on January 1, 2021".
SECTION 24. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-121(f)(3), is amended by
deleting the subdivision and substituting instead:
(3) Notwithstanding subsection (g), the first sentence of § 49-13-110(b), and §
49-13-110(c), if the commission approves the renewal of a charter agreement on appeal
from a local board of education, then the public charter school and the commission shall
enter into a renewed charter agreement in accordance with § 49-13-110(a) for a term of
no less than five (5) academic years, but no more than ten (10) academic years, as
determined by resolution of the commission.
SECTION 25. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-121(i), is amended by adding
the language "and commission" after "department of education".
SECTION 26. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-121(k), is amended by
deleting "department of education" and substituting instead "state board of education".
SECTION 27. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-121, is amended by adding
the following as a new subsection:
( ) Notwithstanding subsection (g), the first sentence of § 49-13-110(b), and §
49-13-110(c), if the commission approves the renewal of a charter agreement in
accordance with § 49-1-614(k)(2)(B) or § 49-1-614(k)(4), then the public charter school
and the commission shall enter into a renewed charter agreement in accordance with §

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49-13-110(a) for a term of no less than five (5) academic years, but no more than ten
(10) academic years, as determined by resolution of the commission.
SECTION 28. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-122(g), is amended by
adding the language "and commission" after "department of education".
SECTION 29. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-128(f), is amended by
deleting the subsection and substituting instead:
(f) By December 1 of each year, each LEA that collects an annual authorizer fee
shall report the total amount of authorizer fees collected in the previous school year and
the authorizing obligations fulfilled using the fee to the state board of education. The
state board shall create a standard template for purposes of the report and shall post the
information received from each LEA on its website by December 11 of each year.
SECTION 30. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-133(b), is amended by
deleting "department" and substituting instead "state board of education".
SECTION 31. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-142, is amended by deleting
the section.
SECTION 32. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-143(a), is amended by
deleting "department" wherever it appears and substituting instead "state board".
SECTION 33. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-13-143(b), is amended by
deleting the second sentence of the subsection and substituting instead:
If an authorizer has not adopted a performance framework for all of the
authorizer's schools, then the authorizer must adopt the model performance
framework developed by the state board pursuant to subsection (a).
SECTION 34. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 13, is amended by adding
the following new section:
49-13-137. Replication application.

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(a) A governing body that has at least one (1) public charter school authorized
by a local board of education or by the commission that has been in operation for at
least one (1) full school year at the time the governing body submits its letter of intent
pursuant to § 49-13-107(a) may apply for replication in the LEA in which the governing
body is currently operating to the local board of education or directly to the commission.
The state board of education, in consultation with the commission, shall develop a
replication application form for purposes of this section.
(b) If the sponsor of the new public charter school by way of replication elects to
apply directly to the commission, then the application process must be conducted in
accordance with § 49-13-107 and with the following:
(1) The commission shall rule by resolution, at a regularly or specially
called meeting, to approve or deny a replication application no later than ninety
(90) days from the date on which the commission received the completed
application. If the commission fails to approve or deny a replication application
within ninety (90) days, then the application is deemed approved;
(2) If the commission denies a replication application, then the grounds
for denial must be stated in writing and must specify objective reasons for the
denial. Upon receipt of the grounds for denial, the sponsor has thirty (30) days to
submit an amended replication application to correct any deficiencies. Upon
receipt of the amended application, the commission has sixty (60) days to deny
or approve the amended application. If the commission fails to approve or deny
the amended application within sixty (60) days, then the amended application is
deemed approved;
(3) If the commission approves a replication application, then the
commission is the authorizer and LEA for that public charter school; and

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(4) The commission's decision is final and not subject to appeal.
(c) This section does not prohibit a governing body from applying for replication
to the local board of education through the application process in § 49-13-108(b).
SECTION 35. The headings in this act are for reference purposes only and do not
constitute a part of the law enacted by this act. However, the Tennessee Code Commission is
requested to include the headings in any compilation or publication containing this act.
SECTION 36. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.