§2424.__Information

The department shall disseminate information to the public directly and through chartering authorities on how to form and operate a charter school and on how to enroll in charter schools once they are created.

Sec. 5. Review. The Commissioner of Education, with assistance from the State Board of Education, shall conduct a review of charter schools created under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, chapter 112 3 years after the effective date of this Act. The commissioner shall submit a report and any recommendations to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over education and cultural affairs by December 15th of the following year.

SUMMARY

This bill allows certain educational bodies to approve the establishment of charter schools, a new type of public school, to be a part of the State's program of public education.

Charter schools may be existing public schools or school units, new schools or existing nonprofit, nonsectarian schools that convert to charter status. Sponsors may include a local school board, the board of a Maine postsecondary institution or an identified governmental entity charged with approving and overseeing charter schools.

Charter schools are created to offer students and parents a choice of public schools. Charter schools are open to all students equally, though they may specialize in serving a particular age group, a specific geographic area or a student population with specific needs. A charter school may also require a demonstration of interest from students if it offers a specific curriculum or teaching methodology. Charter schools may not be affiliated with religious institutions and must be nonsectarian in their programs, practices and policies.

Charter school staff include teachers holding teaching certificates. Teachers in charter schools may be employees of the charter school and have the right to organize and bargain collectively in a separate unit; or teachers may choose to operate the charter school themselves, as partners or members of a cooperative.

Funding for charter schools is paid directly by the State in an amount equal to the average amount per pupil spent statewide.