Amendment ID: S2203-24

Amendment 24

Establishing a Charter School Working Group

Messrs. Tarr and Humason move to amend the bill in section 95, by striking out the first paragraph and inserting in place thereof the following 2 paragraphs:-

"There shall be a commission to review and report on the efficacy of charter school funding in the commonwealth, the implementation of caps on charter school attendance and other matters related to innovation in charter schools.

The commission shall study and report on: (i) the methods used to fund charter schools in various states and the appropriateness of the approach currently used in the commonwealth, including financing and reimbursement provisions under chapters 70 and 71 of the General Laws, as compared to other states; provided that the commission shall make recommendations for revising the commonwealth’s approach to charter school funding as appropriate; (ii) the extent to which the reimbursement provisions of said chapter 70, said chapter 71 or any other funding mechanism are effective at minimizing the adverse financial impact of charter schools on sending school districts while providing sufficient resources for the successful operation of charter schools; (iii) ways to encourage broader utilization of Horace Mann charter schools; (iv) reasons for the transfer of students from charter schools back to a public school; (v) the differences in special education services provided to students in charter and public schools; (vi) the differences in English Language Learner programs provided to students in charter and public schools and (vii) the percentages of students in charter schools who require special education, receive free and reduced lunch and are English Language Learners."