Amendment #19 to H4137

Establishing a Charter School Finance Review Commission

Mr. Hawkins of Attleboro moves to amend the amendment in SECTION xx. There shall be a charter school finance review commission to review and report on the fiscal impact of the Commonwealth’s policy for 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;

(a) The members of the commission shall be

(1) The house and senate chairs of the joint committee on education, who shall be co-chairs of the commission;

(2) Two additional members of the senate, one appointed by the senate president, and one appointed by the senate minority leader;

(3) Two additional members of the house of representatives, one appointed by the speaker, and one appointed by the house minority leader;

(4) The commissioner of the department of elementary and secondary education;

(5) A public school teacher appointed by the Massachusetts Teachers Association;

(6) A public school teacher appointed by the American Federation of Teachers, Massachusetts;

(7) A school district superintendent appointed by the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents;

(8) A representative of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees;

(9) Four local government representatives, including one person appointed by the Massachusetts Municipal Association; and three people appointed by the co-chairs of the commission: one representing a gateway city, one representing a town participating in a regional school district; and one person representing a city or town which spends more than 7 percent of its net education funding on charter schools;

(10) A representative of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center;

(11) A representative of a business organization selected by the co-chairs;

(12) A representative of the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association;

(13) Two parents or guardians of children in school, chosen by the Massachusetts PTA, one of whom has a child in a charter school.

(b)  The commission shall review state charter school funding policies, and make policy recommendations, including proposed legislation, for consideration by the General Court

(1) the extent to which the current charter reimbursements to sending schools takes into account all of the costs remaining or imposed on the sending school despite the student attending a charter school;

(2) whether the current charter school funding system sufficiently takes into account the cost and other impacts on districts of special education students, English learner and low-income students not going to charter school, including the intensity of the needs of the students remaining in a district compared to those going to charter schools;

(3) whether the legislative process for determining charter funding and reimbursement levels appropriately takes into account the total budgetary needs of elementary and secondary education and other state spending priorities, including a consideration of the advantages of allocating charter funding via an independent budgetary line item;

(4) whether state educational and funding policy adequately takes into account the transfer of students from charter schools back to their sending district schools, including students who are suspended or unenrolled from their charter school;

(5) if the current charter funding formula produces an inequitable disparate regional impact.

(c) All meetings of the commission shall comply with sections 18 to 25 of chapter 30A of the General Laws. As part of its deliberations, the commission shall hold at least 4 public hearings, including one in the central and one in the western part of the commonwealth.

(d) The commission may engage an outside group with expertise in municipal finance to conduct research and consult with the commission. Funding for public hearings and for such consulting shall be provided by the department of elementary and secondary education.

(e) The commission shall issue its report no later than 9 months following the enactment of this section. Copies of the report shall be filed with the clerks of the house of representatives and senate, and provided to the committees on education and ways and means.