|
|
ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESFifty-sixth Legislature First Regular Session |
House: ED DPA/SE 10-0-0-0 |
HB 2060: charter schools; financial requirements; revisions
S/E: public schools; requirements; revisions
Sponsor: Representative Grantham, LD 14
Caucus & COW
Summary of the Strike-Everything Amendment to HB 2060
Overview
Makes numerous changes to statutes affecting school districts and charter schools, including website posting, accounting and K-3 literacy requirements.
History
Website Posting Requirements
Numerous statutes require school districts and charter schools to post, display or make accessible certain information on their websites, such as: 1) policies and procedures for reporting crimes; 2) the statutory handbook of parental rights (parental rights handbook); 3) policies and procedures for parental classroom visits; 4) open enrollment policies; and 5) average teacher salary data (A.R.S. §§ 15-153, 15-189.05, 15-249.16, 15-341, 15-816.01, 15-903).
Uniform System of Financial Records (USFR)
A charter school must ensure that it is subject to the same financial and electronic data submission requirements as a school district, including the USFR. The Auditor General must revise the USFR to ensure that the provisions that relate to charter schools are in accordance with commonly accepted accounting principles used by private business (A.R.S. § 15-183).
Literacy Requirements
Before Laws 2022, Chapter 120, A or B letter grade schools were only required to submit an updated K-3 reading program plan to the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) in odd-numbered years. Currently, all schools must annually submit an updated plan (A.R.S. § 15-211).
Beginning the 2022-2023 school year, the State Board of Education (SBE) must adopt a statewide kindergarten entry evaluation tool to administer to kindergarten students. School districts and charter schools must administer this tool within 45 days after the beginning of the school year or after a pupil enrolls (A.R.S. § 15-701).
Provisions
Website Posting and School Personnel Files
1. Authorizes a school district, school operated by a school district or charter school to:
a)
satisfy any statutory requirement to
post, prominently display, make accessible or otherwise include specified
information on its website by making a link to the information available on its
home page; and
b) consolidate all information that is statutorily required to be posted, prominently displayed, made accessible or otherwise included on its website on a single webpage and specifies this information is not required to be posted on its home page. (Sec. 2)
2. Removes the requirement that a school district governing board or charter school:
a) keep specified information in a personnel file for prescribed employees;
b) inform parents of the availability of that information; and
c) make the information available for parental inspection upon request. (Sec. 4, 8)
USFR
3. Deletes the requirement that a charter school's charter ensure it is subject to the USFR and instead allows the charter to designate the USFR as the accounting system, methods and procedures used to comply with financial data submission requirements. (Sec. 4)
4. Allows an independent certified public accountant to submit a compliance questionnaire, rather than specifically a USFR compliance questionnaire, with applicable audit reports as prescribed. (Sec. 15)
School Personnel Training
5. Permits each school district and charter school to fulfill dyslexia training requirements by ensuring a designated employee has received the prescribed training. (Sec. 4)
6. Directs SBE to adopt rules to allow designated school employees to count specified training for students with reading impairments as continuing education credits. (Sec. 6)
K-3 Reading Plans
7. Narrows the school districts and charter schools required to annually submit an updated K-3 reading plan to those that:
a) receive a D or F letter grade; or
b) have more than 10% of 3rd grade students who do not demonstrate sufficient reading skills according to the statewide reading assessment. (Sec. 5)
Kindergarten Entry Evaluation Tool
8. Declares school districts and charter schools:
a) are not required to administer the kindergarten entry evaluation tool adopted by SBE; and
b) must select appropriate evaluation methods or assessments, or both, to administer to kindergarten students within outlined timeframes. (Sec. 10)
Parental Rights Handbook
9. Reorganizes the requirement that ADE develop a parental rights handbook by directing ADE to develop a handbook for parents of children enrolled in school districts and a handbook for parents of children enrolled in charter schools. (Sec. 7)
10. Outlines the statutes included in the charter school parental rights handbook. (Sec. 7)
Requesting Transfer Records
11. Allows, rather than requires within five school days after enrolling a transfer student, a school to request the student's record from their previous school. (Sec. 13)
Miscellaneous
12. Makes technical changes. (Sec. 3, 7, 10, 11, 12)
13. Makes conforming changes. (Sec. 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16)
Amendments
Committee on Education
1. Restores language that:
a) requires school districts and charter schools to keep employee personnel files as prescribed;
b) subjects charter schools to the USFR;
c) instructs all schools, regardless of letter grade designation, to annually submit an updated K-3 reading plan; and
d) requires schools to administer the kindergarten entry evaluation tool adopted by SBE.
2. Allows each school district and charter school to fulfill dyslexia training requirements by ensuring a literacy coach or literacy specialist, rather than a designated employee, has received the prescribed training.
3. Reestablishes the requirement that a school request a transfer student's record from their previous school and extends the time the school has to do so from five days to ten days after enrolling the transfer student.
---------- DOCUMENT FOOTER ---------
HB 2060
Initials CH Page 0 Caucus & COW
---------- DOCUMENT FOOTER ---------