Bill > SB749

This bill makes several significant changes to public charter school regulations in West Virginia. The legislation allows for the authorization and funding of alternative high-risk population public charter schools, which must have at least 70% of their initial enrollment comprised of students facing challenging circumstances such as previous expulsions, frequent suspensions, court dependence, dropout recovery, chronic truancy, multiple retentions, credit deficiency, high school transiency, foster or homeless status, or requiring flexible scheduling. The bill permits institutions of higher education to apply to establish virtual or on-campus public charter microschools and allows existing public charter schools to partner with learning pods and microschools to provide instruction. The legislation maintains existing provisions that charter schools must be public schools subject to state board oversight, cannot charge full-time tuition, must be nonsectarian, and cannot discriminate in enrollment. The bill also clarifies governance structures, requiring governing boards to have at least five members including parents and community representatives, and specifies that board members cannot be school employees. Additionally, the bill adds provisions for amending charter school applications and outlines specific requirements for alternative high-risk population charter schools, including a mandate for the West Virginia Board of Education to establish funding rules for these specialized schools.

Education

http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=749&year=2025&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill