Bill > H387

This bill establishes a charter school commission tasked with studying and making recommendations on various aspects of charter schools, including their financing, the limits placed upon them, and the innovations they promote. The commission will also investigate the challenges that have hindered the wider use of Horace Mann charter schools, a specific model of charter school. The commission will be composed of legislative leaders, chairs of key education and finance committees, the Secretary of Administration, appointees of the Governor (including a school superintendent), and the Commissioner of Education. Its examination will cover the adequacy of current financing and reimbursement provisions for charter schools, their impact on local school districts, reasons for student transfers between charter and public schools, demographic data of students in charter schools (including those needing special education, receiving free/reduced lunch, and English Language Learners), employment statistics like teacher salaries and turnover, infrastructure costs, and comparisons of student needs and profiles between charter and public schools. Additionally, the commission will assess the effectiveness and fairness of the current charter school approval process managed by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). The commission is required to gather input from various stakeholders and report its findings and legislative/regulatory recommendations to the general court within six months of its first meeting.