|
LAW |
|
Year Passed |
1995; last amended in 2010.
|
|
Rank |
8th weakest of the nation's 41 charter laws. |
|
Grade |
D |
|
GENERAL DATA |
|
|
� Small changes made to the law this year will not help growth
� Fiscal equity is a subjective decision made by school board
� Two-tiered authorization process is cumbersome |
|
INDEPENDENT OR MULTIPLE AUTHORIZERS - NO |
|
Approval |
State Board of Education, with school board's approval. |
|
Appeal |
None |
|
NUMBER OF SCHOOLS ALLOWED |
|
Cap |
No cap |
|
OPERATIONAL AUTONOMY |
|
State |
No.Waiver requests considered on a case-by-case basis by the State Board of Education. Virtual schools are allowed. Education Service Provider (ESPs) contracts subject to negotiation. |
|
Local |
No. Charters are considered part of the district and all operational and
funding decisions are subject to negotiation. |
|
Teacher Freedom |
No. Teachers are covered by the district bargaining agreement unless an exemption is negotiated with their sponsor. Charter schools must participate in state's retirement system. |
|
EQUITY |
|
Student Funding |
� School board provides the charter with their annual budget, deducts any operational expenses and sets their own administrative costs.
� Funds pass through the district.
"A local school board shall provide an approved charter school with an annual program budget. The budget shall be not less than the amount generated by the students enrolled in the charter school less administrative costs retained by the local school district, determined by applying the indirect cost rate approved by the Department of Education and Early Development. The 'amount generated by students enrolled in the charter school' is to be determined in the same manner as it would be for a student enrolled in another public school in that
school district." [AK Stat. � 14.03.260] |
|
Facilities Funding |
Yes. School facilities construction, lease and major projects grant aid program—dependent on state appropriations. [AK Stat. §14.03.290] |
