|
LAW |
|
Year Passed |
1993; last amended in 2009.
|
|
Rank |
5th strongest of the nation's 41 charter laws. |
|
Grade |
B |
|
GENERAL DATA |
|
|
• System of strong, independent university authorizers
• Cap modified in 2009 to allow some growth of high-achieving schools
• Charters funded similarly to conventional public schools, except for facilities |
|
INDEPENDENT OR MULTIPLE AUTHORIZERS - YES (2) |
|
Approval |
School boards and state public universities, including community colleges. |
|
Appeal |
Yes. If the charter petition to a school board is rejected, applicant may have
it placed on a local ballot. An applicant denied by any chartering authority
may petition a different chartering authority. |
|
NUMBER OF SCHOOLS ALLOWED |
|
Cap |
Yes. Unlimited for charters authorized by school boards or community
colleges. 150 for state universities and no single university may approve 50
percent or more. 15 high schools in Detroit may be opened by groups
meeting certain funding criteria. 10 Schools of Excellence will be created
(high-performing charters authorized by universities) and will be able to
replicate. Charters already operating may convert to a School of Excellence if
criteria are met. |
|
OPERATIONAL AUTONOMY |
|
State |
Limited.Waiver requests considered on a case-by-case basis from State
Board of Education. Virtual schools not permitted.Management contracts
with ESPs are not restricted. |
|
Local |
Yes. |
|
Teacher Freedom |
Yes for all charters, except local. Teachers may negotiate as a separate unit
with the governing body, or work independently. For charters authorized by
district, teachers remain covered by district collective bargaining agreement.
Employees hired by charter school board are eligible for state retirement
benefits; employees hired by for-profit corporations contracting with a
charter school are not. |
|
EQUITY |
|
Student Funding |
• State School Aid Act guarantees that the charter school receives funding
in the same manner as conventional public schools.
• Authorizer administrative fee may be no more than 3 percent of a
charter’s state aid.
• Funds pass from state to the authorizing body acting as fiscal agent to the
public school academy.
"Beginning in 2008-2009, subject to subsection (7) and except as otherwise provided in this subsection, for pupils in membership, other than special education pupils, in a public school academy or a university school, the allocation calculated under this section is an amount per membership pupil other than special education pupils in the public school academy or university school equal to the sum of the local school operating revenue per membership pupil other than special education pupils for the district in which the public school academy or university school is
located and the state portion of that district's foundation allowance, or the state maximum public school academy allocation, whichever is less." [MI Act 1979 PA 94 388.1620(4)] |
|
Facilities Funding |
None. |
