[complete report]

LAW

Year Passed

1999; last amended in 2010.

Rank

16th weakest of the nation's 41 charter laws.

Grade

C

GENERAL DATA

• Regional limitations hinder charter growth

• Courts upheld constitutionality of charter law, but local opposition remains strong

• New state superintendent supports charters but anti-charter governor could halt progress

INDEPENDENT OR MULTIPLE AUTHORIZERS - YES (3)

Approval

School boards. Universities meeting certain requirements: must be a public state university located in a school district with 5,000 or more students in counties with at least 500,000, shall have an accredited teacher education program, and have a campus located within the school district of the charter school. Federally recognized Indian tribes currently operating a high school can open a charter if it offers native language immersion and is located on a reservation.

Appeal

No

NUMBER OF SCHOOLS ALLOWED

Cap

Yes. Charters are unlimited in school districts with 5,000 or more students in counties with a total population of at least 500,000 (e.g. Oklahoma City and Tulsa). Also unlimited in districts with a school on the school improvement list.

OPERATIONAL AUTONOMY

State

Limited. Charters are exempt from some rules and regulations of public schools. Virtual schools are allowed.Management contracts with ESPs are not restricted.

Local

Limited. Charters are also exempt from some local education rules and regulations.

Teacher Freedom

Yes. Teachers may remain part of district collective bargaining agreement, negotiate as a separate unit with the charter school governing body, or work independently. Employees of a charter school may participate as members of the Teachers’ Retirement System of Oklahoma.

EQUITY

Student Funding

• Charters receive funds from same State Aid funding formula as conventional schools, but school district may deduct up to 5 percent administrative fees.

• Law grants authority to the state to determine district funding policy.

• Funds pass through the district.

"The student membership of the charter school shall be considered separate from the student membership of the district in which the charter school is located for the purpose of calculating weighted average daily membership pursuant to Section 18-201.1 of this title and state aid pursuant to Section 18-200.1 of this title. For charter schools sponsored by a board of education of a school district, the sum of the separate calculations for the charter school and the school district shall be used to determine the total State Aid allocation for the district in which the charter school is located. A charter school shall receive from the sponsoring school district, the State Aid revenue generated by its students for the applicable year, less up to five percent (5%) of the total, which may be retained by the school district as a fee for administrative services rendered." [70 Okl. St. § 3-142(A)]

Facilities Funding

Yes. Incentive fund provides up to $50,000 per school to cover costs of renovating or remodeling existing facilities, and any additional start-up costs they might have. [70 Okl. St. § 3-144]