FORTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE

FIRST SESSION, 2005

March 13, 2005

Mr. Speaker:

    Your APPROPRIATIONS AND FINANCE COMMITTEE, to whom has been referred

SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR

SENATE BILL 455

has had it under consideration and reports same with recommendation that it DO PASS, amended as follows:

    1. On page 1, line 16, after the semicolon, insert "PROVIDING STANDARDS FOR CHARTER SCHOOL FACILITIES;".

    2. On page 2, between lines 21 and 22, insert the following new section:

    "Section 2. A new section of the 1999 Charter Schools Act, Section 22-8B-4.2 NMSA 1978, is enacted to read:

    "22-8B-4.2. [NEW MATERIAL] CHARTER SCHOOL FACILITIES--STANDARDS.--

         A. The facilities of a charter school that is approved on or after July 1, 2005 and before July 1, 2010 shall meet educational occupancy standards required by applicable New Mexico construction codes.

         B. The facilities of a charter school that is in existence, or has been approved, prior to July 1, 2005 shall be evaluated, prioritized and eligible for grants pursuant to the Public School Capital Outlay Act in the same manner as all other public schools in the state; provided that for charter school facilities in leased facilities, grants may be used as additional lease payments for leasehold improvements.

         C. On or after July 1, 2010, an application for a charter shall not be approved and an existing charter shall not be renewed unless the charter school:

              (1) is housed in a public building that is:

                   (a) owned by the charter school, the school district, the state, an institution of the state, another political subdivision of the state, the federal government or one of its agencies or a tribal government; and

                   (b) subject to evaluation and prioritization and eligible for grants pursuant to the Public School Capital Outlay Act in the same manner as all other public schools in the state; or

              (2) if it is not housed in a public building described in Paragraph (1) of this subsection, demonstrates that:

                   (a) the facility in which the charter school is housed meets the statewide adequacy standards developed pursuant to the Public School Capital Outlay Act and the owner of the facility is contractually obligated to maintain those standards at no additional cost to the charter school or the state; and

                   (b) either: 1) public buildings are not available or adequate for the educational program of the charter school; or 2) the owner of the facility is a nonprofit entity specifically organized for the purpose of providing the facility for the charter school.

         D. The public school capital outlay council:

              (1) shall determine whether facilities of a charter school meet the educational occupancy standards pursuant to the requirements of Subsection A of this section;

              (2) shall determine whether facilities of a charter school meet the requirements of Subsections B and C of this section; and

              (3) upon a determination that specific requirements are not appropriate or reasonable for a charter school, may grant a variance from those requirements for that charter school."".

    3. Renumber the succeeding sections accordingly.

    4. On page 27, line 23, before "property", insert "residential".

    5. On page 28, line 11, before "property", insert "residential".

    6. On page 28, line 21, before "property", insert "residential".

    7. On page 40, line 23, after "legislative", insert "education".