HOUSE BILL 253

52nd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2015

INTRODUCED BY

Nora Espinoza

AN ACT

RELATING TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS; ALLOWING A FOUR-YEAR PLAN FOR COMPLIANCE WITH THE CHARTER SCHOOL FACILITIES REQUIREMENTS IN SECTION 22-8B-4.2 NMSA 1978 (BEING LAWS 2005, CHAPTER 221, SECTION 3 AND LAWS 2005, CHAPTER 274, SECTION 2, AS AMENDED).

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

     SECTION 1. Section 22-8B-4.2 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 2005, Chapter 221, Section 3 and Laws 2005, Chapter 274, Section 2, as amended) is amended to read:

     "22-8B-4.2. CHARTER SCHOOL FACILITIES--STANDARDS.--

          A. The facilities of a charter school that is approved on or after July 1, 2005 and before July 1, 2015 shall meet educational occupancy standards required by applicable New Mexico construction codes.

          B. The facilities of a charter school whose charter has been renewed at least once 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 to provide additional lease payments for leasehold improvements made by the lessor.

          C. On or after July 1, 2011, a new charter school shall not open and an existing charter school shall not relocate unless the facilities of the new or relocated charter school, as measured by the New Mexico condition index, receive a condition rating equal to or better than the average condition for all New Mexico public schools for that year or the charter school demonstrates, within eighteen months of occupancy or relocation of the charter, the way in which the facilities will achieve a rating equal to or better than the average New Mexico condition index.

          D. On or after July 1, 2015, a new charter school shall not open and an existing charter shall not be renewed unless the charter school:

                (1) is housed in a 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; or

                     (b) subject to a lease-purchase arrangement that has been entered into and approved pursuant to the Public School Lease Purchase Act; or

                (2) if [it] the charter school is not housed in a 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.

          E. Without the approval of the public school facilities authority pursuant to Section 22-20-1 NMSA 1978, a charter school shall not enter into a lease-purchase agreement.

          F. 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

or the requirements of Subsections B, C and D of this section, as applicable; and

                (2) 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, including allowing a charter school to follow a four-year plan, submitted by the charter school and approved by the council, to fulfill the requirements of Subsection D of this section."

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