0001|                            HOUSE BILL 387
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0002|     43RD LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 1998
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0003|                            INTRODUCED BY
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0004|                       JUDY VANDERSTAR RUSSELL
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0005|     
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0006|                                   
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0007|     
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0008|                                   
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0009|     
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0010|                                AN ACT
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0011|     RELATING TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS; CREATING THE CHARTER SCHOOL
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0012|     DISTRICT ACT.
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0013|          
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0014|     BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
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0015|          Section 1.  SHORT TITLE.--Sections 1 through 7 of this
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0016|     act may be cited as the "Charter School District Act".
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0017|          Section 2.  PURPOSE.--The purpose of the Charter School
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0018|     District Act is to enable individual local school districts to
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0019|     modify the organization and operation of their schools to meet
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0020|     the unique needs of their student population and to adapt to
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0021|     the challenges and opportunities presented by the communities
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0022|     they serve.
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0023|          Section 3.  CHARTER SCHOOL DISTRICTS AUTHORIZED.--Any
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0024|     local school district shall become a charter school district
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0025|     upon certification by the state board of education.
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0001|          Section 4.  CHARTER SCHOOL DISTRICTS CREATED.--
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0002|               A.  The local school board of a school district
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0003|     wishing to become a charter school district shall apply to the
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0004|     state board of education for certification as a charter school
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0005|     district.
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0006|               B.  The state board of education shall certify the
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0007|     existence of a charter school district upon application from
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0008|     the local school board, and a finding that:
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0009|                    (1)  not less than sixty-five percent of the
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0010|     principals of the schools in the local school district have
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0011|     signed a petition in support of that district becoming a
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0012|     charter school district; 
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0013|                    (2)  representatives of the community and of
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0014|     parents of students in the local school district have had
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0015|     substantial involvement in the development of the charter
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0016|     school district proposal; and 
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0017|                    (3)  the local school district proposing to
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0018|     become a charter school district has submitted to the state
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0019|     board a plan of operation as a charter school district,
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0020|     highlighting the proposed changes the district plans to make
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0021|     as a charter school district.
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0022|          Section 5.  CHARTER SCHOOL DISTRICTS--COMPLIANCE WITH
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0023|     PUBLIC SCHOOL CODE.--A charter school district shall comply
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0024|     with the provisions of the Public School Code; provided,
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0025|     however, that the state board of education shall grant waivers
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0001|     of provisions of the Public School Code to a charter school
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0002|     district upon submission by the local school board of a waiver
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0003|     request accompanied by a statement of the reasons for the
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0004|     waiver.  Waivers may be requested for the purpose of providing
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0005|     flexibility in elements of local school district operation,
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0006|     including but not limited to hiring and staffing, class size,
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0007|     class structure, curriculum and budget. 
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0008|          Section 6.  STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION RULES.--The state
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0009|     board of education shall adopt and publish rules to provide
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0010|     for the implementation of the Charter School District Act.
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0011|                                            
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