State by State Summary of Laws Passed (May 2000- April 2001)

Arkansas California Colorado Delaware

Florida Georgia Idaho Indiana

Kansas   Massachusetts Mississippi New Mexico

Utah Virginia Wyoming

Arkansas:
Charters in districts under court-ordered desegregation plans must use a weighted lottery in student selection as well as issues relative to funding. Also allows for a concept called "limited charter schools" that will allow charters to enter contracts with teachers.

California:
Proposition 38 renders changes in facilities funding. Also, state board has authorized two charters. The applicant can go to the county or state only after the local board denies the first application.

Colorado:
The state board may recommend the conversion of failing schools to charters

Delaware:
Charters may make minor modifications to their charters without going through the state department of education. Admission preferences will be made for children of the school's founders, up to 5% of school population. Also pending: Charter district proposals.

Florida:
Several technical changes were made in 2000, but none that would affect the ranking. Other changes made in 2000: the cap doesn't apply to conversion schools; incentives are available for districts to convert clusters of schools; schools that demonstrate success may renew for a 15-year term to allow for a better chance at facilities financing; charter start-up funds were enhanced; and charter schools that have been sued, but win, may recoup legal fees.

Georgia:
Established an appeals process, but applicants can appeal to the state board only if a majority of parents and teachers support the application. The board created an elaborate, bureaucratic process for the appeal, which restricts the applicant even further.

Idaho:
Technical revision allows an appeal to the state board if a revision to a charter is denied. Last year the legislature passed an amendment that required criminal background checks for charter employees and clarified legal autonomy of charters.

Indiana:
New law in 4/01! Provides for local board sponsorship statewide, with conversion schools tied to some of the district-related employment rules, but are allowed to apply to the district for waivers. Allows new starts throughout the state authorized by local boards, the mayor of Indianapolis, and any public institution of higher education. There is no limit on the number of charters approved, except for the mayor who can approve 5 a year, on a cumulative basis. All teachers must be certified to teach, but an alternative route is available, through the "transition to teaching" program.

Kansas:
Lifted cap from 15 to 30. Died this year: Cap lifted to no limit with some transportation limitations.

Massachusetts:
Cap lifted from 50 to 120. Seventy-two Commonwealth charter schools and 48 Horace Mann schools (conversions). Collective bargaining provisions: 60% of teachers in a charter schools must vote to create an exclusive collective bargaining unit.

Mississippi:
Charter law was extended through July, 2004.

New Mexico:
Transportation shall be negotiated (instead of may) with charter schools, but with a maximum coverage of up to a 10-mile radius.

Utah:
The charter program is no longer a pilot; the cap is lifted to 12 for this year and 16 thereafter, with the approval of no others until the state conducts a thorough evaluation of the charter program, and provides recommendations on whether it should continue. Additionally, local boards can now convert an unlimited number of existing public schools, and new charters can take only 4% of district student population.

Virginia:
School districts are allowed to create regional charter schools, if every district is in agreement.

Wyoming:
New charters no longer need full support of teachers. Facilities issue is strengthened by requiring local boards to make unused facilities available upon request, and applications can be approved to allow enough time to obtain facilities. State board appeals are now permitted. Charter schools will receive 95% per pupil funding (minus the transportation and special ed provisions, but can negotiate conditional approval so applicants can have an opportunity to obtain funding. Also, employees are considered to be part of the district.

(Maine, Vermont, and Tennessee have laws pending to establish charter schools, all of which are unlikely to pass)

CHARTER MAP USA: STATE-BY-STATE CHARTER SCHOOL ACTIVITY AND INFORMATION