The Facts
- The current process for creating a home-rule charter requires that voters work through their local school board, rather than allowing them to petition to get a home-rule charter placed directly onto the election ballot.
- To pass a home-rule charter, 25% of the district’s electorate must participate in the election. This is an extremely high turnout for any type of local election.
- Home-rule school districts have the same rules regarding the hiring and termination of instructors that traditional ISDs operate under.
- Home-rule school districts are subject to the state’s 22:1 K-4 class size.
- Home-rule school districts have identical attendance and seat-time requirements to traditional ISDs.
- Home-rule school districts must offer bilingual education to English language learners, rather than being able to offer alternatives such as sheltered English immersion. This rule is also identical to that which governs traditional ISDs.
Recommendations
- Remove the 25% voter turnout requirement in local elections.
- Empower parents to drive the charter process by enabling them to create and have their charter petition placed directly on a local election ballot without working through their local school board.
- Remove seat-time requirements to encourage online and blended learning models in home-rule school districts.
- Remove the 22:1 class-size cap for home-rule school districts.
- Do not require home-rule school districts to use bilingual education as their default provision for English language learners. Rather, allow them to choose a program that best suits the needs of their student body, such as sheltered English immersion.
“