Title 20

(a) The state board may terminate a charter under the following circumstances: (1)(A) If a majority of the parents or guardians of students enrolled at the charter school vote by a majority vote to request the termination of its charter at a public meeting called with two weeks’ …

(a) A local charter school shall be included in the allotment of QBE formula earnings, applicable QBE grants, applicable non-QBE state grants, and applicable federal grants to the local school system in which the local charter school is located under Article 6 of this chapter. Th…

(a) From moneys specifically appropriated for such purpose, the state board shall disburse facilities grants for local charter schools, state chartered special schools, and state charter schools as defined in Code Section 20-2-2081 for the purpose of providing facility funding more…

There is established within the Department of Education an Office of Charter School Compliance, the responsibilities of which shall be to: (1) Prepare charter school and charter system guidelines to be approved by the state board; (2) Distribute charter school and charter system …

The state board shall report to the General Assembly no later than December 31 of each year on the status of the charter school program. History. Code 1981, § 20-2-2070, enacted by Ga. L. 1998, p. 1080, § 3; Ga. L. 2005, p. 798, § 17/SB 35.

Any charter which was granted pursuant to Code Section 20-2-255 and is in effect on July 1, 1998, shall continue to be valid until such charter expires according to its terms. History. Code 1981, § 20-2-2071, enacted by Ga. L. 1998, p. 1080, § 3.

The members of the governing board of the nonprofit organization of each charter school shall participate in initial training for boards of newly approved charter schools and annual training thereafter, conducted or approved by the state board. The state board shall provide for or…

The State Board of Education shall establish a charter schools financial management certification program for charter school leaders and personnel who are responsible for the school’s budget, accounting, payroll processing, purchasing, and ensuring the school’s financial policies ar…

The principal, or its equivalent, for a charter school shall not serve simultaneously as the chief financial officer, or its equivalent, for the charter school. History. Code 1981, § 20-2-2074, enacted by Ga. L. 2016, p. 613, § 2/HB 895.

(a) The State Board of Education is authorized to establish a grant program for the purpose of replicating high-performing charter schools, including local charter schools, state chartered special schools, and state charter schools. The grant program shall include funding, subjec…

(a) The General Assembly finds that: (1) State charter schools can serve as a complement to the educational opportunities provided by local boards of education in the state’s system of public education; and (2) State charter schools do not supplant public schools operated by local…

As used in this article, the term: (1) “Attendance zone” means all or a portion of a local school system, one or more local school systems or portions thereof, or all local school systems in this state. A state charter school with an attendance zone that includes all local school…

(a) The State Charter Schools Commission is established as a state-level authorizing entity working in collaboration with the Department of Education under the authority of the State Board of Education. Start-up funds necessary to establish and operate the commission may be recei…

(a) The commission shall have the power to: (1) Approve or deny petitions for state charter schools and renew, nonrenew, or terminate state charter school petitions in accordance with rules and regulations established pursuant to this article. At its discretion, the commission ma…

(a) Petitions submitted to the commission shall be subject to rules and regulations established pursuant to this article. (b) The commission shall be authorized to approve a petition for a state charter school that meets the following requirements: (1) Has a state-wide attendance…

A state charter school shall be authorized, upon the approval of the commission, to enter into a contract with the Department of Juvenile Justice or the Department of Corrections to operate a school and deliver education services to school age children or youth incarcerated withi…

A petition may be submitted pursuant to this Code section by an existing charter school approved by a local board of education or the State Board of Education provided that the obligations of its charter with the local board of education or State Board of Education will expire pr…

The commission shall provide maximum access to information regarding state charter schools to all parents in this state. It shall maintain information systems, including, but not limited to, a userfriendly Internet website, that will provide information and data necessary for par…

Each year, the chairperson of the commission shall appear before the State Board of Education and submit a report regarding the academic performance and fiscal responsibility of all state charter schools approved under this article. History. Code 1981, § 20-2-2087, enacted by Ga. …

If a charter for a state charter school is not renewed or is terminated, the state charter school shall be responsible for all debts of such school. Neither the state, the State Board of Education, or the commission shall be liable for any debts of the school in the event the cha…

(a) Except as provided for in subsection (b) of this Code section, records created, received, or maintained in the performance of a charter by a state charter school shall be the property of the state charter school. Nothing in this subsection shall preclude a state charter schoo…

(a)(1) The earnings for a student in a state charter school shall be equal to the earnings for any other student with similar student characteristics in a state charter school, regardless of the local school system in which the student resides or the school system in which the st…

The commission shall work in collaboration with the department on all matters related to authorizing state charter schools and shall be assigned to the department for administrative purposes only, as prescribed in Code Section 50-4-3. For administrative purposes, including data r…

The commission and the State Board of Education, as appropriate, shall adopt rules and regulations necessary to facilitate the implementation of this article. Except as otherwise provided in this article, any rules and regulations adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant …

(a) The commission shall have the power and authority to incorporate a nonprofit corporation that could qualify as a public foundation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code to aid the commission in carrying out any of its powers and accomplishing any of its purposes…

This article shall be known and may be cited as the “Charter School Capital Finance Act.” History. Code 1981, § 20-2-2095, enacted by Ga. L. 2008, p. 619, § 1/HB 831.

As used in this article, the term: (1) “Capital outlay” includes, but is not necessarily limited to, expenditures which result in the acquisition of fixed assets, existing buildings, improvements to sites, construction of buildings, construction of additions to buildings, retrofitt…

Subject to appropriations by the General Assembly, the state board shall establish a grant program for qualified charter school contributions. The grant program shall provide one dollar in matching funds up to a maximum amount authorized by the state board for a single charter sch…

If appropriations are made by the General Assembly specifically for this program, the state board shall establish a date certain on which all matching funds shall be committed by a qualified charter school organization in order to be eligible for the state portion provided pursuant…

The state board shall adopt policies, guidelines, and standards regarding the construction of charter schools that are constructed in part with contributions made to qualified charter school organizations which, to the extent applicable, shall be consistent with state board polici…

The state board shall be authorized to promulgate any rules and regulations necessary to implement and administer the provisions of this article. History. Code 1981, § 20-2-2095.5, enacted by Ga. L. 2008, p. 619, § 1/HB 831. ARTICLE 32 HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS OVERVIEW COMMITTEE Eff…

(a) There is created as a joint committee of the General Assembly the High School Athletics Overview Committee to be composed of five members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House, one of whom shall be a member of the minority party; five members of …

The Department of Education, the Attorney General, and all other agencies of state government, upon request by the committee, shall assist the committee in the discharge of its duties set forth in this article. The committee may employ staff and may secure the services of consult…

All high school athletic associations in this state shall cooperate with the committee, its authorized personnel, the Attorney General, the Department of Education, and other state agencies in order that the charges of the committee may be timely and efficiently discharged. The a…

In the discharge of its duties, the committee shall evaluate the performance of high school athletic associations consistent with the following criteria: (1) Fairness and equity in establishing and implementing its standards; and (2) The promotion of academic achievement and good…

(a) The committee is authorized to expend state funds available to the committee for the discharge of its duties. Said funds may be used for the purposes of compensating staff, paying for services of consultants, and paying all other necessary expenses incurred by the committee i…

This article shall be known and may be cited as the “Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Act.” History. Code 1981, § 20-2-2110, enacted by Ga. L. 2007, p. 197, § 1/SB 10.

The General Assembly finds that: (1) Students with disabilities have special needs that merit educational alternatives which will allow students to learn in an appropriate setting and manner; (2) Parents are best equipped to make decisions for their children, including the educati…

As used in this article, the term: (1) “Board” means the State Board of Education. (2) “Department” means the Department of Education. (3) “Parent” means a biological parent, legal guardian, custodian, or other person with legal authority to act on behalf of a child. (4) “Partici…

(a) The resident school system shall provide specific written notice of the options available under this article to the parent at the initial Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting in which a disability of the parent’s child is identified or at the time the child is determi…

(a) A student shall qualify for a scholarship under this article if: (1) The student’s parent currently resides within Georgia and has been a Georgia resident for at least one year; provided, however, that the one-year requirement shall not apply if the student’s parent is an act…

(a) To be eligible to enroll a scholarship student, a participating school shall: (1) Have a physical location in Georgia where the scholarship students attend classes and have direct contact with the school’s teachers; (2) Demonstrate fiscal soundness by having been in operation …

(a) The maximum scholarship granted a scholarship student pursu967 ant to this article shall be an amount equivalent to the costs of the educational program that would have been provided for the student in the resident school system as calculated under Code Section 20-2-161 and, …

(a) The board shall adopt rules to administer the program regarding eligibility and participation of participating schools, including, but not limited to, timelines that will maximize student and public and private school participation, the calculation and distribution of scholar…

The Office of Student Achievement, in conjunction with the department, shall provide the General Assembly not later than December 1 of each year with a report regarding the scholarship program for the previous fiscal year. The report shall include, but not be limited to, numbers a…

As used in this article, the term: (1) “Department” means the Department of Education. (2) “Parent” means a biological parent, legal guardian, custodian, or other person with legal authority to act on behalf of a child. History. Code 1981, § 20-2-2130, enacted by Ga. L. 2009, p. …