On May 12, 2016, Governor Edwards signed Senate Bill 432, which establishes the framework to return each charter school under the state-controlled Recovery School District to its local school system by July 1, 2018. Under certain circumstances, a school may postpone the transfer to as late as July 1, 2019. 

After the transfer, each charter school will continue to operate as its own local education agency and will retain control over personnel, curriculum and other decisions. The term of a charter school’s contract, following its transfer to local school board oversight, will be equal to the time remaining on its contract with the Recovery School District.

Each local school board is required to establish a district-level funding process to provide Minimum Foundation Program formula funds to charter schools and a common enrollment system in which all schools will participate. Local school superintendents and the superintendent of the Recovery School District will form an advisory committee to develop a plan for the transfer of schools from the Recovery School District schools to local school districts.

More information on this legislation as well as final actions in Louisiana and other states will be included in forthcoming editions of Legislative Report.