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House moves charter‑school staff from PED into State Charter Schools Office; bill passed with budget and MOU language
Summary
Lawmakers approved a bill transferring staff who work on state‑chartered schools from the Public Education Department to a new State Charter Schools Office under the Public Education Commission; funding will come from the two‑percent charter assessment and MOUs will govern shared functions.
The House approved House Bill 365 as amended, a measure that transfers state charter school staffing and the State Charter Schools Office out of the Public Education Department (PED) and places them under the Public Education Commission (PEC). The change creates an executive‑led State Charter Schools Office, funded by the two‑percent withholding assessment levied on charter schools, and contemplates memoranda of understanding to preserve shared PED functions.
Sponsor and supporters said the move aligns authorizing functions and staffing, placing charter school oversight, contract management and authorizer duties under the state charter authorizer. The bill moves about 15 FTE charter staff from PED into the PEC‑hosted office and preserves PED’s role for statutory oversight where appropriate. Supporters emphasized the change will reduce duplicative management of charter‑school functions and put authorizer staff directly under commissioners responsible for state charter decisions.
On the floor representatives asked about constitutional constraints on state expenditures for private or nonprofit entities. Sponsors and counsel said the statutory exception for funding essential public services and a procurement‑based process supports the structure; the bill’s language and later amendments include MOU provisions to preserve PED’s ability to provide universal services to charter schools and to avoid duplicative costs.
The House adopted a clarifying amendment addressing specific wording and indexing language that had been negotiated after government committee work. The bill passed on final vote, 63 in favor and 1 opposed.
Ending: With House passage, the bill now goes to the Senate; backers said the PEC will work with PED to finalize staffing transfers and MOUs to preserve shared functions and clarify budget language.
