Charter School Bills Introduced:  Four bills affecting charter
schools, SB331 (Roberts), SB332 (Roberts), SB333 (Roberts), and HB552
(Luckie), were introduced in the Ohio House and Senate last week.
These bills focus on charter school accountability, charter school
access to public school facilities, and compliance with public
records.  Sponsor testimony on SB331 (Roberts) and SB332 (Roberts) is
scheduled for the Senate Education Committee this week.  SB333
(Roberts) - School Property, is assigned to the Senate Finance and
Financial Institutions Committee.  HB552 has not been assigned to a
committee as yet.  Highlights of the four bills are provided below:

*SB331 (Roberts) Community School Evaluations.  This bill requires
traditional public schools to gather and report information from
parents of students returning to traditional public schools from a
charter school, about why they left the charter school; removes
dropout recovery schools from certain exemptions granted to them
related to students not taking state assessments; prohibits a charter
school to receive a performance rating if it does not have grades in
which students take state assessments; requires the ODE to issue a
report card for a school building, regardless of the length of time
that it has been open; requires the ODE to report the performance of
sponsors of charter schools; requires charter school teachers to
comply with current teacher licensure laws; requires charter schools
to maintain and promptly provide student education records when
requested; and adds new Sec. 3314.39 (A) - (G), which requires the
ODE to conduct on site evaluations of charter schools and post the
results, and allows the ODE to revoke a sponsor's right to sponsor
community schools.

*SB332 (Roberts) Public Records Law and Public Audit Law.  This bill
requires the auditor of the state to annually conduct an audit of the
accounts, reports, records, and files of operators and sponsors of
charter schools and their receipt or expenditure of public funds
related to the operation or sponsorship of a community school;
requires the Bureau of Worker's Compensation to confirm that a
community school does not owe workers' compensation premiums as a
condition to renew its contract with a sponsor; requires a sponsor to
immediately suspend operations of a community school that does not
comply with certain rules and laws; requires each nonpublic operator
of a community school and each nonpublic entity that sponsors a
community school to comply with section 149.43 of the Revised Code as
if it were a public office with respect to all records pertaining to
the management or sponsorship of the school.

*SB333 (Roberts) Sale School Property.  This bill rescinds provisions
in law regarding the sale of school district property to community
schools, and makes other changes.

*HB552 (Luckie) Start-Up Community School.  This bill revises the
exceptions to the cap on new start-up community schools by
prohibiting contracts with community operators that manage other Ohio
community schools that have report card ratings of academic watch or
academic emergency.