House Bill 233

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 37-28-37, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO CHANGE THE REPORT REQUIRED BY PEER ON ASSESSING THE SUFFICIENCY OF FUNDING AND RECOMMENDED STATUTORY CHANGES TO LAWS RELATING TO CHARTER SCHOOLS FROM ANNUALLY TO BIENNIALLY; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. Section 37-28-37, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

37-28-37. (1) Before October 1 of each year, beginning in the year that the state has had at least one (1) charter school operating for a full school year, the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board shall issue to the Governor, Legislature, State Board of Education and the public an annual report on the state's charter schools for the preceding school year. The report must include a comparison of the performance of charter school students with the performance of academically, ethnically and economically comparable groups of students in the school district in which a charter school is located. In addition, the report must include the authorizer's assessment of the successes, challenges and areas for improvement in meeting the purposes of this chapter. The report also must include an assessment on whether the number and size of operating charter schools are sufficient to meet demand, as calculated according to admissions data and the number of students denied enrollment based on lottery results. The report due from the authorizer under this section must be coordinated with reports due from charter school governing boards, as near as possible, to decrease or eliminate duplication.

(2) The Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER) shall prepare * * *~~an annual~~ a biennial report assessing the sufficiency of funding for charter schools, the efficacy of the state formula for authorizer funding, and any suggested changes in state law or policy necessary to strengthen the state's charter schools.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2024.