| Councilmember Charlene Drew Jarvis A BILL IN
THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Councilmember Charlene Drew Jarvis introduced the following bill, which was referred to
the Committee on Education, Libraries and Recreation.
To amend the Public Charter Schools Act of 1996; and the District of Columbia School
Reform Act of 1995 to require a petition for conversion of a public school to include the
signatures of two- thirds of the registered voters within school attendance boundaries, to
require the chartering authority to notify all Advisory Neighborhood Commissions within
school attendance boundaries of the receipt of a petition to convert and of the scheduled
hearing date, and to require the chartering authority to establish a procedure by which
petitions may be challenged by individuals living within school attendance boundaries.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this act may be cited as
the "District of Columbia Public Charter School Conversion Petition Process Amendment
Act of 2000".
Sec. 2. The Public Charter Schools Act of 1996, effective May 29, 1996 (D.C. Law
11-135; D.C. Code §31-2801 et seq.), is amended as follows:
(a) Section 202(b)(3) (D.C. Code §31-2812(b)(3)) is amended by adding a new
subparagraph (C) to read as follows:
"(C) Two-thirds of the total number of registered voters who reside within the
attendance boundaries, if any, in which the school is located; or, if there are no
attendance boundaries, the total number of parents of students attending all feeder
schools.".
(b) A new section 202a is added to read as follows:
"Sec. 202a. Notification of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions. "Within 10
days of receipt of a petition to establish a public charter school the Board shall notify
the Advisory Neighborhood Commission in which the school is located.".
(c) The second sentence of section 203(c) (D.C. Code §31-2813(c)) is amended to read
as follows:
"The Board shall publish a notice of hearing in the District of Columbia Register
and send a written notice of hearing to the applicant and the Advisory Neighborhood
Commission in which the school is located.".
(c)[sic] A new section 203a is added to read as follows:
"Sec. 203a. Process for challenging public charter school conversion petitions.
"(a) The Board shall establish a procedure by which a petition to convert a
District of Columbia public school into a public charter school may be challenged by
individuals who reside within the attendance boundaries, if any, in which the school is
located.
"(b) If there are no attendance boundaries, a petition to convert a District of
Columbia public school into a public charter school shall be open to challenge by parents
of children in all feeder schools and parents of children attending the proposed
conversion charter school, pursuant to the petition challenge process established by the
chartering authority pursuant to this section.".
Sec. 3. The District of Columbia School Reform Act of 1995, approved April 26, 1996
(110 Stat. 1321; D.C. Code, §31-2851 et seq.), is amended as follows:
(a) Section 2201(a)(3)(A) (D.C. Code §31-2853.11(a)(3)(A)), is amended to read as
follows:
"(3) shall file the petition with an eligible chartering authority for approval
after the petition--
"(A) is signed by two-thirds of the sum of--
"(i) the total number of parents of minor students attending the school;
"(ii) the total number of adult students attending the school;
"(iii) the total number of registered voters who reside within the attendance
boundaries, if any, in which the school is located; or, if there are no attendance
boundaries, the total number of parents of students attending all feeder schools;
and".
(b) A new section 2201(a) is added to read as follows:
"Sec. 2201 (a). Notification of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions.
"Within 10 days of receipt of a petition to convert a District of Columbia public
school into a public charter school, the chartering authority shall notify the Advisory
Neighborhood Commission in which the school is located.".
(c) Section 2203(c) (D.C. Code §31-2853.13(c)) as follows:
(1) Paragraph (1 ) is amended by striking "and" at the end of the phrase;
(2) Paragraph (2) is amended by striking the phrase "filed the petition" and
inserting the phrase "filed the petition; and" in its place;
(3) A new paragraph (3) is added to read as follows:
"(3) shall send written notification of the hearing date to the Advisory
Neighborhood Commission in which the school is located.".
(d) A new section 2203a is added to read as follows:
"Sec. 2203a. Process for challenging public charter school conversion petitions.
"(a) An eligible chartering authority shall establish a procedure by which a
petition to convert a District of Columbia public school into a public charter school may
be challenged by individuals who reside within the attendance boundaries, if any, in which
the school is located.
"(b) If there are no attendance boundaries, a petition to convert a District of
Columbia public school into a public charter school shall be open to challenge by parents
of children in all feeder schools and the parents of children attending the proposed
conversion charter school, pursuant to the petition challenge process established pursuant
to subsection (a) of this section.".
Sec. 4. Fiscal impact statement.
The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal
impact statement required by section 602 (c) (3) of the District of Columbia Home Rule
Act, approved December 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Code §1-233(c)(3)).
Sec. 5. Effective date.
This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by
the Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto) and approval by the Financial
Responsibility and Management Assistance Authority as provided in section 203(a) of the
District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Act of 1995,
approved April 17, 1995 (109 Stat. 116; D.C. Code §47-392.3(a)), a 30-day period of
Congressional review as provided in section 602 (c) (1) of the District of Columbia Home
Rule Act, approved December 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Code §1-223 (c) (1)), and
publication in the District of Columbia Register. |
