Kari Harwood-Bramhall

The Great Bay Charter School Administrative Team opposes HB 1623, a proposed bill that would require "charter schools to have uniform and transparent billing costs and practices for special education services. No chartered public school or school district shall charge a non-uniform rate for the same special education service.” This bill would ultimately fail to recognize the unique needs and circumstances of individual charter schools and districts, in varying regions throughout the state, in terms of special education service provision. Charter schools have different systems and different costs for providing special education services, just as district schools do. Some charter schools are able to offer a broader range of services than others, but may have to contract out to individuals or agencies in order to do so. These costs are often different, based on the area in which a particular school is located, and would still require reimbursement of service cost, likely at a varying (non-uniform) rate. Imposing a one-size-fits-all approach to billing/rate setting would undermine the flexibility that enables charter schools to effectively deliver specialized support. Great Bay Charter School has already experienced the withholding of payment for specialized services from some districts who have decided that the NH State MOU language is not adequate, and even after transparency of cost from Great Bay, the districts have continued to state that they will not reimburse after Great Bay has provided these specialized services to its students in good faith effort. Charter schools are independent entities and need to be able to have independent control over their rates, based on real costs. The potential of this bill will likely create financial strain on charter schools, particularly those serving higher populations of students with disabilities, such as Great Bay Charter School, where approximately 40% of our student population require specialized services. Reimbursement rates set by legislation will unlikely accurately reflect the true costs of providing specialized services, and will ultimately jeopardize the sustainability of these programs, and return all specialized services back to the LEA, who are in many cases already understaffed and unable to provide these themselves. Great Bay Charter School opposes HB1623 as it undermines the essential autonomy that charter schools need to thrive as independent educational entities. This bill fails to account for the diverse operational realities and financial needs of our charter, and of all charter schools, which are vital for effectively serving students with disabilities. Sincerely, The Great Bay Charter School Administrative Team