9march00.....3523h

2000 SESSION

00-2446

04/10

HOUSE BILL 1191-FN-LOCAL

COMMITTEE: Education

AMENDED ANALYSIS

This bill provides for the amendment of the terms of an authorized regional enrollment area agreement in the event one or more such districts adopt the provisions of the charter school and open enrollment law, or approves a charter school within the cooperative school district or authorized regional enrollment area.

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

9march00.....3523h

00-2446

04/10

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

106:1 New Section; Cooperative Schools; Modification. Amend RSA 195:31 by inserting after section 30 the following new section:

195:31 Modification. In the event that the cooperative district adopts the provisions of RSA 194-B, and the cooperative district also adopts open enrollment percentage amounts pursuant to RSA 194-B:4, the percentage of pupils authorized by a vote of the cooperative district shall be permitted to attend a charter school which may be established in the district and approved by the voters in accordance with RSA 194-B:3.

106:2 AREA Schools; Procedure for Establishment Amended. Amend RSA 195-A:3, V to read as follows:

V. An area school planning board may recommend that there be established an authorized regional enrollment area plan for elementary or secondary schools, or both, or any other reasonable combination of grades, composed of all the school districts represented by its membership or any specified combination thereof. [The] At the time such recommendation is made, the planning board shall prepare a written plan for the proposed regional enrollment area, which shall be signed by at least a majority of the membership of such board, which shall set forth the following:

(a) The name or names of each area school or schools proposed, and the receiving district in which such schools shall be located;

(b) The sending districts or portions thereof which, together with the receiving district, shall form the region which each area school or schools shall serve;

(c) The grades for which each area school or schools shall be responsible (which may include a combination of elementary and secondary grades or any other reasonable classification);

(d) The formula for calculation of tuition;

(e) The manner in which any form of state aid shall be credited, unless otherwise expressly provided by law;

(f) The existing school buildings in the several school districts which shall be discontinued;

(g) The existing school buildings in the receiving district which shall be designated as an area school or schools including any existing buildings to be initially enlarged;

(h) The proposed new area school building or buildings to be initially constructed in the receiving district and the initial location of same;

(i) The estimated initial enrollment in each area school from each of the sending districts and from the receiving district;

(j) The proposed date or dates of operating responsibility of each planned area school, which date may be subsequently postponed by the state board upon petition of a receiving or sending district, in the event of unforeseen circumstances or for good cause shown;

(k) The scheduled date or dates during each year upon which tuition payments shall be made by the sending districts to the receiving districts and whether the tuition shall be payable in installments, or in a lump sum;

(l) Procedure for improvement or changes in curriculum and other school programs and services;

(m) The method, time, and manner in which the plan may be amended, subject to state board approval, where not incompatible with law;

(n) The term of the agreement, which shall be for a minimum of 10 years unless otherwise provided by mutual agreement of the school districts consistent with the provisions of RSA 195-A:3, XI;

(o) The manner in which the interests of the school boards of the sending districts will be addressed;

(p) Whether the districts within the area plan shall adopt the provisions of RSA 194-B, and how the adoption of such provisions and the adoption of the open enrollment percentage limitations will affect the districts within the area plan;

(q) Any other matters, not incompatible with law, which the area school planning board may consider appropriate to include in such written plan.

106:3 AREA School Plans; Modifications. Amend RSA 195-A:16 to read as follows:

195-A:16 Modification. Parties to any authorized regional area agreement may, either at the time of the original agreement, or at any subsequent modification of the agreement, specify that the agreement shall cover less than 100 percent of the student population of the sending district. In the event that a charter school is approved within a sending or receiving district, after final approval by the state board, an area review board shall be convened pursuant to RSA 195-A:14 solely for the purpose of considering an amendment to the area agreement relative to the adoption of the charter school provisions under RSA 194-B. Any such amendment shall be consistent with the provisions of RSA 195-A:3, V(p). An area plan amended under this section shall be submitted to the state board for approval no later than December 1 of the year of amendment.

106:4 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

(Approved: May 8, 2000)

(Effective Date: July 7, 2000)

LBAO

00-2446

Revised 12/20/99

HB 1191-FN-LOCAL - FISCAL NOTE

FISCAL IMPACT:

METHODOLOGY: