A new chapter: TEA’s charter school rules explained

Jul 31
2 min read

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has proposed amendments to 19 TAC Chapter 100, Charters, Subchapter AA, concerning open-enrollment charter schools. The amendments alter ten sections of Chapter 100, the rule book for open-enrollment charter schools in Texas. The proposed amendments focus on specifying non-discriminatory enrollment criteria pertaining to students with records of serious disciplinary or criminal history. These changes follow the passage of HB 6, which addressed school discipline and safety.

Chapter 100 outlines the main rules governing open enrollment charter schools in Texas, including the regulations for charter authorization, governance, financial operations, and state oversight established by the commissioner and TEA.

The groundwork for these changes trace back to the 88^th Legislative Session, when HB 1707, authored by Rep. Stephanie Klick, addressed charter school regulations. The bill requires local municipalities to treat charter schools the same as public independent school districts for zoning, permitting, and utility services. It also requires charter schools to complete annual paperwork confirming that no administrator, employee, or governing body member made a personal financial benefit from a real estate transaction with the charter school.

However, HB 1707 erodes local control by allowing charter schools to bypass municipal zoning regulations. This effectively creates unequal accountability standards and shifts attention away from traditional public schools.

The proposed amendments seek to:

Prohibit contact between State Board of Education members and high-performing entity applicants during certain periods
Remove the requirement for charter holders to requests for high-quality campus designations before opening new campuses
Clarify commissioner requirements for campus dormancy
Establish new timelines for governing board members to complete training for consistency with updated requirements
Move the requirement for central administrative officers to complete 20 additional instructional hours and update training requirements
Remove the requirement for charter schools to submit their school calendars to TEA
Permit new charter schools to receive property from closed charters
Require completion of annual paperwork confirming that individuals do not financially benefit from real estate transactions with schools

The public has until August 3rd to voice their concerns on these proposed amendments. Public education operators, members of the public, and other interested parties can submit their comments through TEA’s website.