Section 160.420

Title XI EDUCATION AND LIBRARIES

Chapter 160

Effective - 01 Jul 2006, 3 histories, see footnote   (history) 

  *160.420.  Employment provisions — school district personnel may accept charter school position and remain district employees, effect — noncertificated instructional personnel, employment, supervision. — 1. Any school district in which charter schools may be established under sections 160.400 to 160.420 shall establish a uniform policy which provides that if a charter school offers to retain the services of an employee of a school district, and the employee accepts a position at the charter school, an employee at the employee's option may remain an employee of the district and the charter school shall pay to the district the district's full costs of salary and benefits provided to the employee. The district's policy shall provide that any teacher who accepts a position at a charter school and opts to remain an employee of the district retains such teacher's permanent teacher status and retains such teacher's seniority rights in the district for three years. The school district shall not be liable for any such employee's acts while an employee of the charter school.

  2. A charter school may employ noncertificated instructional personnel; provided that no more than twenty percent of the full-time equivalent instructional staff positions at the school are filled by noncertificated personnel. All noncertificated instructional personnel shall be supervised by certificated instructional personnel. A charter school that has a foreign language immersion experience as its chief educational mission, as stated in its charter, shall not be subject to the twenty-percent requirement of this subsection but shall ensure that any teachers whose duties include instruction given in a foreign language have current valid credentials in the country in which such teacher received his or her training and shall remain subject to the remaining requirements of this subsection. The charter school shall ensure that all instructional employees of the charter school have experience, training and skills appropriate to the instructional duties of the employee, and the charter school shall ensure that a criminal background check and child abuse registry check are conducted for each employee of the charter school prior to the hiring of the employee. The charter school may not employ instructional personnel whose certificate of license to teach has been revoked or is currently suspended by the state board of education. Appropriate experience, training and skills of noncertificated instructional personnel shall be determined considering:

  (1) Teaching certificates issued by another state or states;

  (2) Certification by the National Standards Board;

  (3) College degrees in the appropriate field;

  (4) Evidence of technical training and competence when such is appropriate; and

  (5) The level of supervision and coordination with certificated instructional staff.

  3. Personnel employed by the charter school shall participate in the retirement system of the school district in which the charter school is located, subject to the same terms, conditions, requirements and other provisions applicable to personnel employed by the school district. For purposes of participating in the retirement system, the charter school shall be considered to be a public school within the school district, and personnel employed by the charter school shall be public school employees. In the event of a lapse of the school district's corporate organization as described in subsections 1 and 4 of section 162.081, personnel employed by the charter school shall continue to participate in the retirement system and shall do so on the same terms, conditions, requirements and other provisions as they participated prior to the lapse.

  4. The charter school and a local school board may agree by contract for services to be provided by the school district to the charter school. The charter school may contract with any other entity for services. Such services may include but are not limited to food service, custodial service, maintenance, management assistance, curriculum assistance, media services and libraries and shall be subject to negotiation between the charter school and the local school board or other entity. Documented actual costs of such services shall be paid for by the charter school.

  5. A charter school may enter into contracts with community partnerships and state agencies acting in collaboration with such partnerships that provide services to children and their families linked to the school.

  6. A charter school shall be eligible for transportation state aid pursuant to section 163.161 and shall be free to contract with the local district, or any other entity, for the provision of transportation to the students of the charter school.

  7. (1) The proportionate share of state and federal resources generated by students with disabilities or staff serving them shall be paid in full to charter schools enrolling those students by their school district where such enrollment is through a contract for services described in this section. The proportionate share of money generated under other federal or state categorical aid programs shall be directed to charter schools serving such students eligible for that aid.

  (2) A charter school district shall provide the special services provided pursuant to section 162.705 and may provide the special services pursuant to a contract with a school district or any provider of such services.

  8. A charter school may not charge tuition, nor may it impose fees that a school district is prohibited from imposing.

  9. A charter school is authorized to incur debt in anticipation of receipt of funds. A charter school may also borrow to finance facilities and other capital items. A school district may incur bonded indebtedness or take other measures to provide for physical facilities and other capital items for charter schools that it sponsors or contracts with. Upon the dissolution of a charter school, any liabilities of the corporation will be satisfied through the procedures of chapter 355.

  10. Charter schools shall not have the power to acquire property by eminent domain.

  11. The governing body of a charter school is authorized to accept grants, gifts or donations of any kind and to expend or use such grants, gifts or donations. A grant, gift or donation may not be accepted by the governing body if it is subject to any condition contrary to law applicable to the charter school or other public schools, or contrary to the terms of the charter.

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(L. 1998 S.B. 781 § 8, A.L. 2001 H.B. 660, A.L. 2005 S.B. 287)

*Effective 7-1-06