HB 386 Louisiana House · 2026 Regular Session

SCHOOLS/CHARTER: Provides relative to charter school funding (EN NO IMPACT See Note)

HB 386 clarifies funding rules for Louisiana charter schools by requiring that Type 1, 3, 3B (non-LEA), and Type 4 charter schools receive per-pupil funding based on the state's minimum foundation program, adjusted for student needs. The bill allows these schools to operate as their own local education agency (LEA) for funding purposes with local school board approval, while Type 2 and 5 charter schools are automatically treated as the LEA. It also authorizes the state to withhold 0.25% of certain fees from charter schools to cover administrative costs for financial oversight. This affects all Louisiana charter schools receiving state funding and standardizes their financial relationship with local districts.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

May 2026

House Passage

May 2026

Senate Passage

May 2026

Signed into Law

Jun 2026

Introduced Feb 25, 2026 Signed Jun 8, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB386 Original → HB386 Act 797 · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill updates Louisiana's charter school funding rules to ensure Type 1 and Type 3 charter schools receive the same per-pupil funding as other public schools. It clarifies which charter schools can act as their own local education agencies for federal funding and establishes new administrative oversight fees for specific charter types.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of funding eligibility to include Type 1 and Type 3 charter schools, whereas previously only Type 2, 3B, and 4 schools were explicitly covered in certain funding contexts.

FISCAL

Type 1 and Type 3 charter schools are now explicitly authorized to receive per-pupil funding amounts based on the state's minimum foundation program formula, aligning them with other charter types.

A fee of 0.25% of the amount charged to certain charter schools (Type 3B acting independently or Type 1, 3, or 4 acting independently) is withheld by the Department of Education to cover administrative oversight costs.

ELIGIBILITY

The rules for when a charter school can act as its own local education agency were refined to specify that Type 1, 3, and 4 schools remain under the local school board unless they are specifically authorized to act independently.

REQUIREMENT

New provisions require the State Board to create rules defining financial obligations for charter schools acting as their own local education agencies and authorize the Superintendent to rescind this status if schools fail to meet those obligations.

Floor votes · Senate May 21, 2026 · House Mar 30, 2026

How they voted

34–0

Passed · 6 other

Total votes 40

May 21, 2026

D Democratic12

9 Yea 3

75% Yea

R Republican28

25 Yea 3

89% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

May 27, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read by title, roll called, yeas 91, nays 0, Senate amendments concurred in.

lower

May 21, 2026

Upper · Passed

Rules suspended. The amended bill was read by title, passed by a vote of 33 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

upper

May 12, 2026

Committee

Committee amendments read and adopted. Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.

upper

May 11, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported with amendments.

upper

Mar 30, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 93, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

lower

Mar 24, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported favorably (13-0).

lower

Mar 9, 2026

Committee

Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Education.

lower

Feb 25, 2026

Committee

Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Education.

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors