SB 674: Charter schools; Charter Schools Incentive Fund; renaming; state funding; calculation; payments. - Oklahoma

Floor (House) → Floor (Senate) · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was transitioned from the House version to the Senate version, resulting in a complete rewrite of the legislative text. The House version focused on charter school funding and administrative fees, while the Senate version shifts the primary focus to municipal zoning notice requirements and adds a new section allowing charter schools to submit site plans for existing buildings. This change alters the bill's scope from primarily financial oversight to zoning and facility utilization.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include municipal zoning procedures and charter school site planning for existing buildings, replacing the House version's exclusive focus on charter school funding and administrative fees.

SCOPE

The primary subject matter changed from charter school funding and fees to municipal zoning notice requirements and charter school site plans for existing buildings.

REQUIREMENT

New requirements were added for municipalities to provide specific zoning notices and post signs for certain types of facilities like treatment centers and halfway houses.

A new provision was added allowing charter schools to submit site plans for existing buildings to be rezoned for educational use.

FISCAL

Provisions regarding the Charter Schools Incentive Fund, including its creation, funding sources, and administrative fee structures, were removed.

TIMELINE

The effective date was updated to November 1, 2025, and the legislative session details were adjusted to reflect the Senate floor version.

House Committee Substitute for Senate Bill → Floor (House) · 2 edits

MINOR

The bill text was converted from a Senate Committee Substitute to the House Floor version, resulting in significant formatting changes and the removal of the 'FOR ENGROSSED' designation. The substantive policy content regarding charter school funding, administrative fees, and weighted average membership calculations remains unchanged, as the text of the amended statutes is identical in both versions.

TECHNICAL

Removed the 'FOR ENGROSSED' designation and the specific Senate authorship line, indicating the bill has moved to the House floor for final passage.

Adjusted page headers and line numbers to reflect the House Floor version format, while keeping the statutory amendment text consistent with the Senate version.

Proposed Committee Substitute (full committee) 1 → House Committee Substitute for Senate Bill · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to replace the original committee substitute text with a new version that updates the bill's title and formatting. The most significant substantive change involves adding a new provision to calculate funding for new charter schools; it mandates that new schools receive an initial funding boost by multiplying their August 1 enrollment by 1.333 to account for expected growth during the first year.

Scope change

The scope of the bill was expanded to include a specific funding calculation method for new charter school sites and grade levels during their first year of operation.

FISCAL

Added a formula requiring new charter schools to multiply their August 1 enrollment by 1.333 to determine their initial weighted average daily membership and funding allocation.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill title to 'Committee Substitute for Engrossed Senate Bill' and corrected the legislative session reference to the 60th Legislature (2025).

Changed the request number from 13592 to 13632 to reflect the new version of the bill.

Enrolled (final version) → Proposed Committee Substitute (full committee) 1 · 2 edits

MINOR

The House Committee replaced the entire text of the Senate bill with a new version that retains the core provisions regarding the Charter Schools Incentive Fund and administrative fee limits but adds an effective date and an emergency clause. This procedural change allows the bill to take effect immediately upon signing, bypassing the usual waiting period for new laws.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's applicability remains unchanged; it continues to govern Oklahoma charter schools and their funding mechanisms.

TIMELINE

Added an effective date provision and an emergency clause to allow the bill to take effect immediately upon the Governor's signature.

TECHNICAL

Replaced the full text of the original bill with a proposed committee substitute, which is a standard legislative procedure for bills that have been amended by a committee.

Engrossed → Enrolled (final version) · 5 edits · May 27, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was converted from an 'Engrossed' draft to an 'Enrolled' final version, which includes substantive policy changes. The original text focused on municipal zoning notice requirements and charter school site plans, while the final version shifts focus to renaming the 'Charter Schools Incentive Fund' to include 'Closure Reimbursement,' adding a new source of funding from charter schools, and modifying how state aid is calculated for new charter schools.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted from municipal zoning regulations and site plan submissions to primarily focusing on the financial administration, funding sources, and reimbursement capabilities of the Statewide Charter School Board.

FISCAL

The 'Charter Schools Incentive Fund' was renamed to the 'Charter Schools Incentive and Closure Reimbursement Fund' to explicitly allow for paying expenditures incurred due to the closure of a charter school.

A new source of funding was added, requiring the Statewide Charter School Board to transfer all monies received from charter schools (pursuant to Section 3-142) into the new fund.

ELIGIBILITY

The calculation for weighted average daily membership was modified to multiply the actual enrollment on August 1 by 1.333 for the first year of operation, increasing the initial revenue allocation for new charter schools.

REQUIREMENT

The requirement for charter schools to submit a site plan to municipal bodies was removed from the final text, while the zoning notice requirements were significantly altered and expanded in the draft version before being replaced by funding provisions in the final version.

TECHNICAL

The effective date was changed from November 1, 2025 (in the draft) to an unspecified date in the final enrolled version.

Amended And Engrossed → Engrossed · 4 edits · May 21, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was reorganized to shift its primary focus from charter school funding to municipal zoning regulations. It adds new requirements for municipalities to provide specific written notices to property owners before zoning hearings, particularly when changes involve facilities like halfway houses or detox centers. Additionally, it mandates that charter schools converting existing buildings must submit a site plan to local zoning authorities for approval.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from solely addressing charter school financial incentives to including new procedural requirements for municipal zoning changes and charter school facility conversions.

REQUIREMENT

Municipalities must now mail written notice to property owners at least 20 days before zoning hearings if the change involves specific facility types like halfway houses or detox centers.

Charter schools acquiring existing buildings must submit a site plan to the local zoning authority demonstrating a five-year commitment to use the building as a school.

A new section requires municipalities to post signs on affected properties when zoning reclassifications are driven by comprehensive planning or topography.

SCOPE

The bill's title and primary subject matter were changed from 'Charter Schools Incentive Fund' to 'Municipal Zoning' to reflect the new focus on zoning procedures.

Introduced → Amended And Engrossed · 5 edits · May 21, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was significantly amended to shift its focus from municipal zoning regulations to charter school funding and administrative oversight. The original text regarding zoning notices for specific facilities was removed and replaced with new provisions creating a dedicated fund for charter school start-up and closure costs, adjusting funding calculations for new schools, and restricting administrative fees charged by sponsors.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed from regulating local zoning procedures for various facility types to exclusively addressing state funding and financial administration for charter schools.

SCOPE

All text related to municipal zoning notice requirements, including rules for treating specific facilities like halfway houses and detox centers, was deleted.

FISCAL

A new fund called the 'Charter Schools Incentive and Closure Reimbursement Fund' was created to provide financial support for start-up costs, building renovations, and closure expenses.

The calculation for weighted average daily membership for new charter schools was modified to multiply August 1 enrollment by 1.333 to generate initial revenue.

REQUIREMENT

New requirements were added mandating that charter school sponsors publish detailed performance and stewardship reports on their websites and present them at public meetings.

ELIGIBILITY

Clarifications were added regarding the separation of charter school student attendance from sponsor attendance for funding and enrollment calculations.

Charter schools; Charter Schools Incentive Fund; renaming; state funding; calculation; payments.

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