Charter schools: authorization.

(1) The Charter Schools Act of 1992 allows one or more persons seeking to establish a charter school within a school district to circulate a petition to that effect. The act allows a charter petition to be submitted to the governing board of a school district for review after the petition has been signed by a number of parents or guardians of pupils that is equivalent to at least 12 of the number of pupils that the petitioner estimates will enroll in the charter school for its first year of operation or has been signed by a number of teachers that is equivalent to at least 12 of the number of teachers that the petitioner estimates will be employed at the charter school during its first year of operation. This bill, in addition, would require that a charter petition signed by a number of teachers that is equivalent to at least 12 the number of teachers that the charter school estimates will be employed at the charter school during its first year of operation also be signed by a number of classified employees that is equivalent to at least 12 of the number of classified employees the petitioner estimates that the charter school will employ during its first year of operation prior to submission to the governing board of a school district for review. (2) The act allows a petition that proposes to convert an existing public school to a charter school that would not be eligible for a loan, as specified, to be circulated by one or more persons seeking to establish the charter school. The act allows such a petition to be submitted to the governing board of a school district for review after the petition has been signed by not less than 50% of the permanent status teachers currently employed at the public school to be converted. This bill, in addition, would require that the petition be signed by not less than 50% of the classified employees currently employed at the public school to be converted before it may be submitted to the governing board of a school district. (3) The bill also would make conforming changes.