Charter School Modifications

New sections explicitly define charter schools as public schools for all legal purposes, including eligibility for public funding and access to facilities.

A new requirement was added mandating that all charter school governing board members take and subscribe to a specific oath of office before assuming duties.

The 'Charter School Revolving Account' was renamed the 'Charter School Revolving Fund,' and its administration was transferred from the State Board of Education to the Utah Charter Finance Authority with new rules regarding interest rates and loan terms.

Several existing code sections were amended to include cross-references to the new oath of office requirement and the updated status of charter schools.

The creation of 'Charter School Educational Service Agencies' and their associated rules, funding, and operational authority were entirely removed from the bill.

The total appropriated funding was reduced from $15,995,000 to $3,600,000, specifically cutting the allocation for the new service agency and reducing the one-time base funding pool.

The composition of the study group was simplified by removing representatives from the Senate, House of Representatives, and the State Board of Education, retaining only industry and executive branch appointees.

Minor technical adjustments were made to section headers and the effective date section numbering to align with the reduced content.