KRS 160.1591: Legislative findings and declarations -- Public charter school project.

(1) The General Assembly hereby finds and declares that:

(a) Reducing achievement gaps in Kentucky is necessary for the state to realize its

workforce and economic development potential;

(b) Past and current measures have been insufficient for making progress toward

reducing the state's achievement gaps;

(c) Additional public school options are necessary to help reduce socioeconomic,

racial, and ethnic achievement gaps; and

(d) The demand exists for high -quality public charter schools in the

Commonwealth.

(2) The General Assembly hereby establishes a public charter school project to benefit

parents, teachers, and community members by creating new, innovative, and more

flexible ways of educating all children within the public school system and by

advancing a renewed commitment to the mission, goals, and diversity of public

education. The purposes of the public charter school initiative are to:

(a) Improve student learnin g outcomes by creating additional high -performing

schools with high standards for student performance;

(b) Encourage the use of different, high -quality models of teaching, governing,

scheduling, or other aspects of schooling that meet a variety of student needs;

(c) Close achievement gaps for low-performing groups of public school students;

(d) Allow schools freedom and flexibility in exchange for exceptional levels of

results-driven accountability;

(e) Increase high -quality educational opportunities within the public education

system for all students, especially those at risk of academic failure; and

(f) Provide students, parents, community members, and local entities with

expanded opportunities for involvement in the public education system.

(3) Beginning in academic year 2022 -2023, any authorizer may authorize an unlimited

number of public charter schools.

(4) A public charter school shall not be a virtual public charter school.

(5) (a) Enrollment preference for a conversion public charter school shall be given to

students who attended the school the previous school year. If the number of

students enrolled does not exceed the capacity of the school, secondary

preference shall be given to students who reside within the district boundary

in which the public charter school is located.

(b) Enrollment preference for public charter schools shall be given to students

enrolled in the public charter school the previous year and to siblings of

students already enrolled in the school. The enrollment preference for

returning students shall exclude those students from entering into a lottery, as

identified in paragraph (f) of this subsection.

(c) Enrollment preference for public charter schools identifi ed as an urban

academy in the charter contract shall be given to students who live in close

proximity to the school, as governed by the charter contract.

(d) Enrollment preference may be given to the children of the public charter

school's board of directo rs and full -time employees of the public charter

school provided they constitute no more than ten percent (10%) of the total

student population.

(e) A public charter school may allow an enrollment preference for students who

meet federal eligibility requir ements for free or reduced -price meals and

students who attend persistently low-achieving noncharter public schools.

(f) If capacity is insufficient to enroll all students who wish to attend any specific

grade level or program at a public charter school, t he school shall select

students through a randomized and transparent lottery. The lottery process

may allow for siblings in a lottery or different lotteries to be admitted together.

(6) Consistent with the requirements of KRS 160.1590 to 160.1599 and 161.1 41, the

state board shall promulgate administrative regulations to guide student application,

lottery, and enrollment in public charter schools.