{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-160.1590","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 160.1590","heading":"Definitions for KRS 160.1590 to 160.1599.","body":"As used in KRS 160.1590 to 160.1599:\n(1) \"Achievement gap\" means the difference between performance goals and actual\nperformance on state standardized examinations and other academic performance\nmeasures for subgroups of students, especially groups defined  by socioeconomic\nstatus, race, and ethnicity;\n(2) \"Applicant\" means an eligible person or persons, organization, or entity that seeks\napproval from a charter school authorizer to establish a public charter school;\n(3) \"Charter application\" means a proposa l from an applicant to an authorizer to enter\ninto a charter contract whereby the proposed school obtains public charter school\nstatus;\n(4) \"Charter contract\" or \"contract\" means a fixed -term, renewable contract between a\ncharter school and an authorizer t hat identifies the roles, powers, responsibilities,\nand performance expectations for each party to the contract pursuant to KRS\n160.1596;\n(5) \"Charter school board of directors\" means the independent board of a public charter\nschool that is party to the ch arter contract with the authorizer and whose members\nhave been elected or selected pursuant to the school's application;\n(6) \"Conversion public charter school\" means a public charter school that existed as a\nnoncharter public school prior to becoming a public charter school;\n(7) \"District of location\" means the public school district in which a public charter\nschool is physically located;\n(8) \"Education service provider\" means an education management organization, school\ndesign provider, or any other partne r entity with which a public charter school\ncontracts for educational design, implementation, or comprehensive management;\n(9) \"Local school board\" or \"local board\" means a school board exercising management\nand control of a local school district;\n(10) \"Local school district\" means a county or independent school district as identified in\nKRS 160.010 and 160.020;\n(11) \"Parent\" means a parent, guardian, or other person or entity having legal custody of\na child;\n(12) \"Proportionate per pupil basis\" means multiplying an amount of funds by a fraction,\nwith the numerator being the average daily attendance of the public charter school,\nand the denominator being the average daily attendance of the school district of\nlocation;\n(13) \"Proportionate per pupil transporte d basis\" means multiplying an amount of funds\nby a fraction, with the numerator being the aggregate daily attendance of students\ntransported by a public charter school, and the denominator being the aggregate\ndaily attendance of students transported by the school district of location;\n(14) \"Public charter school\" means a public school that:\n(a) Is a public body corporate and politic, exercising public power, including the\npower in name to contract and be contracted with, sue and be sued, and adopt\nbylaws not inconsistent with this section;\n(b) Has autonomy over decisions, including but not limited to matt ers concerning\nfinance, personnel, scheduling, curriculum, and instruction;\n(c) Is governed by an independent board of directors;\n(d) Is established and operating under the terms of a charter contract between the\npublic charter school's board of directors and its authorizer;\n(e) Is a public school to which parents choose to send their children;\n(f) Is a public school that admits students on the basis of a random and open\nlottery if more students apply for admission than can be accommodated;\n(g) Offers a comprehensive instructional program to enrolled students;\n(h) Operates in pursuit of a specific set of educational objectives as defined in its\ncharter contract; and\n(i) Operates under the oversight of its authorizer in accordance with its charter\ncontract;\n(15) \"Public charter school authorizer\" or \"authorizer\" means an entity or body that\nreviews, approves, or denies charter applications, enters into charter contracts with\napplicants, oversees public charter schools, and renews, does not renew, or revokes\ncharter contracts. Authorizers shall include:\n(a) A local school board of a local school district, which shall only have authority\nto approve charter applications within the boundaries of its district;\n(b) A collaborative among local school boards that forms  to set up a regional\npublic charter school to be located within the area managed and controlled by\nthose local school boards;\n(c) The mayor of a consolidated local government, who shall be considered an\nauthorizer governing board for the purposes of KRS 1 60.1590 to 160.1599\nand who may only authorize public charter schools to be physically located\nwithin the county in which the city is located and who has submitted a written\nnotice to the state board that he or she intends to serve as an authorizer; and\n(d) The chief executive officer of an urban -county government, who shall be\nconsidered an authorizer governing board for the purposes of KRS 160.1590\nto 160.1599 and who may only authorize public charter schools to be\nphysically located within the county in which the city is located and who has\nsubmitted a written notice to the state board that he or she intends to serve as\nan authorizer;\n(16) \"Qualified teacher\" means a person certified by the Education Professional\nStandards Board pursuant to KRS 161.028, 161.030, 161.046, or 161.048;\n(17) \"State board\" means the Kentucky Board of Education;\n(18) \"Student\" means any child who is eligible for attendance in a public school in\nKentucky;\n(19) \"Urban academy\" means a public charter school that includes an enroll ment\npreference for students who live in close proximity to the school as defined in the\ncharter contract; and\n(20) \"Virtual public charter school\" means a public charter school that offers educational\nservices primarily or completely through an online program.","path":["KRS Chapter 160"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53114","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:51:07Z","sha256":"3785bf6f4721974849e234fa4977c96b464aa094cc11583e511424e0fd360b0c","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-160.158","next":"us-ky/krs-160.1591"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}