Administering Section 218 Policies Originally presented by Marc Denos, SSA NCSSSA Conference August 2, 2010 Kansas City, MO

Charter School + Section 218 A) Quandary B) Conundrum C) Bugaboo D) E)Who cares; Everyone in my State is covered by a retirement system.

Alternative to public schools Provide elementary or secondary education Receive public money May also receive private donations Free from some of the rules and regulations that apply to public schools Not allowed to charge tuition What are Charter Schools?

Are Charter Schools in Every State? 40 States, DC, and Puerto Rico have laws allowing charter schools Alabama, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia do not

Minnesota 1992

Charter Schools Are Different Charter schools: Are public schools of choice Are generally newly created Are generally small schools (enrollment is less than 250 students while traditional public schools exceed 500) Often serve multiple communities, and have a unique curriculum and a variety of instructional practices Vary a from state to state and school to school Have atypical grade configurations (K-3, K-8) Often provide one or more non-instructional services, like health, social services, or extended day care

Charter Schools Have Laws Charter development School status Fiscal Students Staffing and Labor Relations Instruction Accountability

Who Can Open A Charter School? Parents Community leaders Businesses Teachers School districts Municipalities And others

Who Authorizes Charter Schools? It could be: Governing board of the school districts City school board county school board State board State universities Community colleges And others This varies from state to state, depending on the State’s charter law.

Maybe Charter Schools Are Hybrid! Note: 501(c)(3) organizations are types of organizations that are exempt from some federal income taxes

The States* *SL When Federal and State Laws Apply

Determining The Legal Status …of a hybrid. I mean charter school. Lawmakers Attorney General State Statute and Legislation State Board Apply the six characteristics that may qualify an entity as an instrumentality of government

What do ya’ll suggest? “We’re listening!”