A. A charter school may be approved for an initial term of six years; provided that the first year shall be used exclusively for planning and not for completing the application. A charter may be renewed for successive periods of five years each. Approvals of less than five years may be agreed to between the charter school and the chartering authority.

B. During the planning year, the charter school shall file a minimum of three status reports with the chartering authority and the department for the purpose of demonstrating that the charter school's implementation progress is consistent with the conditions, standards and procedures of its approved charter. The report content, format and schedule for submission shall be agreed to by the chartering authority and the charter school and become part of the charter contract.

C. Prior to the end of the planning year, the charter school shall demonstrate that its facilities meet the requirements of Section 22-8B-4.2 NMSA 1978.

D. A chartering authority shall monitor the fiscal, overall governance and student performance and legal compliance of the charter schools that it oversees, including reviewing the data provided by the charter school to support ongoing evaluation according to the charter contract. Every chartering authority may conduct or require oversight activities that allow the chartering authority to fulfill its responsibilities under the Charter Schools Act, including conducting appropriate inquiries and investigations; provided that the chartering authority complies with the provisions of the Charter Schools Act and the terms of the charter contract and does not unduly inhibit the autonomy granted to the charter schools that it governs.

E. As part of its performance review of a charter school, a chartering authority shall visit a charter school under its authority at least once annually to provide technical assistance to the charter school and to determine the status of the charter school and the progress of the charter school toward the performance framework goals in its charter contract.

F. If, based on the performance review conducted by the chartering authority pursuant to Subsection D of this section, a charter school's fiscal, overall governance or student performance or legal compliance appears unsatisfactory, the chartering authority shall promptly notify the governing body of the charter school of the unsatisfactory review and provide reasonable opportunity for the governing body to remedy the problem; provided that if the unsatisfactory review warrants revocation, the revocation procedures set forth in this section shall apply. A chartering authority may take appropriate corrective actions or exercise sanctions, as long as such sanctions do not constitute revocation, in response to the unsatisfactory review. Such actions or sanctions by the chartering authority may include requiring a governing body to develop and execute a corrective action plan with the chartering authority that sets forth time frames for compliance.

G. Every chartering authority shall submit an annual report to the division, including a performance report for each charter school that it oversees, in accordance with the performance framework set forth in the charter contract.

H. The department shall review the annual report received from the chartering authority to determine if the department or local school board rules and policies from which the charter school was released pursuant to the provisions of Section 22-8B-5 NMSA 1978 assisted or impeded the charter school in meeting its stated goals and objectives. The department shall use the annual reports received from the chartering authorities as part of its report to the governor, the legislative finance committee and the legislative education study committee as required by the Charter Schools Act.

I. No later than two hundred seventy days prior to the date in which the charter expires, the governing body may submit a renewal application to the chartering authority. A charter school may apply to a different chartering authority for renewal. The chartering authority shall rule in a public hearing on the renewal application no later than one hundred eighty days prior to the expiration of the charter.

J. A charter school renewal application submitted to the chartering authority shall contain:

(1) a report on the progress of meeting the academic performance, financial compliance and governance responsibilities of the charter school, including achieving the goals, objectives, student performance outcomes, state standards of excellence and other terms of the charter contract, including the accountability requirements set forth in the Assessment and Accountability Act [Chapter 22, Article 2C NMSA 1978];

(2) a financial statement that discloses the costs of administration, instruction and other spending categories for the charter school that is understandable to the general public, that allows comparison of costs to other schools or comparable organizations and that is in a format required by the department;

(3) a copy of the charter contract executed in compliance with the provisions of Section 22-8B-9 NMSA 1978;

(4) a petition in support of the charter school renewing its charter status signed by not less than sixty-five percent of the employees in the charter school;

(5) a petition in support of the charter school renewing its charter status signed by at least seventy-five percent of the households whose children are enrolled in the charter school;

(6) a description of the charter school facilities and assurances that the facilities are in compliance with the requirements of Section 22-8B-4.2 NMSA 1978; and

(7) for charter schools located on tribal land, documentation of ongoing consultation pursuant to the Indian Education Act [Chapter 22, Article 23A NMSA 1978].

K. A charter may be suspended, revoked or not renewed by the chartering authority if the chartering authority determines that the charter school did any of the following:

(1) committed a material violation of any of the conditions, standards or procedures set forth in the charter contract;

(2) failed to meet or make substantial progress toward achievement of the department's standards of excellence or student performance standards identified in the charter contract;

(3) failed to meet generally accepted standards of fiscal management;

(4) for a charter school located on tribal land, failed to comply with ongoing consultations pursuant to the Indian Education Act; or

(5) violated any provision of law from which the charter school was not specifically exempted.

L. The chartering authority shall develop processes for suspension, revocation or nonrenewal of a charter that:

(1) provide the charter school with timely notification of the prospect of suspension, revocation or nonrenewal of the charter and the reasons for such action;

(2) allow the charter school a reasonable amount of time to prepare and submit a response to the chartering authority's action; and

(3) require the final determination made by the chartering authority to be submitted to the department.

M. If a chartering authority suspends, revokes or does not renew a charter, the chartering authority shall state in writing its reasons for the suspension, revocation or nonrenewal.

N. If a chartering authority suspends, revokes or does not renew the charter of a charter school located on tribal land, the chartering authority and charter school shall consult with the tribe pursuant to Subsections C and D of Section 3 [22-8B-12.2 NMSA 1978] of this 2019 act.

O. A decision to suspend, revoke or not to renew a charter may be appealed by the governing body pursuant to Section 22-8B-7 NMSA 1978.

History: Laws 1999, ch. 281, § 12; 2005, ch. 221, § 6; 2006, ch. 94, § 39; 2010, ch. 48, § 1; 2011, ch. 14, § 5; 2015, ch. 108, § 12; 2019, ch. 174, § 5.

Cross references. — For transfer of powers and duties of former state board of education, see 9-24-15 NMSA 1978.

The 2019 amendment, effective June 14, 2019, required charter school renewal applications, for charter schools on tribal land, to contain documentation of ongoing consultation pursuant to the Indian Education Act; in Paragraph J, added Paragraph J(7); in Subsection K, added a new Paragraph K(4) and redesignated former Paragraph K(4) as Paragraph K(5); and added a new Subsection N and redesignated former Subsection N as Subsection O.

The 2015 amendment, effective July 1, 2015, amended the required contents of a charter school renewal application; in Paragraph (1) of Subsection J, after "state", deleted "minimum educational", after "standards", added of "excellence"; and in Paragraph (2) of Subsection K, after "department's", deleted "minimum educational", and after "standards", added "of excellence".

The 2011 amendment, effective July 1, 2012, required a chartering authority to monitor the performance of the charter schools it oversees, including visits to the school; permitted a chartering authority to take corrective actions and impose sanctions if a school's performance is unsatisfactory; required chartering authorities to submit an annual report to the charter school division that includes a performance report; required the department to review the annual report to determine how waivers of requirements affected the school's performance; and required chartering authorities to develop processes for suspension, revocation or nonrenewal of charters.

The 2010 amendment, effective May 19, 2010, added Subsection B and relettered succeeding subsections accordingly.

The 2006 amendment, effective July 1, 2007, in Subsection A, provided that the first year shall be used exclusively for planning and not for completing the application and changed "local school board" to "chartering authority"; added a new Subsection C to require demonstration of qualification as a board of finance and satisfaction of conditions imposed by the commission and to provide for the issuance of an authorization to commence operations; in Subsection D (formerly Subsection C), changed "January 1 of the year prior to the year the charter expires" to "two hundred seventy days prior to the date the charter expires"; changed "local school board" to "chartering authority", added the provision that a charter school may apply to a different chartering authority for renewal, and changed the date for ruling on a renewal application from March 1 of the fiscal year in which the charter expires to one hundred eighty days prior to the expiration of the charter; in Subsection E (formerly Subsection D), changed "local school board" to "chartering authority"; in Paragraph (5) of Subsection E (formerly Subsection D), changed "majority" to "at least seventy-five percent"; in Subsection F (formerly Subsection E), provided that a charter may be suspended and changes "local school board" to "chartering authority"; in Paragraph (2) of Subsection F (formerly Subsection E), changed "state board" to "department"; in Subsection G (formerly Subsection F), changed "local school board" to "chartering authority" and required written reasons for suspension of a charter; and in Subsection H (formerly Subsection G), provided for the appeal of the suspension of a charter.

The 2005 amendment, effective July 1, 2005, changed the initial term from five to six years and provided that the first year shall be used for planning; added Subsection B to provide that prior to the end of the planning year, the charter school shall demonstrate that its facilities meet statutory standards; provided in Subsection D(1) that an application for renewal shall contain a report on the progress in meeting the accountability requirements of the Assessment and Accountability Act; and added Subsection D(6) to provide that an application for renewal shall contain a description of the charter school facilities and assurances that the facilities comply with statutory standards.