115C-218.3. Fast-track replication of high-quality charter schools.

Upon recommendations by the Office of Charter Schools and the Charter Schools Advisory Board, the State Board of Education shall adopt a process and rules for fast-track replication of high-quality charter schools currently operating in the State. The State Board of Education shall not require a planning year for applicants selected through the fast-track replication process. In addition to the requirements for charter applicants set forth in this Article, the fast-track replication process adopted by the State Board of Education shall, at a minimum, require a board of directors of a charter school to demonstrate one of the following in order to qualify for fast-track replication:

(1) A charter school in this State governed by the board of directors has student academic outcomes that are comparable to the academic outcomes of students in the local school administrative unit in which the charter school is located and can provide three years of financially sound audits.

(2) The board of directors agrees to contract with an education management organization or charter management organization that can demonstrate that it can replicate high-quality charter schools in the State that have proven student academic success and financial soundness.

The State Board of Education shall ensure that the rules for a fast-track replication process provide that decisions by the State Board of Education on whether to grant a charter through the replication process are completed in less than 120 days from the application submission date. The State Board shall provide a decision no later than October 15 of the year immediately preceding the year of the proposed school opening.