47607
. (a) (1) A charter may be granted pursuant to Sections 47605,
47605.5, and 47606 for a period not to exceed five years. A charter
granted by a school district governing board, a county board of
education, or the state board may be granted one or more subsequent
renewals by that entity. Each renewal shall be for a period of five
years. A material revision of the provisions of a charter petition
may be made only with the approval of the authority that granted the
charter. The authority that granted the charter may inspect or
observe any part of the charter school at any time.
(2) Renewals and material revisions of charters are governed by
the standards and criteria in Section 47605, and shall include, but
not be limited to, a reasonably comprehensive description of any new
requirement of charter schools enacted into law after the charter was
originally granted or last renewed.
(3) (A) The authority that granted the charter shall consider
increases in pupil academic achievement for all groups of pupils
served by the charter school as the most important factor in
determining whether to grant a charter renewal.
(B) For purposes of this section, "all groups of pupils served by
the charter school" means a numerically significant pupil subgroup,
as defined by paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 52052,
served by the charter school.
(b) Commencing on January 1, 2005, or after a charter school has
been in operation for four years, whichever date occurs later, a
charter school shall meet at least one of the following criteria
before receiving a charter renewal pursuant to paragraph (1) of
subdivision (a):
(1) Attained its Academic Performance Index (API) growth target in
the prior year or in two of the last three years both schoolwide and
for all groups of pupils served by the charter school.
(2) Ranked in deciles 4 to 10, inclusive, on the API in the prior
year or in two of the last three years.
(3) Ranked in deciles 4 to 10, inclusive, on the API for a
demographically comparable school in the prior year or in two of the
last three years.
(4) (A) The entity that granted the charter determines that the
academic performance of the charter school is at least equal to the
academic performance of the public schools that the charter school
pupils would otherwise have been required to attend, as well as the
academic performance of the schools in the school district in which
the charter school is located, taking into account the composition of
the pupil population that is served at the charter school.
(B) The determination made pursuant to this paragraph shall be
based upon all of the following:
(i) Documented and clear and convincing data.
(ii) Pupil achievement data from assessments, including, but not
limited to, the Standardized Testing and Reporting Program
established by Article 4 (commencing with Section 60640) of Chapter 5
of Part 33 for demographically similar pupil populations in the
comparison schools.
(iii) Information submitted by the charter school.
(C) A chartering authority shall submit to the Superintendent
copies of supporting documentation and a written summary of the basis
for any determination made pursuant to this paragraph. The
Superintendent shall review the materials and make recommendations to
the chartering authority based on that review. The review may be the
basis for a recommendation made pursuant to Section 47604.5.
(D) A charter renewal may not be granted to a charter school prior
to 30 days after that charter school submits materials pursuant to
this paragraph.
(5) Qualified for an alternative accountability system pursuant to
subdivision (h) of Section 52052.
(c) (1) A charter may be revoked by the authority that granted the
charter under this chapter if the authority finds, through a showing
of substantial evidence, that the charter school did any of the
following:
(A) Committed a material violation of any of the conditions,
standards, or procedures set forth in the charter.
(B) Failed to meet or pursue any of the pupil outcomes identified
in the charter.
(C) Failed to meet generally accepted accounting principles, or
engaged in fiscal mismanagement.
(D) Violated any provision of law.
(2) The authority that granted the charter shall consider
increases in pupil academic achievement for all groups of pupils
served by the charter school as the most important factor in
determining whether to revoke a charter.
(d) Before revocation, the authority that granted the charter
shall notify the charter school of any violation of this section and
give the school a reasonable opportunity to remedy the violation,
unless the authority determines, in writing, that the violation
constitutes a severe and imminent threat to the health or safety of
the pupils.
(e) Before revoking a charter for failure to remedy a violation
pursuant to subdivision (d), and after expiration of the school's
reasonable opportunity to remedy without successfully remedying the
violation, the chartering authority shall provide a written notice of
intent to revoke and notice of facts in support of revocation to the
charter school. No later than 30 days after providing the notice of
intent to revoke a charter, the chartering authority shall hold a
public hearing, in the normal course of business, on the issue of
whether evidence exists to revoke the charter. No later than 30 days
after the public hearing, the chartering authority shall issue a
final decision to revoke or decline to revoke the charter, unless the
chartering authority and the charter school agree to extend the
issuance of the decision by an additional 30 days. The chartering
authority shall not revoke a charter, unless it makes written factual
findings supported by substantial evidence, specific to the charter
school, that support its findings.
(f) (1) If a school district is the chartering authority and it
revokes a charter pursuant to this section, the charter school may
appeal the revocation to the county board of education within 30 days
following the final decision of the chartering authority.
(2) The county board of education may reverse the revocation
decision if the county board of education determines that the
findings made by the chartering authority under subdivision (e) are
not supported by substantial evidence. The school district may appeal
the reversal to the state board.
(3) If the county board of education does not issue a decision on
the appeal within 90 days of receipt, or the county board of
education upholds the revocation, the charter school may appeal the
revocation to the state board.
(4) The state board may reverse the revocation decision if the
state board determines that the findings made by the chartering
authority under subdivision (e) are not supported by substantial
evidence. The state board may uphold the revocation decision of the
school district if the state board determines that the findings made
by the chartering authority under subdivision (e) are supported by
substantial evidence.
(g) (1) If a county office of education is the chartering
authority and the county board of education revokes a charter
pursuant to this section, the charter school may appeal the
revocation to the state board within 30 days following the decision
of the chartering authority.
(2) The state board may reverse the revocation decision if the
state board determines that the findings made by the chartering
authority under subdivision (e) are not supported by substantial
evidence.
(h) If the revocation decision of the chartering authority is
reversed on appeal, the agency that granted the charter shall
continue to be regarded as the chartering authority.
(i) During the pendency of an appeal filed under this section, a
charter school, whose revocation proceedings are based on
subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (c), shall
continue to qualify as a charter school for funding and for all other
purposes of this part, and may continue to hold all existing grants,
resources, and facilities, in order to ensure that the education of
pupils enrolled in the school is not disrupted.
(j) Immediately following the decision of a county board of
education to reverse a decision of a school district to revoke a
charter, the following shall apply:
(1) The charter school shall qualify as a charter school for
funding and for all other purposes of this part.
(2) The charter school may continue to hold all existing grants,
resources, and facilities.
(3) Any funding, grants, resources, and facilities that had been
withheld from the charter school, or that the charter school had
otherwise been deprived of use, as a result of the revocation of the
charter shall be immediately reinstated or returned.
(k) A final decision of a revocation or appeal of a revocation
pursuant to subdivision (c) shall be reported to the chartering
authority, the county board of education, and the department.