Montana Code 20-6-804. Board of public education responsibilities
20-6-804. Board of public education responsibilities. (1) In accordance with this part, the board of public education is responsible for executing the following essential powers and duties:
Terms Used In Montana Code 20-6-804
- Board of public education: means the board created by Article X, section 9(3), of the Montana constitution and 2-15-1507. See Montana Code 20-6-803
- Charter contract: means a fixed-term, renewable contract between a governing board of a public charter school and the board of public education that outlines the roles, powers, responsibilities, and performance expectations for each party to the contract. See Montana Code 20-6-803
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Public charter school: means a public school that:
(a)has autonomy over decisions including but not limited to matters concerning finance, personnel, scheduling, curriculum, and instruction as defined in a charter contract;
(b)is governed by a local school board or, in the case of a governing board other than a local school board, by the governing board of the charter school district of which the charter school is a part;
(c)is established and operated under the terms of a charter contract;
(d)allows parents choose to enroll their children;
(e)admits students on the basis of a lottery if more students apply for admission than can be accommodated;
(f)provides a program of education that may include any or all grades from kindergarten through grade 12 and vocational education programs;
(g)operates in pursuit of a specific set of educational objectives as defined in its charter contract;
(h)operates under the general supervision of the board of public education in accordance with its charter contract; and
(i)if the school is a high school, establishes graduation requirements and has authority to award degrees and issue diplomas. See Montana Code 20-6-803
- school: means an institution for the teaching of children that is established and maintained under the laws of the state of Montana at public expense. See Montana Code 20-6-501
- State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Montana Code 1-1-201
- Student: means a child who is eligible for attendance in a public school in the state. See Montana Code 20-6-803
- System: means the Montana university system. See Montana Code 20-1-101
(a)soliciting and evaluating charter proposals;
(b)approving charter proposals that meet identified educational needs and promote a diversity of educational choices, including but not limited to:
(i)increasing standards for student achievement;
(ii)closing achievement gaps between high-performing and low-performing groups of public school students;
(iii)increasing educational opportunities within the public education system;
(iv)providing alternative learning environments for students who are not thriving in traditional school settings;
(v)lowering the dropout rate;
(vi)creating new professional opportunities for teachers and other school personnel;
(vii)encouraging the use of different models of teaching and learning; and
(viii)providing students, parents, community members, and local entities with expanded opportunities for involvement in the public education system;
(c)denying approval of charter proposals that fail to provide clear and convincing proof of their likelihood of success;
(d)negotiating and executing sound charter contracts with each approved public charter school;
(e)monitoring approved public charter schools’ performance and legal compliance with charter contract terms; and
(f)determining whether each charter contract merits renewal, nonrenewal, or revocation.
(2)On or before December 1 of each year, beginning in the first year that a public charter school has been in operation for a full school year, the board of public education shall publish to the board’s website and submit to the legislature in accordance with 5-11-210 an annual report on the state‘s public charter schools for the school year ending in the preceding calendar year. The annual report must include:
(a)a comparison of the performance of public charter school students with the performance of academically, ethnically, and economically comparable groups of students in noncharter public schools; and
(b)the board’s assessment of the successes, challenges, and areas for improvement in meeting the purposes of this part, including the board’s assessment of the sufficiency of funding for public charter schools and any suggested changes in state law or policy necessary to strengthen the state’s public charter schools.