{"id":1472,"date":"2017-03-09T02:24:34","date_gmt":"2017-03-09T02:24:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/arknews.org\/?p=1472"},"modified":"2017-03-09T02:24:34","modified_gmt":"2017-03-09T02:24:34","slug":"bill-that-would-give-charter-schools-rights-to-public-school-buildings-fails-in-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arknews.org\/index.php\/2017\/03\/09\/bill-that-would-give-charter-schools-rights-to-public-school-buildings-fails-in-house\/","title":{"rendered":"Bill that would give charter schools rights to public school buildings fails in House"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Rep. Mark Lowery (R-Maumelle)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A bill that would grant Arkansas charter schools the right to buy or lease\u00a0unused or underutilized public school buildings failed in the House in a 50-32 vote Wednesday. Had it passed, it would have been sent to Governor Hutchinson to be signed into law.<\/p>\n

The bill appeared headed for passage, 51-32, on initial roll call. But a\u00a0motion to sound the ballot, where the name of each representative is called to\u00a0insure all the voters were in their seats, found one of the aye votes missing.<\/p>\n

Rep. Mark Lowery (R-Maumelle), a sponsor of the bill,\u00a0argued for continuity in school facilities.<\/p>\n

\"If the school districts have invested the money of their district, of their constituents, for education, in building that building, then that building should be maintained for the purpose of education whether it is through a community organization or allowing a charter school to come in there,\" he said.<\/p>\n

Charter schools already have right of first refusal under previous legislation, but only if a district elects to sell. Senate Bill 308 would add the requirement that school districts submit a yearly report to the state that identifies all unused or underutilized public school facilities. A charter school could then give notice of its intent to purchase or lease the unused or underutilized school facility and preference would go to the charter school.<\/p>\n

The bill also states that\u00a0a district cannot sell or lease a public school property to a third party that is not a charter school for two years after the facility is listed as unused or underutilized by the state Division of Public School Academic Facilities and Transportation.<\/p>\n