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Arkansas
| State Profile Title | Arkansas Charter School Information |
| List of State's Charter Schools | http://arkedu.state.ar.us/schools/schools_charter_conversion.html |
| Header | 08-24-00 |
| Brief Overview | Arkansas passed charter legislation in 1995, with revisions in 1999 and 2001. There are currently 4 charter schools in operation with 4 more approved. Arkansas statute allows for the creation of 3 types of
charter schools: 1) Conversion charter schools are operated by existing public school districts and are open to any student eligible to attend school in the district; 2) Open-enrollment charter schools may be operated by 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations, governmental entities, and colleges/universities; and 3) Limited charter schools may be created by a public school district for the purpose of implementing alternative comprehensive staffing and compensation programs. |
| Interactive Features | Arkansas passed a charter school law in 1995 and revised it in March 1999 to allow for "open-enrollment" or start-up charter schools. During the first 4 years of the law, there were no charter schools operating in Arkansas. In Spring 2000, the Arkansas State Board of Education approved 3 in-district conversion charter schools and 1 open-enrollment charter school to open in the fall of 2000. |
| Schools | |
| Participants | Arkansas Participants |
| Key Contacts | |
| Legislative Summary | Arkansas passed its first charter school law in 1995 and revised it in 1999, and 2001 after the State Board of Education advocated for a provision to allow for more flexibility in starting charter schools. Presently, the law allows for both public school conversions and start-up schools by public or private universities, non-profit organizations, or a government entity. The law sets a limit on the number of open enrollment (new start-up) charter schools in the state; however, there is no limit on the number of conversion charter schools. The current limit for open enrollment schools is 4 per congressional district for a total of 12 in the state. Private and parochial K-12 schools are prohibited from starting a charter school nor can a school be established in a district with less than 500 students. An initial charter is granted for 3 years. An "open-enrollment" or start-up charter school will receive funding equal to the minimum state and local revenue per average daily membership. A conversion school will receive funds equal to the amount apportioned by the district from state and local revenue per average daily membership. Links to Arkansas state law: July 2000 Rules and Regulations Governing Charter Schools Act 890 of 1999 |
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