Provides relative to the conversion of preexisting schools into charter schools. (gov sig) (EG NO IMPACT See Note)

Senate Bill 65 amends Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:3973 and 3983 to modify the election processes by which faculty, staff, and parents may approve the conversion of a preexisting public school into a charter school. The bill revises the approval thresholds and eligibility requirements for both faculty and staff votes and parent and guardian votes in charter conversion elections. For faculty and staff, the bill specifies that approval requires a simple majority of eligible voters actually participating in the election, eliminates the requirement that elections be held at the school building itself, and changes the eligibility window so that voters must have been employed or assigned to the school continuously from October first preceding the election through the election date. For parents and guardians, the bill replaces the prior requirement of a majority vote combined with a fifty percent participation threshold with a simpler requirement of a simple majority of eligible voters participating, defines eligible voters as parents or guardians of children enrolled on the election date, and allows each parent or guardian to cast one vote plus one additional vote for each additional child enrolled in the school. The bill additionally requires all such elections to be conducted by secret ballot and mandates that the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education adopt rules ensuring fair and transparent election processes with voter anonymity protections.

The practical effect of these changes is to make charter conversion elections more accessible and flexible for school employees while establishing clearer participation rules for parents and guardians. Faculty and staff members can now vote remotely rather than gathering at the school location, and the eligibility determination shifts from a fixed October first date to the actual election date, allowing staff hired between October and the election to participate. For parents and guardians, the elimination of the fifty percent participation threshold simplifies approval by removing a hurdle that required massive turnout, though the voting structure for multiple-child households becomes more favorable since each parent or guardian receives individual voting authority rather than one vote per child. School districts, charter operators, and the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education must now develop and implement procedural rules governing these elections while ensuring ballot secrecy and voter protection mechanisms.

This legislation operates within Louisiana's existing charter school framework established in Chapter 8 of Title 17 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes, which authorizes four types of charter schools with varying relationships to state and local authorities. Type 2 charters require approval from both faculty and parents before creation, Type 3 charters allow local school boards to require such approvals, and Type 4 charters allow the state board to require approvals. The bill's amendments apply consistently across all charter types through cross-references in sections 3973(2)(b)(ii) through (iv), ensuring uniform election standards regardless of charter classification. The State Board's rulemaking authority connects to the broader regulatory structure governing charter authorization and oversight under Louisiana law, and the secret ballot requirement aligns the internal school conversion process with standard democratic voting practices. The bill becomes effective upon gubernatorial signature or automatic enactment after the allowed timeframe, consistent with Louisiana Constitutional Article III, Section 18.