271
HR 3019 EAS
(H) The establishment of after-school pro-
grams that promote self-confidence, self-dis-
cipline, self-respect, good citizenship, and respect
for leaders, through such activities as arts class-
es, physical fitness programs, and community
service.
(I) Steps necessary to establish an electronic
data transfer system.
(J) Encourage parental involvement in all
school activities, particularly parent teacher con-
ferences.
(K) 
Development 
and 
implementation,
through the Board of Education and the Super-
intendent, of a uniform dress code for the Dis-
trict of Columbia public schools, that—
(i) shall include a prohibition of gang
membership symbols;
(ii) shall take into account the relative
costs of any such code for each student; and
(iii) may include a requirement that
students wear uniforms.
(L) The establishment of classes, beginning
not later than grade 3, to teach students how to
use computers effectively.
272
HR 3019 EAS
(M) The development of community schools
that enable District of Columbia public schools to
collaborate with other public and nonprofit agen-
cies and organizations, local businesses, rec-
reational, cultural, and other community and
human service entities, for the purpose of meet-
ing the needs and expanding the opportunities
available to residents of the communities served
by such schools.
(N) The establishment of programs which
provide counseling, mentoring (especially peer
mentoring), academic support, outreach, and
supportive services to elementary, middle, and
secondary school students who are at risk of
dropping out of school.
(O) The establishment of a comprehensive
remedial education program to assist students
who do not meet basic literacy standards, or the
criteria of promotion gates established in section
2421.
(P) The establishment of leadership develop-
ment projects for middle school principals, which
projects shall increase student learning and
achievement and strengthen such principals as
instructional school leaders.
273
HR 3019 EAS
(Q) The implementation of a policy for per-
formance-based evaluation of principals and
teachers, after consultation with the Super-
intendent and unions (including unions that
represent teachers and unions that represent
principals).
(R) The implementation of policies that re-
quire competitive appointments for all District
of Columbia public school positions.
(S) The implementation of policies regard-
ing alternative teacher certification require-
ments.
(T) The implementation of testing require-
ments for teacher licensing renewal.
(U) A review of the District of Columbia
public school central office budget and staffing
reductions for each fiscal year compared to the
level of such budget and reductions at the end of
fiscal year 1995.
(V) The implementation of the discipline
policy for the District of Columbia public schools
in order to ensure a safe, disciplined environ-
ment conducive to learning.
274
HR 3019 EAS
(2) OTHER INFORMATION.—For each of the items
described in subparagraphs (A) through (V) of para-
graph (1), the long-term reform plan shall include—
(A) a statement of measurable, objective per-
formance goals;
(B) a description of the measures of per-
formance to be used in determining whether the
Superintendent and Board of Education have
met the goals;
(C) dates by which the goals shall be met;
(D) plans for monitoring and reporting
progress to District of Columbia residents, the
Mayor, the District of Columbia Council, the Au-
thority, the Consensus Commission, and the ap-
propriate congressional committees regarding the
carrying out of the long-term reform plan; and
(E) the title of the management employee of
the District of Columbia public schools most di-
rectly responsible for the achievement of each
goal and, with respect to each such employee, the
title of the employee’s immediate supervisor or
superior.
(c) AMENDMENTS.—The Superintendent, with the ap-
proval of the Board of Education, shall submit any amend-
ment to the long-term reform plan to the Mayor, the District
275
HR 3019 EAS
of Columbia Council, the Authority, the Consensus Commis-
sion, and the appropriate congressional committees. Any
amendment to the long-term reform plan shall be consistent
with the financial plan and budget for fiscal year 1996,
and each financial plan and budget for a subsequent fiscal
year, as the case may be, for the District of Columbia re-
quired under section 201 of the District of Columbia Finan-
cial Responsibility and Management Assistance Act of
1995.
Subtitle B—Public Charter Schools
SEC. 2201. PROCESS FOR FILING CHARTER PETITIONS.
(a) EXISTING PUBLIC SCHOOL.—An eligible applicant
seeking to convert a District of Columbia public school into
a public charter school—
(1) shall prepare a petition to establish a public
charter school that meets the requirements of section
2202;
(2) shall provide a copy of the petition to—
(A) the parents of minor students attending
the existing school;
(B) adult students attending the existing
school; and
(C) employees of the existing school; and
(3) shall file the petition with an eligible char-
tering authority for approval after the petition—
276
HR 3019 EAS
(A) is signed by two-thirds of the sum of—
(i) the total number of parents of
minor students attending the school; and
(ii) the total number of adult students
attending the school; and
(B) is endorsed by at least two-thirds of
full-time teachers employed in the school.
(b) PRIVATE OR INDEPENDENT SCHOOL.—An eligible
applicant seeking to convert an existing private or inde-
pendent school in the District of Columbia into a public
charter school—
(1) shall prepare a petition to establish a public
charter school that is approved by the Board of Trust-
ees or authority responsible for the school and that
meets the requirements of section 2202;
(2) shall provide a copy of the petition to—
(A) the parents of minor students attending
the existing school;
(B) adult students attending the existing
school; and
(C) employees of the existing school; and
(3) shall file the petition with an eligible char-
tering authority for approval after the petition—
(A) is signed by two-thirds of the sum of—
277
HR 3019 EAS
(i) the total number of parents of
minor students attending the school; and
(ii) the total number of adult students
attending the school; and
(B) is endorsed by at least two-thirds of
full-time teachers employed in the school.
(c) NEW SCHOOL.—An eligible applicant seeking to es-
tablish in the District of Columbia a public charter school,
but not seeking to convert a District of Columbia public
school or a private or independent school into a public char-
ter school, shall file with an eligible chartering authority
for approval a petition to establish a public charter school
that meets the requirements of section 2202.
SEC. 2202. CONTENTS OF PETITION.
A petition under section 2201 to establish a public
charter school shall include the following:
(1) A statement defining the mission and goals
of the proposed school and the manner in which the
school will meet the content standards, and conduct
the districtwide assessments, described in section
2411(b).
(2) A statement of the need for the proposed
school in the geographic area of the school site.
278
HR 3019 EAS
(3) A description of the proposed instructional
goals and methods for the proposed school, which shall
include, at a minimum—
(A) the area of focus of the proposed school,
such as mathematics, science, or the arts, if the
school will have such a focus;
(B) the methods that will be used, including
classroom technology, to provide students with
the knowledge, proficiency, and skills needed—
(i) to become nationally and inter-
nationally competitive students and edu-
cated individuals in the 21st century; and
(ii) to perform competitively on any
districtwide assessments; and
(C) the methods that will be used to improve
student self-motivation, classroom instruction,
and learning for all students.
(4) A description of the scope and size of the pro-
posed school’s program that will enable students to
successfully achieve the goals established by the school,
including the grade levels to be served by the school
and the projected and maximum enrollment of each
grade level.
(5) A description of the plan for evaluating stu-
dent academic achievement at the proposed school and
279
HR 3019 EAS
the procedures for remedial action that will be used
by the school when the academic achievement of a stu-
dent falls below the expectations of the school.
(6) An operating budget for the first 2 years of
the proposed school that is based on anticipated en-
rollment and contains—
(A) a description of the method for conduct-
ing annual audits of the financial, administra-
tive, and programmatic operations of the school;
(B) either—
(i) an identification of the site where
the school will be located, including a de-
scription of any buildings on the site and
any buildings proposed to be constructed on
the site; or
(ii) a timetable by which such an iden-
tification will be made;
(C) a description of any major contracts
planned, with a value equal to or exceeding
$10,000, for equipment and services, leases, im-
provements, purchases of real property, or insur-
ance; and
(D) a timetable for commencing operations
as a public charter school.
280
HR 3019 EAS
(7) A description of the proposed rules and poli-
cies for governance and operation of the proposed
school.
(8) Copies of the proposed articles of incorpora-
tion and bylaws of the proposed school.
(9) The names and addresses of the members of
the proposed Board of Trustees and the procedures for
selecting trustees.
(10) A description of the student enrollment, ad-
mission, suspension, expulsion, and other disciplinary
policies and procedures of the proposed school, and
the criteria for making decisions in such areas.
(11) A description of the procedures the proposed
school plans to follow to ensure the health and safety
of students, employees, and guests of the school and to
comply with applicable health and safety laws, and
all applicable civil rights statutes and regulations of
the Federal Government and the District of Columbia.
(12) An explanation of the qualifications that
will be required of employees of the proposed school.
(13) An identification, and a description, of the
individuals and entities submitting the petition, in-
cluding their names and addresses, and the names of
the organizations or corporations of which such indi-
viduals are directors or officers.
281
HR 3019 EAS
(14) A description of how parents, teachers, and
other members of the community have been involved
in the design and will continue to be involved in the
implementation of the proposed school.
(15) A description of how parents and teachers
will be provided an orientation and other training to
ensure their effective participation in the operation of
the public charter school.
(16) An assurance the proposed school will seek,
obtain, and maintain accreditation from at least one
of the following:
(A) The Middle States Association of Col-
leges and Schools.
(B) The Association of Independent Mary-
land Schools.
(C) The Southern Association of Colleges
and Schools.
(D) The Virginia Association of Independ-
ent Schools.
(E) American Montessori Internationale.
(F) The American Montessori Society.
(G) The National Academy of Early Child-
hood Programs.
282
HR 3019 EAS
(H) Any other accrediting body deemed ap-
propriate by the eligible chartering authority
that granted the charter to the school.
(17) In the case that the proposed school’s edu-
cational program includes preschool or prekinder-
garten, an assurance the proposed school will be li-
censed as a child development center by the District
of Columbia Government not later than the first date
on which such program commences.
(18) An explanation of the relationship that will
exist between the public charter school and the school’s
employees.
(19) A statement of whether the proposed school
elects to be treated as a local educational agency or
a District of Columbia public school for purposes of
part B of the Individuals With Disabilities Education
Act (20 U.S.C. 1411 et seq.) and section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (20 U.S.C. 794), and not-
withstanding any other provision of law the eligible
chartering authority shall not have the authority to
approve or disapprove such election.
SEC. 2203. PROCESS FOR APPROVING OR DENYING PUBLIC
CHARTER SCHOOL PETITIONS.
(a) SCHEDULE.—An eligible chartering authority
shall establish a schedule for receiving petitions to establish
283
HR 3019 EAS
a public charter school and shall publish any such schedule
in the District of Columbia Register and newspapers of gen-
eral circulation.
(b) PUBLIC HEARING.—Not later than 45 days after
a petition to establish a public charter school is filed with
an eligible chartering authority, the eligible chartering au-
thority shall hold a public hearing on the petition to gather
the information that is necessary for the eligible chartering
authority to make the decision to approve or deny the peti-
tion.
(c) NOTICE.—Not later than 10 days prior to the
scheduled date of a public hearing on a petition to establish
a public charter school, an eligible chartering authority—
(1) shall publish a notice of the hearing in the
District of Columbia Register and newspapers of gen-
eral circulation; and
(2) shall send a written notification of the hear-
ing date to the eligible applicant who filed the peti-
tion.
(d) APPROVAL.—Subject to subsection (i), an eligible
chartering authority may approve a petition to establish
a public charter school, if—
(1) the eligible chartering authority determines
that the petition satisfies the requirements of this sub-
title;
284
HR 3019 EAS
(2) the eligible applicant who filed the petition
agrees to satisfy any condition or requirement, con-
sistent with this subtitle and other applicable law,
that is set forth in writing by the eligible chartering
authority as an amendment to the petition; and
(3) the eligible chartering authority determines
that the public charter school has the ability to meet
the educational objectives outlined in the petition.
(e) TIMETABLE.—An eligible chartering authority
shall approve or deny a petition to establish a public char-
ter school not later than 45 days after the conclusion of the
public hearing on the petition.
(f) EXTENSION.—An eligible chartering authority and
an eligible applicant may agree to extend the 45-day time
period referred to in subsection (e) by a period that shall
not exceed 30 days.
(g) DENIAL EXPLANATION.—If an eligible chartering
authority denies a petition or finds the petition to be in-
complete, the eligible chartering authority shall specify in
writing the reasons for its decision and indicate, when the
eligible chartering authority determines appropriate, how
the eligible applicant who filed the petition may revise the
petition to satisfy the requirements for approval.
(h) APPROVED PETITION.—
285
HR 3019 EAS
(1) NOTICE.—Not later than 10 days after an el-
igible chartering authority approves a petition to es-
tablish a public charter school, the eligible chartering
authority shall provide a written notice of the ap-
proval, including a copy of the approved petition and
any conditions or requirements agreed to under sub-
section (d)(2), to the eligible applicant and to the
Chief Financial Officer of the District of Columbia.
The eligible chartering authority shall publish a no-
tice of the approval of the petition in the District of
Columbia Register and newspapers of general circula-
tion.
(2) CHARTER.—The provisions described in
paragraphs (1), (7), (8), (11), (16), (17), and (18) of
section 2202 of a petition to establish a public charter
school that are approved by an eligible chartering au-
thority, together with any amendments to the petition
containing conditions or requirements agreed to by
the eligible applicant under subsection (d)(2), shall be
considered a charter granted to the school by the eligi-
ble chartering authority.
(i) NUMBER OF PETITIONS.—
(1) FIRST
YEAR.—For academic year 1996–
1997, not more than 10 petitions to establish public
charter schools may be approved under this subtitle.
286
HR 3019 EAS
(2) SUBSEQUENT
YEARS.—For academic year
1997–1998 and each academic year thereafter each el-
igible chartering authority shall not approve more
than 5 petitions to establish a public charter school
under this subtitle.
(j) EXCLUSIVE AUTHORITY OF THE ELIGIBLE CHAR-
TERING AUTHORITY.—No governmental entity, elected offi-
cial, or employee of the District of Columbia shall make,
participate in making, or intervene in the making of, the
decision to approve or deny a petition to establish a public
charter school, except for officers or employees of the eligible
chartering authority with which the petition is filed.
SEC. 2204. DUTIES, POWERS, AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS,
OF PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS.
(a) DUTIES.—A public charter school shall comply
with all of the terms and provisions of its charter.
(b) POWERS.—A public charter school shall have the
following powers:
(1) To adopt a name and corporate seal, but
only if the name selected includes the words ‘‘public
charter school’’.
(2) To acquire real property for use as the public
charter school’s facilities, from public or private
sources.
287
HR 3019 EAS
(3) To receive and disburse funds for public
charter school purposes.
(4) Subject to subsection (c)(1), to secure appro-
priate insurance and to make contracts and leases,
including agreements to procure or purchase services,
equipment, and supplies.
(5) To incur debt in reasonable anticipation of
the receipt of funds from the general fund of the Dis-
trict of Columbia or the receipt of Federal or private
funds.
(6) To solicit and accept any grants or gifts for
public charter school purposes, if the public charter
school—
(A) does not accept any grants or gifts sub-
ject to any condition contrary to law or contrary
to its charter; and
(B) maintains for financial reporting pur-
poses separate accounts for grants or gifts.
(7) To be responsible for the public charter
school’s operation, including preparation of a budget
and personnel matters.
(8) To sue and be sued in the public charter
school’s own name.
(c) PROHIBITIONS AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS.—
(1) CONTRACTING AUTHORITY.—
288
HR 3019 EAS
(A) NOTICE REQUIREMENT.—Except in the
case of an emergency (as determined by the eligi-
ble chartering authority of a public charter
school), with respect to any contract proposed to
be awarded by the public charter school and hav-
ing a value equal to or exceeding $10,000, the
school shall publish a notice of a request for pro-
posals in the District of Columbia Register and
newspapers of general circulation not less than
30 days prior to the award of the contract.
(B) SUBMISSION TO THE AUTHORITY.—
(i) DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION.—With
respect to any contract described in sub-
paragraph (A) that is awarded by a public
charter school, the school shall submit to the
Authority, not later than 3 days after the
date on which the award is made, all bids
for the contract received by the school, the
name of the contractor who is awarded the
contract, and the rationale for the award of
the contract.
(ii) EFFECTIVE DATE OF CONTRACT.—
(I) 
IN
GENERAL.—Subject 
to
subclause (II), a contract described in
subparagraph (A) shall become effective
289
HR 3019 EAS
on the date that is 15 days after the
date the school makes the submission
under clause (i) with respect to the
contract, or the effective date specified
in the contract, whichever is later.
(II) EXCEPTION.—A contract de-
scribed in subparagraph (A) shall be
considered null and void if the Author-
ity determines, within 12 days of the
date the school makes the submission
under clause (i) with respect to the
contract, that the contract endangers
the economic viability of the public
charter school.
(2) TUITION.—A public charter school may not
charge tuition, fees, or other mandatory payments, ex-
cept to nonresident students, or for field trips or simi-
lar activities.
(3) CONTROL.—A public charter school—
(A) shall exercise exclusive control over its
expenditures, administration, personnel, and in-
structional methods, within the limitations im-
posed in this subtitle; and
(B) shall be exempt from District of Colum-
bia statutes, policies, rules, and regulations es-