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There is a cap of 215 on the number of open-enrollment charter schools that can be granted by the State Board of Education (SBOE). However, an unlimited number can be granted to institutions of higher education.
Charter school employees
Although employees of charter schools are public employees, they are not entitled to all of the same legal protections as employees of independent school districts, such as contracts, sick leave and class size limits. However, charter school employees are protected by state immunity laws and limitations on liability and are required to participate in the Teacher Retirement System.
All open-enrollment charter teachers are required to have a high school diploma, and the federal No Child Left Behind Act requires that charter teachers hold a bachelor’s degree and demonstrate competency in the subject they teach if they are teaching a core academic subject as defined by the Act. Parents must be notified of each teacher’s qualifications, and charter schools must perform criminal history checks on prospective employees and volunteers.
Other charter school information
Charter schools are required to administer to students the state assessment and implement an accountability system. In addition to rating charters under the accountability system, the state is charged with annually evaluating charter schools. These evaluations and other information about existing charter schools are available on the TEA Web site.
Charter school pay raises
Charter schools in operation on Jan. 1, 2006, were included in the pay raises provided during the 2006 special session. Charter schools that participated in the state insurance program in 2005-06 are to provide an average pay increase of $2,500 (including the $500 health insurance supplement) to classroom teachers, full-time librarians, full-time counselors and full-time school nurses. Charter schools that did not participate in the state health insurance program are to provide an average pay increase of $2,000 to those professionals. Funding was provided to the charter schools for these increases.
