Amends TCA Title 49, Chapter 1, Part 6 and Title 49, Chapter 13.

Under the present law provisions governing the achievement school district (ASD):<br /> <br /> (1) A school that has been removed from the LEA and placed in the ASD must remain in the ASD until the school is no longer identified as a priority school for two consecutive cycles beginning with the 2017 priority school list; provided, however, that no school will remain in the ASD for more than a 10-year period;<br /> <br /> (2) If a school enters the ASD and is operated as a charter school through authorization by the ASD, the ASD remains the chartering authority through the duration of the charter agreement and the school remains under the authority of the ASD. Upon expiration of the charter agreement, the school then returns to the LEA and the terms of the charter agreement may be renewed upon submission of a renewal application by the governing body of the charter school to the LEA;<br /> <br /> (3) The commissioner may remove any school from the jurisdiction of the ASD at any time; and<br /> <br /> (4) Notwithstanding the above, a school that has been placed in the ASD must remain in the ASD until the school is authorized to return to the school's LEA according to the transition plan developed by the commissioner. Present law requires the commissioner to develop a transition plan for the purpose of planning the return, no earlier than the 2024-2025 school year, of schools in the ASD to the LEAs from which the schools were removed. The commissioner was required to submit the plan to the education committees of the senate and house of representatives by January 1, 2021.<br /> <br /> This bill adds the following provisions:<br /> <br /> (A) Notwithstanding item (4) above, a public charter school authorized by the ASD must remain in the ASD until the school is no longer identified as a priority school for two consecutive cycles beginning with the 2017 priority school list; and<br /> <br /> (B) If a public charter school authorized by the ASD is unable to meet the exit criteria outlined in (A), then the ASD must remain the chartering authority for the public charter school. If the commissioner removes the public charter school from the jurisdiction of the ASD, then the public charter school's charter agreement is revoked by operation of law. A revocation pursuant to this provision is final and is not subject to appeal.<br />