Creating a Charter School Authorizing Board, providing additional charter school authorizers, eliminating the limit on the number of pupils who may attend virtual charter schools, modifying teacher licensure requirements, eliminating the limit on the reduction in general school aid used to fund independent charter schools, covering certain charter school employees under the Group Insurance Board health coverage plan for local government employees, allowing a charter school to elect to participate in the Wisconsin Retirement System, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation

The bill requires that every charter school be operated by a governing board and that every contract for the establishment of a charter school be with a nonprofit corporation. The bill removes the restrictions that limit who may attend an independent charter school and allows an entity that is authorized to establish an independent charter school to establish a virtual charter school. The bill eliminates the cap on the number of pupils who may attend virtual charter schools through the Open Enrollment Program, currently set at 5,250.

The bill allows a charter school contract to provide for more than one charter school, and allows a charter school governing board to enter into more than one contract. The bill provides that a charter school authorizer is immune from civil and criminal liability for the activities of the charter schools with which it has contracted.

The bill requires every charter school under contract with the CSAB to pay an annual fee to the CSAB. The bill allows every charter school under contract with the CSAB to provide health care for its employees under the Group Insurance Board health coverage plan for local government employees. Although a charter school's employees are not state employees and may not be local government employees, the bill provides that a charter school's governing board may elect to become a participating employer under the Wisconsin Retirement System.

The bill directs the Department of Public Instruction to promulgate rules establishing a charter school teaching license that allows the licensee to teach multiple subjects in a charter school. The rules must require the applicant to demonstrate competence in each subject and must provide the applicant several means of doing so.

Under current law, state aid to independent charter schools is funded by a reduction in general school aid, applied on a prorated basis to all school districts.

Current law provides that beginning in the 2011-12 school year, instead of reducing general school aid by the amount of charter school aid paid in the same school year, general school aid will be reduced by the amount of charter school aid paid in the 2010-11 school year. This bill eliminates this cap on the reduction in general school aid described above.