March 21, 2003 Legislative Highlights (66k )

Charter school employees would not have to be members of the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) nor would charter schools be required to have municipal audits conducted of their books under a bill heard this week by the Senate Education Committee.

SB 405, sponsored by Sen. Charles Starr (R-Hillsboro), repeals the annual audit requirement based on the state’s Municipal Audit Law. Instead, the bill requires annual audits based on “generally accepted auditing standards.” 

Arguing for SB 405, Martha Woodland, a board member of the Field of Dreams Charter Middle School in Eugene, told the committee that charter schools do not keep their books in the same way as school districts and should not be required to audit them in the same way. “Just because they are public funds does not constitute that they need to follow municipal audit requirements,” she said.

SB 405 also allows charter school employees to be members of PERS but does not require them to join.

No further action on SB 405 is currently scheduled by the committee.