Section 20-2-2082 - State Charter Schools Commission; members; operations(a) The State Charter Schools Commission is established as a state-level authorizing entity working in collaboration with the Department of Education under the authority of the State Board of Education. Funds necessary to establish and operate the commission, including, but not limited to, funds to employ commission staff personnel, may be received by the State Board of Education in addition to such other funds as may be appropriated by the General Assembly. The department shall assist in securing federal and other institutional grant funds to establish the commission.(b) The commission shall be appointed by the State Board of Education and shall be composed of a total of seven members and made up of three appointees recommended by the Governor, two appointees recommended by the President of the Senate, and two appointees recommended by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall each recommend a list of no fewer than two nominees for each appointment to the commission. The appointments shall be made as soon as feasible but no later than the first regular meeting of the State Board of Education in February, 2013. Each member appointed on or after July 1, 2020, shall serve a term of four years unless the State Board of Education, after review and upon recommendation by the initial recommending authority, extends the appointment. Vacancies in appointed positions shall be filled for the remainder of the term by the State Board of Education from a recommendation by the appropriate authority according to the procedure set forth in this subsection. The members of the commission shall annually vote to appoint a chairperson and a vice chairperson from among its membership. Each member of the commission shall hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the commission should include a group of diverse individuals representative of Georgia's school population, to the extent possible, with respect to race, sex, and geography who have experience in finance, administration, law, and education.(c) The commission is encouraged to convene its first meeting no later than March 1, 2013, and thereafter shall meet at least bimonthly at the call of the chairperson or upon the request of four members of the commission. Four members of the commission shall constitute a quorum.(d) The commission shall determine the manner in which it reviews state charter school petitions.(d.1)(1) The commission shall be authorized to employ staff personnel as necessary to accomplish commission objectives, including, but not limited to, reviewing state charter school petitions, staffing the Office of Charter School Compliance as provided for in subsection (a) of Code Section 20-2-2069, and performing such other duties as provided by law; provided, however, that such personnel shall be assigned to the department for administrative purposes only, as provided in Code Section 50-4-3.(2) Nothing in this subsection or in subsection (a) of Code Section 20-2-2069 shall be construed or applied to provide the commission with any role in or responsibility for the oversight of local charter schools.(e) The members of the commission shall not be compensated for their services on the commission but may be reimbursed for per diem and travel expenses in the same manner as provided for in Code Section 45-7-21.(f) No commission member shall solicit or accept any gift, favor, loan, contribution, service, promise of future employment, or other thing of value based upon an understanding that the gift, favor, loan, contribution, service, promise, or other thing of value was given or offered for the purpose of influencing that commission member in the discharge of his or her duties as a commission member.Amended by 2024 Ga. Laws 459,§ 7, eff. 7/1/2024.Amended by 2020 Ga. Laws 375,§ 3, eff. 7/1/2020.Amended by 2012 Ga. Laws 766,§ 1, eff. 1/1/2013.Added by 2008 Ga. Laws 571,§ 1, eff. 7/1/2008.