(a) The State Board of Education in collaboration with the State Charter Schools Commission shall establish a program for the purposes of promoting and supporting the approval of new local charter school petitions by local boards of education and to provide incentive grants to local boards of education that approve new local charter school petitions. The State Charter Schools Commission shall promulgate such rules and regulations as it deems necessary to carry out the provisions and intent of this Code section.

(b)(1) Subject to appropriations, for each new local charter school petition approved by a local board of education after June 30, 2025, such local board of education shall receive an incentive grant of $250,000.00 by August 1 of each of the three years following such approval, provided that such local charter school remains authorized by such local board of education. In the event that available appropriations are not sufficient to cover the total amount of such incentive grants provided for in this subsection, the amount of each such grant shall be reduced proportionally, providing incentive grants in equal amounts to each such local board of education.

(2) Incentive grants provided for in paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be provided only for the approval of new local charter school petitions and not for the approval or renewal of an existing local charter school.

(c) Incentive grants awarded pursuant to subsection (b) of this Code section may be used by the receiving local board of education for expenses incurred by the local board of education in its role as a local charter school authorizer, which may include, but shall not be limited to, hiring qualified personnel and providing for oversight, compliance monitoring, and professional development related to local charter school authorization.

(d) The Department of Education shall implement and administer the incentive grant program provided for in subsection (b) of this Code section and the Office of Charter School Compliance shall provide technical assistance necessary to local school systems in support of compliance with the requirements of this Code section.

(e) This Code section shall stand automatically repealed on July 1, 2035.