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Littleton Public Schools Regulation |
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Policy Code LBD-R Policy Name Relations With Charter Schools Adoption April 11, 1995 Revised August 27, 1998 |
The following excerpt is taken from the Colorado Charter School Information Handbook, fifth edition, published by the Colorado Department of Education.
Under Colorado law, a charter school is not a separate legal entity independent of the School District, but rather is a public school defined uniquely by a charter and partially autonomous while remaining within the School District. The approved charter application and accompanying agreements are the charter which serve as a contract between the charter school and the local Board of Education.
The following procedures are intended to promote cooperation and collaboration between the District and the applicant, and to encourage the efficient processing of the application.
Application Procedures
A charter school applicant(s) shall meet with appropriate District administrators early in the process of developing a proposal. Such meetings may allow the applicant(s) an opportunity to discuss the charter school process, including whether the needs being expressed for a charter school can be met by existing or new programs within the District, clarifying questions regarding regulations and procedures, and the responsibilities associated with opening a charter school.
In the charter process, appropriate District administrators may advise the applicant(s) about educational, financial, and other requirements. However, the preparation of the charter school application remains the responsibility of the applicant(s).
Applications must be filed with the Littleton Public Schools Board of Education in the office of the Superintendent by October 1 at 4 p.m. to be eligible for consideration for school opening the following school year. In most circumstances, the deadline for the Board’s decision on an application is 60 days after receipt of a completed application.
Upon filing of an application for a charter school, the Superintendent or designee will review the application for completeness and advise the applicant(s) in writing within ten (10) working days whether the application is complete. An application will be considered complete only when all areas required by the charter school statute and Board of Education policy and procedures are addressed in the application in a thorough and complete fashion, meeting the intent of the application requirements.
Information collected or generated by the charter school applicant shall be subject to state and federal laws and regulations governing open records, with the exception of information subject to negotiations. In addition, such information shall be the property of the School District.
Following the review, an application deemed incomplete will be returned to the applying group for revision and resubmission. The administration also shall request, in writing, the necessary information from the charter applicant. The revised application must be submitted within ten (10) working days of the return of the incomplete application or October 1, whichever is later. If the application remains incomplete at this time, it will not receive further consideration for the subsequent school year.
In accordance with law, the approved charter school application will be the basis for a contract between the District and the charter school and will include:
Cover Page
Provide the name of the applicant(s) and the name, address, and phone number of a contact person.
Purpose
State the purpose for this charter school, including a geographic description of the area of intended service.
Provide strong evidence that an adequate number of parents, teachers, and students support the formation of the proposed charter school and that an adequate number of students are enrolled to support the proposed budget.
Mission and Goals
Provide the mission statement of the charter school, including the process used to develop this statement. The mission statement of the proposed charter school must be consistent with the declared purposes set forth in the law.
State the proposed three-year or five-year goals for the school, including timelines. The applicant also will describe the process used to identify the goals.
Student Achievement and Curriculum
Describe the charter school’s educational program and the student performance standards to be achieved by the proposed school. Standards must meet or exceed any content standards adopted by the District.
Detail the plan for academic accountability.
Provide a description of the curriculum to be used in the school. It will list the objectives and means of measuring student performance for each subject and each grade level.
Present a description of the charter school’s plan for evaluating student performance, including types of assessment that will be used to measure student progress toward achievement of the school’s performance standards, timelines for achievement of such standards, and procedures for taking corrective action in the event that student performance at the charter school falls below such standards.
Describe any objectives and means for increasing the educational opportunities for “at-risk” students, meaning those students who because of physical, emotional, socioeconomic, or cultural factors are less likely to succeed in school.
Criteria for Enrollment Decisions
Describe the enrollment policy and the criteria for enrollment decisions, including a description of the proposed school’s plan to include academically low-achieving students and to promote diversity, and the plans for educational programs for exceptional students. Enrollment information, including student enrollment waiting lists, shall be made available to the School District, upon request.
Governance and Decision Making
Describe the governing body. This will include a detailed description of the relationship between the proposed school and the District.
Describe the types and extent of parental and community involvement in the operation of the proposed school. Provide information on how the charter school will be accountable to the public. Specifically include how the following areas will be addressed:
Provisions for a representative school accountability committee
Development of an annual school improvement plan with supporting profile information
Representation on the District Accountability Committee
Reporting procedures to the Board and school community
Employment Plan and Practices
If applicable, i.e., taking over a current school, include a plan for the displacement of students, teachers, and other employees who will not attend or be employed in the charter school.
Describe the employment policies of the school, including a description of the qualifications for licensed and classified employees, employee compensation schedule, recruitment and selection procedures, plan for resolving employee relation problems, and a description of the relationship that will exist between the charter school and its employees, including evidence that the terms and conditions of employment have been addressed with affected employees and their recognized representatives.
Financial Data, Facilities, and Transportation
Provide necessary evidence that the plan for the charter school is economically sound for both the charter school and the District.
Include a proposed budget for the term of the charter and a description of the manner in which an annual audit of the financial and administrative operations of the charter school, including any services purchased from the District, is to be conducted. A student fee schedule will be included in addition to a proposed schedule of cash flow. The submitted budget shall be formatted in summary and detail according to the format from the Colorado Department of Education.
Detail the plan for fiscal accountability.
Describe the services the charter school plans to purchase from the District.
Provide a detailed summary of all insurance coverage. The legal liability issues must be fully addressed in the contract.
Describe the facilities to be used and the way they will be obtained and maintained. Include any contracted services and the proposed contractor.
Describe the proposed student transportation system, including the contract if services will be provided by a second party. If transportation is to be provided by the charter school, include a plan for addressing the transportation needs of low-income and academically low-achieving students.
Requested Waivers
List the local District policies for which waivers are requested. Include the reasons for each request.
List the state laws and regulations for which waivers are requested. Include the reasons for each request.
Additional Information
Provide any additional information that might be helpful in supporting this request to establish a charter school.
Submission Procedures
No application fee will be charged by the Board.
The applicant must provide two original copies of the completed application printed single-sided on white paper, not stapled.
Public Hearings
After giving reasonable notice, the Board will schedule and hold community hearings in the affected areas or the entire District to obtain information to assist the Board prior to making a decision about the charter school application.
All persons or groups who have an interest in the approval or denial of the charter school application must present their comments or concerns to the Board in writing in a timely manner or in testimony during a public meeting on the charter application to preserve a right to appeal the Board’s decision on the charter application.
Decision on the Charter Application
The Board will make a decision by resolution on the charter school application either in a regular or special meeting within 60 days after the receipt of the completed application unless the parties have mutually agreed in writing to extend this deadline. A new charter may be approved for a period of at least three academic years, but not more than five academic years. A charter may not be approved unless a majority of the charter school’s pupils will reside in the chartering school district or in contiguous school districts.
If the application is denied, the Board will set forth in writing the grounds for denial. If the application is granted, the Board will send a copy of the approved charter to the Colorado Department of Education within 15 days.
Appeal Process
The applicant may appeal the denial of its application or the imposition of conditions it finds unacceptable by filing a notice of appeal to the State Board of Education and the Board within 30 days of the Board’s initial decision. Within 60 days, the State Board of Education will issue written instructions and recommendations to the Board. The Board will reconsider its initial decision and make a final decision within 30 days. If the final decision is still to deny the application, the applicant may file a second notice of appeal with the State Board of Education.
Facilitation
In lieu of filing an appeal to the State Board of Education, the parties may agree to facilitation by filing a notice of facilitation with the State Board of Education within 30 days of the Board’s initial decision. The parties may continue in facilitation as long as they agree to do so. If one party rejects facilitation, after a seven-day cooling-off period, the Board will reconsider its initial action and make a final decision. The applicant has 30 days from the final decision to appeal to the State Board of Education.
Review of Waiver
A waiver of state statutes or regulations by the State Board of Education is subject to review every two years and may be revoked if it is deemed no longer necessary. A waiver of state or local District regulations is for the term of the charter.
Renewal of a Charter
The governing body of a charter school shall submit a renewal application to the Board of Education no later than December 1 of the year prior to the year in which the charter expires. The Board of Education shall rule by resolution on the renewal application no later than February 1 of the year in which the charter expires or by a mutually agreed upon date.
Renewal of a charter shall not be for a period of more than five years. The renewal application must contain a complete report on the progress of the school in achieving the goals, objectives, student performance standards, content standards, and other terms of the initial application.
The renewal application also must include a financial statement that discloses the costs of administration, instruction, and other spending categories for the school, or for any of the reasons listed in the revocation section below.
A charter may not be renewed upon a determination by the Board that it is not in the best interests of students residing within the District to continue the operation of the charter school.
Revocation of a Charter
The Board may revoke or not renew a charter if the Board determines, following a hearing, that the charter school did any of the following:
Committed a material violation of any of the conditions, standards, or procedures in the application or contract.
Failed to meet or make reasonable progress towards achievement of student performance standards.
Failed to meet generally accepted standards of fiscal management.
Violated any provision of law for which the charter school is not specifically exempt.
If the Board revokes or does not renew a charter, the Board will state its reasons in writing for doing so.