Louisiana Charter School Application Process Overview

2020 Local School District Charter Application Process

Agenda 1. Overview of Louisiana charter schools 2. Review district legal requirements regarding the charter application process 3. Guidance on conducting an application process 4. The 2020 Common Charter Application and Timeline 5. Resources for Districts 2

About Louisiana Charter Schools There are three characteristics that are fundamental to charter schools: Autonomy: Charter school leaders and boards are free to make decisions about staffing, curriculum development, and other factors to meet the needs of their students. Accountability: Charter schools are held to high academic, financial, and organizational standards. Charter schools are closed if they do not perform at a high level. Choice: Charter schools enable parents to select their child s school. Similarly, teachers and principals are able to choose the school that fits them best. 4

Types of Charter Schools Charter schools are authorized to operate in Louisiana by both local school boards and BESE. In most instances, applicants seeking a charter school must apply directly to their local school board during the annual application process operated by each district. Type 1: New School, Local school board authorized Type 2: New or Conversion School, BESE-authorized Type 3: Conversion School, Local school board authorized Type 3B: Former Type 5 charter transferred from RSD back to local school system Type 4: New or Conversion School, Local school board & BESE-authorized Type 5: Recovery School District schools, BESE-authorized 5

Applications to BESE While the majority of applications for new charter schools are received by local school districts, BESE may receive charter applications in the following situations: 1. A district fails to run a charter progress that meets all legal requirements; 2. A district has a D or F letter grade on its most recent District Performance Score, which allows applicants to bypass the district process; 3. A district rejects the applicant through their legally-operated application process; 4. A district does not issue a decision on an application within the timeline established by BESE; or 5. A district approves an application, but includes conditions that are unacceptable to the applicant. 6

Agenda 1. Overview of Louisiana charter schools 2. Review district legal requirements regarding the charter application process 3. Guidance on conducting an application process 4. The 2020 Common Charter Application and Timeline 5. Resources for Districts 7

Legal Requirements for Local Districts Big Dates Friday, January 10: Deadline to post the application and all legally required information to the district website. Friday, March 6: Deadline for charter application submissions June 12: Deadline for local school boards to consider applications. Districts should notify all state legislators in whose jurisdiction the charter school would be located whether the application was approved or denied. 8

Legal Requirements for Local Districts - Process If one or more charter applications are submitted, districts must: Hire a third-party independent evaluator to review the application(s); Notify all state legislators in whose legislative district the charter school would be located that the application has been received; Provide charter applicants with the opportunity to respond to a draft recommendation by the third-party evaluator; and Hold a public meeting of the school board at which all charter approval decisions are made. 9

Agenda 1. Overview of Louisiana charter schools 2. Review district legal requirements regarding the charter application process 3. Guidance on conducting an application process 4. The 2020 Common Charter Application and Timeline 5. Resources for Districts 10

Conducting a Charter Application Process The Department has published a detailed guide for districts to guide their application process, along with the common application and timeline. The guide outlines: Actions that you must take to comply with all charter application process requirements; Additional components above and beyond minimum requirements that you may include; and Common district practices in running compliant charter application processes. Today, we will walk through the most important steps districts must take. 11

Application Process Steps In the following slides, we will review each of the application process steps that districts must take in the coming months: 1. Review the common application and develop any district-specific requirements 2. Identify requirements for Type 3 charter applicants 3. Publish the application and application timeline 4. Identify and contract with a third-party evaluator 5. Collect and review applications 6. Make application recommendations and decisions 12

1. Review the Common Charter Application Local school board are required to use the common charter application created by the state. The application can be found on the Department s website. Key Decision: Districts may choose to add questions to the common charter application or additional components to the application process, such as an interview or performance tasks. Each district should decide whether it wants to add any components to the common application and develop those additional materials. Districts must do this in advance of publishing their application by January 10, 2020. 13

2. Choose Requirements for Type 3 Applicants Local school boards have the option of requiring applicants for a Type 3 charter to demonstrate support from stakeholders of the currently operating school proposed for transformation including: A majority of school staff Parents and guardians of a majority of current students Key Decision: Each district should decide whether Type 3 applicants should meet none, one, or both of these requirements. The same requirements must apply to all Type 3 charter applicants and must be made clear on the district website. Districts must do this in advance of publishing their application by January 10, 2020. 14

3. Publish the Application Process State law requires local school boards to publish the following information on their websites: 1. The timeline, guidelines, and all forms required for submitting a charter application 2. The timeline and process by which the school board will review applications 3. The name and contact information for a district primary point of contact for charter proposals The LDOE has created a website template that addresses these requirements here. Districts are required to have completed these steps by January 10, 2020. 15

4. Identify and Contract with an Independent Evaluator Districts that receive any charter applications are required by law to select an independent evaluator with financial, legal, educational, and organizational expertise to provide a review for each application received. Key Decision: Each district should identify the evaluator who will be selected if a charter application is submitted and enter into an agreement to review the applications. Districts must do this before they begin to evaluate charter applications 16

5. Collect and Review Applications Districts must collect charter applications from applicant groups by the March 6, 2020 deadline. The primary point of contact for charter proposals should communicate with applicants in advance of this deadline what the district s expectations are for how applications should be submitted. Once applications have been submitted to a third party evaluator, the primary point of contact for charter proposals should work with the third party evaluator to ensure that application recommendations will be delivered in a timely manner that complies with the 2020 charter timeline. 17

6. Make Application Recommendations and Decisions Local school districts should use the information provided by the third party reviewer to make a recommendation on approval to the local school board. Prior to approving a charter for a Type 1 or Type 3 school, local school boards are required to hold a public meeting for the purpose of considering the proposal and receiving public input. Local school boards are required to vote on all charter applications that they have received on or before June 12, 2020. After June 12th, districts are required to notify state representatives in whose jurisdictions applicants have proposed a school about the board s decision. 18

Agenda 1. Overview of Louisiana charter schools 2. Review district legal requirements regarding the charter application process 3. Guidance on conducting an application process 4. The 2020 Common Charter Application and Timeline 5. Resources for Districts 19

2020 Application Cycle Timeline (slide 1 of 2) Friday, December 13th: LDOE posts common application to the Louisiana Believes website. Friday, January 10th: Deadline by which local school boards must post application materials to their websites Friday, March 6th: Charter applications are due to districts. Those who are eligible may apply directly to BESE. Friday, March 20th: Districts should notify the Department of local applications received by emailing Andrew.Shachat@la.gov 20

2020 Application Cycle Timeline (slide 2 of 2) Friday, June 12th: Deadline for districts to consider charter applications. If a district has not made a decision about a charter application by this point, that applicant group is eligible to appeal to BESE. Friday, June 19th: Deadline for eligible applicants to submit an appeals application to BESE. Ongoing: BESE considers applications on appeal from local school districts. 21

Sections in the New Operator Common Application New Operator Sections Executive Summary Students Academics Special Student Populations School Staff Culture Partner Organizations Board Readiness Financial Readiness Educational Service Provider Returning Applicant Groups School Leadership Team Capacity 22

Sections in the Experienced Operator Common Application Experienced Operator Sections Executive Summary Past School Performance Academics Growth Plan Scale Strategy & Risk Mitigation Board Readiness Financial Readiness Educational Service Provider School Leadership Capacity Team 23

Changes to the Common Charter Application Virtual Supplement The Virtual Supplement has been moved from the Overview Template to the Common Charter Application. Responses to this supplement (if applicable) should not count against the application page limit. 24

Changes to the Common Charter Application New and Experienced Operators The Common Charter Application now includes clarified language on the definitions of new and experienced operators. New Operator: Non-profits that do not currently operate a charter school in Louisiana Experienced Operator: Non-profits that currently operate one or more charter schools in Louisiana 25

Changes to the Common Charter Application Educational Service Provider Section (ESP) Both the New and Experienced operator applications now include a section on ESPs. In addition, there is a new tab added to the overview template specifically to capture data on the performance of schools managed by the ESP. Any operator planning to use an ESP should answer the ESP section questions of the application and fill out the ESP tab of the overview template. 26

Changes to the Common Charter Application New Question: Enrollment (Students #3) New operators are now asked to describe their enrollment process, including how parents will apply to their school, how the school will review applications, and how the school will run a lottery in the event that it is necessary 27

Changes to the Common Charter Application New Question: Academic Collaboration (Academics #3) Applicants are now asked to describe how teachers will collaborate around academics and the needs of individual students New Question: High School Pathways (Academics #9) Applicants serving high school grades are now asked to describe what diploma pathways will be offered, what Jump Start pathways will be available, and what Industry-Based Credentials students will be able to earn 28

Changes to the Common Charter Application New Question: Background Checks (School Staff #4) New Operators are now asked to describe their plan for ensuring that employees will have appropriate background checks prior to working with children 29

Agenda 1. Overview of Louisiana charter schools 2. Review district legal requirements regarding the charter application process 3. Guidance on conducting an application process 4. The 2020 Common Charter Application and Timeline 5. Resources for Districts 30

Additional Available Resources The Department develops additional materials for use in the review of applications received by BESE. The Department can provide materials for districts to use in their processes. 1. Application Rubric. The LDOE develops a set of standards that correspond with the common application. These standards are updated annually based upon lessons learned from existing charter schools and previous application cycles. 2. Performance Task & Interview Structure: The LDOE includes an in-person interview on deficient standards on the written application, as well as performance tasks for the proposed school leaders and board members. These tasks assess both the school leader s and board member s readiness to address challenges common among opening a new charter school (regardless of whether the operator is new or experienced). 31

Questions & Resources For questions about the charter application process, please email Andrew.Shachat@la.gov with questions. More information can also be found on the district charter application website here. 32