2019 Local School District Charter Application Process

Objectives Provide an overview of charter schools in Louisiana Review local school district legal requirements regarding the charter application process Provide guidance on operating a charter application process Review the 2019 Common Charter Application and timeline Provide resources for local school districts in operating a charter application process

Agenda About Louisiana Charter Schools Local Districts’ Role and Responsibilities Conducting an Application Process The 2019 Common Application and Timeline Resources for Local Districts

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.

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

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: A district fails to run a charter progress that meets all legal requirements; A district has a D or F letter grade on its’ most recent District Performance Score, which allows applicants to bypass the district process; A district rejects the applicant through their legally-operated application process; A district does not issue a decision on an application within the timeline established by BESE; or A district approves an application, but includes conditions that are unacceptable to the applicant.

Legal Requirements for Local Districts January 11: Post the application and all legally required information to the district website. January 11 – June 7: 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. June 7: Notify all state legislators in whose jurisdiction the charter school would be located whether the application was approved or denied.

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.

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

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 11, 2019.

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 11, 2019.

3. Publish the Application Process State law requires local school boards to publish the following information on their websites: The timeline, guidelines, and all forms required for submitting a charter application The timeline and process by which the school board will review applications 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 11, 2019.

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

5. Collect and Review Applications Districts must collect charter applications from applicant groups by the March 1, 2019 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. Prior to delivering applications to a third party evaluator for review, the district should ensure that all submitted applications are complete and meet the requirements of the common charter application. This includes ensuring that all five require components of the common charter application have been 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 2019 charter timeline.

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 7, 2019. After June 7th, districts are required to notify state representatives in whose jurisdictions applicants have proposed a school about the board’s decision.

2019 Application Cycle Timeline Friday, December 14th: LDOE posts common application to the Louisiana Believes website. Friday, January 11th: Deadline by which local school boards must post application materials to their websites Friday, March 1st: Charter applications are due to districts. Those who are eligible may apply directly to BESE. Friday, June 7th: 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 21st: Deadline for eligible applicants to submit an appeals application to BESE. Ongoing: BESE considers applications on appeal from local school districts.

Sections in the Common Application New Operator Sections Executive Summary Students Academics Special Student Populations School Staff Culture Mission Critical Partners Board Readiness Financial Readiness Returning Applicant Groups School Leadership Team Capacity Experienced Operator Sections Executive Summary Past School Performance Academics Growth Plan Scale Strategy & Risk Mitigation Board Readiness Financial Readiness Educational Service Providers School Leadership Capacity Team

Changes to the Common Charter Application Curricular Choices for SWDs/ELLs Applicants must now identify if their planned curricula will be used for Students with Disabilities and English Language Learners. If it is not the same as their proposed curricula, they are asked to describe what they will do for those populations. School Leadership Team Capacity The School Leadership Capacity section has been expanded to now include members of the school’s senior leadership team. These questions apply to individuals who will be employees of the proposed school who will oversee the operations of the proposed school. Identifying Curricula and Assessments Applicants are now asked in the overview template to directly identify the curricula and assessments they plan to use for ELA and Math.

Changes to the Common Charter Application (cont.) Virtual Schools An additional section has been added to the overview template with questions specifically related to virtual education. Alternative Schools The alternative school tab of the overview template has been updated to reflect the changes that were made to alternative school accountability by BESE in October 2018.

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. 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. 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).

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.