The Board recognizes that public charter schools have been authorized in the State of Oregon. Under the legislation passed in 1999, public charter schools must be sponsored by the district or the State Board of Education after making formal proposal to the local school board. Under the law, charter schools operating with the district's and/or state approval will be provided public funds under the state's basic school support formula.
The written application to the district must include sufficient information for the Board to decide whether to sponsor the charter school or deny the application. Denied applications may be appealed to the State Board of Education or resubmitted with changes to the local Board. The application will include at a minimum:
Basic Information:
1. Identification of applicant;
2. Address and location of facility;
3. Name of school;
4. Recommended start date;
5. Length of charter;
6. Proposed school calendar.
Organizational Information:
1. Budget and financial plan;
2. Governance structure;
3. Applicable statutes and rules;
4. Audits and program reviews;
5. Insurance and bonding arrangements;
6. Plans for dissolution of school.
Educational Plans:
1. Describe curriculum & expected results;
2. Staff and teacher qualifications;
3. Standards of student behavior;
4. Philosophy & mission of school;
5. Any distinctive learning or teaching methods;
6. Planned community involvement in educational issues.
Enrollment Issues:
1. Ages & grades to be served;
2. Target population;
3. Admission policies.
Additional information can be requested before the district renders a final decision on any application submitted.
The district will use the following as a guideline when reviewing applications to determine how a charter school will address the following areas:
1. Increase student learning and achievement;
2. Increase choices of learning opportunities for students;
3. Better meet individual student academic needs and interests;
4. Build stronger working relationships among educators, parents and other community members;
5. Encourage the use of different and innovative learning methods;
6. Provide opportunities in small learning environments for flexibility and innovation;
7. Create new professional opportunities for teachers;
8. Establish additional forms of accountability for schools; and
9. Create innovative measurement tools.
10. Meeting the academic and social needs of specific student populations.
END OF POLICY