Kentucky Montana Nebraska North Dakota South Dakota Vermont West Virginia Washington - though charter schools were initially approved by state legislation, the state Supreme Court ruled in late 2015 that charter schools are unconstitutional. [2] X Research source
The states which currently do not have caps in place are Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wyoming. If you live in a state that is not listed, there may be limitations on how many charter schools may legally operate within the state. However, it is still possible that your state may not have reached its capacity. Search online for charter school laws in your state to see if you can start a charter school in your region.
There are currently 31 states and Washington, DC, that allow for a variety of public charter school types. Those states are: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
You’ll probably need to put together a big team to actually make your charter school happen. Think about the set of skills you’ll need to pull everything together: real estate experience, financial expertise, operations/management skills, leadership abilities, and educational instructors. Are you willing and able to work with such a large, diverse group of people? Planning for your charter school will most likely take at least a year, and may take considerably longer. You’ll also need time to build a new facility or modify an existing one, depending on where you decide to open your charter school. Will you still have the same passion and patience for this project in a year (or longer)?
Think about what could realistically be taught in public school curriculum, but isn’t. You will have to stick to your state’s standards of education, of course, but what could be done differently while still adhering to those standards? One successful charter school concept in an area with a large population of Chinese families was to incorporate Mandarin Chinese language lessons into the curriculum. [7] X Research source Can you think of similar ways to provide relevant academic opportunities for the students in your community?
Your mission statement should be clear and concise. You’ll need to relate most of your school’s administrative decisions to its mission and core values, so the clearer and more specific you are, the easier it will be to put your mission into action. [9] X Research source Ask yourself what the best, most ideal public school education would look like. Then start brainstorming a list of defining characteristics, and use these to generate the basic components of your mission statement. The mission statement should describe your charter school’s purpose, as well as your goals/aspirations for the school (what you intend to accomplish). Consider explicitly incorporating a set of core beliefs into your mission statement. This can help guide you as you craft your mission statement, and may be useful for future evaluations of your school’s performance.
The people you select for your board should understand the mission you’ve outlined, and they should be fully dedicated to that mission. Get to know the people you’re considering for your board, and see if their values and beliefs align with yours (and your charter’s). Most successful charter school boards have between 7 and 11 members, where each member significantly contributes some specific skill set to the board. Some important areas of expertise to try to incorporate in your board include finance/accounting, real estate, facilities management, legal services, human resource services, fundraising and marketing, community partnerships, and academic programming. Think about where your own weaknesses lie (and be honest with your self-assessment), then look for potential board members who can strengthen the board with their strengths and expertise. Consider splitting your team up into sub-committees who can work on assigned aspects of research and planning based on the members’ areas of expertise. Don’t forget that the role of the board is to govern your charter school, and not manage it. Governance involves creating goals for the school, setting metrics to measure the school’s process, evaluate the school, approve the budget, create policies, engage in fundraising, and enforce local and state charter laws.
Keep your mission statement in mind as you develop your budget. Are you holding your future students’ best interests in mind at all times? Work with an accountant or financial planner to develop a budget proposal for the first year of operation, as well as a long-range budget plan that will cover the first three to five years of operation. You’ll also need a detailed cash-flow projection for every year of operation. Have your board review and approve the budget and projections you develop on an annual basis.
Try to search for potential facilities within a central location that will be convenient for your prospective students and their parents. Property that used to house a school may be an ideal location, but finding an old school building in good condition can be difficult. Some charters operate out of converted retail spaces, while others rely on multi-use facilities to share the space and resources with other schools or businesses. Don’t put a downpayment on any property until you know that your charter application is accepted. But that doesn’t mean don’t think about it at all yet - in fact, having a potential place lined up might help strengthen your application.
The charter petition should include your vision and mission for the school, as well as the school’s curriculum design, hiring practices, predicted facilities/location, and communication structure. It can be very helpful to speak with other charter schools, both in your region and across the country. The board members at these established charter schools can help guide you with their own experience, and may be able to offer suggestions you would not have considered. Conduct your research in both legal requirements and functional practices of successful charter schools. You can find some of this information online, but for other aspects of research you may need to speak directly with board members at existing schools.
You can search online for your state’s Department of Education website, or you can search for your state’s charter school application process. Pay close attention to all relevant deadlines, as these will most likely be unique to charter schools in your state. Familiarize yourself and your board with all aspects of your state’s charter school legislation. Some states require the applicants to exhibit a working knowledge of their state’s legislated requirements, purpose, and objectives.
applicant information founding group/board of directors, along with each individual’s role and qualifications proposal history (if relevant) the name of your proposed charter school the prospective location - not the address, but simply the school district your charter will fall in, and any specific neighborhood(s) you’ve identified as a promising location planned grades and estimated enrollment any partner organizations you’ve lined up your school’s mission statement an overview of how your school will live up to its mission statement the target population you hope your school will appeal to diversity initiatives for your charter school public outreach initiatives and community support for your proposed charter school
an unsound educational program a concern over the petitioners’ inability to successfully implement the school program they’ve designed a failure to address the conditions or guidelines set out for charter schools in your town, county, or state a failure to meet the educational requirements of schools in your district, county, or state
Have teaching applicants teach a sample lesson as part of the interview process. This will give you a good look at how that applicant actually performs in the classroom. Follow up on all job references, and pay close attention to each candidate’s job history. Look for any dismissals and find out why that applicant was terminated from his position. Do a basic online search to see if each individual has a public social media account. This may give you some insight into the applicant’s personality and ethics. Work with local law enforcement to conduct a background check. Most new charter school startups have a high turnover rate. If a teacher you hire isn’t working out, don’t wait five years before finding a replacement. Similarly, don’t feel hurt if your teachers don’t stick around for more than a year or two. Anticipate turnover from both your employees and from you and your board as the employers.
Have teaching applicants teach a sample lesson as part of the interview process. This will give you a good look at how that applicant actually performs in the classroom. Follow up on all job references, and pay close attention to each candidate’s job history. Look for any dismissals and find out why that applicant was terminated from his position. Do a basic online search to see if each individual has a public social media account. This may give you some insight into the applicant’s personality and ethics. Work with local law enforcement to conduct a background check. Most new charter school startups have a high turnover rate. If a teacher you hire isn’t working out, don’t wait five years before finding a replacement. Similarly, don’t feel hurt if your teachers don’t stick around for more than a year or two. Anticipate turnover from both your employees and from you and your board as the employers.
