Charter school founders are encouraged to be creative and to innovate as they develop unique schools that serve the needs of their communities.
Use the information below as a Needs Assessment to determine the areas of strength and weakness with regard to the background knowledge you should have of each bulleted item within each category.
Starting a Charter School - Checklist
| Starting a Charter - Background Knowledge Needs Assessment |
| Start-Up Logistics |
- Establishing/developing a clear school mission, vision, and culture
- Establishing a core founding group that includes experts in several areas
- Understanding the charter application and renewal process
- Preparing for and undergoing accreditation
- Obtaining adequate facilities and financing them
- Selecting the legal status of your school
|
| Regulatory Issues |
- Compliance with civil rights laws, including regarding student and staff recruitment
- Compliance with special education requirements (IDEA,ADA, etc.)
- Compliance with other federal regulations, (OSHA, FERPA, FMLA, etc.)
- Compliance with state regulatory issues (waiver status, collective bargaining, open meeting law, Public Records Act, health/safety/privacy issues, etc.)
|
| Assessment & Accountability |
- Understanding what is meant by academic, fiscal, and public/parent accountability
- Developing appropriate curriculum and aligning it to standards and assessment
- Developing measurable student performance goals, standards, and outcomes, including integration with the state standards
- Conducting both a summative and formative evaluation
- Selecting effective methods to assess student performance
- Collecting, interpreting, and reporting student performance data
|
| Governance and Leadership |
- Selecting and establishing an appropriate governance model
- Establishing and developing effective charter governing boards
- Establishing roles of founders, teachers, parents, and administrators
- Creating and developing a positive and supportive school climate
- Developing leadership/interpersonal skills (communication, conflict resolution, problem solving, decision making, building collaboration, valuing diversity, etc.)
- Establishing/developing strong relations with local or sponsor district or county office
- Planning for transition from planning to operational stages of development
|
| Financial Management |
- Developing a business plan
- Understanding the state charter school funding system and laws
- Developing financial and operational arrangements with sponsor district or county office, including for ancillary services (e.g., transportation)
- Establishing and/or managing own fiscal systems (accounting, payroll, audits, etc.)
- Developing a start-up budget
- Developing and reporting annual and long-term budgets and fiscal plans (annual budget, cash flow plan, long-term financial projections, etc.)
- Conducting year-end audits
- Establishing clear financial management policies and practices within the school
|
| Internal Policy |
- Developing policies around liability issues, health, and safety
- Developing student/parent policies (attendance, discipline, dress code, involvement, etc.)
- Drafting other policies (insurance, harassment, facilities, board bylaws, etc.)
|
| Personnel |
- Employee selection practices
- Compensation and benefits
- Code of conduct, grievance, and corrective action procedures
|
| Community Relations |
- Developing a public relations plan, both with internal and external communication
- Working with the media
- Dealing with media during emergency situations
- Marketing your school to potential students and staff
- Dealing with internal and external conflict
|
There are many issues and tasks that must be addressed by those starting a charter school. The information provided is intended to develop thorough and thoughtful charter school development efforts and is not intended to be prescriptive. In addition, this information should be considered as informational only and should not substitute for legal advice.