CHARTER SCHOOLS The Washington County School Board believes that public school programs should be designed to fit the needs of individual pupils and that parents and educators have a right and responsibility to participate in the schools which serve them. The State of Virginia has authorized charter schools as one avenue for parents, teachers, and community members to provide for education of children within the public school system. A. PURPOSE OF CHARTER SCHOOLS The Washington County School Board shall receive and consider applications for the establishment of charter schools in order to (I) encourage the development of innovative programs, (2) provide opportunities for innovative instruction and student assessment, (3) provide parents and students more choices, (4) provide innovative scheduling, structure, and management, (5) encourage performance-based educational programs, (6) establish high standards for teachers and administrators, (7) develop models for replication in other public schools, and (8) provide an opportunity for at-risk students. B. DEFINITION OF CHARTER SCHOOL A charter school is a public, non-sectarian, non-religious, or non-home-based alternative school. A charter school may be created as a new public school through the conversion of all or part of an existing public school. Conversions of private schools or home-based programs shall not be permitted. The total number of charter schools that may be established shall not exceed ten percent of the school division s total number of schools. No more than two charter schools shall be established prior to July 1, 2000. One-half of the total number of charter schools in the division shall be reserved for schools designed to increase the educational opportunities of at-risk students. An at-risk pupil means a student having a physical, emotional, intellectual, socio-economic, or cultural factor, as defined in Board of Education criteria, which research indicates may negatively influence educational success.
CHARTER SCHOOLS: Continued C. ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION All charter schools shall be subject to federal and Virginia state laws, regulations, and constitutional provisions prohibiting discrimination in admissions, employment, or operation on the basis of disability, race, creed, color, gender, national origin, religion, ancestry, or the need for special education services. Enrollment shall be open to any child who is deemed to reside within the Washington County School Division and eligible to attend schools, through a lottery process on a space-available basis. A waiting list shall be established if adequate space is not available to accommodate all students whose parents have requested to be entered in the lottery process. Such waiting list shall also be prioritized through a lottery process. A charter school shall be administered and operated by a management committee in the manner agreed to in the charter contract. The management committee shall be composed of parents of students enrolled in the school, teachers and administrators working in the school, and representatives of any community sponsors. A charter school shall be responsible for its own operations, including, but not limited to, budget preparation, contracts for services, and personnel matters. The charter school shall have no authority to enter into contracts or agreements on behalf of the Washington County School Board, absent the express written approval of the Division Superintendent. All contracts entered by the charter school shall prominently state that the contract is not binding upon the Washington County School Board unless it is signed by the Division Superintendent or Assistant Superintendent. A charter school may negotiate and contract with the school board, or any other third party, for the provision of necessary services. Services provided by the school board will be provided at cost.
CHARTER SCHOOLS: Continued C. ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION A charter school shall not be required to pay rent for available space within the school division. All other costs for the operation and management of the charter school shall be subject to negotiation between the charter school and the school division. D. CHARTER CONTRACT Upon approval of a charter application, it shall become a contract between the school board and the charter school committee. The contract shall contain agreements between the school board and the charter school. The approved application shall serve as the basis for the contract. The contract shall also include other provisions negotiated by the school board or its designee. A charter may be granted for up to three years. Any material revision of the charter contract shall be made in writing and must be approved by the school board and the charter school. the charter school. E. WAIVERS OF SCHOOL BOARD POLICY AND REGULATION A charter school contract may provide an opportunity to operate free from specific school board policies and state regulations, except the Standards of Quality, as prescribed in Virginia Code S22.l-253.13:l et seq., and, by reference, the Standards of Accreditation and Standards of Learning. The school board shall request from the Board of Education, on behalf of its charter schools, waivers from state regulation contained in each approved charter application. The laws of Virginia, the State Board of Education policies and regulations, and all Washington County School Board policies and regulations shall apply to the charter school(s), unless there has been a specific waiver agreed to in the charter contract for the policies and regulations. The state and federal laws cannot be waived. Washington County Public School
CHARTER SCHOOLS: Continued F. APPLICATION Any person, group, or organization may submit an application for the formation of a charter school. The application shall be a proposed agreement, and by law, shall include the following: mission statement, statement of need, evidence of parental, teacher, and student support, goals and educational objectives, description of the educational program, pupil performance standards and curriculum, pupil evaluation criteria - including assessments and timeline for measuring achievement and corrective action procedures, admissions procedures - including a description of the lottery to be used and assurances that the school will follow state and federal laws prohibiting discrimination, displacement plan for pupils and employees, description of the management and operation of the school, explanation of the relationship between the school and its employees, financial plan with evidence of economical soundness, proposed budget, and annual audit, assurances that the school is non-sectarian and will not charge tuition, arrangements for legal liability and insurance coverage, and transportation plan. The application shall include that the charter school will abide by all federal and state laws and regulations prohibiting religious practices in the charter school. G. SCHOOL BOARD REVIEW The school board shall require a regulation for receiving, reviewing, and ruling on applications for the establishment of charter schools, including a timeline and procedures for soliciting public comment. Written notice of the school board s decision shall be sent to the applicant; and if the application is denied, the written notice shall include the reasons for denial. Priority shall be granted to applications designed to increase the educational opportunities of at-risk students. The school board s decision to grant and move forward with a contract and to negotiate or to deny an application shall be final.
CHARTER SCHOOLS: Continued H. TERMS, RENEWALS, AND RE VOCATIONS OF THE CHARTER CONTRACT A charter may be approved or renewed for a period not to exceed three (3) school years. An application for renewal shall contain the following: ~~ A report on the progress of the charter school in achieving the goals, objectives, program and performance standards for students, and other conditions and terms the school board required in the charter. ~~ A financial statement, on forms prescribed by the Board of Education, disclosing costs of administration, instruction, and other spending categories written in a way that will allow the school board and the public to compare such costs to the costs of other schools and comparable organizations. ~~ Other information the school board may require. The school board may revoke a charter contract for any of the following reasons: violation of the conditions, standards, or procedures established in the application failure to meet or make reasonable progress toward achievement of the contest standards or student performance standards identified in the application violation of a material term of the charter contract (for example: failing to provide required reports to the school board) failure to meet generally accepted standards of fiscal management violation of any provision of law
CHARTER SCHOOLS: Continued H. TERMS, RENEWALS, AND REVOCATIONS OF THE CHARTER CONTRACT I. PERSONNEL determination by the school board that it is no longer in the public interest or for the welfare of the students within the division to continue the operation of the charter school (for example: the charter school is no longer financially sound or fails to achieve state testing standards or decrease absentee rates). If a charter contract is revoked or not renewed, or if a charter school is dissolved, the management committee shall be responsible for all financial obligations of the charter school. Charter school personnel shall be employees of the school board and shall be selected as agreed in the charter contract. Professional licensed employees currently employed by the school board may request assignment to a charter school and may be assigned by the school board for one (1) contract year and reassigned annually upon the request of the employee and management committee. Professional licensed employees assigned to a charter school receive the same employment benefits as such personnel assigned to non-charter schools. Professional licensed personnel who are not recommended for reassignment in the charter school, other than for reasons cited in S22.l-307 of the Code of Virginia, may request transfer to a non-charter school. All personnel requests shall be handled according to school board policy. The school board has the final authority to assign professional licensed personnel to charter or other schools within the division. J. FUNDING Charter schools shall be funded as provided by law and negotiated in the charter contract. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the proportionate share of state and federal resources allocated for students with disabilities and school personnel assigned to special education programs shall be directed to the charter school enrolling such students. The proportionate share of moneys allocated under other federal or state categorical aid programs shall be directed to the charter school serving students eligible for such aid.
CHARTER SCHOOLS: Continued J. FUNDING The management committee of a charter school may accept gifts, donations, or grants of any kind made to the charter school and may spend such funds in accordance with the conditions prescribed by the donor. However, no gift, donation, or grant shall be accepted by the management committee of a charter school if the conditions for such funds are contrary to law or the charter contract. K. FISCAL MANAGEMENT Each charter school will be required to utilize a Chart of Accounts designated by the school division. Financial information and reporting will be required to conform to Generally Accepted Accounting Procedures and Governmental Accounting and Financial Reporting Standards. Each charter school will be required to provide a monthly financial statement in the format designated by the school division s Administrative Assistant for Business and Finance. Monthly financial information shall be provided no later than the 20th of the following month. The monthly financial information will consist of the following: 1. Bank reconciliation for all accounts 2. Federal and state payroll reports 3. Any required state filings for sales tax and other required reports 4. Listing of all checks written during the month 5. Listing of all payables and receivables at the end of the month 6. Monthly and year-to-date expenditure reports 7. Monthly and year-to-date revenue reports 8. Monthly and year-to-date attendance and projected March 31 Average Daily Membership 9. Balance sheet 10. Position control information comparing budgeted positions to allocated and staffed positions 11. Other reports as may be requested from time to time by the school board
CHARTER SCHOOLS: Continued K. FISCAL MANAGEMENT Each charter school will be required to provide a proposed Annual Operating Budget to the Division Superintendent. The budget shall be in the form and manner prescribed by the school board and shall be submitted no later than December 15 for the ensuing fiscal year. Each charter school will be required to provide the school division with an audited financial statement prepared by a Certified Public Accountant acceptable to the school board for each year of operation. The audited financial statement shall be provided no later than September 30 for the preceding fiscal year. L. CHARTER SCHOOL REPORTING REQUIREMENTS Charter schools are required to report to the school board with the same frequency and in the same format as other division schools on fiscal matters, student progress, and any other student issues. Charter schools shall annually present a state of the school report to the school board at its last meeting in June. The county school board shall report annually to the State Board of Education the following: - the number of charters granted and whether any of those granted are designed to increase the educational opportunities of at-risk students - an annual evaluation of each charter school - an annual comparison of the performance of charter school students and students enrolled in regular schools - the number of students enrolled in each charter school at the end of the school year ADOPTED: April 19, 1999 LEGAL REFERENCE: Code of Virginia, 1950, as Amended 22.l-212.5 et seq.