Request for Proposals to Establish Charter Schools
Authorized by the Board of Regents
2011 Charter School Application Kit
January 3, 2011
The Regents of The University of the State of New York
Office of Innovative School Models
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, New York 12234
http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/psc/
Sally Bachofer, Assistant Commissioner
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Table of Contents
Introduction to New York Charter Schools 5
Acknowledgements 7
Public Space Availability in New York City 7
Application Process and Review Phases 8
Application Process Timeline 15
Application Review Team Process 16
Phase I: Letter of Intent to Apply 17
Contact Information for Applicant’s Authorized Representative 19
Phase II: Prospectus 20
I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 22
II. STUDENT POPULATION 22
A.Student Enrollment 22
B.Target Populations 23
III. SCHOOL DESIGN 24
Phase III: Full Application 25
I. EDUCATION PLAN 25
A. Curriculum and Instruction 25
B. School Calendar and Daily Schedule 26
C. Target Population 27
D. Assessment 27
E. School Climate and Discipline 28
II. ORGANIZATIONAL PLAN 28
A. Governing Body 28
B. Founding Group Composition 29
C. Management and Operation 30
C.1. Charter Management Organizations 31
D. Staffing and Human Resources 32
E. Student Recruitment, Enrollment, and Evidence of Demand 33
F. Community Involvement 33
F.1. Joint Application 34
III. FINANCIAL PLAN 35
A. Budget 35
B. Financial Management 36
C. Facility 37
D. Transportation 39
E. Food Service 40
F. Insurance 40
G. Pre-Opening Plan 41
IV. Table of Required Attachments 42
PHASE IV: CAPACITY INTERVIEW 47
APPENDICES 51
Appendix A: Formatting and Submission Requirements 51
Appendix B: Frequently Asked Questions 52
Appendix C: Prospectus Evaluation Rubric………………………………………………………………………….. 58
Appendix D: Application Evaluation Rubric…………………………………………………………..…………….. 61
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Introduction to New York Charter Schools
Dear New School Applicant:
Thank you for your interest in creating a charter school in the state of New York. In 1998, the New York State Legislature created an opportunity for the creation of new, performance-based public schools through the charter process. During the last week of May 2010, the State Legislature increased the number of charter schools that may be authorized under the law. Accordingly, the State Education Department has developed new charter school application materials which are compiled within the document entitled, Request for Proposals (RFP) to Establish New York State Charter Schools Authorized by the Board of Regents. This RFP launches our second application cycle under the new law with this improved, more rigorous application kit.
Charter schools are secular, tuition-free public schools that operate as independent not-for-profit organizations. Our State’s charter school legislation offers students, families and educators more choices in public education, and allows schools autonomy and flexibility in how they operate; and in exchange these charter schools must adhere to stricter accountability and higher educational standards.
New York is not alone in looking to charter schools to improve public education. Nationally, more than 4,900 charter schools educate more than 1.7 million children. The federal administration prioritized substantial funding increases to start new charter schools, and the availability of new dollars will allow new charter applicants to focus on innovation, replication of successful models, expansion of public school choice, and provide a strategy to turn around less successful schools.
Authorizers. Charter schools are created by application to a designated charter school authorizer. The Regents of The University of the State of New York (Board of Regents) has been designated as a charter school authorizer under State law. The Board of Regents has directed the New York State Education Department’s Office of Innovative School Models to design and conduct a thorough process to review and recommend action on charter school applications.
Governance. Charter schools are governed by a not-for-profit governing board. High performing charter schools have governing boards that are composed of individuals with a mixture of backgrounds and expertise relevant to governing a public, not-for-profit educational organization. Such experience and expertise may include teaching or administering an educational program, legal compliance, real estate and facilities, financial management and accounting, fundraising and development, community engagement, and parent involvement.
Autonomy. Charter schools operate with substantial autonomy and flexibility in comparison to traditional public schools. Charter school operators have the opportunity and responsibility to decide the best ways to allocate resources like time, people and money to best meet the needs of their students within the bounds of the charter school law and some laws and regulations that apply to other public schools. For example, operators may determine the length and structure of the school day in a way that best fits the educational program or structure the budget to ensure that teachers will have the instructional resources they need to be effective. The authority of charter school operators to make these types of decisions is premised on the belief that those closest to students are best suited to make critical decisions about meeting their learning needs.
Accountability. Performance-based accountability is a central component of charter school policy in New York State. The Charter Schools Act requires that schools have clear, measurable academic performance standards under which they will operate and be evaluated. In addition, schools must be financially accountable, provide evidence of public satisfaction and support, and comply with applicable laws such as health and safety, special education, and all civil rights laws.
Request for Proposals to Establish New York State Charter Schools Authorized by the Board of Regents. The remainder of this Application Kit is dedicated to the specific steps and requirements that a charter school applicant must follow to submit an application to the Board of Regents for consideration. All necessary forms, requirements and deadlines related to the application process can be found within this Application Kit. The Application Kit, however, is not a guide to charter school law and other law that governs the operations of public schools. It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to fully understand and address the legal requirements of all relevant law and to present a coherent and viable school design that both complies with the law and is likely to improve student learning and achievement in New York State.
As a final note, I am pleased to inform prospective applicants that in the 2011 application cycle, they may simultaneously apply for a public school charter and a Charter School Program (CSP) Planning and Implementation Grant using this application kit. We have collapsed the CSP Grant application process into the overall application process for a public school charter, streamlining technical details of the grant application and bringing it into better alignment with the application for a public school charter. This alignment is referenced in footnotes throughout the application kit with additional informational and forms provided in Exhibit A. The award of CSP grant funding is contingent upon the State Education Department applying for and successfully securing federal funding in the upcoming grant cycle.
The Board of Regents will only approve applications that clearly demonstrate a strong capacity for establishing and operating a high quality charter school. This standard requires a sound educational program, organizational plan, and financial plan, as well as strong capacity to implement the proposal effectively. The Department and staff look forward to reviewing your proposal to launch a new, high-quality, public charter school in New York State.
Sally Bachofer
Assistant Commissioner
Office of Innovative School Models
Acknowledgements
Much of the information provided in this Charter School Application Kit was derived from exemplar materials created by charter school authorizers and other supporting organizations that are nationally recognized for their policies and procedures aimed at increasing the number of high quality charter schools. The Board of Regents and the New York State Education Department wish to acknowledge and thank the following organizations for their contributions and assistance in creating this Charter School Application Kit.
Charter School Institute
1580 Logan Street, Suite 210
Denver, CO 80203
www.csi.state.co.us
Charter Schools Institute
The State University of New York
41 State Street, Suite 700
Albany, NY 12207
www.newyorkcharters.org
Charter School Office
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
75 Pleasant Street
Malden, MA 02148
www.doe.mass.edu/charter
Office of Charter Schools
Oakland Unified School District
1025 Second Ave. Rm. 206
Oakland CA, 94606
www.ousdcharters.net
National Association of Charter School Authorizers
105 West Adams Street, Suite 3500
Chicago, IL 60603-6253
www.qualitycharters.org
SchoolWorks
100 Cummings Center, Suite 236C
Beverly, MA 01915
www.schoolworks.org
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For Applicants Proposing Charter Schools in New York City
The New York City Department of Education welcomes the launch of high-quality schools, including charter schools, across the city of New York. Applicant teams proposing to establish new charter schools within any New York City borough or community school district should be aware that the New York City Department of Education’s Division of Portfolio Planning has identified areas of the city where the need for new schools, including charter schools, is the greatest. Applicant teams should plan to work closely with the Charter Schools Office and the Division of Portfolio Planning to secure the Department’s and Chancellor’s support for the proposed school. Furthermore, if an applicant team seeks to be co-located in a NYC-DoE public school facility, the applicant team must work with the Division of Portfolio Planning and the Charter Schools Office to determine the most appropriate site arrangement for the proposed school.
For the 2011 application round, the Division of Portfolio Planning has indicated that there is a general need for high-quality middle and elementary seats across the entire city, and specifically high-school seats needed in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens. Applications that have a specific focus on English language learners or special education are encouraged.
Geographically, the Division has indicated that there is limited public school space in certain districts across the city. Based on the current list of under-utilized DOE public school facilities, new schools may be accommodated in the following districts for the 2012-2013 school year[1]:
Manhattan: 1, 5, 6
Brooklyn: 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 23
Queens: 26, 27, 28, 29
Applicant teams seeking to serve as a “restart” school (a charter replacing a school that the DOE has proposed to phase-out) are encouraged to reach out directly to the Division of Portfolio Planning to learn more about this process and the DOE’s requirements of charter operators.
For additional information regarding the availability of public space for new charter schools in New York City, please contact Mr. Recy Benjamin Dunn, Executive Director, Office of Charter Schools within the Division of Portfolio Planning, at 212-374-2324, or via email at: .
Application Process and Review Phases
The charter school application process utilized by the Board of Regents and the New York State Education Department (NYSED, or the Department) is designed to ensure that any charter school applicant presented to the Board of Regents for possible approval demonstrates four essential competencies:
- The applicant demonstrates clear understanding of the New York State Charter Schools Act and what it means to comply with the Act.
- The applicant’s proposed school demonstrates clear alignment with the educational priorities stated in the law.
- The applicant presents a coherent and practical design for the proposed school.
- The applicant demonstrates the necessary experience, skill and will to manage the challenging and dynamic process of opening and operating a public charter school.
To assess all four necessary competencies, NYSED will review and evaluate the Letter of Intent, the Prospectus, and the Full Application. On the strength of the application, NYSED will conduct a Capacity Interview and prepare a formal Recommendation to the Board of Regents. This process has been greatly streamlined from previous years, and affords applicant groups a clear, focused, and appropriate path through the charter application process.
Some applications may not be qualified to complete all phases of the process. If an application does not meet threshold requirements at any stage of the process, NYSED will not allow for submittal of materials for the subsequent phase. Due to the competitive nature of the process, NYSED will not extend an opportunity for the applicant to address deficiencies at any stage of the process during the current application cycle.
The following is a brief description of each phase, a description of threshold requirements to continue to the next phase of the application process, and the corresponding dates/timelines for submission and review.
Phase I: Letter of Intent. Each applicant must submit a Letter of Intent identifying pertinent information about the proposed charter school, including but not limited to the location, projected grades served, enrollment, and identification of the founding group. The Application Kit includes a template that may not be altered except to insert the required information unique to each applicant. By completing the template, the applicant acknowledges and accepts the requirements and expectations therein.
The Letter of Intent will provide essential information to NYSED regarding the number of prospective applicants, which will enable the Office of Innovative School Models to ensure adequate staffing levels to review prospectuses and applications in accordance with the set timeline. The Letter of Intent is also vital to allow for public notice regarding the proposed charter school. It and all subsequent application materials will be posted online at http://www.p12.nysed.gov/psc/startcharter.html for public review.
The Letter of Intent and contact information form must be submitted to NYSED’s Office of Innovative School Models by close of business on Wednesday, January 19, 2011. NYSED will post all Letters of Intent—without the personal contact information—to the Department’s website. The media contact information for each application will be posted separately. The applicant must email the PDF version of the letter of intent and contact information form, and mail one hard copy of both forms to the following address. Only emails submitted before 5:00 PM on January 19, 2011 will be accepted:
Email:
Subject line of the Email: Letter of intent: [insert name of proposed school]
NYSED Office of Innovative School Models
89 Washington Avenue, Room 475 EBA
Albany, New York 12234
Phone: (518) 474-1762
Fax: (518) 474-7558
Phase II: Prospectus. The purpose of the Prospectus is to allow the applicant to demonstrate the first two of the four key competencies required for a successful application: