(a)  LETTERS OF INTENT

 

The requirement that a petitioner submit a letter of intent to the Department is meant to provide notice to the Department of petitions for new start-up charter schools, new conversion charter schools, and new charter systems that may be submitted for review and approval. A letter of intent is not required for renewal petitions.

 

In keeping with the purpose of the Rule, letters of intent to submit a charter petition should include a brief statement setting forth the proposed vision and mission of the school, the grade levels the school will cover, the school system where the school will be located, the anticipated number of students, and the proposed opening date. A single letter may be submitted to the local board of education and to the Department.

 

(b) PLANNING GRANTS

 

Planning grants are funded using state funds and are awarded on a cycle that is based on the state fiscal year, July 1-June 30. Funds awarded during a fiscal year must be expended during that fiscal year. The planning grant application must be completed and signed by the petitioner, along with the budget forms, in order for the application to be considered complete and accepted for review. Planning grant applications that are not recommended for approval may be re-submitted for the next round of competition. The grant application form is posted on the Charter Schools website at: http://public.doe.kl2.ga.us/pea_charter.aspx.

 

All planning grant applications that meet grant requirements will be considered at one of two State Board of Education ("SBOE") meetings—the August meeting or the January meeting. To ensure that Department staff and the SBOE have sufficient time to consider the grants, all grants must be submitted by July 1 to be considered at the August SBOE meeting and by December 1 to be considered at the January meeting. This timeline is reflected below:  

 

Round	Grant Application Due	To SBOE for Consideration
1	July 1	August Board meeting
2	December 1	January Board meeting

 

¹ The section, paragraph, and subparagraph designations used throughout this Guidance align with the corresponding section, paragraph, and subparagraph of the Rule.

Round 2 will be held only if funds are still available. Funds awarded during either Round must be expended by the end of the fiscal year. No extensions will be permitted or considered. For purposes of this Guidance, planning grant applications will be deemed submitted to the Department if the application is fully completed, along with all proper supporting documentation, and postmarked by the grant application deadline.

 

Once a planning grant has been approved, the grant recipient will receive notification, along with directions on how to draw down the funds. A copy of this letter will be sent to the Superintendent of the LEA where the grant applicant proposes to locate the charter school.

 

(c)  CHARTER PETITIONS TO LOCAL BOARD

 

The charter petitioner should check with the LEA where the charter school will be located for a complete copy of all local timelines and policies regarding the submission of charter petitions for approval in that school district. The Department strongly encourages all petitioners to work together with the local board to obtain approval for their petitions.

 

(d) SUBMISSIONS OF CHARTER PETITIONS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

To be considered by the Department and the SBOE, petitions for start-up charter schools (including LEA start-up charter schools and career academies) must be submitted to the Georgia Department of Education no later than August 1 the year prior to the school's planned opening. Start-up petitions that are deemed deficient in meeting the requirements of the Charter Schools Rule or law must correct all identified deficiencies to be placed on the SBOE agenda with a recommendation for approval. Petitions for start­up charter schools will be considered by the SBOE at the December meeting following timely submission.

 

Petitions for conversion charter schools, charter systems, or renewal petitions for existing charter schools or charter systems must be submitted to the Georgia Department of Education by November 1 the fall prior to the school's or system's planned conversion or renewal. For purposes of this Guidance, system charters and cluster charters shall be considered conversion charters. Conversion or renewal petitions that are deemed deficient in meeting the requirement of the Charter Schools Rule and law must correct all identified deficiencies in order to be placed on the SBOE agenda with a recommendation for approval. Petitions for conversion charter schools or renewals will be considered by the SBOE at the March meeting prior to the charter school's planned conversion or renewal.

 

If deficiencies are identified in any petition they must be corrected and the revised petition must be approved by the local board before the Department will place the petition on the agenda for the SBOE meeting with a recommendation for approval. This process may result in delay of approval until the next approval cycle. The Department has published an application describing all requirements for petitions, which is available at the Charter Schools website at: http://public.doe.kl2.ga.us/pea_charter.aspx. The Department strongly urges petitioners and local boards to utilize the checklist contained in the application during the development of the petition and during the local board approval process so that petitions are not unnecessarily delayed at the state level.

 

(e) IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS

 

To ensure that implementation grant applications can be processed efficiently following the approval of a charter petition and in alignment with the goals of the grant award, petitioners who desire to access federal implementation grant funds should begin work on their grant application after submitting their petition to the SBOE. To qualify for an implementation grant a petitioner shall submit its application within one (1) month following the approval of the charter by the SBOE. The Department cannot begin the grant review process until the charter petition has been approved.

 

Once implementation grant applications are received by the Department, they will be reviewed by three external reviewers. Before any implementation grant application can be forwarded to the SBOE for approval, it must be recommended for approval by at least two of the three reviewers. Implementation grants that are not recommended for approval may be re-submitted.

 

The application and accompanying budget forms must be completed and signed by the petitioner and by the Superintendent of the local board where the charter school is located in order for the application to be considered complete and accepted for review. The grant application and budget forms are posted on the Charter Schools website at: http://public.doe.kl2.ga.us/pea_charter.aspx.

 

Once an implementation grant has been approved, the grant recipient and the local board of education will receive notification, along with directions on how to draw down the funds.

 

The foregoing petition and implementation grant timelines are set forth below:  

 

 

Charter	Letter of Intent Due	Petition Due	To SBOE for Consideration	Implementation Grant Application Due
Start-ups (including LEA Start-ups and Career Academies)	February 1	August 1	December Board meeting	1 month after approval
Conversions and Charter Systems	May 1	November 1	March Board meeting	1 month after approval
Renewals	N/A	November 1	March Board meeting	N/A

 

For purposes of this Guidance, petitions and grant applications will be deemed submitted to the Department if they are fully completed, along with all proper supporting documentation, and postmarked by the petition or grant application deadline. To be eligible to qualify for federal implementation grant funding, a charter school must meet the federal and state definitions of charter school. Among other things, these definitions may require that charter schools report Adequate Yearly Progress as required by the Single Statewide Accountability System, that charter schools have open enrollment policies, and that the charter schools enroll students on a full-time basis.

 

Note concerning effective date of Guidance for system charters and career academies: This Guidance will become effective upon adoption of the new Charter Schools Rule, which is anticipated to occur in September 2007. Because this implementation could create difficulty for charter system and career academy petitioners and districts currently in the authorization process, system charters and career academies shall not be required to submit a letter of intent in 2007 for consideration for opening in Fall 2008. In addition, for 2007 only, new career academy petitions will be accepted for consideration provided they are received by the Department no later than October 1, 2007.

 

(a)  A baccalaureate or higher degree in business, accounting, or finance from an accredited college or university and a minimum of four years experience in a field related to business or finance; or

 

(b)  Documented experience often or more years in the field of business and financial management.

(a)  A description of the governing board's function, duties, and composition;

 

(b) A statement setting forth how and when members shall be selected, how long they shall serve, and how members may be removed from office;

(c)  A statement describing how the governing board will uphold the school's mission and vision, review and appraise the principal's performance, ensure effective organizational planning, and help ensure financial stability;

 

(d) A statement disclosing any potential conflicts of interest of the founding governing board members;

 

(e)  A statement describing how current and future governing board members shall avoid conflicts of interest; and

 

(f)  A description of the governing board's role in resolving teacher, parent, and student grievances and other conflicts.

1.   Location

 

(i) A virtual charter school shall maintain a physical facility in the State of Georgia for administrative functions. Provide a description and the address of the physical facility.

 

(ii) Verify that the physical facility described above is not located in a private residence.

 

2.   Attendance Zone

 

(i) State the precise attendance zone. If the proposed attendance zone encompasses more than one local school district, please include documentation that the other district(s) have approved the charter petition.

 

(ii) In addition, if there is any agreement, financial or otherwise, with an LEA governing enrollment, funding, or any other subject matter, include a copy of the agreement with the petition.

 

3.   Access

(i) Transportation: Considering that virtual charter schools typically incorporate in-person interaction to some extent, describe how the school will ensure student attendance at these activities.

 

4.   Instructional Need

 

(i) Describe the specific student instructional needs the school will meet (i.e., explain demonstrated needs, how course offerings meet those needs, etc.).

 

(ii) Provide any data that demonstrates the instructional needs stated above.

 

(iii) Describe the needs served by the proposed school that currently are un-served or under-served by the Georgia Virtual School.

 

5.   Enrollment

 

(i) Indicate whether the school will set a maximum student enrollment during each year of the requested charter term, and if so, provide the predicted annual enrollment caps.

 

6.   Teachers, Administrators, and Other Faculty

 

(i) Explain how the school will screen teacher candidates to select faculty members that perform effectively in a virtual environment.

 

(ii) Roles of teachers beyond instruction

(I)  Describe what, if any, additional responsibilities will be required of teachersin the virtual environment (e.g. course development/design, research, websitemaintenance).

 

(II)  Indicate how the school communicates these responsibilities to teachers.

(iii) Teacher Accountability: Describe teacher performance assessment measures and procedures (e.g. observing lessons, ensuring alignment of instruction to student needs, auditing student performance tracking instruments).

 

(iv) Indicate any non-teacher faculty members (paraprofessionals, guidance counselors) and describe their roles and how they will function in the virtual school.

 

(v) Describe professional development opportunities that the school will furnish or otherwise provide to maximize the faculty's effectiveness in a virtual environment.

(I)  Explain how your charter school's assessments will measure student improvement and describe the performance-based goals you have set for your student population.

(II)  Explain how the virtual school will tailor its instructional approach during the pendency of its charter term if certain student achievement goals are not met.

(III)  Describe the virtual school's plan for the appropriate administration of required state assessments. The plan should address, inter alia, test taking location(s) and who will administer the tests.

(I)  Describe procedures to ensure compliance with the 180 day requirement.

(II)  Describe the school's policies regarding truancy, absence, and withdrawal.

(III)  Describe the intervention procedures the school will take when students arenot participating as required.

(I) Describe procedures to ensure the integrity and authenticity of student work product and assessment scores.

(II) Describe the intervention procedures the school will take when students fail to provide authentic work product or assessment responses.

(I)  State specifically any equipment that students and families will be responsiblefor obtaining.

(II)  State specifically any technological support for which students and familieswill be responsible.

(I) Specify where the support staff will be located.

(II) Describe the hours (including weekends and holidays) and manner in which the support will be accessible to students and families.