- Saint Louis Public Schools
- Charter School Sponsorship Procedures
Board of Education of the City of St. Louis
Page Navigation
- Board Members
- Principles for School Operation Partnerships: SLPS
- About the Board
- Advocacy and Legislative Committee
- Board Elections
- Board Meeting Calendar
- Board Meeting Presentations
- Board Policies
- BOE Agendas
- BOE Committees: Calendar, Agendas & Minutes
- BOE Mission and Vision
- Charter School Sponsorship Procedures
- Procedure for Implementing Community Engagement Plan
- Qualifications
- Regular Business Meeting Minutes
- Videos of Board Meetings 2021-2022
- Virtual BOE – Live Streams
- Work Session Calendar
- Work Session Meeting Minutes
- 2024 Tax Rate Notice
-
I. Application Processand Decision-Making
A. Initial Application Process and Procedures
SLPS Office of Charter Partnerships will provide feedback to the proposed applicant after submission. SLPS will have increased scrutiny for charterschool proposals with similar missions and locations of charter schools SLPS already sponsors or may exist in the Saint Louis public education system. SLPS will maintain a thorough charter application process as outlined in section 160.400.11(2), RSMo.
SLPS maintains a two-part evaluation process for all potential partnerships. Part 1 is a review of Detailed Proposal(s), completed by the Office of Charter Partnerships, which concludes with a recommendation to advance, not advance, or advance with reservations to Part 2. Part 2 is an opportunity for the Board of Education of the City of Saint Louis to determine the applicant’s fit with the overall education strategy of the Board of Education, which concludes with a potential final approval for sponsorship.
The steps of the application process for all potential school partnerships with SLPS is as follows:
SLPS External Partner Evaluation Process:
PART 1: Detailed Proposal
1. Detailed Proposal
2. Review and Request for Additional Documentation
3. Data Review
4. Interview(s)- Clarifying Information
5. Recommendation to Advance or Not Advance to Part 2
PART 2: Board Review and Alignment Determination
6. Capacity Interviews- Board and Leadership
7. Alignment and Enrollment Analyses
8. Final Recommendation for Approval
9. Superintendent Approval
10. Board Approval
11. DESE Submission and Approval
1. Part 1: Detailed Proposal
The applicant for the proposed charter school shall provide the SLPS Office of Charter Partnerships with a Detailed Proposal, to include the following:
§ Mission and vision,
§ Educational need and contribution to the overalleducational community,
§ Internal Governance structureand operations (organizational chart),
§ Governance Relationship to SLPS,
§ Educational program,
§ School size and gradelevels, student recruitment area, including any plans for sequential enrollment,
§ Proposed locationand facilities,
§ Plan for parental and community involvement,
§ Financial plan (including all relevant debt),
§ Anticipated year of openingand full enrollment,
§ Current and historical performance data (when relevant),
§ Describe the uniqueness of the school and how it differs from existing schools in the system,
§ Founding team members and their resumes (not includedin the five pages),
§ Description of the capacity to open and operatethe school, and
§ Contribution to the overalleducational community.
The Office of Charter Partnerships will review the application and provide a request for additional documentation, as needed. After a thorough analysis, the Office of Charter Partnerships will invite the applicant for an interview with the SLPS Charter Sponsor Advisory Committee to clarify any missing information. The Committee is comprised of internal individuals with experience in public education, board governance, accounting and finance, data management, marketing, and charter school operations. Subsequently, the Office of Charter Partnerships will make a recommendation for the application to advance, to not advance, or to advance with reservations to Part 2.
2. Part 2: Board Review and Alignment Determination
Upon a recommendation from the Office of Charter Partnerships to advance or advance with reservations, representatives from the Board of Education of the City of Saint Louis will meet with representatives from the Board of the applicant to complete a Leadership and Capacity Interview. SLPS will also complete Alignment and Enrollment Analyses. Final approval is determined through a vote by the Board of Education of the City of Saint Louis.
3. Other Application Considerations
a) Individuals Making
The charter schoolapplicant must start the processto establish a nonprofit corporation pursuant to Chapter 355, RSMo. and have nonprofit status prior to the application approval.
b) Third Party Education Service Providers
A charter school that contracts with third party providers of educational design and/or management must include additional provisions and structures within its application that verify rigorous, independent contract oversight by its governing board and the school’s financial independence from the external provider. This includes the following:
§ Its governing board is independent from the third-party provider’s management and/or governing board.
§ The school’s finances are separate from the provider’s finances.
§ The school’s financial operations and decision-making are independent of the provider’s operations and governance.
c) Application Timeline
The SLPS application review process may take up to 90 days to review applications and determine if it will sponsor the proposed school. Missouri Statutes require charters be granted by the State Board of Education by January 31 in order to open school the following school year. 160.405.2(1) RSMo. In order to meet this deadline, applications must be received by SLPS by July 1 of the year prior to the school’s opening date. For approval prior to the date required by statute, refer to the table below.
Date application must
be received by SLPS
Date application must be approved by SLPS
Date application must be received by DESE
State Board of Education votes on application
February (year prior to school’s opening date)
April (year prior to school’s opening date)
June (year prior to school’s opening date)
August (year prior to school’s opening date)
March (year prior to school’s opening date)
June (year prior to school’s opening date)
July (year prior to school’s opening date)
September (year prior to school’s opening date)
March (year prior to school’s opening date)
June (year prior to school’s opening date)
August (year prior to school’s opening date)
October (year prior to school’s opening date)
May (year prior to school’s opening date)
August (year prior to school’s opening date)
October (year prior to school’s opening date)
December (year prior to school’s opening date)
July (year prior to school’s opening date)
October (year prior to school’s opening date)
November (year prior to school’s opening date)
January (year of school’s opening date)
B. Renewal Application Process and Procedures
If SLPS supports renewal, the school will complete a renewal application for submission to the Missouri State Board of Education through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The renewal application process is more streamlined than the one for new charter school applications. In brief, here are the three steps in the renewal process:
Step 1: Application Submission Step 2: Contract Renewal
Step 3: DESE Submission and State Board Approval STEP 1: Application Submission by November 1
Application Template
Currently, the SLPS Office of Charter Partnerships recommends that our charterschools use DESE’s renewal application template and submit the application online directly to DESE. By statute, schools that evidence strong student academic performance as measured by state assessments over the previous four years may complete an expedited application. They may also qualify for a renewal term of up to ten years.
Required elements
The SLPS Office of Charter Partnerships requires all applicants to present the following elements in their renewal application:
§ A clear and compelling mission and vision
§ A quality educational program backed up with a Performance Contract
§ A sound business plan and projected budget for the next five years
§ Strong evidence that effective governance and management structures and systems will continue to be in place
§ Plans for the school’s growth and development over the five-year length of the renewal charter
§ Clear evidence of the applicant’s capacity to execute its plans successfully
§ Assurance that the school understands the procedures for closure and distribution of assets.
§ If the school has not averagedover 70% APR during its current contractterm, provide a rationale for renewal
§ Appendices that include
o Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws
o Five-Year Budget and year-one cash flow analysis with budget assumptions noted
o Prospective Board Memberresumes
SLPS Collaboration and Review
The Office of Charter Partnerships staff as part of the SLPS Charter Sponsor Advisory Committee rigorously evaluate each element of the application. The Office of Charter Partnerships may raiseconcerns or recommend revisions and will work with the schoolto address them to finalize the document.
Board Approval
The board of the proposed charterschool must formallyapprove the application. STEP 2: The School and SLPS Renew Their Contract
SLPS and the approved school agree to a separate contractual agreement that lays out additional terms defining the relationship between the two. The term of this contract covers the next five years of the school’s operation (or longer if the school qualifies as described above). The SLPS Board and the charter school’s board must approve and sign the agreement. To examine the full contract template, see Appendix 2: SLPS-Charter School Contract Template.
STEP 3: DESE Submission and State Board Approval
Once finalized and approved, the school submits is application to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for the Missouri State Board of Education’s approval, as outlined in Missouri’s Revised State Statutes. The deadline for submission to DESE is January 1.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education reviews the application on behalf of the State Board of Education and may offer recommended changes to assure alignment with statute and regulations. Applicants are not required to accept Department recommendations outside of statutory or regulatory requirements.
At the Missouri State Board of Education February meeting, DESE’s Coordinator of the Charter Schools Program office and the SLPS Office of Charter Partnerships present the renewal application for review and approval. An electronic copy of the final renewal application must be submitted to DESE Charter School coordinator in Jefferson City, Missouri.