Hart-Ransom Union SD | BP 0420.42 Philosophy, Goals, Objectives and Comprehensive Plans
Charter School Renewal
The Board of Trustees believes that the ongoing operation of a charter school established within the district should be dependent on the school's effectiveness in achieving its mission and goals for student learning and other student outcomes. Whenever a charter school submits a petition for renewal of its charter, the Board shall review the petition thoroughly and in a timely manner.
(cf. 0420.4 - Charter School Authorization)
(cf. 0420.41 - Charter School Oversight)
(cf. 0420.43 - Charter School Revocation)
(cf. 0500 - Accountability)
Each renewal granted by the Board shall be for a period of five years. (Education Code 47607)
Submission of Renewal Petition
A charter school seeking renewal of its charter is encouraged to submit its petition for renewal to the Board sufficiently early before the term of the charter is due to expire.
The signature requirement applicable to new charter petitions is not applicable to petitions for renewal. (5 CCR 11966.4)
The petition for renewal shall include a reasonably comprehensive description of how the charter school has met all new charter school requirements enacted into law after the charter was originally granted or last renewed. The petition also shall include documentation that the charter school meets at least one of the criteria for academic performance specified in Education Code 47607(b), as listed in item #5 in the section "Criteria for Granting or Denying Renewal" below. (Education Code 47607; 5 CCR 11966.4)
Criteria for Granting or Denying Renewal
Renewals shall be governed by the same standards and criteria that apply to new charter petitions as set forth in Education Code 47605. The Board shall consider the past performance of the charter school's academics, finances, and operations in evaluating the likelihood of future success, along with plans for improvement, if any. (Education Code 47607; 5 CCR 11966.4)
In determining whether to grant a charter renewal, the Board shall consider increases in academic achievement for all "numerically significant" groups of students served by the charter school, as defined in Education Code 52052, as the most important factor. (Education Code 47607)
The Board shall deny a renewal petition only if it makes a written factual finding setting forth specific facts to support one or more of the following grounds: (Education Code 47605, 47607; 5 CCR 11966.4)
1. The charter school presents an unsound educational program for the students enrolled in the school.
2. The petitioners are demonstrably unlikely to successfully implement the program set forth in the petition.
3. The petition does not contain an affirmation of each of the conditions described in Education Code 47605(d).
4. The petition does not contain reasonably comprehensive descriptions of the charter provisions in Education Code 47605(b).
5. The charter school has failed to meet at least one of the following criteria of academic performance:
a. Attainment of its Academic Performance Index (API) growth target in the prior year or in two of the last three years, both schoolwide and for all numerically significant groups of students served by the charter school as defined in Education Code 52052.
b. An API ranking in deciles 4-10 in the prior year or in two of the last three years.
c. An API ranking in deciles 4-10 for a demographically comparable school in the prior year or in two of the last three years.
d. Academic performance at least equal to the academic performance of the public schools that the charter school students would otherwise have been required to attend as well as the academic performance of district schools, taking into account the composition of the student population that is served at the charter school. In determining whether the charter school satisfies this criterion, the Board shall base its decision on:
(1) Documented clear and convincing data
(2) Student achievement data from assessments, including, but not limited to, the Standardized Testing and Reporting Program, for demographically similar student populations in comparison schools
(3) Information submitted by the charter school
Whenever the Board makes a determination based on this criterion, the Superintendent or designee shall submit copies of supporting documentation and a written summary of the basis for the Board's determination to the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
(cf. 6162.51 - State Academic Achievement Tests)
e. Qualification for an alternative accountability system pursuant to Education Code 52052(h)
Timelines for Board Action
Within 30 days of receiving the renewal petition, the Board shall hold a public hearing to review documentation submitted by the charter school and obtain public input.
If the charter school submits documentation pursuant to item #5d in the section "Criteria for Granting or Denying Renewal" above, the Board shall not grant a renewal until at least 30 days after the submission of such documentation. (Education Code 47607)
Within 60 days of receiving the renewal petition, or within 90 days if extended by mutual written agreement of the Board and the charter school, the Board shall either grant or deny the request to renew the charter. (Education Code 47607; 5 CCR 11966.4)
If the Board fails to make a written factual finding pursuant to items #1-5 in the section "Criteria for Granting or Denying Renewal" above within the required time period, the absence of a written factual finding shall be deemed an approval of the renewal petition. (5 CCR 11966.4)
The Superintendent or designee shall provide notification to the California Department of Education, within 10 calendar days of the Board's action, whenever a renewal of the charter is granted or denied. (Education Code 47604.32; 5 CCR 11962.1)
If the Board denies a renewal petition, the charter school may submit its application for renewal to the County Board of Education within 30 days of the Board's written factual findings supporting the denial. If the County Board then fails to deny or grant the petition within 60 days of receiving the petition, or within 90 days if extended by written mutual agreement of the charter school and the County Board, the charter school may submit the petition to the State Board of Education. (Education Code 47605, 47607.5)
Legal Reference:
EDUCATION CODE
47600-47616.7 Charter Schools Act of 1992
52052 Alternative accountability system; definition of numerically significant student subgroup
56145-56146 Special education services in charter schools
60600-60649 Assessment of academic achievement
CODE OF REGULATIONS, TITLE 5
UNITED STATES CODE, TITLE 20
Management Resources:
CSBA PUBLICATIONS
The Role of the Charter School Authorizer, Online Course
Charter Schools: A Manual for Governance Teams, rev. 2012
WEB SITES
CSBA: http://www.csba.org
California Charter Schools Association: http://www.calcharters.org
California Department of Education, Charter Schools: http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cs
National Association of Charter School Authorizers: http://www.charterauthorizers.org
U.S. Department of Education: http://www.ed.gov
Policy HART-RANSOM UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT
adopted: January 14, 2016 Modesto, California