1. A school board may create a founding group to apply to the state board for approval to establish and operate a charter school within and as a part of the school district by establishing a new attendance center, creating a new school within an existing attendance center, or by converting an existing attendance center. The application shall demonstrate the founding group’s academic and operational vision and plans for the proposed charter school, demonstrate the founding group’s capacity to execute the vision and plans, and provide the state board a clear basis for assessing the founding group’s plans and capacity.
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Terms Used In Iowa Code 256E.4

  • Attendance center: means a school building that contains classrooms used for instructional purposes for elementary, middle, or secondary school students. See Iowa Code 256E.2
  • Charter school: means a school established in accordance with this chapter. See Iowa Code 256E.2
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Department: means the department of education. See Iowa Code 256E.2
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Founding group: means a person, group of persons, or education service provider that develops and submits an application for a charter school to the state board under this chapter. See Iowa Code 256E.2
  • Governing board: means the independent board of a charter school whose members are elected or selected pursuant to the charter school contract, subject to the requirements of section 256E. See Iowa Code 256E.2
  • Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
  • Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
  • Rule: includes "regulation". See Iowa Code 4.1
  • School: means an agency of the state or political subdivision of the state, individual, partnership, company, firm, society, trust, association, corporation, or any combination which meets any of the following criteria:
     a. See Iowa Code 261B.2
  • School board: means a board of directors regularly elected by the registered voters of an accredited public school district. See Iowa Code 256E.2
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" may include the said district and territories. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • State board: means the state board of education. See Iowa Code 256E.2
  • Student: means a person who enrolls in or seeks to enroll in a course of instruction offered or conducted by a school. See Iowa Code 261B.2
  • year: means twelve consecutive months. See Iowa Code 4.1
 2. The state board shall adopt rules to establish appropriate application timelines and deadlines for the submission of charter school applications under this section.
 3. The instructions for completing an application shall include or otherwise inform applicants of all of the following:

 a. The performance framework adopted by the state board for charter school oversight and evaluation requirements in accordance with sections 256E.9 and 256E.10.
 b. The criteria the state board will use in evaluating applications.
 c. The requirements concerning the format and content essential for applicants to demonstrate the capacities necessary to establish and operate a successful charter school.
 4. An application submitted under this section shall also include all of the following items related to the proposed charter school:

 a. An executive summary.
 b. The mission and vision of the proposed charter school, including identification of the targeted student population and the community the charter school intends to serve.
 c. The location of the proposed charter school or the proposed geographic area within the school district where the school is proposed to be located.
 d. Identification of the grades to be served each school year during the duration of the charter school contract.
 e. Minimum, planned, and maximum enrollment per grade for each school year during the duration of the charter school contract.
 f. Evidence of need and community support for the proposed charter school.
 g. Background information on the members of the founding group and background information on the governing board, administration, and management personnel of the proposed charter school, if available.
 h. The charter school’s proposed operations calendar and sample daily schedule.
 i. A description of the academic program and identification of ways the program aligns with state academic standards.
 j. A description of the charter school’s instructional model, including the type of learning environment, class size and structure, curriculum overview, and teaching methods.
 k. The charter school’s plan for using internal and external assessments to measure and report student progress on the performance framework in accordance with section 256E.9.
 l. Plans for identifying and serving students with disabilities, students who are English learners, students who are academically failing or below grade level, and gifted students, including but not limited to compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
 m. A description of cocurricular and extracurricular programs and how the programs will be funded and delivered.
 n. Plans and timelines for student recruitment, enrollment, and transfers, including enrollment preferences and procedures for conducting transparent admissions selections, including admissions lotteries.
 o. The proposed code of student conduct, including applicable procedures and disciplinary sanctions for both general students and special education students.
 p. A chart or description of the charter school’s organizational structure and the duties and powers of each position or group, including the delineation of authority and reporting between the governing board, administration, staff, and any related bodies or external organizations that have a role in managing the charter school.
 q. A staffing chart for the charter school’s first year and a staffing plan for the duration of the charter school contract.
 r. Plans for recruiting and developing school administrators, staff, and governing board members and the charter school’s employment policies, including performance evaluation plans.
 s. Proposed governing bylaws for the charter school.
 t. Identification and explanation of any partnerships or contractual relationships with the founding group or any of the founding group or school board‘s members that are related to the charter school’s operations or mission.
 u. The charter school’s plans for providing transportation services, food service, and all other operational or ancillary services.
 v. Proposed opportunities and expectations for parent involvement.
 w. A detailed school start-up plan and five-year plan, including all relevant assumptions used, identifying timelines for charter school finances, budget, and insurance coverage, facility construction, preparation, and contingencies, and the identification of persons or positions responsible for each such item.
 x. Evidence of anticipated fundraising contributions, if any.
 y. Evidence of the founding group’s success in serving student populations similar to that which is proposed in the application and if the founding group operates other charter schools, evidence of past performance of such other charter schools and evidence of the founding group’s capacity for an additional charter school.
 z. A description of the proposed charter school’s staff performance evaluation measures and compensation structure, methods of contract oversight and dispute resolution, investment disclosures, and conflicts of interest.
 aa. A proposed duration and outline of the charter school contract, including designation of roles, authority, and duties of the governing board and the charter school staff.
 ab. The specific statutes and administrative rules with which the charter school does not intend to comply. The department shall provide technical assistance to the applicant concerning statutes and administrative rules that may be waived under the charter school contract in order to facilitate the goals of the charter school.
 5. If the founding group proposes to establish a charter school by converting an existing attendance center of the school district, the state board shall not approve the application unless the founding group submits evidence that the attendance center’s teachers and parents or guardians of students enrolled at the existing attendance center voted in favor of the conversion. A vote in favor of conversion under this subsection requires the support of a majority of the teachers employed at the school on the date of the vote and a majority of the parents or guardians voting whose children are enrolled at the school, provided that a majority of the parents or guardians eligible to vote participate in the ballot process. The state board shall establish procedures by rule for voting under this subsection. A parent or guardian voting in accordance with this subsection must be a resident of this state.
 6. In reviewing and evaluating charter school applications, the state board shall employ procedures, practices, and criteria consistent with nationally recognized principles and standards for reviewing charter school applications. Each application review shall include thorough evaluation of the written application, an in-person interview with the founding group, and an opportunity in a public forum for local residents to learn about and provide input on each application.
 7. Following review of a charter school application and completion of the process required under subsection 6, the state board shall do all of the following:

 a. Approve a charter school application only if the founding group has demonstrated competence in each element of the approval criteria and if the founding group is likely to open and operate a successful charter school.
 b. Make application decisions on documented evidence collected through the application review process.
 c. Adhere to the policies and criteria that are transparent, based on merit, and avoid conflicts of interest or any appearance thereof.
 8. The state board shall approve a charter school application if the application satisfies the requirements of this chapter. The state board shall approve or deny a charter school application no later than seventy-five calendar days after the application is received. If the state board denies an application, the state board shall provide notice of denial to the founding group in writing within thirty days after the state board’s action. The notice shall specify the exact reasons for denial and provide documentation supporting those reasons. An approval decision may include, if appropriate, reasonable conditions that the founding group must meet before a charter school contract may be executed pursuant to section 256E.6. An approved charter application shall not serve as a charter school contract.
 9. A decision of the state board relating to an application under this section is not appealable.
 10. An unsuccessful applicant under this section may subsequently reapply to the state board.
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