Douglas County School

Douglas County School District New Charter Application Procedure

The Board of Education shall support efforts by parents, teachers or other persons or organizations interested in establishing charter schools within the district. In accordance with state law, charter schools are intended to:

1.     Expand learning opportunities for all students

2.     Encourage diverse approaches to learning using different, proven or innovative teaching methods

3.     Provide parents and students with expanded choices in the type of educational opportunities that are available within the public school system

4.     Encourage parental and community involvement with public schools.

Ref: Senate Bill 12-061 Ref: District policy LBD; LBD-R-1 Charter School Procedure Manual

All charter school applications must be submitted through Anvilar.com , an online platform used by DCSD for receiving and reviewing charter school applications. Applicants must access the website, create an account, and may begin working on their application up until the due date when it must be submitted. 

Resources:

1.    Anvilar.com Submit application in Anvilar.com.

2.    Intent to Apply - Please submit through Anvilar.com, and email Gordon Mosher - [email protected] and Kristin Schmidt - [email protected]

3.    Charter Application (Use this PDF as a guide, final application MUST be submitted electronically through Anvilar.com. Please use this LINK New Charter Application to access

       the application for submission of your application to DCSD.*

4.    Application Evaluation Standards Review and plan using these standards

5.    Budget Template ALL Applications MUST Use this budget template

New Application Important Dates:

Applications received in 2023:  John Dewey Institute, Alexandria School of Innovation

Charter School Renewal Process:

The charter contract renewal process examines several factors revealing the health of the charter school. This process is most transparent when it is characterized by the following criteria: 

1.     Putting the interests of children first;

2.     Identifying performance indicators that have been in place for the duration of the contract;

3.     Gathering accurate performance, financial and governance data;

4.     Undertaking annual performance evaluations;

5.     Adopting reasonable academic performance expectations;

6.     Considering multiple measures, including comparable school performance, across three or more years;

7.     Weighing the evidence based on importance, rather than relying on numeric cut scores;

8.     Listening to the points of view of both the district staff and the charter school;

9.     Taking into account the number of years that the school has been operating.

Charter school contracts in DCSD will be reviewed for renewal in the year prior to the charter expiration year.  The charter school must submit a Charter School Intent to Renew Contract form on or before June 1 of the year prior to the year that the contract expires. See the renewal timeline on the next page for renewal deadlines.

Charter schools are evaluated for renewal based on their yearly Accreditation, financial health, and governance and operations. The charter school Accreditation procedure answers the following key questions that are essential for renewal status:

·       Is the educational program a success?

·       Are school operations effective and efficient?

·       Is the school meeting its legal and other obligations?

·       Does the school have excellent governance and leadership?

DCSD Renewal Timeline:

2023 Schools in Renewal:  Ben Franklin Academy, STEM School, North Star Academy