Date

Name

School

Address

City, State Zip

Subject: [INSERT STATE] Charter School Facilities Survey

Dear [Principal/Administrator],

Time and time again, charter school leaders have told us that one of the most important and challenging issues for 

their school is access to adequate facilities and funding. We now have a chance to advance this issue for [INSERT

STATE] Charter Schools. Because of [CSO’s] commitment to getting charter schools access to equitable facilities 

resources [INSERT STATE] has been selected to work with the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and the 

Colorado League of Charter Schools to gather the most comprehensive and reliable data for charter facilities in our 

state. 

Charter schools across the county are spending a significant amount of operating dollars to cover facilities costs 

that could otherwise be spent on the students. Not only will the data you provide offer evidence of the enormity of 

the inequity in [INSERT STATE], it will also provide evidence of the magnitude of the problem nationally. The data 

from participating schools will be used to build a database of charter school facilities data; providing concrete 

evidence to all stakeholders and allowing researchers to study the potential impact that charter school facilities 

have on student outcomes.

Please help us to collect data and research to drive solutions to this issue by completing an important charter 

school facilities survey. Participation is voluntary and confidential. Your school’s name will not be mentioned in 

any published materials without your express written consent.

Survey Access

Below is the link to the survey and the school's user name and password to access the survey.

[INSERT LINK TO SURVEY] User name: [INSERT USER NAME] Password: [INSERT PASSWORD]

We will follow-up with you in the coming days to determine the support you need to complete this survey. In 

addition, a staff member or consultant from our office will be contacting you to set up an appointment so we can 

come to your school to take measurements of your building, answer any questions you may have, and assist you 

with completing the survey.

If you have any questions, or need additional information in order to get started on the survey, please contact: 

[INSERT NAME, TITLE, EMAIL ADDRESS AND PHONE OF CONTACT PERSON]

Thank You for Helping us Make the Case for Charter School Facility Funding and equitable access to local facility 

resources!

Sincerely,
CSO Executive Director

If you have not already been contacted by the STATE CSO to make an appointment to come measure 

your school’s facility, please contact CSO CONTACT immediately. If you have been contacted and have 

not yet set a time, please do so immediately. In addition to the information you have provided, 

measurement information on every charter school in the state will provide the best evidence to STATE 

policy makers that charter schools lack equitable access to quality facilities and capital funding.

Survey Tools & Tips

In order to use your time efficiently, please gather the following before beginning the survey. Note: 

please provide this information for each individual school campus, not for an entire charter school 

network (if applicable).

1. Current enrollment information, including FTE count and total student count.

2. Actual utilities costs for [insert applicable year].

3. Ownership type and current facility loan and/or rent payments.

4. Information, including any funds received, about participation in local or state capital fund 

programs.

5. Information about facility condition and school use of the facility. 

6. Create a list of all rooms in your school, and obtain a building (floor) plan and an emergency exit 

plan. 

a. On the list please indicate the grade(s) served and maximum number of students served 

at one time for each room. 

b. If a room is used for more than one purpose, that should be indicated on the list as well. 

c. Administrative spaces (front office, principal’s office, etc) do NOT need to be included in 

the list, as they will not be measured.

Public Burden Statement According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information 

unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 3 

hours per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining thedata needed, and 

completing and reviewing the collection of information. The obligation to respond to this collection is voluntary (Part B section 5201 of the 

Elementary and Secondary Education Act). Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, 

including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20210-4537 or 

email ICDocketMgr@ed.gov and reference the OMB Control Number 1855-0024 Note: Please do not return the completed Charter School 

Facilities National Questionnaire to this address.