They organized a mailing to bring students in until there was a waiting list. This is something a college looks at and appreciates. They like pioneers and risk takers and seek evidence of leadership. If nothing else, struggling through the equivalent of a dot com startup, an educational startup, is exactly the kind of experience that will last that student a lifetime. The first place to look is your local school board or state board of education.
Charter laws vary from state to state.
There are a number of support organizations and clearinghouses as well. And the Department of Education dispenses seed money to help charter schools pay for that first month's rent, start the teachers on a salary, and get up and running. This site is run by the DOE and has links to every state organization with a charter school tie, from the board of education to the local charter board to the schools themselves. America's education system is not as bad as politicians say and not as good as many of us, particularly those of us in wealthy communities, think it is. Find out what is broken and then figure out what you can do to fix it.