2023 Montana Code Annotated › Title 20. Education › Chapter 6. School Districts › Part 8. Public Charter Schools › 20-6-805. Public charter school proposal process

20-6-805. Public charter school proposal process.
(1) To solicit, encourage, and guide the development of public charter schools, the board of public education shall issue and broadly publicize a request for proposal by October 1 in 2023 and by June 1 of each year thereafter. The content and dissemination of the request for proposal must be consistent with the purposes and requirements of this part.
(2) The request for proposal must include:
(a) the criteria that will guide the board's decision to approve or deny a charter proposal;
(b) clear and detailed questions designed to gauge an applicant's capacity to establish and operate a successful public charter school, as well as guidelines concerning the format and content of an applicant's response to the request for proposal.
(3) A request for proposal must require applicants to describe thoroughly the following essential elements of their public charter school proposal:
(a) an executive summary;
(b) the mission and vision of the proposed public charter school, including identification of the targeted student population and the community the school proposes to serve;
(c) the school district in which the public charter school is proposed to be located and operate;
(d) the grades to be served each year for the full term of the charter contract;
(e) the minimum, planned, and maximum enrollment per year for the term of the charter contract;
(f) specific evidence:
(i) of significant community support for the proposed public charter school; and
(ii) for an applicant that is not a local school board:
(A) that the applicant has sought from the local school board the creation of a school or program of the located school district serving the mission and vision of the proposed public charter school;
(B) the local school board declined to create the school or program or submit to the board of public education a proposal for the creation of a public charter school consistent with the mission and vision of the proposed public charter school; and
(C) a legal description of the property of the existing school district from which the boundaries of the charter school district are proposed to be formed;
(g) for an applicant that is not a local school board, background information on the initial governing board members and, if identified, the proposed school leadership and management team;
(h) the proposed public charter school's proposed calendar and sample daily schedule;
(i) a description of the academic program, including:
(i) plans to formally assess student achievement on an annual basis; and
(ii) variances to existing standards that the proposed public charter school requires;
(j) a description of the proposed public charter school's instructional design, including the type of learning environment, class size and structure, curriculum overview, and teaching methods;
(k) the proposed public charter school's plans for identifying and successfully serving students with disabilities, students who are English language learners, students who are academically challenged, and gifted students, including but not limited to compliance with applicable laws and regulations;
(l) a description of cocurricular or extracurricular programs, if any, and how the programs will be funded and delivered;
(m) plans and timelines for student recruitment and enrollment, including lottery procedures;
(n) the proposed public charter school's student discipline policies, including those for special education students;
(o) an organizational chart that clearly presents the proposed public charter school's organizational structure, including lines of authority and reporting between the governing board, staff, related bodies such as advisory bodies or parent and teacher councils, and external organizations that will play a role in managing the school;
(p) a clear description of the roles and responsibilities for the governing board, the proposed public charter school's leadership and management team, and other entities shown in the organizational chart;
(q) a staffing chart for the proposed public charter school's first year and a staffing plan for the term of the charter;
(r) plans for recruiting and developing school leadership and staff;
(s) the proposed public charter school's leadership and teacher employment policies, including performance evaluation plans;
(t) proposed governing bylaws;
(u) explanations of any partnerships or contractual relationships central to the proposed public charter school's operations or mission;
(v) the proposed public charter school's plans for providing transportation, food service, and all other significant operational or ancillary services, if any;
(w) opportunities and expectations for parent involvement;
(x) a detailed school startup plan, identifying tasks, timelines, and responsible individuals;
(y) a description of the proposed public charter school's financial plan and policies, including financial controls and audit requirements;
(z) a description of the insurance coverage the proposed public charter school will obtain;
(aa) startup and 5-year budgets with clearly stated assumptions;
(bb) startup and first-year cash flow projections with clearly stated assumptions;
(cc) evidence of anticipated fundraising contributions, if claimed in the proposal; and
(dd) a sound facilities plan, including backup or contingency plans, if appropriate.
(4) If a public charter school proposal does not contain the elements required in subsection (3), the board shall consider the proposal incomplete and return the proposal to the applicant without taking further action.
(5) In reviewing and evaluating charter proposals, the board shall employ procedures, practices, and criteria consistent with nationally recognized best practices, principles, and standards for the authorization of public charter schools. The proposal review process must include thorough evaluation of each written charter proposal, an in-person interview with the applicant, and an opportunity in a public forum for local residents to learn about and provide input on each proposal.
(6) In deciding whether to approve charter proposals, the board shall:
(a) grant charters only to applicants that have demonstrated competence in each element of the board's published approval criteria and are likely to open and operate a successful public charter school;
(b) base decisions on documented evidence collected through the proposal review process;
(c) for an applicant that is not a local school board, request input from the qualified electors of the located school district regarding concerns about the applicant's proposal being approved;
(d) follow charter-granting policies and practices that are transparent and are based on merit and avoid conflicts of interest or any appearance of conflict; and
(e) weigh heavily the evidence of community support, the projected student enrollment, and the input received under subsection (6)(c) and only approve charters whose promise of improved educational outcomes outweighs potential increased costs to state and local taxpayers.
(7) (a) The board shall approve or deny a charter proposal within 90 days after the filing of the charter proposal. When approval is granted to a governing board other than a local school board, the approval constitutes corresponding approval of the creation of a separate charter school district, the boundaries for which consist of the legal description of the campus of the charter school. These boundaries must be removed from the boundaries of the located school district for the purpose of establishing a distinct boundary for the charter school district that is subject to exclusive supervision and control by the governing board of the charter school district.
(b) The board shall adopt by resolution all charter approval or denial decisions in an open meeting.
(c) An approval decision may include, if appropriate, reasonable conditions that the applicant must meet before a charter contract may be executed pursuant to 20-6-806.
(d) For any charter denial, the board shall clearly state for the public record the reasons for denial.
History: En. Sec. 5, Ch. 510, L. 2023.