Opinion ID: 2646196
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: A description of the charter school staff

Text: responsibilities and the proposed qualifications of teaching staff; 4
implemented to ensure significant parental involvement in the operation of the school; j. A description of, and address for, the physical facility in which the charter school will be located; k. Information on the manner in which community groups will be involved in the charter school planning process; l. The financial plan for the charter school and the provisions which will be made for auditing the school pursuant to the provisions of [N.J.S.A. 18A:23-1]; m. A description of and justification for any waivers of regulations which the charter school will request; and n. Such other information as the commissioner may require. [N.J.S.A. 18A:36A-5.] Regulations impose additional requirements, including completion of the Department’s “New Jersey Charter School Application.” N.J.A.C. 6A:11-2.1(b)(1); see N.J. Dep’t of Educ. Office of Charter Sch., Phase One Request for Applications (2013), available at http://www.nj.gov/education/chartsch/app/2013PhaseOneCharter SchoolApplication.pdf. The initial application form is made available no later than August 31 of each year. N.J.A.C. 6A:11- 2.1(b)(1). 5 Significantly, the application process proceeds in two phases.1 In phase one, the application must include i. The name of the proposed charter school;

[N.J.A.C. 6A:11-2.1(b)(2).] The Commissioner determines whether the applicant is a “qualified applicant” that advances to phase two of the evaluation process. See N.J.A.C. 6A:11-2.1(b)(3), (c). In order to advance to phase two, the applicant must have submitted an application that[: 1] has a clear, focused, and results-oriented mission statement that aligns with all parts of the application; [2] demonstrates understanding of the population that the school is likely to serve; [3] has an educational program that is likely to be effective for the student population; [4] has strong and 1 The process is further separated into standard applications and expedited applications. Standard applicants may submit the phase one application no later than March 31 of the year before the school seeks to open. N.J.A.C. 6A:11-2.1(b)(5). Applicants with “demonstrable experience operating an educational institution” may submit applications by October 15 for expedited review. N.J.A.C. 6A:11-2.1(g). Quest’s application seeking expedited review was filed in accordance with the October 15 deadline. 6 diverse leadership; and [5] has strong financial planning and management. [N.J.A.C. 6A:11-2.1(b)(3)(ii).] In phase two, the applicant must submit additional detailed information addressing the following:

(10) All required documentation as set forth in the phase two application. Such documentation shall include, but not be limited to: course and curriculum outlines, graduation requirements, school scheduling information, professional backgrounds of administrators and staff, professional development and evaluation plans, an organizational chart, and documentation of fiscal and legal compliance. [N.J.A.C. 6A:11-2.1(b)(3)(iii).] Following receipt of the required phase two information, the Commissioner schedules the applicant for “an in-depth interview” with the Commissioner or a designated representative. N.J.A.C. 6A:11-2.1(b)(3)(iv), (e). 7 Each charter school application must be submitted not only to the Commissioner, but also to the local board of education or, if the district is being operated under State intervention,2 the State district superintendent. N.J.S.A. 18A:36A-4(c). The board or district superintendent must review the application and recommend to the Commissioner whether she should grant or deny the application. See ibid. (requiring board of education in which proposed charter school is to be located to review application and to forward to Commissioner recommendation on application’s merit); N.J.A.C. 6A:11-2.1(d)(1)-(2) (requiring same and setting forth specified time frames dependent on phase of review). The information clearly is intended to assist the Commissioner in her consideration of the application. Despite all their detail, the statutory and regulatory programmatic requirements provide no guidance to the Commissioner on how to assess an application. Case law imposes two requirements, however. First, “the Commissioner must assess the racial impact that a charter school applicant will have on the district of residence in which the charter school will operate” and “must use the full panoply of [her] powers to avoid” segregation resulting from the grant of a charter school 2 N.J.S.A. 18A:7A-34 permits the State Board to place a failing school district under State control. The State Board appoints a State district superintendent to run such a district. See N.J.S.A. 18A:7A-35. 8 application. In re Grant of Charter Sch. Application of Englewood on the Palisades Charter Sch. (Englewood on the Palisades II), 164 N.J. 316, 329 (2000). Second, if the local school district “demonstrates with some specificity that the constitutional requirements of a thorough and efficient education would be jeopardized by [the district’s] loss” of the funds to be allocated to a charter school, “the Commissioner is obligated to evaluate carefully the impact that loss of funds would have on the ability of the district of residence to deliver a thorough and efficient education.” Id. at 334-35; see N.J. Const. art. VIII, § 4, ¶ 1 (“The Legislature shall provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of free public schools for the instruction of all the children in the State between the ages of five and eighteen years.”).