SECTION 210:40-87-5. Charter school application

(a)   Training. Prior to submission of any additional applications to a proposed sponsor to establish a charter school, the prospective charter school applicant shall complete training as provided by the State Department of Education. The training shall include but not be limited to the following:

(1)   Process and requirements for establishing a charter school

(2)   Relevant Rules and Statutes pertaining to Charter Schools

(3)   Child Nutrition/Free and Reduced Lunch

(4)   Audits/State Aid/OCAS Reporting

(5)   School Personnel/Transportation

(6)   Curriculum/Gifted and Talented/Student Assessment

(7)   The WAVE Requirements

(8)   Open Meeting/Open Records/Ethics

(9)   Special Education

(b)   Establishment of a new charter school. A new charter school will be considered established when a charter school application complies with 70 O.S. § 3-134 and is approved by the governing board of a sponsoring entity set forth in 70 O.S. § 3-132, or by the State Board of Education following a successful appeal under the procedure established pursuant to state law.

(c)   Processing the receipt of approved charter school applications. All charter schools must file charter documents with the State Department of Education Office of Accreditation. The following documents must be filed:

(1)   A copy of the sponsor's board minutes approving the charter school application;

(2)   A copy of the completed charter school application;

(3)   A copy of the approved contract for the new charter school; and

(4)   A letter addressed to the Office of Accreditation that includes the following:

(A)   A request for the school to be assigned a county code, district code, and site code;

(B)   The physical and mailing addresses of the charter school;

(C)   Contact information for the school administrator or a designee;

(D)   Grades served; and

(E)   The month and year the charter school will begin operation.

(d)   Application requirements. An applicant seeking to establish a charter school shall submit a written application to the proposed sponsor. The application must include all statutorily required items listed in 70 O.S. § 3-134(B).

(e)   School district sponsors. A school district may sponsor a charter school located within the geographic boundaries of the sponsoring district, subject to the virtual education restrictions of 70 O.S. § 3-145.6. Pursuant to 70 O.S. § 3-132(A)(8), an applicant that has been denied a charter by the local school district in which it seeks to operate shall be eligible to appeal to the State Board of Education under the provisions of 210:40-87-8.

(f)   Other sponsors. A non-school-district sponsor shall give priority to applicants that have demonstrated a record of operating at least one school or similar program that demonstrates academic success and organizational viability and serves student populations similar to those the proposed charter school seeks to serve. In making this assessment, a sponsor must consider the statutory factors listed in 70 O.S. § 3-132(C).

(g)   Arbitration available if non-school-district sponsor denies application. If a non-school-district sponsor rejects an application which has been revised and re-submitted pursuant to 70 O.S. § 3-134(E), the applicant may proceed to binding arbitration under the commercial rules of the American Arbitration Association. The costs of arbitration will be borne by the proposed sponsor. Arbitration is not available to applicants for charter schools proposed to be sponsored by school district boards of education, which may appeal to the State Board under the provisions of 210:40-87-8 if the proposed district sponsor rejects an application which has been revised pursuant to 70 O.S. § 3-134(E).

[Source: Added at 25 Ok Reg 1510, eff 4-11-08 (emergency); Added at 26 Ok Reg 1029, eff 5-11-09; Amended at 33 Ok Reg 733, eff 8-25-16]