TWiki> Main Web>CharterAssociation>CharterContracts (14 Mar 2009, TWikiAdminUser)EditAttach
-- TWikiAdminUser - 25 Jan 2009

By definition a Charter School is given autonomy in exchange for strict accountability. The basis of both is the contract between the school and its authorizer. While there is no such thing as a “perfect contract” and every school’s contract will have unique aspects, there are some basics that need to be addressed in any Charter School’s contract. Of course, Federal and State law and local labor agreements must be considered alongside many of these basic contract issues.
At the end of this page is a document that describes best practices related to contracting from the National Association of Charter School Authorizers
The list below are those things that are important in a Charter School contract in Wisconsin:
  1. It is a legal and binding agreement.
  2. It establishes and protects an independent, viable and active Charter School Governing Council that ensures parental involvement.
  3. It allows for amendment by mutual agreement and does not allow the authorizer to amend the contract at will and terminate the contract if the
    school does not agree.
  4. It specifies the amount to be paid to the Charter School during each school year of the contract.
  5. It defines a distinctive educational program and protects the school's ability to operate it.
  6. It defines the methods the school uses to enable students to attain the State's educational goals.
  7. It defines the methods the school uses to measure student progress.
  8. It states the qualifications required for people to be employed in the school.
  9. It defines procedures the school follows to ensure the health and safety of the students.
  10. It defines the means by which the school will achieve racial and ethnic balance among its students reflecting the school district's population.
  11. It defines requirements for admission.
  12. It defines the Charter School's participation in categorical school aid and grant programs.
  13. It defines requirements for financial and programmatic audits that can be met by the school at a reasonable cost.
  14. It allows the Charter School a significant role in selecting the school leader and all school staff.
  15. It allows for flexibility in the processes of evaluating the school administrator, the teachers and other school staff.
  16. It allows the school to have a significant role in teacher and staff development.
  17. It ensures that the student enrollment processes guarantee free and informed family and student choice to attend the school.
  18. It defines enrollment preferences, if desired, for siblings and children of founders and staff.
  19. It defines the school's policy for disciplining students.
  20. It allows the school to define its school calendar without the authorizer imposing undo additional costs on the school.
  21. It protects the school from disruptive facility moves or changes.
  22. It ensures a fair allocation of financial and other resources to the Charter School consistent with those received by common schools in the area.
  23. It ensures that the Charter School is not required to pay for products or services offered by the authorizer at rates exceeding those paid by common schools.
  24. It allows the Charter School the choice to seek and pay for outside products and services where these are of higher quality and equal or lower costs than
    those offered through the authorizer.
  25. It protects the school leader and staff from bureaucratic constraints and requirements from which they are exempt by State law.
  26. It clearly confines requirements for meeting attendance and participation in authorizer affairs to only those that relate to Charter Schools.
  27. It clearly and specifically states accountability requirements and measurements.
  28. It allows flexibility in the methods for testing and reporting on the performance of students.
  29. It includes valid termination clauses allowing for termination for cause by both parties and includes a reasonable process to notify the parties
    of a breech and allows a reasonable period for a cure.
  30. It requires notices to the Charter School be made during regular business hours and allows a reasonable amount of time for response.
  31. It requires the Charter School to produce only those documents, reports and data necessary for the supervision and assessment of the
    Charter School by the authorizer.
  32. It allows the Charter School to apply for and accept funds from grants, foundations and corporations, and other sources.
  33. It allows the Charter School in its own right to form educational partnerships with other institutions and community organizations.
  34. It specifies which district Board policies are waived for the Charter School.

Edit | Attach | Print version | History: r5 < r4 < r3 < r2 < r1 | Backlinks | Raw View | Raw edit | More topic actions
Topic revision: r5 - 14 Mar 2009 - 19:51:41 - TWikiAdminUser
 
This site is powered by the TWiki collaboration platformCopyright © by the contributing authors. All material on this collaboration platform is the property of the contributing authors.
Ideas, requests, problems regarding TWiki? Send feedback