Found A Charter Public School

Your Blogger: M. Troy Hudson

Troy Hudson is a graduate student in the Professional Communication program at Weber State University. He has been a coach of youth sports for ten years and became a lacrosse official in 2010. He has served on two boards for non-profit organizations, including the inaugural board of the Utah Lacrosse Officials Association in 2013. 

He is actively researching how to found a charter school in Utah. Troy wants to affect education for the upcoming generations. His passion for country, youth and education come together in his dream to found a classical liberal arts charter public school.

As seen in my bio I am passionate about founding a public charter school that teaches liberal arts in the classical tradition. I have researched the idea of a classical liberal arts school affiliated with Hillsdale College and on this journey I am learning many things. Here I share that journey so others may learn from my failures and successes. This is the first of many blog posts. 

Pre-application Training

[NOTE: The dates in this blog are for 2017]

I attended a mandatory training meeting for those who want to a start charter school in the fall of 2019. This took place in February 2017at the Utah state board of education building in downtown Salt Lake City. It was led by Rabecca Cisneros, education specialist for the Utah State Charter School Board (SCSB). She went through a PowerPoint slide show and answered all our questions. There were 5 potential charter schools represented. Here is what I learned:

Charter School Authorizer

The SCSB is not that only “authorizer” in the state. What is an authorizer? They approve your proposal and plan for a new school. Besides the SCSB, you can go to either a school district or any higher education organization in the state. Those school organizations can authorize a charter school for needs identified and agreed to within their area of stewardship. These are few and far between, however, there are a few in Utah. One example is right on the college campus where I go to school: Weber State University Charter Academy.

Most public charter schools are authorized by the governor-appointed board where I received my first training. One thing I learned early is to refer to charter schools using the word, “public”. This is important because too many people misunderstand what a charter school is. It is a public school receiving public funds and subject to all state laws, but not under the control of a local district. To differentiate between the two types of public schools, use the word “public” with charter schools and the word “district” for the community schools under school district control and defined by geographic boundaries.

Public charter schools are funded by the same tax dollars collected by the state from its citizens. In Utah, 100% of all income tax goes to education, among other revenue sources such as property tax and local bonds. The amount received by public charter schools is less per student than district public schools. Fair or not, it requires that public charter schools run leaner and more efficient.

Charter schools are contracts between a legal non-profit entity and the state board of education. The state board of education, an elected body, still has oversight of charter schools. As of the 2017 legislature this oversight is under re-organization and may soon change slightly. In fact, as you prepare to start a charter school and when you successfully start that school you will need to follow the laws and possible bills closely as the debate about charter schools is continuous.

The Number One Rule

Regardless of which authorizer you work with, the number one rule is to know and follow with exactness every requirement given to you by the authorizer. Know that there are hard deadlines and missing one means you will have to try again next year. I learned that Utah is the only state that opens their public charter schools with an evergreen clause. This means you go in to the contract with no expiration date. This also means that since it is very difficult to end the contract the school must be undergo “extreme vetting” or as Rabecca stated, “hard to get out,…hard to get in.” The process is brutal. My first inquiry to start a charter school replied back that it is “a herculean effort” and it rightly scared me away for a while.

If the number one requirement is to adhere to the rules and timelines perfectly, the number one ingredient to take on the task is passion. You better believe in your idea. You must know why your charter school is needed. Not just what you want, but needed. Along every step you must defend your reason for why!

There are hundreds of great ideas, but the idea alone is not what gets your school approved. You have to have both a strong plan and a strong capacity. The diagram to the right illustrates the concept. The plan is not only your idea but how you will accomplish that idea and how you will measure that idea to prove success. The capacity is the implementation team. You must show that you have all the right skills on your governing board to take on all the tasks required. Think about what this school needs, especially those that are different from the traditional district schools.

Your public charter school is a non-profit corporation, a small to mid-size business. You must have human resources, business manager, director (more than just a principal), ongoing training, curriculum development, marketing and more. The authorizer must be convinced that you know what you are taking on by demonstrating you have all the pieces in place, recognizing your challenges and having the plan and people to handle them.

Some preliminary steps to take include a marketing analysis. Ask yourself these questions and then go get the answers: Who is your target market? Is there enough interest? Will the community support this? This is research. All good proposals require lots of research. And research is required to demonstrate you know what you are doing.

I suggest creating an initial mission statement and vision. Then a more detailed concept paper you can use to recruit and advertise. At this point you have not even submitted the initial proposal which I will explain later. I am at this point now.

Steps to Apply

Here is what to expect as you “charter” – pun intended – your way through the process. First is the pre-application Training – as described already. Next get to know the laws and rules. Statutes trump rules. You must adhere to the laws but the rules may not apply to your charter. Read the laws on the Utah government website: le.utah.gov. In particular, the laws regarding public charter schools are title 53A: chapter 1A: sections 501-523; however, you must know all the laws pertaining to public schools, because…you are a public school. Rules are more flexible and are created and enforced by the state school board, but since your charter is a contract those rules are not typically enforced on you. There may be areas where you request exemptions. These rules are coded as “R277-R280” on the rules.utah.gov website. Know them so you can make sure you get exemption if needed. As I get through those I will write more.

The Proposal Stage

There are four stages to know in the application process. Everything you have read to now is preparing you to go through these stages. The State Charter School Board must have your written proposal by 4 p.m. on June 30. This is the first deadline and there are no exceptions. This proposal is a shorter version of what you put in the application later. More on this later.

You then attend a four hour bootcamp by the SCSB and on August 10 you and every member of your board goes before the SCSB in person and you present your individual “elevator speeches” that shows you are real people with real passion and a real plan. It is only then that the board decides whether to invite you to apply. That’s right. You have not even started applying yet. That one surprised me too.

The elevator speech is the 30 second explanation you give if you were to get on an elevator and had to describe your charter school reason for existing in a way that leaves no doubt in your audience’s mind.

The First Application Stage

Stage two is only for those that pass the last stage. On August 11 you get notified and, if invited, you are expected to submit the complete application – first draft – by Sept. 28, 4 p.m. The good news is that you get to submit a first draft that is reviewed by the SCSB organization. You receive comments on the areas that still need work or more information. Plan to have the reviewed application with comments by Oct. 30. The application is at least 100 pages of information and many reach 300 pages with all the supporting documents. Remember the Hercules reference?

The Final Application Stage

The second version of the application is due Nov. 28 at what time? 4 p.m., of course. Address the comments from the reviewers – IF you wish to succeed. This stage is your second submission but it is also your final submission. This final version is the one the governor-appointed board members review. They have not seen or likely even heard of you and your charter school. To this point only the staff, such as Rabecca, has read and reviewed. The staff is there to assist you along the way with the steps requirements but they are not there to mentor you or assist in what your idea is and how to implement it.

Presentation to the Board – Acceptance or Rejection

Next you are given a time to appear before the seven-member board. The board members serve for four year terms that overlap; meaning you can expect at least half of the members to change every two years. The dates for these interviews are Dec. 11-15. They are called, “Governing Board Capacity Interview”. The entire board must attend and you can invite your key administrator or education service – an organization you hire to manage the business side, if you choose.

The board members have an anonymous straw poll to weed out the rejections and then debate in the open meeting the merits and problems they each see. A final vote is taken and you know right then and there if you are approved.

Final Thoughts

Hercules might have had it easier. You and I will need help. Follow me and watch as I charter my way through this process. If you live in Utah and want to be part of my noble quest to bring about great educational choices, contact me. Any type of help is needed even if you cannot commit to be a member of the governing board.