(1) The board shall evaluate an application submitted by a school district seeking to be an authorizer and issue a decision on the application at their next regularly scheduled meeting.
(2) In evaluating each application, the board will rate each part of the application as set forth in this chapter as well-developed, partially developed, or undeveloped, based on criteria for evaluation included in the authorizer application developed and made publicly available pursuant to WAC
180-19-030.
(3) In its evaluation the board will consider whether the district's proposed policies and practices are consistent with the
NACSA Principles and Standards as required by RCW
28A.710.100(3), in at least the following areas:
(a) Organizational capacity: Commit human and financial resources necessary to conduct authorizing duties effectively and efficiently;
(b) Solicitation and evaluation of charter applications: Implement a comprehensive application process that includes clear application questions and rigorous criteria, and grants charters only to applicants who demonstrate strong capacity to establish and operate a charter school;
(c) Performance contracting: Execute contracts with charter schools that articulate the rights and responsibilities of each party regarding school autonomy, funding, administration and oversight, outcomes, measures for evaluating success or failure, performance consequences, and other material terms;
(d) Ongoing charter school oversight and evaluation: Conduct contract oversight that competently evaluates performance and monitors compliance, ensures schools' legally entitled autonomy, protects student rights, informs intervention, revocation and renewal decisions, and provides annual reports as required by chapter
28A.710 RCW; and
(e) Charter renewal and revocation decision making: Design and implement a transparent and rigorous process that uses comprehensive academic, financial and operational performance data to make merit-based renewal decisions, and revokes charters when necessary to protect student and public interests.
(4) The board may utilize the services of external reviewers with expertise in educational, organizational, or financial matters in evaluating applications.
(5) Prior to approving any application, the board may require an interview with district leadership for the purpose of reviewing and evaluating the application. The interview may be used to supplement or clarify information provided by the district in the written application. The information received in the interview may be considered in formulating the overall ratings of the application under subsection (2) of this section.
(6) For an application to be approved, the board must find it to be well developed in each part of the application as set forth in this chapter. A determination that an application does not meet standards of quality authorizing in any part shall constitute grounds for disapproval. If the state board disapproves an application, it shall state in writing the reasons for the disapproval, with specific reference to the criteria included in the authorizer application.
(7) The board shall post on its public website the applications of all school districts approved as authorizers within 10 business days of approval. A school district approved as an authorizer shall post an announcement of its approved application and a link to the board's website on a public website within 10 business days of approval.
[Statutory Authority: Chapter
28A.710 RCW. WSR 24-07-015, § 180-19-040, filed 3/7/24, effective 4/7/24. Statutory Authority: RCW
28A.710.090,
28A.710.130,
28A.710.140,
28A.710.150 and chapter
28A.710 RCW. WSR 21-05-017, § 180-19-040, filed 2/5/21, effective 3/8/21. Statutory Authority: RCW
28A.710.090,
28A.710.130,
28A.710.140, and
28A.710.150. WSR 17-20-070, § 180-19-040, filed 10/2/17, effective 11/2/17; WSR 14-19-107, § 180-19-040, filed 9/16/14, effective 10/17/14. Statutory Authority: RCW
28A.710.090. WSR 13-07-065, § 180-19-040, filed 3/19/13, effective 4/19/13.]
