An overview of the application process and legal procedures for establishing a Charter School in Pennsylvania including the appellate review process.
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Overview
Pennsylvania’s Charter School system was established by Act 22 in 1997. Since that time, over one hundred and twenty public charter schools serving more than 60,000 students have begun operating in Pennsylvania. Almost a dozen of these charter schools are cyber charter schools which serve more than 17,000 students.
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Act 22
According to Act 22, Pennsylvania’s charter school system is intended to:
• Improve pupil learning;
• Increase learning opportunities for all pupils;
• Encourage the use of different and innovative teaching methods;
• Create new professional opportunities for teachers, including the opportunity to be responsible for the learning program at the school site;
• Provide parents and pupils with expanded choices in the types of educational opportunities that are available within the public school system; and
• Hold the schools established under the act accountable for meeting measurable academic standards and provide the school with a method to establish accountability systems
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Getting Started
If the local school district denies the application, the applicant has sixty days to gather signatures from two percent of the adults in the community or 1,000 adults, whichever is less. The petition for appeal and the signatures are then presented to the local Court of Common Pleas for a hearing. The Court of Common Pleas does not decide the Starting a new charter school in Pennsylvania is a resource-intensive enterprise. Before ever opening a charter school, its organizers must spend a considerable amount of time planning and drafting the charter application and its supporting material. Preparing the application will require input from individuals with skill and experience in education methods, financial management, and school administration. These individuals will need the assistance
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Financial Assistance
Financial assistance is available through U.S. Department of Education grants that are awarded by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The grants are intended to assist in meeting planning needs up to eighteen months preceding the charter’s school’s opening. Applicants can apply for up to $50,000 in grant money at this stage. Once the charter school has been authorized, additional grants of up to $300,000 are available to assist with the implementation of the charter school’s program. The grants are awarded through a competitive process and graded by earning points for various components of the application and supporting materials. Thorough preparation of the grant application is crucial both to the approval and the amount of the grant received.
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Submitting the Application
Once the charter school application is prepared, it is submitted to the local school district where the charter school plans to operate. The Charter School Law provides specific timelines for the application process. Careful thought must be given to the amount of time that may be required for approval and how this will affect the target start date for the new charter school.
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Charter school applications are approved or denied by a majority vote of the chartering district’s board. The charter school applicant must first demonstrate that it has sustainable support from teachers, parents, other community members and students. Typically, the applicant will attempt to establish this support by gathering signed petitions, letters and written testimonials, pre-enrollments, and preparation of oral testimony for presentation to the local school district.
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