Education Department Issues

Call For Charter School Proposals

HARTFORD — The State Department of Education has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for new charter schools that could open as soon as next fall. The RFP is for both state-funded and locally funded charter schools. The State Board of Education may or may not be able to grant new charters next year, depending on available funding authorized by the General Assembly.

Charter schools are public nonsectarian schools that operate independently of any local or regional board of education and represent an innovative means for educational change. They are designed and operated by enterprising groups of parents, educators, and other members of the community who have a clear vision of an educational mission and, at the same time, are held accountable to their students and the public. At the present time, there are 16 state charter schools operating in Connecticut.

Applications are due to the Connecticut State Department of Education on or before June 15. The State Board of Education must vote on the complete application within 75 days of receipt of such application and may act on the approval of charter applications on a staggered basis depending on when an application is filed. A copy must also be filed with the local or regional school board in the town where the school will be located.

Applications for local charters must be filed with the local or regional board of education by June 15, with a copy to the State Board of Education. The local or regional board of education must vote on the application and, if approved, forward it to the State Board of Education for action. The State Board must vote on the application within 75 days of the date it is received from the local or regional board of education.

State charter schools are funded by a per-pupil grant from the General Assembly. The grant for the current year is $8,000 per pupil. Local charters receive funding from the boards of education in which students attending the charter school reside, and budgets must be negotiated on an individual school basis. Charter school start-up grants from the US Department of Education are available to provide funding for planning and implementing schools during their first three years.

Start-up grants of $100,000 are available to local school districts planning local charter schools and implementation grants are available for their first two years of operation. Implementation grants are available for state charter schools in each of their first three years of operation. These grants are calculated using a base grant of $100,000 and an additional $332 per student enrolled.

The Department of Education is advising applicants that the 2007–09 biennial budget may not contain funding for additional charter schools. Thus there is no guarantee that there will be sufficient funding to allow successful applicants to open in September 2007. The State Board of Education will approve applications contingent on funding from the General Assembly in the 2007 session.

The RFP may be viewed on the department’s website at www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2683&Q=320346#equity_and_choice  .