1. RESULTS EXCELLENCE INNOVATION
SOUTH CAROLINA
Best Practices in Starting a Charter School
Hunter Schimpff, SCPCSD

2. Ask Yourself Why am I submitting a charter application?
Why do I want this school to exist?
What will the school do?
What will be the defining features and core beliefs of the school I wish to start?
Who do I need to join me in this pursuit?
How will I know the school is successful?
Have you established that there is demand for your model?
Have you researched student achievement in the proposed area to be served?
Have parents shown that they are interested?
Does your academic model fit the community to be served?

3. Preparing a Charter School
Resource guide: “Starting Strong: Best Practices in Starting a Charter School”

4. Lessons Learned from Successful Charters
They take the time to plan - one to two years of planning before opening is crucial.
They begin with and sustain a focus on children, accountability, and quality.
They don’t lose sight of their vision.
They create a culture around achievement and have high expectations for all students.
They have sound business and organizational practices.

5. Preparing a Charter School
Have you done serious planning and preparing capacity for both elements?
A charter school is:
A school A business operation

6. Charter Authorizers & Charter Schools…
Public charter schools retain more control over a greater percentage of dollars and more autonomy over how to spend those dollars at the school level to ensure student success. Some key tenets of the authorizer/charter school relationship:
As public charter schools, schools must be open to all students. The SCPCSD exists to ensure access and equity for all students and hold schools accountable for being non-discriminatory in admissions and educational service delivery.
Public charter schools receive public funds. The SCPCSD exists to ensure those funds are being spent responsibly through monthly and annual financial monitoring and reporting requirements.
With autonomy over most funds and control over many school level decisions, the SCPCSD does not exist in the same vein as a traditional school district central office. The District’s role is not to make many of the decisions that would impact the educational program at the school level.
The SCPCSD maintains high standards and expects public charter schools in its District to provide excellent and equitable educational opportunities to students. A term-limited performance contract is the basis for the school’s existence. If the school is not performing according to this performance contract, the school can be non-renewed at the end of the term (10 years) or revoked before the term expires.

7. SCPCSD’s Role/Your Role Examples:
Charter School
Determine viability of the charter school applicant group to carry out a given model successfully in a South Carolina community
Monitor the school’s performance according to the performance goals for its particular model and the District’s School Performance Framework (SPF)
Facilitate background checks and ensure teacher certification requirements
Provide and manage a student information system (SIS)
Provide Special Education training and ensure quality special education service delivery in schools
Receive state and federal funds and disburse to schools
Establish the school model (e.g. Montessori, STEM, Blended Learning)
Personnel decisions
Establish and conduct staff performance evaluations
Plan and provide staff professional development
Choose the curriculum
Structure how the curriculum is taught
Set the yearly and daily schedule
Be non-selective in admissions
Educate all students who enroll, including students with disabilities, English Learners, and at-risk students
Establish a data-driven infrastructure to monitor student progress and manage finances and operations
Procurement and purchasing decisions
Find and procure school facility

8. Founding Board: All Set?
Founding committee and initial board will launch most of the charter school (unless an EMO is involved). This should be a board willing to work!!
Do you have the team you need? (Finance, operations, facilities, data, and HR for hiring school leadership and teachers, student recruitment and marketing)
What will the board look like and how often will it meet?
Committee structure
Regular meetings
How will you track application writing?
How often will you meet, provide progress updates?
Full board or special committee?

9. What You Will Need A high capacity and diverse planning committee
A solid mission
A comprehensive educational plan
A comprehensive financial plan
A comprehensive organizational plan

10. What You Will Need To Do
Demonstrate you can create a successful start-up and have it ready to open in a short time
Articulate not just what you will do but how you will do it
Develop a successful academic program and align it to the mission
Establish an effective board
Establish effective building leadership and a positive culture

11. Manage and monitor performance and be accountable
Recruit and retain students
Acquire suitable facilities and acquire/allocate resources
Manage a budget
Attract and manage talent
Manage external relationships
Remain focused on the mission

12. And Remember These Guiding Principles
Access & Equity
. High Quality
Stewardship
You are developing a public school-protect the rights of students and parents to equal access and treatment.
Focus on providing a high quality educational option for all students.
Be responsible stewards of public funding-
you will be given
public dollars to
educate the
children of South
Carolina.