Academic Performance

Financial Performance

Organizational Performance

The School Board shall evaluate charter schools using the student performance indicators and related measures set forth in the CSAF and its operating agreement.

Charter schools shall participate fully in the Louisiana standardized testing and accountability programs, including the administration of all required state assessments.

The School Board shall evaluate each charter school’s compliance with financial and organizational performance expectations outlined in the CSAF and the school’s operating agreement.

A Notice of Concern is a notice of potential compliance deficiency where there may be signs of a deficiency that do not arise to a sufficient level of evidence for a noncompliance notice or that may be issued if repeated or significant concerns are raised that are not specifically delineated within current charter agreements.

A Noncompliance Notice Level 1 is a notice of a compliance deficiency, less severe in nature, for issues that the School Board administration determines are non-recurring, non-intentional, and that do not cause harm to students.

A Non-compliance Notice Level 2 is a notice of a compliance deficiency that is more severe in nature, such as a Notice of Concern or Level 1 issue that goes unaddressed or reoccurs, or an issue that the School Board administration determines to be intentional or to represent potential or real harm to students’ well-being, educational rights, and/or educational safety.

A Noncompliance Notice Level 3 is a notice of compliance deficiency that arises from a Noncompliance Level 2 notification, such as failure to implement or follow remedies as directed in a Noncompliance Level 2 notification.

Level 2 or 3 Non-Compliance Notices shall be reported to the School Board Accountability Committee meeting immediately following the issuance of the Notices and shall be posted to OPSB’s website.

Charter schools that are placed on an improvement plan by the School Board or that are required to submit a plan to the Louisiana Department of Education as a result of receiving a label of Comprehensive or Urgent Intervention Required shall distribute the plan to the guardians and families of students currently enrolled in the schools to ensure that guardians and families are aware of current actions the school is undertaking to improve its performance.

The charter school shall also provide any additional notification to guardians and families of students as set forth in the CSAF.

Extended to complete the initial five year term; or

Non-extended and allowed to expire at the end of the school’s fourth year of operation.

The Superintendent may recommend extension for a school in its initial term if the charter school’s most recent letter grade is an “A”, “B”, “C”, or “D”, or a charter school that has not yet been issued a letter grade by the state.

Given the unforeseen accountability impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, for the 2020-2021 through 2023-2024 extension reviews, the Superintendent may permit an extension for any school that fails to meet the extension standards outlined above.

Automatic Renewal:  Pursuant to La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:3992, the Superintendent, shall automatically recommend renewal of the operating agreements for a school that earns an SPRI of “A” or “B” and a Progress Index of “A” for each of the three consecutive school years immediately preceding the school’s renewal and that has no significant organizational or financial concerns for each of those three school years.

Renewal Review:  Charter schools that do not qualify for automatic renewal shall be considered for renewal in accordance with the procedures articulated in the CSAF and in this policy.

The methodology for the calculation of the SPRI measure shall be articulated in the CSAF.

For schools in their initial term, the SPRI shall be the more favorable SPRI based on the most recent one or two years of School Performance Scores (“SPS”) issued by the state.

For schools in their second or subsequent terms, the SPRI shall include multiple years of school performance outcomes.

for schools that receive multiple Level 2 Non-compliance Notifications during the current charter term or that are subject to a Level 2 Non-compliance Notification at the time the renewal recommendation is presented to the School Board; or

where fewer than fifty percent (50%) of the school’s enrolled grades are testable under state accountability.

for schools that have Area(s) of Concern, as defined in the CSAF.

Schools eligible for such a comprehensive evaluation are:

Schools with an SPRI of “D” AND a Progress Index of “C.”

Schools with an SPRI of “F” AND a Progress Index of “A.”

Any charter school that has not yet been issued a letter grade by the state.

Given the unforeseen accountability impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, for the 2020-2021 through 2023-2024 renewal process, the Superintendent may permit a comprehensive evaluation for any school that fails to meet the standards outlined in the above table.

In a year in which the state does not issue SPS letter grades, the Superintendent may permit a comprehensive evaluation for any school that fails to meet the standards outlined for a standard renewal.

If the Superintendent recommends such a school for renewal, the recommendation may be contingent upon additional requirements for the charter operator, including, but not limited to, reconfiguration of the school’s enrollment and grade level, changes in programmatic offerings, and other potential changes to school characteristics.

A school shall not be eligible for a contingent renewal as detailed in this paragraph more than once during its existence, except in the following circumstances:

Schools that are in their initial term and do not receive a letter grade because the state did not issue the school a letter grade shall not have their initial comprehensive evaluation count toward the number of comprehensive evaluations received.

The superintendent may permit an additional comprehensive evaluation for any school subject to renewal during the 2020-2021 through 2023-2024 renewal process when there were unforeseen accountability impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A school consolidation meeting all the requirements below shall not have its initial comprehensive evaluation count toward the total number of comprehensive evaluations received:

Includes at least one school with a SPRI of “C” or higher or a Progress Letter Grade of “A”; and

The comprehensive evaluation is the first review of the charter after the consolidation.

Details on the comprehensive evaluation process shall be defined within the CSAF.

Charter operators participating in the comprehensive evaluation process and members of the public shall have the opportunity to provide public comment concerning the renewal decision.

The Superintendent may revoke a school’s operating agreement during its charter term for the following reasons, as identified in statute and/or the terms of the school’s operating agreement:

Material violation of the operating agreement;

Failure to meet or pursue within the agreed timelines the academic and other educational results specified in the operating agreement and the CSAF;

Failure to meet generally accepted accounting standards of fiscal management;

Egregious and/or consistent violation of federal, state or local laws or School Board policies;

Gross mismanagement of public funds;

Financial malfeasance;

Failure to retain and maintain adequate facilities;

Failure to sustain student enrollment sufficient to meet financial obligations;

Failure to open an approved charter school within twenty-four months after execution of the operating agreement, unless granted an extension by the School Board;

Failure to timely execute an LEA Agreement mutually agreed to with the School Board at any time during the charter term, where the charter school is a part of the School Board’s local educational agency; or

Failure to protect the health, safety, and/or welfare of students.

The Superintendent shall provide written notice of a proposed revocation to the charter school’s governing board, not later than thirty (30) calendar days prior to the School Board meeting during which the Superintendent will make a recommendation regarding a proposed revocation.

The Superintendent shall provide written notice of a proposed revocation to all school staff, and the parents or guardians of all current school students, at least fifteen (15) calendar days prior to the Superintendent’s revocation recommendation to the School Board.

At least five (5) calendar days prior to the presentation of a recommendation for revocation of a school’s operating agreement, the Superintendent shall conduct one or more school community meetings, to be held at the facility currently occupied by the school proposed to be closed, or in a location as near as practicable.

The Superintendent shall present recommendations to the School Board regarding the revocation of any charter school’s operating agreement under the board's jurisdiction.  A simple majority vote of the School Board Members present shall be required for approval of the Superintendent’s recommendation.  A two-thirds (⅔) supermajority of the full membership of the School Board shall be required for rejection of the Superintendent’s recommendation.  However, if the School Board fails to reject the Superintendent’s recommendations five (5) calendar days after the Superintendent’s presentation of recommendations, the Superintendent may implement any such recommendations submitted to the School Board.  If multiple recommendations are presented at the meeting, the School Board may vote on all the recommendations as a slate or make a motion to pull out individual recommendations for separate votes.

The charter operator shall have the opportunity to appear before a meeting of the School Board’s Accountability Committee, recorded and transcribed at the operator’s expense, with witnesses if necessary, to answer all identified findings and reasons for the action.

The Superintendent may immediately suspend a school’s operating agreement upon a determination that the health, safety, or welfare of students is threatened.

Under an emergency suspension, the provisions of Subsection (1)(B-F) herein shall be waived, and the school shall immediately cease all operations.  The Superintendent shall provide public notice of the emergency suspension, including to the families of all students, staff, and governing board members, as soon as practicable, but not later than three (3) business days, based on the School District’s calendar, following the determination.  A School Board hearing to consider the Superintendent’s actions shall be convened as soon as practicable following the public hearing, but no later than seventy-two (72) hours following public notification.

A simple majority vote of the School Board Members present shall be required for approval  of the Superintendent’s recommendation concerning emergency suspension of an operating agreement.  A two-thirds (⅔) supermajority of the full membership of the School Board shall be required for rejection of the Superintendent’s recommendation.  However, if the School Board fails to reject the Superintendent’s recommendations five (5) calendar days after the Superintendent’s presentation of recommendations, the Superintendent may implement any such recommendations submitted to the School Board.  If multiple recommendations are presented at the meeting, the School Board may vote on all the recommendations as a slate or make a motion to pull out individual recommendations for separate votes.

If the charter school operator determines that it will no longer operate a charter school, it shall relinquish the charter to the School Board by December 1st of the year in which it intends to discontinue such operation.

Failure to relinquish a charter by December 1st, or failure to complete the entirety of the school year in which such relinquishing of a charter occurs, may result in the School Board declaring such operator ineligible to apply for, open, or otherwise operate any school for up to five years.

If at any time during this period, members of such charter operator’s board of directors form a majority of board membership for a different charter operator, the School Board may declare such operator ineligible to apply for, open, or otherwise operate any school.

A charter renewal review prior to the final year of the charter school’s term under its Operating Agreement; and/or

A comprehensive evaluation for charter renewal if it fails to meet the standards outlined for a Renewal Review.

Petition the Louisiana Department of Education to provide the persisting school with a “T” letter grade for the first two school years of the consolidation.

Label the school with a “T” letter grade for the persisting school on its public materials.

One or more convenings of school finance leaders to contribute to the development of the proposed framework;

Presenting the proposed framework and subsequent revisions to the framework to all school leaders; and

Providing school leaders an opportunity to provide written and verbal feedback on the proposed framework and subsequent revisions to the framework.

Within the first thirty (30) calendar days of the aforementioned decision, the non-profit organization shall:

Have the board chair, Chief Financial Officer (or equivalent officer overseeing the finances) and Chief Executive Officer (or equivalent) of the charter school attend a meeting with School District administration to discuss the financial dissolution process.  At the discretion of the School District, district staff may attend charter school board finance committee meetings and full board meetings throughout the closure process.

Designate in writing and provide contact information for a designee who shall retain responsibility for security and access of all charter school(s) financial records and will respond to the School District’s requests in a timely manner.  The contact information shall include: current cell phone number, email address, permanent mailing address and affiliation with non-profit organization.  Such requests may occur after the school closure.

Provide notification to all employees of the financial and operational requirements for closure expressly stating the legal liabilities surrounding the misuse of public education assets.  Template language will be provided by the School District.

Provide the School District with an initial accounting of State & Local MFP funds within current cash and General Fund Balance.

Within the first forty-five (45) calendar days of the aforementioned decision, the non-profit organization shall:

Coordinate with the School District to develop a School Finance Monitoring Plan, regarding the actions included in this policy and the aforementioned framework, which must be signed by the charter school Chief Executive Officer (or equivalent) and non-profit organization board chair.  The plan will be specific to the circumstances of each school and will outline the level of monitoring to be conducted by the school district.  The guidance document will include actions specific to each non-profit organization, based on past financial performance, any non-compliance over the term of the contract, current financial standings as measured in the Charter School Accountability Framework, and any other criteria as outlined by the school district.

Coordinate with the School District to submit a rolling forecast budget to include all expenses related to the remainder of school operation and through the final closeout and completion of the school’s final annual audit.  The rolling forecast budget must account for all closeout related expenses that may include, but not be limited to: final annual audit, legal fees associated with the dissolution of the non-profit organization or ongoing litigation, facility repairs, final payroll, and taxes.