Charter School PoliciesSeptember 28, 2012

Adopted charter school policies should be…

•Guided by the school’s mission and vision•Regarding finances• Enrollment•Program evaluation •All other operational aspects.

Two Purposes

• Provide direction to the board and staff in implementing the school’s goals• Ensure the school meets legal requirements.

In general, the board writes policies and the administrator creates procedures.

• Kept in the office or in a public area for access by the public• Web site• Handbooks

First and Foremost

• The board’s first priority is to adopt those policies that are required by…• The articles of incorporation• Charter school application• Charter agreement• Policies required by state (Health, Safety,

Insurance) and federal law (Exceptional Children).

Boards should establish policies for managing school emergencies before they occur.

• Policies should cover such issues as • Accidents• Bullying• Natural disasters• Ordered lockdowns• Acts of violence• Loss of an administrator• Mismanagement of funds• Employee conflict.

Governance• Founding board members should also establish policies for

handling conflict and working with board members who are no longer productive or are struggling to keep their commitment

• Grievances for employees• Grievances for students (student discipline/complaints against

employees, etc)• Board and subcommittee operation• Orientation plan and professional development for board

members

Finance and Business

•Student admission and enrollment•Handling of finances•Employee agreements (salary, benefits, work requirements)

Human Resources

•Policies regarding…•Hiring •Termination•Staff evaluation

Operations

• The operations plan includes the daily and extracurricular schedule and policies for…• Interacting with visitors• Answering phone inquiries• Tracking attendance• Filing authorizer required reports•Managing the facility• Providing security• Technology

Are you prepared?

•Read the vignette with your group.•Use the policy resources provided to write a draft of a policy to address this issue.