New Charter School Process

The Virginia Board of Education has developed a rigorous process for charter school applicants to clear at the State level before being considered by a local school board.

From today's Richmond Times Dispatch:

According to the proposed application, which is now subject to a 30-day public-comment period, board members want to know how a school will monitor and assess student performance. They require "tangible evidence of support" for the school from the community, including numbers of people and how they will participate in the school community once the school is open. The applicant must explain the need for the school and why a public charter is the best way to fill that need, as well as outline enrollment, daily class schedules and how the student-selection lottery process will work. If the school closes or its charter is revoked, there must be a plan for the distribution of students, teachers and employees.

There's much more, so read the whole article if the question of charter schools in Loudoun interests you. From my perspective, having this review at the state level will take a lot of the work from local school boards and public school staffs.

The article also provides a link to the full proposed charter school application.

One last note of interest:

The board advises applicants to allow for at least 18 months from the time the application is submitted to the local school board to the proposed opening date for the public charter school.