RCW 28A.710.010 Definitions. The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise. (1) “Applicant” means a nonprofit corporation that has submitted an application to an authorizer. The nonprofit corporation must be either a public benefit nonprofit corporation as defined in RCW 24.03A.245, or a nonprofit corporation organized under chapter […]
RCW 28A.710.020 Charter schools—Parameters. A charter school established under this chapter: (1) Is a public school that is: (a) Open to all children free of charge and by choice; and (b) Operated separately from the common school system as an alternative to traditional common schools; (2) May offer any program or course of study that […]
RCW 28A.710.030 Charter school boards—Powers. (1) To fulfill its duty to manage and operate the charter school, and to execute the terms of its charter contract, a charter school board may: (a) Hire, manage, and discharge charter school employees in accordance with the terms of this chapter and the school’s charter contract; (b) Receive and […]
RCW 28A.710.040 Charter schools—Requirements. (1) A charter school must operate according to the terms of its charter contract and the provisions of this chapter. (2) A charter school must: (a) Comply with local, state, and federal health, safety, parents’ rights, civil rights, and nondiscrimination laws applicable to school districts and to the same extent as […]
RCW 28A.710.050 Admission and enrollment of students—Capacity—Specialized learning environments. (1) Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, a charter school may not limit admission on any basis other than age group, grade level, or enrollment capacity. A charter school is open to any student regardless of his or her location of residence. (2) […]
RCW 28A.710.060 Enrollment options information—Earned credits—Participation in district-sponsored interscholastic programs. (1) School districts must provide information to parents and the general public about charter schools located within the district as an enrollment option for students. (2) If a student who was previously enrolled in a charter school enrolls in another public school in the state, […]
RCW 28A.710.070 Washington state charter school commission. (1) The Washington state charter school commission is established as an independent state agency whose mission is to authorize high quality charter public schools throughout the state, especially schools that are designed to expand opportunities for at-risk students, and to ensure the highest standards of accountability and oversight […]
RCW 28A.710.080 Charter school authorizers. The following entities may be authorizers of charter schools: (1) The commission may exercise the authority granted under this section for charter schools located anywhere in the state; and (2) A school district board of directors may exercise the authority granted under this section only after receiving approval from the […]
RCW 28A.710.090 Charter school authorizers—Approval process. (1) The state board of education shall establish an annual application and approval process and timelines for school districts seeking approval to become charter school authorizers. The initial process and timelines must be established by July 1, 2016. (2) At a minimum, each applicant district must submit to the […]
RCW 28A.710.100 Charter school authorizers—Powers and duties—Delegation of authority—Annual report—Liability. (1) Authorizers are responsible for: (a) Soliciting and evaluating charter applications; (b) Approving charter applications that meet identified educational needs and promote a diversity of educational choices; (c) Denying charter applications that fail to meet statutory requirements, requirements of the authorizer, or both; (d) Negotiating […]
RCW 28A.710.110 Authorizer oversight fee—Establishment—Use. (1) The state board of education shall establish a statewide formula for an authorizer oversight fee, which must be calculated as a percentage of the state operating funding distributed to charter schools under RCW 28A.710.220 to each charter school under the jurisdiction of an authorizer, but may not exceed four […]
RCW 28A.710.120 Oversight of authorizers—Notification of identified problems—Process for revocation of authorizer’s authority—Timelines for actions. (1) The state board of education is responsible for overseeing the performance and effectiveness of all authorizers approved under RCW 28A.710.090. (2) Persistently unsatisfactory performance of an authorizer’s portfolio of charter schools, a pattern of well-founded complaints about the authorizer […]
RCW 28A.710.130 Charter school applications—Solicitation for proposals, content—Charter school application, content. (1)(a) Each authorizer must annually issue and broadly publicize a solicitation for proposals for charter school applicants by the date established by the state board of education under RCW 28A.710.140. (b) Each authorizer’s solicitation for proposals must: (i) Present the authorizer’s strategic vision for […]
RCW 28A.710.140 Charter applications—Submission—Approval or denial. (1) The state board of education must establish an annual statewide timeline for charter application submission and approval or denial that must be followed by all authorizers. (2) In reviewing and evaluating charter applications, authorizers shall employ procedures, practices, and criteria consistent with nationally recognized principles and standards for […]
RCW 28A.710.150 Maximum number of charter public schools—Process—Certification—Lottery—Notice. (1) A maximum of forty charter public schools may be established under this chapter over the five-year period commencing with April 3, 2016. No more than eight charter schools may be established in any year during the five-year period, except that if in any year fewer than […]
RCW 28A.710.160 Charter contracts. (1) The purposes of the charter application submitted under RCW 28A.710.130 are to present the proposed charter school’s academic and operational vision and plans, and to demonstrate and provide the authorizer with a clear basis for evaluating the applicant’s capacities to execute the proposed vision and plans. An approved charter application […]
RCW 28A.710.170 Charter contracts—Performance framework. (1) The performance provisions within a charter contract must be based on a performance framework that clearly sets forth the academic and operational performance indicators, measures, and metrics that will guide an authorizer’s evaluations of a charter school within its jurisdiction. (2) At a minimum, the performance framework must include […]
RCW 28A.710.180 Charter schools—Oversight—Corrective action. (1) Each authorizer must continually monitor the performance and legal compliance of the charter schools under its jurisdiction, including collecting and analyzing data to support ongoing evaluation according to the performance framework in the charter contract. (2) An authorizer may conduct or require oversight activities that enable the authorizer to […]
RCW 28A.710.190 Charter contracts—Renewal. (1) A charter contract may be renewed by the authorizer, at the request of the charter school, for successive five-year terms. The authorizer, however, may vary the term based on the performance, demonstrated capacities, and particular circumstances of a charter school, and may grant renewal with specific conditions for necessary improvements […]
RCW 28A.710.200 Charter contracts—Revocation or refusal to renew. (1) An authorizer may revoke a charter contract at any time, or may refuse to renew it, if the authorizer determines that the charter school did any of the following or otherwise failed to comply with the provisions of this chapter: (a) Committed a material and substantial […]
