Charter Resources
Charter schools are an important part of the Oklahoma public school system. Oklahoma students deserve access to a great public education, and charter schools offer options that meet the specific needs of our students. OPSRC supports Oklahoma’s charter schools through our School Design Center, through professional development for administrators and faculty, and with resources provided by the Charter School Program Grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
Whether you are founding a charter school, directing a charter school, or serving as a charter authorizer, OPSRC has the resources and best practices to help provide an outstanding educational experience for your students.
Authorizers
As an authorizer, you are charged with both monitoring and supporting your schools. Our collection of sample performance frameworks and templates reflect current best practices and can be modified to fit your needs.
Starting Your School
OPSRC has a charter incubation program and a variety of resources to help motivated community partners develop new school options.
For those who prefer to work more independently, we provide dozens of resources, historical documents and training courses to prepare you for the application process. Resource documents can be viewed below. To access coursework, please create a free account at learn@OPSRC or contact cspgrant@opsrc.net.
School Design Center
The SDC supports the creation of new schools by leading teams through a multiyear development process. Acceptance into the program is determined by a competitive application process each spring. Over the course of at least two years, school teams are expected to design a new school within the state of Oklahoma that is eligible to compete for affiliated grants, such as the Charter School Program grant.
We are not currently accepting applications to the School Design Center.
Who can apply?
● Existing aspiring school leaders
● Teachers who would serve as a founding teacher or education specialist
● Community members who would serve as board members
What types of applications will be considered?
● Charter schools
● Partnership schools with a school district
● Conversion district schools
● New autonomous district schools
How long is the commitment?
Applications to the School Design Center are due February 1. School teams that are accepted must complete the Gateway Program during the spring. Admission to the School Design Center Cohort is contingent upon completion of the Gateway Program. The School Design Center Cohort begins in July and runs through June of the following year. School teams that are authorized and receive funding will then begin a planning year that runs from July through August of the following year when their school is expected to open.
What financial support is available to School Design Center participants?
Gateway Fellows receive a stipend to offset time and travel expenses. One full-time position is allocated per team for those accepted to the School Design Center Cohort. Schools that are authorized and have received funding will pay individuals through the funding streams allocated to each individual school during the Planning Year.*
For more information, contact Susan Baldwin , Charter Technical Assistance Lead, or Eric Doss, Director of Quality Charter Services.
*Participation in this program does not guarantee the awarding of any grant based funding.
Directing Your School
OPSRC provides in-person and online professional development as well as consulting services to our member schools. To learn more about these services, please visit our Member Services page. All charter schools, regardless of membership status, can access our sample policies and procedures and contact our charter resource team with questions.
Funding Your School
In June of 2023 the Oklahoma Public School Resource Center applied for this competitive grant and was awarded a
5-year $55,141,012 grant in October of 2023 to carry out the following objectives within Oklahoma:
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Increase the number of high-quality charter schools in the state with an emphasis on those serving educationally disadvantaged students: This CSP grant will allow our state to further expand the number of high-quality seats available in our public schools by adding up to 25 new, replicating, or expanding charter schools within the five-year granting period.
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Strengthen the quality of Oklahoma’s charter school operation and authorization: Adding additional high-quality charters focused on academic excellence will in turn aid our state in increasing academic outcomes for all students, especially educationally disadvantaged students.
Application Documents
Applications for 2024 are now available and due on March 31, 2024
2024 Request for Application (Rev 3-1-24)
Information Sessions
Question and Answer sessions will be conducted
in person on:
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February 12, 2024 at 1 PM in the OPSRC Oklahoma City Offices
virtually on:
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February 14, 2024 at 11 AM
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March 19, 2024 at 2 PM
Email cspgrant@opsrc.net for registration.
The Oklahoma Public School Resource Center (OPSRC) has received a USDE competitive grant (view the press release here) to carry out the following objectives within Oklahoma:
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Increase the number of high-quality charter schools in the state with an emphasis on those serving educationally disadvantaged students.
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Strengthen the quality of Oklahoma’s charter school operation and authorization.
In carrying out these objectives, the Oklahoma Charter Schools Program (OCSP) provides sub-grants to qualified charter school developers and operators for up to 18 months of planning and first two years of implementation of new charter schools through a competitive grant process in the following three categories:
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Those seeking to expand existing high-quality charter schools,
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Those seeking to replicate existing high-quality charter schools, and
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Those seeking to create new charter schools based on models that have been proven to successfully increase student achievement, especially for educationally disadvantaged students.
Awarded subgrants of $2,000,000 will be funded over the planning and implementation years for eligible allocable startup activities according to the budget included in the application. Funds will be obligated entirely in the first year of the grant, with spending goals based on the three year budget included in the application and review by the CSP Team. Yearly monitoring ensures that the sub-grantee is making progress on spending and goals. In 2024, OCSP will award five sub-grants in total:
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3 sub-grants to create new charter schools,
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1 sub-grant to expand an existing high-quality charter school, and
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1 sub-grant to replicate an existing high-quality charter school.
What Charter Schools are Eligible?
1. in accordance with a specific State statute authorizing the granting of charters to schools, is exempt from significant State or local rules that inhibit the flexible operation and management of public schools, but not from any rules relating to the other requirements of this paragraph; 2. is created by a developer as a public school, or is adapted by a developer from an existing public school, and is operated under public supervision and direction; 3. operates in pursuit of a specific set of educational objectives determined by the school’s developer and agreed to by the authorized public chartering agency; 4. provides a program of elementary or secondary education, or both; is nonsectarian in its programs, admissions policies, employment practices, and all other operations, and is not affiliated with a sectarian school or religious institution; 5. does not charge tuition; complies with the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.), section 444 of the General Education Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. 1232g) (commonly referred to as the ‘‘Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974’’), and part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; is a school to which parents choose to send their children, and that: admits students on the basis of a lottery, consistent with section 4303(c)(3)(A), if more students apply for admission than can be accommodated; or in the case of a school that has an affiliated charter school (such as a school that is part of the same network of schools), automatically enrolls students who are enrolled in the immediate prior grade level of the affiliated charter school and, for any additional student openings or student openings created through regular attrition in student enrollment in the affiliated charter school and the enrolling school, admits students on the basis of a lottery as described in clause (i); 6. agrees to comply with the same Federal and State audit requirements as do other elementary schools and secondary schools in the State, unless such State audit requirements are waived by the State; 7. meets all applicable Federal, State, and local health and safety requirements; operates in accordance with State law; 8. has a written performance contract with the authorized public chartering agency in the State that includes a description of how student performance will be measured in charter schools pursuant to State assessments that are required of other schools and pursuant to any other assessments mutually agreeable to the authorized public chartering agency and the charter school; and may serve students in early childhood education programs or postsecondary students. To be eligible to apply, a public charter school must be governed by a non-profit board that is separate from the sponsoring board and may not be composed of voting members from the authorizing board of directors.
Virtual charter schools are not eligible to apply.
All applicants for the Charter School Program grant must have an executed charter with a sponsor and must be no more than 18 months from opening as of the due date of the subgrant.
Charter schools in operation, approved charter schools that are more than 18 months from opening and developers that have not yet been approved by a sponsor are not eligible to apply. Grant activities may not extend beyond the second year of operation.
Expanding or Replicating Schools
Those who wish to expand or replicate existing charter schools must meet the ESSA SEC. 4310 (7-9) definitions of expanding, replicating and high quality. Schools that do not meet this definition are not eligible for subgrant funding.
Definitions
ESSA SEC. 4310 (7) EXPAND. —The term ‘‘expand’’, when used with respect to a high-quality charter school, means to significantly increase enrollment or add one or more grades to the high-quality charter school. (8) HIGH-QUALITY CHARTER SCHOOL. —The term ‘‘high-quality charter school’’ means a charter school that— shows evidence of strong academic results, which may include strong student academic growth, as determined by a State; has no significant issues in the areas of student safety, financial and operational management, or statutory or regulatory compliance; has demonstrated success in significantly increasing student academic achievement, including graduation rates where applicable, for all students served by the charter school; and has demonstrated success in increasing student academic achievement, including graduation rates where applicable, for each of the subgroups of students, as defined in section 1111(c)(2), except that such demonstration is not required in a case in which the number of students in a group is insufficient to yield statistically reliable information or the results would reveal personally identifiable information about an individual student. (9) REPLICATE. —The term ‘‘replicate’’, when used with respect to a high-quality charter school, means to open a new charter school, or a new campus of a high-quality charter school, based on the educational model of an existing high-quality charter school, under an existing charter or an additional charter, if permitted or required by State law.
Application
Each application will consist of:
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A narrative (that details overall management and operations plans along with instructional strategies, curriculum, other resources and performance measures to be used)
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A sustainable budget plan
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Timelines for meeting realistic, attainable goals, which we will monitor throughout the planning and implementation years of each subgrant awarded
The application must have a solid foundation and infrastructure that will ensure the charter is prepared for success from the beginning. That is, school leaders and stakeholders must display active engagement from the outset, from the planning operations to governing board development. The applicants must demonstrate an emphasis on community support as required by the Oklahoma Charter Schools Act. A plan for financial sustainability is also crucial and must be at the core of the charter school’s application. Further, the management plan must reflect the autonomy afforded to the charter school and must demonstrate how the school will comply with all applicable regulations.
Competitive priority preference will be given to those applicants who seek to create a brick-and-mortar charter school for students who are educationally disadvantaged, including the following: 1) students with disabilities and English language learners, 2) underserved minority student subgroups (African American, Native American, Hispanic) and 3) students residing in poverty-stricken areas.
Disposition of Assets
Disposition. When original or replacement equipment acquired under a Federal award is no longer needed for the original project or program or for other activities currently or previously supported by a Federal awarding agency, except as otherwise provided in Federal statutes, regulations, or Federal awarding agency disposition instructions, the non-Federal entity must request disposition instructions from the Federal awarding agency if required by the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Disposition of the equipment will be made as follows, in accordance with Federal awarding agency disposition instructions:
(1) Items of equipment with a current per unit fair market value of $5,000 or less may be retained, sold or otherwise disposed of with no further responsibility to the Federal awarding agency.
(2) Except as provided in § 200.312(b), or if the Federal awarding agency fails to provide requested disposition instructions within 120 days, items of equipment with a current per-unit fair market value in excess of $5,000 may be retained by the non-Federal entity or sold. The Federal awarding agency is entitled to an amount calculated by multiplying the current market value or proceeds from sale by the Federal awarding agency's percentage of participation in the cost of the original purchase. If the equipment is sold, the Federal awarding agency may permit the non-Federal entity to deduct and retain from the Federal share $500 or ten percent of the proceeds, whichever is less, for its selling and handling expenses.
(3) The non-Federal entity may transfer title to the property to the Federal Government or to an eligible third party provided that, in such cases, the non-Federal entity must be entitled to compensation for its attributable percentage of the current fair market value of the property.
(4) In cases where a non-Federal entity fails to take appropriate disposition actions, the Federal awarding agency may direct the non-Federal entity to take disposition actions.
Transparency
OPSRC will regularly post information about the grant below.
2018 Grant Applications
Dove Science Academy South Oklahoma City
Le Monde International Charter School
The Academy of Seminole
John Rex Charter Middle School
ASTEC Charter Elementary Schools
2019 Grant Applications
Collegiate Hall Elementary School
Pawnee Academy
Tulsa Honor Academy High School
Dove Tulsa Charter High School
Sovereign Community Academy
2020 Grant Applications
Comanche Academy
Western Gateway Elementary School
Dove Tulsa Charter High School
2021 Grant Applications
Tulsa Classical Academy
Tulsa Honor Academy MS Expansion
