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New School Development & Replication

Home New School Development & Replication

"Focus on Boosting Performance from the Ground Up"

The Colorado League of Charter Schools offers direction and assistance to groups looking to start a new charter school or replicate a successful charter school model.

If you are interested in starting a charter school in Colorado, please start by visiting http://startacoloradocharter.org/ then contact Kathy Zlomke or Jennifer Douglas at the Colorado League of Charter Schools for additional support.

Kathy Zlomke:  303-989-5356, x104 | email
Jennifer Douglas: 303-989-5356, x113 | email

The League provides a variety of services to support the development, growth, expansion and replication of high quality charter schools. The League's new school development services are designed to support planning efforts from the time founding groups first meet, through a school's second year of operation. For existing schools that seek to grow, expand, or replicate, the League offers assistance in strategic, business and multi-year financial and operations planning.

For additional information about the League's New School Development and Replication Services, contact Kathy Zlomke or Jennifer Douglas, 303-989-5356.

New School Development

League representatives meet with founding groups to help structure a planning process, identify planning team capacity needs, and arrange for ongoing support via subsequent follow-up meetings, and phone and email communications throughout your new school planning process. The League provides school planning and implementation templates, best practices, excerpts from successful charter school applications, planning facilitation, and standards for developing high-quality charter school applications.

Growth, Expansion, and Replication

The League facilitates meetings with school boards and leadership to design a process and timetable for developing a business plan and a growth, expansion, or replication strategy. The League also provides samples of well-developed business plans, assistance with multi-year and multi-site financial forecasting, and feedback on draft plans.

Access to Grant Opportunities

The League offers a number of services that can help connect new and developing charter schools with critical planning/start-up funding needed to become and produce high-quality schools.

For example, the League's Grant Partners Program administers planning and start-up grants on behalf of the Walton Family Foundation and other funders. Some grants are restricted to planned new schools with a high percentage of students eligible for free and reduced-price meals.

As grant requirements change often, be sure to contact the League's New School Development department to determine eligibility.

School Developer Planning Grants

The Colorado League of Charter Schools is excited to announce the availability of funds for small school developer planning grants. These planning grants are designed for groups that are in the process of developing high-quality charter school models and are writing a charter application. Please use the links below for more information about the grant process.

There are no deadlines associated with these planning grants; grant proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis. Please note that because of the holidays, any proposals received in the last few weeks of December will be reviewed in early January.

Questions can be directed to Jennifer Douglas at 303-989-5356 x113 or jdouglas@coloradoleague.org. However, please review all of the grant materials (linked below) before calling or emailing with questions.

Fiscal Agent Services

The League is available to serve as a fiscal agent for developing charter school groups that do not yet have their tax-exempt status.

Charter Application Review

The League strongly encourages new school developers to request reviews of, and feedback on, draft charter school applications prior to submitting them to an authorizer. A team of internal and external reviewers are available, through the League, to evaluate each section of a draft application and provide constructive feedback about its comprehensiveness based on the League's 2011 Quality Standards for Developing Charter Schools. In order to allow time for revisions after the League's review process, near final draft applications should be emailed to the League at least two months prior to an authorizer's submission deadline.

Sample Charter Applications

The links below are to high quality charter applications or sections of applications. These are intended to be guiding documents. While these are all public documents, we do recommend following some common courtesies if you would like to use sections of these applications. If you would like to copy sections of one of these documents, please contact the school and request their permission to do so. It is important to make your application your own, so keep that in mind as you develop your charter application.

Financial Resources for School Developers

Resources/Links

New School Development Webinar Series

The Colorado League of Charter Schools is pleased to announce a free webinar series for new charter school developers. These 90 minute webinars are designed for people who are in the process of developing a charter school application; however, anyone is welcome to attend.

Each monthly webinar will focus on an area of critical importance to groups in the process of designing a school and writing a charter application. Each webinar runs from 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM (MST). All you need is a computer and internet access to participate!

Click here for a list of upcoming webinars.

Contracting for Business Services (Presented on 1/05/2012)
(click here to download presentation materials)

If you are having trouble viewing this video, click the link to try viewing it on the vimeo.com site: Contracting for Business Services.

 

Developing a Performance Management Strategy (Presented on 11/17/2011)
(click here to download presentation materials) 

If you are having trouble viewing this video, click the link to try viewing it on the vimeo.com site: Developing a Performance Management Strategy.

 

Negotiating a Charter Contract (Presented on 11/10/2011)
(click here to download presentation slides)

If you are having trouble viewing this video, click the link to try viewing it on the vimeo.com site: Negotiating a Charter School Contract.

 

Writing SMART Goals (Presented on 10/27/2011)
(click here to download presentation materials)

If you are having trouble viewing this video, click the link to try viewing it on the vimeo.com site: Writing SMART Goals.

 

Introduction to Writing a Charter School Application (Presented on 10/13/2011)
(click here to download presentation materials)

If you are having trouble viewing this video, click the link to try viewing it on the vimeo.com site: Introduction to Writing a Charter School Application.

 

Overview of Special Education and the RtI Process (Presented on 07/21/2011)
(click here to download presentation materials)

If you are having trouble viewing this video, click the link to try viewing it on the vimeo.com site: Overview of Special Education and the RtI Process.

 

Facilities Support for Developing Charter Schools: Search, Selection and Negotiation Navigating the Sea of Facilities (Presented on 06/16/2011)
(click here to download presentation materials)

If you are having trouble viewing this video, click the link to try viewing it on the vimeo.com site: Facilities_Support_for_Developing_Charter_Schools.

 

New School Budgeting (Presented on 05/19/2011)
(click here to download presentation materials)

If you are having trouble viewing this video, click the link to try viewing it on the vimeo.com site: New School Budgeting.

 

Overview of Relevant Educational Laws (Presented on 04/07/2011)
(click here to download presentation materials)

If you are having trouble viewing this video, click the link to try viewing it on the vimeo.com site: Overview of Relevant Educational Laws.

 

Developing a Performance Management Strategy (Presented on 03/17/2011)
(click here to download presentation materials)

If you are having trouble viewing this video, click the link to try viewing it on the vimeo.com site: Developing a Performance Management Strategy.

 

Overview of the State Accountability System (Presented on 03/15/2011)
(click here to download presentation materials)

If you are having trouble viewing this video, click the link to try viewing it on the vimeo.com site: Overview of the State Accountability System.

 

Alignment of Curriculum, Assessment and Instruction (Presented on 02/24/2011)
(click here to download presentation materials)

If you are having trouble viewing this video, click the link to try viewing it on the vimeo.com site: Alignment of Curriculum, Assessment and Instruction.

 

Governance 101 (Presented on 01/20/2011)
(click here to download presentation materials)

If you are having trouble viewing this video, click the link to try viewing it on the vimeo.com site: NSD Webinar Series: Governance 101.

 

Employment Issues and Hiring a School Leader (Presented on 01/06/2011)
(click here to download presentation slides)

If you are having trouble viewing this video, click the link to try viewing it on the vimeo.com site: Employment Issues and Hiring a School Leader

 

For additional information about the League's New School Development and Replication Services, contact Kathy Zlomke or Jennifer Douglas, 303-989-5356.