| New Applicant orientation is available upon request. Please contact Kim Bays |
Quality Charter Authorizing
St. Johns County School District takes pride in being a high quality charter school authorizer. Our expectations of excellence in education are for all students in every public school. With that commitment comes a responsibility to implement a comprehensive charter application process that is consistent with all statutory requirements as well as the values, standards and expectations established by the School Board. We follow a fair, transparent process using rigorous criteria that leads to granting contracts to those who demonstrate strong capacity to establish and operate a quality charter school that meets the needs of a targeted student population.
Charter School Principles:
- Meet high standards of student achievement while providing parent choice
- Promote enhanced academic success and financial efficiency
- Provide parents with information regarding reading level and learning gains
Charter Schools Shall:
- Improve student learning and academic achievement
- Increase learning opportunities for all students, with emphasis on low-performing students and reading
- Encourage the use of innovative learning methods
- Require the measurement of student learning outcomes
New Charter School Applications, Contracts and Forms
The Charter School Statutes, Rules and Model Forms can be found at the link: http://www.fldoe.org/schools/school-choice/charter-schools/charter-school-reference
Please utilize the forms that apply to your particular application. Forms can be found under the Charter School State Board of Education Rules heading.
Need help? E-mail your questions to [email protected]
We encourage new applicants to consider using the Fillable PDF version provided on the site above.
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Letter of Intent
The applicant is requested to submit a Letter of Intent to the District prior to the application deadline. While the letter is not required by statute, it does set the stage for an efficient well-planned application process. The letter should address the following list of items in sufficient detail so that the sponsor clearly understands who is applying and the characteristics of the proposed charter.
Items a letter of intent should include for a proposed charter school:
- Operator name
- Contact person
- Name of proposed school
- Mission
- Contact information for founding individual, organization or group
- Contact information for the person who will serve as the application liaison with the District
- Grade levels
- Projected enrollment
- Targeted student population
- Location of proposed school — if not known, please so indicate
Applications
All applications should be submitted in person Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the following location:
St. Johns County School District Office
47 Orange Street, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Attention: Kim Bays
Note: Applications are considered “final” and are not subject to substantive revision once submitted.
To ensure a timely review, one (1) bound original charter school application, eight (8) hard copies, double-sided, and one (1) searchable PDF electronic version of the application are required.
Please call 904-547-7751 before bringing an application to ensure someone will be available to review and provide a signed receipt upon delivery.
Applications must be submitted on the appropriate (High Performing, Virtual or Standard) Model Florida Charter School Application form. Application forms can be found here. For an application to be considered, all appropriate portions of the application must be completed consistent with the form’s instructions. The sponsor evaluates the completed applications using the Florida Model Evaluation Instrument. If an application is approved by the School Board, the sponsor and applicant will complete the Florida Standard Charter Contract which sets forth the terms and conditions for the operation of the charter school.
When submitting an application:
- Follow the order of the Table of Contents in the model application
- Use tabs to identify each section of the application
- Number the pages consecutively throughout the application
- Bind the documents in a manner that the pages can be easily unbound
- Provide one (1) bound original charter school application, eight (8) double-sided hard copies and one searchable PDF electronic copy of the entire application
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New Applicant Training
Section 1002.33(6)(f), Florida Statutes, requires charter school applicants to participate in training after approval of an application but at least 30 calendar days before the first day of classes at the charter school. Charter school applicants are no longer required to participate in training before submitting an application. Specific information regarding the requirements and schedule can be found at: http://www.fldoe.org/schools/school-choice/charter-schools/charter-school-resources/new-applicant/
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