Charter School Oversight Committee

Name: Charter School Oversight Committee

Department: Board of Education

Focus Area: Charter Schools

Membership: School Board Members with District Facilitator and School Administrators

Type: Standing

Meeting Dates: As needed

Duration: Ongoing annually

Charter schools in Alaska are unique public schools. According to Alaska State Statutes, the local Board of Education serves as the authorizing agent for a charter school. Subsequently, charter schools answer directly to the local Board with limited oversight from District administration.

In response to increased administrative responsibilities placed on the Board by taking an active role in the management of charter schools, the Board created a Charter School Oversight Committee to:

• Establish a yearly meeting schedule with agendas to meet the requirements of the charter school timeline and responsibility matrix.
• Conduct an annual review of charter school performance.
• Cooperate with the District and charter schools to establish a positive learning environment in shared facilities.
• Schedule a public hearing with the School Board on proposed charter school applications.
• Place charter school proposals on the regular School Board agenda.
• Provide a recommendation for the School Board whether to approve or deny a charter school application.
• Submit and make recommendations to the Board regarding contracts.
• Investigate allegations of noncompliance with charter school contracts and make recommendations to the School Board.
• Site-based administrators who share facilities and/or staffing with charter schools may be invited to participate in the Charter School Oversight Committee, as appropriate.
• Make recommendations to the School Board on charter school use of District facilities.

Responsibilities of the KPBSD Charter School Oversight Committee chair:

• Serve as the intermediary with the Charter School Administrator/Principal and the APC if there is a discrepancy or violation of Charter Bylaws as needed
• Gather and provide information to the Board of Education
• Set meeting dates