{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-160.1593","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 160.1593","heading":"Application to establish public charter school -- Submission to authorizer","body":"and state board -- Required application information.\n(1) An application to establish a public charter school may be submitted to a public\ncharter school authorizer by  teachers, parents, school administrators, community\nresidents, public organizations, nonprofit organizations, or a combination thereof.\n(2) An applicant shall submit an application for approval of a public charter school to\nan authorizer and shall also s ubmit a written notification of the application\nsimultaneously to the state board as a record of the filing. Charter authorizers shall\naccept and document the date and time of receipt of all charter applications.\n(3) The information provided in the application shall be consistent with this section and\nshall include:\n(a) A mission statement and a vision statement for the public charter school,\nincluding the targeted student population and the community the school hopes\nto serve, and shall outline how the public charter school will establish resident\nand nonresident enrollment policies which shall be subject to the same\nlimitations as a school district;\n(b) A description of the school's proposed academic program that is aligned with\nstate standards, and that implements one (1) or more of the purposes described\nin KRS 160.1591, and the instructional methods that will support the\nimplementation and success of the program;\n(c) 1. The student achievement goals for the public charter school's\neducational program a nd the chosen methods of evaluating whether\nstudents have attained the skills and knowledge specified for those\ngoals; and\n2. An explanation of how the school's proposed educational program is\nlikely to improve the achievement of traditionally underperform ing\nstudents, serve the needs of students with individualized education\nprograms, or provide students with career readiness education\nopportunities;\n(d) The school's plan for using external, internal, and state -required assessments\nto measure student progr ess on the performance framework as identified in\nKRS 160.1596, and how the school will use data to drive instruction and\ncontinued school improvement;\n(e) The proposed governance structure of the school, including a list of members\nof the initial board of  directors, a draft of bylaws that include the description\nof the qualifications, terms, and methods of appointment or election of\ndirectors, and the organizational structure of the school that clearly presents\nlines of authority and reporting between the board of directors, school\nadministrators, staff, any related bodies such as advisory bodies or parent and\nteacher councils, and any external organizations that will play a role in\nmanaging the school;\n(f) 1. Plans and timelines for student recruitment and  enrollment, including\npolicies and procedures for conducting transparent and random\nadmission lotteries that are open to the public, and that are consistent\nwith KRS 160.1591 and 160.1592;\n2. An application shall demonstrate a plan to recruit at least one  hundred\n(100) students, unless the application is focused on serving special needs\nor at-risk students or students seeking career readiness education; and\n3. If the application is for a public charter school located in a district with\ntotal student enrollment of seven thousand five hundred (7,500) or less,\nthen the application shall include a memorandum of understanding with\nthe district of location endorsing t he application. However, if the\napplication is for an urban academy located within a county where the\ntotal enrollment of all independent school districts is greater than seven\nthousand five hundred (7,500), then this subparagraph shall not apply;\n(g) A proposed five (5) year budget, including the start -up year and projections\nfor four (4) additional years with clearly stated assumptions;\n(h) Draft fiscal and internal control policies for the public charter school;\n(i) Requirements and procedures for progr ammatic audits and assessments at\nleast once annually, with audits and assessments being comparable in scope to\nthose required of noncharter public schools;\n(j) A draft handbook that outlines the personnel policies of the public charter\nschool, including t he criteria to be used in the hiring of qualified teachers,\nschool administrators, and other school employees, a description of staff\nresponsibilities, and the school's plan to evaluate personnel on an annual\nbasis;\n(k) A draft of the policies and procedu res by which students may be disciplined,\nincluding students with disabilities, which shall be consistent with the\nrequirements of due process and with state and federal laws and regulations\ngoverning the placement of students with disabilities;\n(l) A desc ription of the facilities to be used by the public charter school,\nincluding the location of the school, if known, and how the facility supports\nthe implementation of the school's academic program. If the facilities to be\nused by the proposed school are no t known at the time the application is\nsubmitted, the applicant shall notify the authorizer within ten (10) business\ndays of acquiring facilities for the school. The school shall obtain certification\nof occupancy for the facilities at least thirty (30) day s prior to the first student\ninstructional day;\n(m) The proposed ages and grade levels to be served by the public charter school,\nincluding the planned, minimum, and maximum enrollment per grade per\nyear;\n(n) The school calendar and school day schedule, wh ich shall total at least the\nequivalent to the student instructional year specified in KRS 158.070;\n(o) Types and amounts of insurance coverage to be obtained by the public charter\nschool, which shall include adequate insurance for liability, property loss , and\nthe personal injury of students comparable to other schools within the local\nschool district operated by the local school board;\n(p) A description of the health and food services to be provided to students\nattending the school;\n(q) Procedures to be f ollowed in the case of the closure or dissolution of the\npublic charter school, including provisions for the transfer of students and\nstudent records to the district of location or to another charter school located\nwithin the local school district and an a ssurance and agreement to payment of\nnet assets or equity, after payment of debts as specified in KRS 160.1598;\n(r) A code of ethics for the school setting forth the standards of conduct expected\nof its board of directors, officers, and employees;\n(s) Plans for recruiting and developing staff;\n(t) A staffing chart for the school's first year and a staffing chart for the term of\nthe charter;\n(u) A plan for parental and community involvement in the school, including the\nrole of parents in the administration and governance of the school;\n(v) The public charter school's plan for identifying and successfully serving\nstudents with disabilities, students who are English language learners,\nbilingual students, and students who are academically behind and gifted,\nincluding but not limited to the school's plan for compliance with all\napplicable federal and state laws and regulations;\n(w) A description of cocurricular and extracurricular programs and how they will\nbe funded and delivered;\n(x) The process by which the school will resolve any disputes with the authorizer;\nand\n(y) A detailed start-up plan, including financing, tasks, timelines, and individuals\nresponsible for carrying out the plan.\n(4) If the public charter school applicant intends to contract with an educa tion service\nprovider for educational program implementation or comprehensive management,\nthe application shall additionally require the applicant to:\n(a) Provide evidence of success in serving student populations similar to the\ntargeted population, including demonstrated academic achievement as well as\nsuccessful management of nonacademic school functions, if applicable;\n(b) Provide student performance data and financial audit reports for all current\nand past public charter schools;\n(c) Provide documentation of and explanation for any actions taken against any of\nits public charter schools for academic, financial, or ethical concerns;\n(d) Provide evidence of current capacity for growth;\n(e) Provide a term sheet setting forth:\n1. The proposed duration of the service contract;\n2. The annual proposed fees to be paid to the education service provider;\n3. The roles and responsibilities of the board of directors, the school staff,\nand the education service provider;\n4. The scope of services and resources to be provided by the education\nservice provider;\n5. Performance evaluation measures and timelines;\n6. Compensation structure, including clear identification of all fees to be\npaid to the education service provider;\n7. Methods of contract oversight and enforcement;\n8. Investment disclosure; and\n9. Conditions for renewal and termination of the contract; and\n(f) Disclose and explain any existing or potential conflicts of interest between the\nboard of directors and the propo sed education service provider or any\naffiliated business entities.","path":["KRS Chapter 160"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53117","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:51:07Z","sha256":"a0121bebec70fdc1d1e171a0aae875c7eba2063ffafae3c092adf869c8f6a8ed","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-160.1592","next":"us-ky/krs-160.1594"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}