{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-160.1594","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 160.1594","heading":"Public charter school authorizer -- Duties -- Application reviews and","body":"decisions -- Criteria for approval -- Explanation of decision -- Submission to\nDepartment of Education -- School board member charter authorization\ntraining.\n(1) A public charter school authorizer shall:\n(a) Fulfill the expectations and intent of this section and KRS 160.1590 to\n160.1599 and 161.141;\n(b) Demonstrate public accountability and transparency in all matters concerning\nits charter-authorizing practices, decisions, and expenditures;\n(c) Establish an annual timeline consistent with statutory guidelines with\ndeadlines to solicit, invite, accept, and evaluate applications from applicants;\n(d) Approve new and renewal charter applications that meet the requirements of\nthis section and KRS 160.1593;\n(e) Decline to approve charter applications that:\n1. Fail to meet the requirements of this section and KRS 160.1593; or\n2. Are for a school that would be wholly or partly under the control or\ndirection of any religious denomination;\n(f) Negotiate and execute in good faith a charter contract with each public charter\nschool it authorizes;\n(g) Monitor the performance and compliance of public charter schools according\nto the terms of the charter contract;\n(h) Determine whether each charter contract it authorizes merits renewal or\nrevocation; and\n(i) Establish and maintain policies and practices consistent with the principles\nand professional standards for authorizers of public charter schools, including\nstandards relating to:\n1. Organizational capacity and infrastructure;\n2. Soliciting and evaluating applications;\n3. Performance contracting;\n4. Ongoing public charter school oversight and evaluation; and\n5. Charter approval, renewal, and revocation decision making.\n(2) In reviewing applications, the public charter school authorizer is encouraged to give\npreference to applications that demonstrate the intent, capacity, and capability to\nprovide comprehensive learning experiences to:\n(a) Students identified by the applicants as at risk of academic failure;\n(b) Students with special needs as identified in their individualized education\nprogram as defined in KRS 158.281; and\n(c) Students who seek career readiness education opportunities.\n(3) After a charter applicant submits a written a pplication to establish a public charter\nschool, the authorizer shall:\n(a) Complete a thorough review process;\n(b) Conduct an in-person interview with the applicant group;\n(c) Provide an opportunity in a public forum for local residents to provide input\nand learn about the charter application;\n(d) Provide a detailed analysis of the application to the applicant or applicants,\nwhich shall include any identified deficiencies;\n(e) Allow an applicant a reasonable time to provide additional materials and\namendments to its application to address any identified deficiencies, including\nallowing an applicant to request a sixty (60) day extension to seek technical\nassistance in curing deficiencies from the state board under KRS 160.1595;\nand\n(f) Approve or deny a chart er application based on established objective criteria\nor request additional information.\n(4) In deciding to approve a charter application, the authorizer shall:\n(a) Grant charters only to applicants that possess competence in all elements of\nthe application requirements identified in this section and KRS 160.1593;\n(b) Base decisions on documented evidence collected through the application\nreview process; and\n(c) Follow charter-granting policies and practices that are transparent, based on\nmerit, and avoid conflicts of interest.\n(5) Unless an extension is requested under subsection (3) of this section, no later than\nsixty (60) days following the filing of the charter application, the authorizer shall\napprove or deny the charter application. The authorizer sh all adopt by resolution all\ncharter approval or denial decisions in an open meeting of the authorizer's board of\ndirectors.\n(6) Any failure to act on a charter application within sixty (60) days of the established\napplication submission deadline shall be deemed an approval by the authorizer.\n(7) An application shall be approved if the public charter school authorizer finds that:\n(a) The public charter school described in the application meets the requirements\nestablished by this section and KRS 160.1590 and 160.1592;\n(b) The applicant demonstrates the ability to operate the school in an\neducationally and fiscally sound manner; and\n(c) Approving the application is likely to improve student learning and\nachievement and further the purposes established by KRS 160.1591.\n(8) An authorizer shall provide a written explanation within five (5) days of adopting a\nresolution, for the public record, stating its reasons for approval or denial of a\ncharter application, including a thorough explanation of how the charter ap plication\neither meets or fails to meet established objective criteria for making charter\napplication decisions, and the authorizing process which the authorizer used to\nreview, evaluate, and make its final decision.\n(9) An authorizer's charter application approval shall be submitted to the Kentucky\nDepartment of Education as written notice.\n(10) When an authorizer that is a local school board or a collaborative of local school\nboards receives a charter school application,  any member of the board or boards\nwho has not received charter authorization training within twelve (12) months\nimmediately preceding the date the application was received shall receive six (6)\nhours of in -service training prior to evaluating the charter application. Except for\ntraining provided prior to July 15, 2020, the training shall be in addition to the\nannual in-service training required under KRS 160.180, and each board shall select\nthe trainer to deliver the training to its members. Charter author izer training shall\nnot be required of any local school board member until a charter application is\nsubmitted to the board or boards.","path":["KRS Chapter 160"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53118","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:51:07Z","sha256":"72cbdd253a67afc9726a5bd2053893acff136a5d54334f413f60002a7c8c48d6","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-160.1593","next":"us-ky/krs-160.1595"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}