{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-3-134","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 70, § 70-3-134","heading":"Applications – Presubmission training – Contents -","body":"Procedures.\n\nA. For written applications filed after July 1, 2024, prior to\n\nsubmission of the application to a proposed sponsor seeking to\n\nestablish a charter school or to the Statewide Charter School Board\n\nto establish a virtual charter school, the applicant shall be\n\nrequired to complete training which shall not exceed ten (10) hours\n\nprovided by the Statewide Charter School Board on the process and\n\nrequirements for establishing a charter school or virtual charter\n\nschool. The sponsor of a charter school that enters into a new or\n\nrenewed sponsorship contract on or after July 1, 2024, shall be\n\nrequired to complete training provided by the Statewide Charter\n\nSchool Board or an organization approved by the Statewide Charter\n\nSchool Board on the oversight duties of the sponsor. The Board\n\nshall develop and implement the training and publish a list of\n\norganizations approved to provide training by July 1, 2024. The\n\nBoard and organizations approved by the Board may provide the\n\ntraining in any format and manner determined to be efficient and\n\neffective including, but not limited to, web-based training.\n\nB. Except as otherwise provided for in Section 3-137 of this\n\ntitle, an applicant seeking to establish a virtual charter school\n\nshall submit a written application to the Statewide Charter School\n\nBoard, and an applicant seeking to establish a charter school shall\n\nsubmit a written application to the proposed sponsor as provided for\n\nin subsection E of this section. The application shall include:\n\n1. A mission statement for the charter school or virtual\n\ncharter school;\n\n2. A description including, but not limited to, background\n\ninformation of the organizational structure and the governing board\n\nof the charter school or virtual charter school;\n\n3. A financial plan for the first five (5) years of operation\n\nof the charter school or virtual charter school and a description of\n\nthe treasurer or other officers or persons who shall have primary\n\nresponsibility for the finances of the charter school or virtual\n\ncharter school. Such person shall have demonstrated experience in\n\nschool finance or the equivalent thereof;\n\n4. A description of the hiring policy of the charter school or\n\nvirtual charter school;\n\n5. The name of the applicant or applicants and requested\n\nsponsor;\n\n6. A description of the facility and location of the charter\n\nschool;\n\n7. A description of the grades being served;\n\n8. An outline of criteria designed to measure the effectiveness\n\nof the charter school or virtual charter school;\n\n9. Documentation that the applicants completed training as set\n\nforth in subsection A of this section;\n\n10. A description of the minimum and maximum enrollment planned\n\nper year for each term of the charter contract;\n\n11. The proposed calendar for the charter school or virtual\n\ncharter school and sample daily schedule;\n\n12. Unless otherwise authorized by law or regulation, a\n\ndescription of the academic program aligned with state standards;\n\n13. A description of the instructional design of the charter\n\nschool or virtual charter school including the type of learning\n\nenvironment, class size and structure, curriculum overview, and\n\nteaching methods;\n\n14. The plan for using internal and external assessments to\n\nmeasure and report student progress on the performance framework\n\ndeveloped by the applicant in accordance with Section 3-136 of this\n\ntitle;\n\n15. The plans for identifying and successfully serving students\n\nwith disabilities, students who are English language learners, and\n\nstudents who are academically behind;\n\n16. A description of cocurricular or extracurricular programs\n\nand how they will be funded and delivered;\n\n17. Plans and time lines for student recruitment and enrollment\n\nincluding lottery procedures;\n\n18. The student discipline policies for the charter school or\nccessfully serving students\n\nwith disabilities, students who are English language learners, and\n\nstudents who are academically behind;\n\n16. A description of cocurricular or extracurricular programs\n\nand how they will be funded and delivered;\n\n17. Plans and time lines for student recruitment and enrollment\n\nincluding lottery procedures;\n\n18. The student discipline policies for the charter school or\n\nvirtual charter school including those for special education\n\nstudents;\n\n19. An organizational chart that clearly presents the\n\norganizational structure of the charter school or virtual charter\n\nschool, including lines of authority and reporting between the\n\ngoverning board, staff, any related bodies such as advisory bodies\n\nor parent and teacher councils, and any external organizations that\n\nwill play a role in managing the school;\n\n20. A clear description of the roles and responsibilities for\n\nthe governing board, the leadership and management team for the\n\ncharter school or virtual charter school, and any other entities\n\nshown in the organizational chart;\n\n21. The leadership and teacher employment policies for the\n\ncharter school or virtual charter school;\n\n22. Proposed governing bylaws;\n\n23. Explanations of any partnerships or contractual\n\npartnerships central to the operations or mission of the charter\n\nschool or virtual charter school;\n\n24. The plans for providing transportation, food service, and\n\nall other significant operational or ancillary services;\n\n25. Opportunities and expectations for parental involvement;\n\n26. A detailed school start-up plan that identifies tasks, time\n\nlines, and responsible individuals;\n\n27. A description of the financial plan and policies for the\n\ncharter school or virtual charter school including financial\n\ncontrols and audit requirements;\n\n28. A description of the insurance coverage the charter school\n\nor virtual charter school will obtain;\n\n29. Start-up and five-year budgets with clearly stated\n\nassumptions;\n\n30. Start-up and first-year cash-flow projections with clearly\n\nstated assumptions;\n\n31. Evidence of anticipated fundraising contributions, if\n\nclaimed in the application;\n\n32. A sound facilities plan including backup or contingency\n\nplans if appropriate;\n\n33. A requirement that the charter school or virtual charter\n\nschool governing board meet no fewer than ten (10) months of the\n\nyear in the state and that for those charter schools outside of\n\ncounties with a population of five hundred thousand (500,000) or\n\nmore, that a minimum of two (2) members are residents within the\n\ngeographic boundary of the charter school;\n\n34. A requirement that the charter school or virtual charter\n\nschool follow the requirements of the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act and\n\nOklahoma Open Records Act; and\n\n35. A copy of any proposed contract between the governing board\n\nof a charter school or virtual charter school and an educational\n\nmanagement organization, as defined by Section 5-200 of this title,\n\nwhich meets the requirements of the Oklahoma Charter Schools Act.\n\nC. A board of education of a public school district, public\n\nbody, public or private college or university, private person, or\n\nprivate organization may contract with a sponsor to establish a\n\ncharter school or virtual charter school. A private school shall\n\nnot be eligible to contract for a charter school or virtual charter\n\nschool under the provisions of the Oklahoma Charter Schools Act.\n\nD. The sponsor of a charter school is the board of education of\n\na school district, a higher education institution, a private\n\ninstitution of higher learning accredited pursuant to Section 4103\n\nof this title, a federally recognized Indian tribe which meets the\n\ncriteria established in Section 3-132 of this title, or beginning\n\nJuly 1, 2024, the Statewide Charter School Board. Any sponsor\n\nauthorized pursuant to subsection A of Section 3-132 of this title\nn of\n\na school district, a higher education institution, a private\n\ninstitution of higher learning accredited pursuant to Section 4103\n\nof this title, a federally recognized Indian tribe which meets the\n\ncriteria established in Section 3-132 of this title, or beginning\n\nJuly 1, 2024, the Statewide Charter School Board. Any sponsor\n\nauthorized pursuant to subsection A of Section 3-132 of this title\n\nmay sponsor one or more charter schools. The physical location of a\n\ncharter school sponsored by a board of education of a school\n\ndistrict shall be within the boundaries of the sponsoring school\n\ndistrict. The physical location of a charter school sponsored by\n\nthe Statewide Charter School Board pursuant to paragraph 6 of\n\nsubsection A of Section 3-132 of this title shall be in the school\n\ndistrict in which the application originated.\n\nE. 1. Beginning July 1, 2024, any application seeking to\n\nestablish a charter school in this state shall be submitted first to\n\nthe school district in which the proposed charter school is to be\n\nlocated. The school district board of education shall approve or\n\ndeny the application within sixty (60) days of receipt of the\n\napplication. If the charter school application is denied, nothing\n\nshall prohibit an applicant from submitting a revised application to\n\nthe school district board of education, which shall approve or deny\n\nthe revised application within sixty (60) days of receipt of the\n\napplication.\n\n2. An applicant for a charter school that has been denied\n\npursuant to paragraph 1 of this subsection may submit an application\n\nto a proposed sponsor listed in paragraphs 2 through 6 of subsection\n\nA of Section 3-132 of this title, which shall either accept or\n\nreject sponsorship of the charter school within ninety (90) days of\n\nreceipt of the application. If the proposed sponsor rejects the\n\napplication, it shall notify the applicant in writing of the reasons\n\nfor the rejection. The applicant may submit a revised application\n\nfor reconsideration to the proposed sponsor within thirty (30) days\n\nafter receiving notification of the rejection. The proposed sponsor\n\nshall accept or reject the revised application within thirty (30)\n\ndays of its receipt.\n\n3. Beginning July 1, 2024, an applicant for a virtual charter\n\nschool shall submit an application to the Statewide Charter School\n\nBoard, which shall either accept or reject sponsorship of the\n\nvirtual charter school within ninety (90) days of receipt of the\n\napplication. If the application is rejected, the Statewide Charter\n\nSchool Board shall notify the applicant in writing of the reasons\n\nfor the rejection. The applicant may submit a revised application\n\nfor reconsideration to the Statewide Charter school Board within\n\nthirty (30) days after receiving notification of the rejection. The\n\nStatewide Charter School Board shall accept or reject the revised\n\napplication within thirty (30) days of its receipt.\n\nF. A board of education of a school district, a higher\n\neducation institution, a private institution of higher learning\n\naccredited pursuant to Section 4103 of this title, or a federally\n\nrecognized Indian tribe shall notify the State Board of Education\n\nand the Statewide Charter School Board when it accepts sponsorship\n\nof a charter school. The notification shall include a copy of the\n\ncharter of the charter school.\n\nG. Applicants for charter schools and virtual charter schools\n\nproposed to be sponsored by the Statewide Charter School Board may,\n\nupon rejection of a revised application, proceed to binding\n\narbitration under the commercial rules of the American Arbitration\n\nAssociation with costs of the arbitration to be borne by the\n\napplicant.\n\nH. If a board of education of a school district, a higher\n\neducation institution, a private institution of higher learning\n\naccredited pursuant to Section 4103 of this title, or a federally\n\nrecognized Indian tribe accepts sponsorship of a charter school, the\nrbitration under the commercial rules of the American Arbitration\n\nAssociation with costs of the arbitration to be borne by the\n\napplicant.\n\nH. If a board of education of a school district, a higher\n\neducation institution, a private institution of higher learning\n\naccredited pursuant to Section 4103 of this title, or a federally\n\nrecognized Indian tribe accepts sponsorship of a charter school, the\n\nadministrative, fiscal, and oversight responsibilities of the school\n\ndistrict, the higher education institution, the private institution\n\nof higher learning accredited pursuant to Section 4103 of this\n\ntitle, or the federally recognized Indian tribe shall be listed in\n\nthe contract. No administrative, fiscal, or oversight\n\nresponsibilities of a charter school shall be delegated to a school\n\ndistrict unless the school district agrees to enter into a contract\n\nto assume the responsibilities.\n\nI. A sponsor of a public charter school shall have the\n\nfollowing powers and duties over charter schools it sponsors, and\n\nthe Statewide Charter School Board shall have the following powers\n\nand duties over the charter schools and virtual charter schools it\n\nsponsors:\n\n1. Provide services and oversight of the operations of charter\n\nschools or virtual charter schools in the state through annual\n\nperformance reviews and reauthorization;\n\n2. Solicit and evaluate charter applications;\n\n3. Approve quality charter applications that meet identified\n\neducational needs and promote a diversity of educational choices;\n\n4. Decline to approve weak or inadequate charter applications;\n\n5. Negotiate and execute sound charter contracts with each\n\napproved public charter school or virtual charter school;\n\n6. Approve or deny proposed contracts between the governing\n\nboard of a charter school or virtual charter school and an\n\neducational management organization, as defined by section 5-200 of\n\nthis title;\n\n7. Monitor, in accordance with charter contract terms, the\n\nperformance and legal compliance of charter schools and virtual\n\ncharter schools; and\n\n8. Determine whether each charter contract merits renewal,\n\nnonrenewal, or revocation.\n\nJ. Sponsors shall establish a procedure for accepting,\n\napproving, and disapproving charter school applications in\n\naccordance with subsection E of this section. The Statewide Charter\n\nSchool Board shall post its application, application process, and\n\napplication time frames on the Board’s website.\n\nK. Sponsors including the Statewide Charter School Board shall\n\ndevelop and maintain chartering policies and practices consistent\n\nwith recognized principles and standards for quality charter\n\nsponsoring in all major areas of sponsoring responsibility including\n\norganizational capacity and infrastructure, soliciting and\n\nevaluating charter school and virtual charter school applications,\n\nperformance contracting, ongoing charter school and virtual charter\n\nschool oversight and evaluation, and charter contract renewal\n\ndecision-making.\n\nL. Sponsors acting in their official capacity shall be immune\n\nfrom civil and criminal liability with respect to all activities\n\nrelated to a charter school with which they contract.","path":["OK Code","Title 70"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os70.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"5c2706ce04f5fdccbd0911ea1e46916bc868d4d88312c547483f1f9d85c38f02","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-3-132.3","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-3-136"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}