Application Kit

How to Apply to open a NYS Charter School

 
   
 
Overview
Application Timeline
Application Kit
Application Resources
 
   

                    New!   The Institute has received 19 new applications

                        for the Summer 2008 application cycle!

All applicants must go through the Institute's comprehensive application review process. Please see the Summer 2008 Application Timeline for further details about
the current review schedule.

Important Notes: 

  • The Institute's Winter 2009 Application Cycle will begin on
    January 12, 2009. A detailed schedule will be posted once it has
    been finalized.

What You Will Find on This Page:

-   What is the the 6th Edition of the Application Kit?

-   How has the Application Kit changed from what was posted

    in June 2007?

-   What if I have been using the 5th edition of the Institute's

    application kit?

-   Download the new edition of the Institute's Application Kit Today!

-   Quick links to recent Institute memos re: the application Process

-   Quick links to the Application Kit's Appendices

The 6th Edition of the Application Kit

The Application Kit has been updated to reflect the latest amendments to the New York Charter Schools Act of 1998 as well as strengthened to reflect the experiences of the Institute over time.  For the first time, the Application Kit includes a section highlighting the Institute’s Perspective on everything from describing the importance of doing thorough research before starting the application development process, to clarifying what differentiates SUNY from other authorizers, and providing an overview of some of the challenges facing all applicants. In addition, the Application Kit reviews the critical link between the application and the law, and provides more detail on both the interview and Request for Amendment components of the SUNY application review process.

How has the Application Kit changed from what was posted on the Institute's website in June?

Importantly, with very few exceptions, the questions, or requests for information in the application itself have not changed since the June 2007 online posting.  Note: questions in the section of the application on School Governance, beginning on page 102, have been reordered.  Additional guidance has been added to question no. 57 regarding submission of transportation forms in connection with new lottery date requirements. 

The significant changes/enhancements between what was previously posted online and the new Application Kit is the addition of a number of new information resources, grouped together with the Application, to help inform and guide applicants.  As noted above, new items include: a section detailing the Institute's perspective on the application process; a new section detailing the link between the New York Charter Schools Act and the SUNY application; new sections reviewing two components of the SUNY application process: the interviews and the Request for Amendment Component; and an expanded set of appendices which includes an excerpt of the federal Charter School Grants Program (CSP Grants); and a model initial charter.

For those of you that have made significant progress in completing your application responses based on the questions posted on the Institute's website since June, please review the few changes noted above and read through the new guidance to be sure that your application is up-to-date.

What if I have been using the application that was included in the 5th edition of the Institute's application kit?

For those applicants who began to develop responses to the Requests in the Institute’s Application Kit (5th Edition)--which would mean prior to the revisions posted this past June--please see the Transition Key detailing the manner in which the Requests have been re-sequenced, in addition to the changes noted above. Please do not hesitate to contact the Institute directly with any questions or concerns. Remember that the Institute has revised its application acceptance policy and now requires that all information (previously submitted in three separate phases) be submitted simultaneously in both hard copy and electronic formats. 

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                           Download the new edition of the Institute's

                                     Application Kit in its Entirety Today!

The Institute's New Charter School Application Kit (6th Edition) is to be used by all those interested in applying to the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York to open a charter school.  (Download the latest version of Adobe Acrobat™ to use this interactive .pdf file.)

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Links to recent Institute memos on the Application Process:

May 2007 memo from Institute Senior Vice President Dr. Jennifer G. Sneed, highlighting what were at the time very recent changes to the New York Charter Schools Act. The memo is written for those planning to apply to the State University Trustees for a charter.

November 2007 memo from Institute Vice President and General Counsel Ralph Rossi, providing follow-up to the above, regarding lottery dates and transportation for all schools, and admissions preferences for schools in New York City.

In addition to appearing in the above interactive .pdf file, quick links to the Application Kit's Appendices appear below for your convenience:

Appendix A:

New York Charter Schools Act of 1998 revised to include
most recent changes;


Appendix B:

Updated SUNY Curriculum Framework Template;


Appendix C:

SUNY Accountability Plan Guidelines;


Appendix D:

SUNY Charter Renewal Benchmarks;

Appendix E:

Updated SUNY Request for Information From Prospective
Charter School Board Members (RFI Form);

Appendix F:

Sample Start-Up Budgets;

Appendix G:
"Questions and Answers Regarding the Financing of Charter Schools," a document prepared by the New York State Education Department.

Appendix H:

Federal Charter Schools Program (CSP) Planning and Implementation
Grant Application

Appendix I:
A Model Initial Charter

  
  • A comprehensive public list of all new school applications received by the Charter Schools Institute, on behalf of the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York is updated regularly. 

Summer 2008: Public List

Winter 2008:  Public List  

Summer 2007: Public List

 

SUNY approves new charter school in Brooklyn.

  • 10/26/07, Institute Press Release:

SUNY approves the state's first new charter applications since the July 2007 cap increase.