Section I – Governance

  1. Terms, Officers, and Committees
    1. Pursuant to I.C. § 33-5213, the IPCSC shall consist of seven (7) governor appointed commissioners.
    2. Commissioners shall be appointed for four (4) year terms and shall continue serving beyond the term end date until reappointed or replaced.
    3. The Idaho Public Charter School Commission (the “IPCSC” or the “Commission”) shall elect, by majority vote, a Chairperson and a Vice Chairperson every two (2) years.
    4. The IPCSC may utilize committees as necessary.
      1. Committee meetings are subject to Idaho Open Meeting Law.
      2. No more than three (3) commissioners may be appointed to a committee.
      3. The Chairperson of the Commission shall make recommendations for appointments, subject to IPCSC approval.
      4. Appointments are not subject to a term end date.
      5. Committees may make recommendations to the IPCSC regarding matters pertinent to committee work and may only make decisions if specifically permitted through IPCSC policy or IPCSC action.
      6. The Committee Chair is responsible for presiding over the meeting, approving committee meeting minutes, and providing an update to the IPCSC of recent committee work at the next regularly scheduled meeting.
      7. The IPCSC may vote to accept, adopt, or enact a committee recommendation.
  2. Ethics and Conflicts
    1. The IPCSC is subject to the Ethics in Government Act, found in Title 74, Chapter 4, Idaho Code.
    2. Commissioners shall not accept any pecuniary benefit as consideration for the Commissioner’s decision, opinion, recommendation, vote or other exercise of discretion related to IPCSC business.
    3. Commissioners shall not accept gifts from public charter schools or proposed public charter schools except for gifts conferred on account of kinship or other personal, professional, or business relationships independent of the commissioner’s status as a commissioner and shall not accept any trivial benefits exceeding a value of fifty dollars ($50.00) or involving any substantial risk of undermining the commissioner’s impartiality.
    4. Commissioners shall not disclose confidential information or information protected under the Federal Education Records Protection Act (FERPA) gained in the course of or by reason of the commissioner’s position or activities.
    5. Commissioners shall not have an interest in any contract made by the IPCSC unless disclosed to the IPCSC and as allowed by Idaho Code sections 18-1361, 18-1362.
  3. Meeting Protocol and Agenda Items
    1. The IPCSC is subject to Title 74, Chapter 2, regarding Open Meetings Law.
    2. Commissioners may attend meetings in-person or via video or telephone conferencing. Commissioners who are not able to attend a meeting must notify the Chairperson of the Commission and the IPCSC Director.
    3. Regular meetings of the IPCSC shall be held on the second Thursday of even months at 9:00 A.M., Mountain Time unless otherwise noticed.
    4. The IPCSC’s annual meeting shall be held in April each year, or as otherwise determined by a majority vote of the IPCSC.
    5. Requests for agenda items are subject to approval by the Chairperson of the Commission up to 48 hours prior to the start of the meeting, consistent with Robert’s Rules of Order.
    6. Agenda amendments approved by the Chairperson of the Commission within 48 hours of the start of the meeting shall be posted as pending IPCSC approval and shall be effective only upon a majority vote in favor of the amendment at the beginning of the meeting.
    7. The Commission will notify a public charter school no less than thirty (30) days prior to any meeting at which that school is the subject of an actionable agenda item. The Commission will notify a public charter school as soon as reasonably practicable prior to any special meeting at which the school is the subject of an actionable agenda item.
    8. A public charter school’s governing board or its designee shall be allotted up to 15 minutes to address the IPCSC during any actionable agenda item(s) specifically related to that school. Additional time may be allowed at the Chairperson of the Commission’s discretion. The charter holder or its designee may decline to address the IPCSC.
  4. Submission of Meeting Materials
    1. Final revisions to new charter school petitions must be received by the IPCSC office no later than 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time 30 calendar days prior to the scheduled hearing.
    2. All other materials to be considered at a regular meeting must be received by the IPCSC office no later than 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time 15 calendar days prior to the meeting date.
    3. Materials to be considered at a special meeting of the IPCSC must be received by the IPCSC office no less than 12 hours prior to the scheduled start time of the meeting.
    4. Additional or revised materials may be accepted after the deadline at the discretion of the IPCSC Director if he/she determines that the materials can be thoroughly evaluated before the meeting. If the IPCSC Director determines that there is not sufficient time for the materials to be thoroughly evaluated by the IPCSC staff, the IPCSC Director may decline to accept the materials.
    5. Additional materials and handouts, that have not been thoroughly evaluated by the IPCSC staff, may be accepted at the meeting at the discretion of the Chairperson of the Commission.
    6. All materials shall be submitted electronically via electronic mail, web-based file-sharing services, or portable data storage devices.
  5. Public Comment
    1. In-Person Comment
      1. Members of the public may address the IPCSC during regular or special IPCSC meetings if so noted on the meeting agenda.
      2. Prior to the start of the meeting, members of the public who wish to provide in-person public comment must first indicate on the meeting sign-in sheet that they wish to address the IPCSC.
      3. Public comments shall be limited to three (3) minutes.
    1. Written Public Comment
      1. Written public comment may be submitted to the IPCSC staff at any time. Written public comment must be identified as such and must include the name and contact information of the author. Anonymous commentary will not be accepted.
      2. Written public comment submitted at least seven (7) days in advance of an IPCSC meeting will be included in the meeting materials.
      3. Written public comment submitted fewer than seven (7) days in advance of an IPCSC meeting will be distributed to commissioners but may not be included in the meeting materials.
      4. Written public comment received at least 24 hours prior to the start of the meeting may be read aloud at the regularly scheduled IPCSC meeting following receipt at the discretion of the Chairperson of the Commission.
  6. Public Relations
    1. The IPCSC Director and the Chairperson of the Commission are the only authorized media contacts for the agency. If a commissioner receives a request for comment by a representative of the media, the commissioner shall direct such request to the IPCSC Director or the Chairperson of the Commission.
    2. The IPCSC Director is authorized to provide technical assistance and clarifying information to any party as part of the regular duties of the position.
    3. Press releases will be drafted and issued by the IPCSC Director. The IPCSC, upon majority vote, may direct the IPCSC Director to draft and issue a press release on any matter.
    4. Any commissioner may visit an IPCSC authorized school or otherwise engage in conversation with representatives from an IPCSC authorized school.
    5. If a commissioner chooses to visit an IPCSC authorized school, the commissioner must inform the IPCSC Director of the time, date, and purpose of the visit for recordkeeping purposes.
    6. Pursuant to Idaho Open Meeting Law, a commissioner in receipt of information related to an actionable matter, is obligated to disclose the source and substance of information to the IPCSC in an open meeting.
    7. Commissioners must not engage in communication regarding a new charter school petition with the petitioners (or representatives thereof) or the IPCSC staff between the release of the IPCSC Director’s recommendation to approve, conditionally approve, or deny a new charter school petition and the scheduled hearing at which the Commission shall make a decision on the petition. In the event that unsolicited information is received by a commissioner within this timeframe, the commissioner must not engage in the communication and shall proceed to disclose the source and substance of any information received at the scheduled hearing.
    8. Separate from disclosure, a commissioner in receipt of information related to an actionable matter may choose to recuse him or herself from voting on that matter at his or her discretion.
  7. Public Records
    1. The IPCSC is subject to the Idaho Public Records Act, found in Title 74, Chapter 1, Idaho Code.
    2. Any representative of the IPCSC in receipt of a request for information should redirect the requesting party to the IPCSC Director.