Section VII – Public Charter School Oversight

  1. General Oversight
    1. All public charter schools authorized by the IPCSC shall be continuously monitored for compliance with all applicable laws, rules, regulations, and the terms of the Performance Certificate.
    2. All public charter schools authorized by the IPCSC shall be annually evaluated against the Performance Framework to determine performance outcomes.
    3. The IPCSC will consider the reporting burden of public charter schools when requesting reports, and will utilize data and reports prepared by the State Board of Education, the State Department of Education, and/or IPCSC staff whenever possible.
    4. If a public charter school is accredited by a State Board of Education approved accrediting agency, the IPCSC shall accept accreditation reports in lieu of conducting a site visit for the purpose of establishing whether the school is effectively implementing its Key Design Elements as stated in its Performance Certificate.
    5. If a public charter school is not accredited by a State Board of Education approved accrediting agency, the IPCSC will conduct a site visit once during the public charter school’s Performance Certificate term for the purpose of evaluating whether the school is effectively implementing its Key Design Elements as stated in its Performance Certificate.

      1. The public charter school will receive written notice of a site visit for this purpose at least thirty (30) days prior to the visit, and whenever possible, the site visit will be scheduled at a time convenient for the public charter school.
    6. The IPCSC shall adopt policies and procedures establishing a framework for the equitable selection process and make available to all public charter schools a model procedure.
    7. The IPCSC may make additional site visits for the following purposes:
      1. Conducting a pre-opening site visit with advanced notice for the purpose of determining the school’s readiness to begin operations.
      2. Observing the enrollment lottery once per Performance Certificate term with advanced notice and for the purpose of evaluating operational compliance;
      3. Observing a governing board meeting once per Performance Certificate term with advanced notice and for the purpose of evaluating operational compliance;
      4. Investigating concerns regarding compliance with any applicable laws, rules, regulations, or the performance certificate with or without notice; and/or
  2. Complaints
    1. IPCSC staff shall log all complaints against a public charter school it authorizes within five (5) business days of receiving the complaint.
    2. IPCSC staff shall notify the public charter school’s governing board and primary administrator of the complaint within five (5) business days of receiving the complaint.
  3. Investigations
    1. IPCSC staff shall investigate the validity of complaints alleging that a public charter school may be in violation of an applicable law, rule, regulation, or term of its Performance Certificate.
    2. If the IPCSC staff has reason to believe that a violation may have occurred, or that more specific expertise is required to determine whether a violation has occurred, the IPCSC staff shall provide notice of its concerns to both the Charter holder and the entity responsible for enforcing the law, rule, or regulation in question.
    3. Enforcement of the law, rule, or regulation that has been violated will be the responsibility of the entity with the authority to enforce that law, rule, or regulation.
    4. If the public charter school is in violation of the terms of its Performance Certificate, the IPCSC shall issue a Courtesy Letter defining the violation and the date by which the violation must be resolved. IPCSC shall engage in progress-monitoring for the purpose of enforcing compliance.
    5. Progress-monitoring plans will be documented, and may include additional site visits, desk audits, and/or meetings.
    6. A public charter school’s Annual Performance Report shall include record of any IPCSC staff investigation concluding that a violation occurred, and record of any findings or violation identified by an entity responsible for enforcing an applicable law, rule, or regulation.
  4. Courtesy Letters
    1. Courtesy letters may be issued to a public charter school for any reason at the discretion of the IPCSC Director.
    2. Courtesy letters will be issued to a public charter school if any of the following circumstances arise:
      1. The IPCSC has reason to believe the school may be in violation of a law, rule, regulation, or the terms of its Performance Certificate;
      2. The IPCSC has reason to believe that the public charter school may not be able to remain fiscally viable for the remainder of its Performance Certificate term;
      3. To request any reports in addition to those described in Section V.C of these policies;
      4. To request any documentation necessary to conduct the IPCSC’s oversight duties;
      5. To inform the school of a progress-monitoring plan; and/or
      6. To inform the school of potential or executed actions of the IPCSC that impact the operations of the public charter school, including, but not limited to, non-renewal or revocation of the school’s Performance Certificate or changes to IPCSC policy.
    3. Courtesy letters shall be for the purpose of ensuring that the public charter school is formally made aware of a concern, request, or required action.
    4. The issuance of a courtesy letter and the receipt of documented resolution of a concern identified in a courtesy letter will be noted in the public charter school’s Annual Performance Report.
  5. Written Notification of Fiscal Concern
    1. If the IPCSC has reason to believe that a public charter school may not remain fiscally stable for the remainder of its Performance Certificate term, the IPCSC shall issue to the State Department of Education a written notification of concern.
    2. A notification of fiscal concern shall be issued by the IPCSC for the purpose of protecting taxpayer dollars and shall cause the public charter school’s funding to be distributed in equal percentages across the regularly scheduled distribution dates for the fiscal year following issuance.
    3. A public charter school shall be considered financially stable if the school met all financial standards on the most recently issued Annual Performance Report.
    4. A public charter school may also be considered financially stable if the public charter school did not meet all of the financial standards on the most recently issued Annual Performance Report, but all of the following are true:

      1. The public charter school’s fiscal audit indicates a positive year-end fund balance for the previous fiscal year; and
      2. The public charter school maintained a positive cash flow during the current fiscal year; and
      3. The public charter school is able to service all current-year financial obligations without relying on revenue intended for use in future fiscal years; and
      4. The public charter school did not engage in any new long or short term debt during the current fiscal year.
    5. Written notifications of fiscal concern shall be considered for issuance, continuation, or removal only at the IPCSC’s regularly scheduled June meeting.
    6. Written notifications of fiscal concern shall be in effect for the entire fiscal year.
    7. Public charter schools wishing to have written notifications of fiscal concern considered for removal must provide a cover letter and documentation evidencing fiscal stability at least fifteen (15) days in advance of the scheduled meeting.