Louisiana Administrative Code
Title 28 - EDUCATION
Part CXXXIX - Bulletin 126-Charter Schools
Chapter 3 - Charter School Authorizers
Section CXXXIX-303 - BESE Authorizing Responsibilities

1. to implement a comprehensive application process with fair procedures and rigorous criteria that results in applications recommended for approval that demonstrate strong capacity for establishing and operating a quality charter school;

2. to review each proposed charter in a timely manner to determine whether each charter school application complies with the charter school law and this bulletin and whether the application is valid, complete, financially well-structured, educationally sound, whether it provides for a master plan for improving behavior and discipline in accordance with R.S. 17: 252, whether it provides a plan for collecting data in accordance with R.S. 17:3911, and offers potential for fulfilling the purposes of the charter school law. BESE shall engage in an application review process that complies with the latest principles and standards for quality charter school authorizing, as promulgated by the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, and shall provide for an independent evaluation of the charter proposal by a third party with educational, organizational, legal, and financial expertise;

3. to enter into any proposed Type 2, Type 4, or Type 5 charter only after there has been a specific determination by BESE that the proposed school will be operated in compliance with all applicable state and federal laws, rules, and regulations; that the accounting and financial practices to be used are sound and in accordance with generally accepted standards for similar entities; and that the educational program to be offered will comply with all requirements of the Charter School Law and be based on generally accepted education research findings applicable to the pupils to be served;

4. to enter into performance contracts with approved charter schools that articulate the rights and responsibilities of each party regarding school autonomy, expected outcomes, measures for evaluating success or failure, performance consequences, operating terms, and other material terms;

5. to direct the Department of Education in providing adequate administrative and programmatic support and oversight; monitoring compliance; measuring progress; and implementing interventions, when necessary, with respect to type 2, type 4 and type 5 charter schools; and

6. to implement a transparent and rigorous process that uses comprehensive academic data and financial, legal, and contractual reporting and compliance to make merit-based recommendations for charter extension, renewal, and revocation.