Charter School Applicants
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Under 1002.33, F.S., the School Board of Collier County is authorized to sponsor all charter schools in Collier County. District staff provides support and monitors compliance of charter schools.
Charter schools may be started by an individual, groups of individuals, teachers, parents, a municipality or a legal entity organized under the laws of the state.
Acceptance of an application for review does not imply or ensure approval of the application.
Approval of an application does not authorize the operation of the charter school. Approval of an application authorizes the parties to negotiate a contract to operate the school.
Pursuant to 6A-6.0781, State Board Rule, Collier County will utilize electronic mail for ALL communication with the charter applicant during the charter application process. If applicable, electronic mail will be utilized for sending the applicant the approval or denied letter and supporting documentation within the defined statutory timeline. The applicant should correspond via electronic mail with Kate Drilling, drillika@collierschools.com, Director of School Choice, Collier County Public Schools.
Charter School Application Timeline
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Charter School Application Timeline has many important dates for both draft applications and final submissions.
Charter School Application Instructions
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A written application shall be submitted adhering to guidelines set forth in the Collier County Public Schools Charter School Application Submission Instructions.
Collier County Public Schools only accepts the Model Charter School Application issued by the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE). Please utilize the correct charter application for the purpose and intent of the charter school. All Model Charter School Applications and Evaluation Tools can be located at Florida Department of Education, School Choice, Standards, Rules and Model Forms page. The link is provided below:
http://www.fldoe.org/schools/school-choice/charter-schools/charter-school-reference
Review the brief description of the standards that will be used to review your application, which follows each question in the charter application. Review the evaluation tool for additional guidance on the criteria used to evaluate your application. These review standards are intended to serve as a helpful guide to formulate your responses.
An overarching consideration for each application will be the extent to which the proposed charter school will substantively meet the requirements as specified in F.S. 1002.33 (2); (6)(a)1-6; and (6)(b)2.
Answer all questions on the Florida Department of Education Charter School Model Application.
- Be specific about the curriculum and what the school will offer
- Avoid using a laundry list of programs, materials, staff or resources that the school may offer
- Provide information in the correct section of the application and in the state approved model application order
- Present the application in an organized and properly labeled manner
- Use tabs to identify each section of the application
- Use font size 12
- Include the additional application components required by Collier County Public Schools and permitted by charter law, as part of the charter school application (Addenda GG1, GG2)
Please assemble your completed application in the order and format detailed on pages 2-4 of the Model Florida Charter School Application. The following is an abbreviated list of required documentation:
- Application Cover Sheet
- Executive Summary
- Educational Plan: Sections 1-9
- Organizational Plan: Sections 10-15
- Business Plan: Sections 16-22
- Chart of Attachments: A-Z (as applicable)
- Addendum (as applicable)
- Statement of Assurances
- Board Member Information
- Model Florida School Application Addendum (as applicable)
- CCPS Addenda: GG1, GG2, HH
Additional Forms required by Collier County Public Schools include:
- Addendum GG1: Five (5) Year Budget Worksheet
- Addendum GG2: Contingency Budge Worksheet
- Addendum HH: Email Correspondence
CCPS shall reject any application that does not meet or comply with statutory requirements or following the FLDOE application format. The application package must be completed in its entirety. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Applications submitted without signatures are considered incomplete.
Letter of Intent
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It is strongly recommended that a letter of intent is submitted by the applicant at least 60 days before submitting an application to the sponsor. Follwoing the submission of the letter of intent, an applicant information meeting may be held.
Please include the following in your letter of intent:
- Intended Name of the School
- Name of the Board Chair
- Identified Management Company (if applicable)
- Enrollment Projections
- Grade Configuration
- Education Program Focus
The letter should be mailed or emailed to:
Kate Drilling
Director - School Choice
5775 Osceola Trail
Naples, Florida 34109-0919
drillika@collierschools.com or CharterSchools@collierschools.com
Application Submission Requirements
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The Charter Application Submittal Checklist will serve as a receipt for the applicant, verifying the correct format, as well as required binders and flash drive, have been successfully submitted to the Collier County Charter School Office. The checklist will be completed by the Charter School Office at the time of submission and the applicant will receive a signed copy for their records. Below you will find further details of the application package:
One (1) paper original of the application package, with original signatures
- must be printed on 8.5 x 11 and printed on one side
- three ring binder or bound
Five (5) paper copies of the application package
- must be printed on 8.5 x 11 and may be two-sided
- three ring binder or bound
One (1) USB flash drive labeled with the school’s name containing a searchable PDF of the application with each section, attachment, and addenda bookmarked. Must be the same as the hard copy. Note: Do not photocopy individual components into a single PDF. Simply combine electronic versions of all attachments into a single PDF. Training and support are available if needed.
Documents must contain a table of contents with page numbers for all sections, attachments and addenda. Documents must have consecutive page numbers throughout the compilation (sections, attachments, and addenda) which are aligned with the table of contents.
It is the responsibility of the charter school applicants to request technical assistance from the Florida Department of Education or the Collier County Public School Charter Office.
The entire application package must be submitted to the Office of Charter Schools:
Kate Drilling
Director - School Choice
5775 Osceola Trail
Naples, Florida 34109-0919All applications will be presented to the School Board within 90 days of receipt with the recommendation for approval or denial from the Superintendent unless otherwise agreed upon by both parties.
For an application or more information about submitting a Charter School Proposal, contact the Charter School Office at (239) 377-0149 or at CharterSchools@collierschools.com.