Charter School Accountability & Autonomy

MONITORING and ACCOUNTABILITY

Crucial aspects of charter public schools are monitoring and accountability, as they are granted autonomy in exchange for being individually responsible for their academic performance. 

To ensure accountability, there are standards, policies, and practices in place. 

• The Missouri Charter Public School Commission follows the National Association of Charter School Authorizer's Principles and Standards for sponsorship. 
• All Commission sponsored schools are held accountable to their charter, performance contract, performance goals, applicable Missouri statues and regulations, Commission Policies, and our Performance Framework.  
• The Commission monitors compliance in a variety of ways including: document review, onsite monitoring, and review of data.  
• Annually the Commission issues an annual report for each school detailing performance in academics, finance, operations, learning environment, and governance. 
• Charter schools in Missouri are also required to go through a renewal process.  As part of this process charter schools must address gaps in any performance areas outlined in the school’s annual report and provide information on expected outcomes, strategies for achieving them, dissemination of best practices.
• At any point in the charter life cycle in The Commission has concerns about a school’s performance in any of the areas outlined above The Commission may exercise its’ Intervention Policy. 
• The ultimate accountability for a charter school if they fail to meet the terms of the contract is school closure. 

INTERVENTION

The Commission believes that good authorizing protects school autonomy and that intervention should only be necessary when a school fails to meet performance levels. Below is a brief summary of the intervention policy.  

• The Commission's interventions aim to change the trajectory of a school's performance while maintaining its autonomy. 
• They follow a path from least to most severe, such as issuing a letter of concern before considering probation or revocation. 
• A letter of concern may be issued if there are missing or untimely submissions, potential threats to student welfare or organization stability. 
• The school must respond and provide evidence of corrective action or a plan to resolve the issues. 
• A breach of contract letter may be sent if multiple sections of the contract are violated. 
• Probation is imposed for non-compliance with action plans, lack of progress, unexpected health/safety/financial issues, or failure to meet conditions after sponsor transfer. 
• These interventions are accompanied by various requirements and may involve external evaluations, testing, and audits.

Click here for the complete Policy 3.02 on Intervention.

CLOSURE or REVOCATION

School closure/revocation of a charter may be recommended by the Commission staff if a charter school fails to meet the following: 

• Student performance requirements, 
• fiscal management standards, 
• health and safety concerns, 
• required interventions, 
• violates the performance contract, 
• or is convicted of fraud. 

The process involves notifying the governing board and allowing a response within two weeks. 

If no hearing is requested, the Commission votes on revocation, and their decision is final. 

If a hearing is pursued, a specific procedure is followed, including evidence presentations and public comments. 

The Commission makes a final decision within 30 days, which may be appealed to the State Board of Education.

If the charter is revoked, a closure process is initiated to minimize disruption to students' education and protect public funds. Parents are informed of the decision and provided with options for choosing a new school.

Click here to review the complete policy on Closure/Revocation.