HAR §8-515-5. Applications, generally

(a) The board shall develop an application form, process, and processing schedule for applying to become an authorizer pursuant to section 302D-4, Hawaii Revised Statutes. The application form shall include a description of the application process and the application processing schedule. (b) The board shall develop policies, criteria, or guidelines for evaluating applications for chartering authority based on nationally recognized principles and standards for quality charter authorizing, as applicable to local conditions. At a minimum, the policies, criteria, or guidelines included in the application form shall be evaluated in the following areas: (1) Satisfactory responses to elements of the application for chartering authority, including responses that clearly explain or present: (A) The applicant’s strategic vision for chartering; (B) A plan to support the vision presented, including an explanation and evidence of the applicant’s budget and personnel capacity and commitment to execute the responsibilities of a quality authorizer, in accordance with chapter 302D, Hawaii Revised Statutes; (C) A draft or preliminary outline of the request for proposals that the applicant, if approved as an authorizer, would issue to solicit charter school applicants; (D) A draft of the performance framework that the applicant, if approved as an authorizer, would use to guide the establishment of a charter contract and for ongoing oversight and evaluation of charter schools, consistent with the requirements of chapter 302D, Hawaii Revised Statutes; (E) A draft of the applicant’s renewal, revocation, and nonrenewal processes, consistent with section 302D-18, Hawaii Revised Statutes; (F) A statement of assurance that the applicant seeks to serve as an authorizer in fulfillment of the expectations, spirit, and intent of chapter 302D, Hawaii Revised Statutes, and that if approved as an authorizer, the applicant will fully participate in any authorizer training provided or required by the State; and (G) A statement of assurance that the applicant will ensure public accountability and transparency in all matters concerning its charter-authorizing practices, decisions, and expenditures; (2) Organizational capacity and infrastructure; (3) Financial capacity to fulfill the responsibilities of a quality authorizer; (4) Authorizer responsibilities relating to charter applications, including: (A) Soliciting and evaluating charter applications; (B) Approving quality charter applications that meet identified educational needs and promote a diversity of educational choices; and (C) Declining to approve weak or inadequate charter applications; (5) Performance contracting, including negotiating and executing sound charter contracts with each approved charter applicant and with existing charter schools; (6) Ongoing charter school oversight, evaluation, renewal processes, including: (A) Monitoring, in accordance with charter contract terms, the performance and legal compliance of charter schools; and (B) Determining whether each charter contract merits renewal, nonrenewal, or revocation; and (7) Fulfillment of the other statutory duties of an authorizer, including but not limited to: (A) Acting as a point of contact between the department of education and the authorizer’s charter schools; (B) Being responsible for and ensuring the compliance of the authorizer’s charter schools with all applicable state and federal laws, including reporting requirements; (C) Being responsible for the receipt of applicable federal funds from the department of education and the distribution of funds to the authorizer’s charter schools; and (D) Being responsible for the receipt of per-pupil funding from the department of budget and finance and distribution of the funding to the authorizer’s charter schools. (c) The board shall make publicly available the application form and the policies, criteria, or guidelines for evaluating applications to any person interested in establishing an authorizer. [Eff FEB 18, 2017] (Auth: HRS §302A-1112) (Imp: HRS §302D-4)