Rule 691-2-.03 State Charter School Monitoring

  1. Monitoring in General

    1. All state charter schools will be annually monitored by the State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia (SCSC) to review and evaluate and determine the charter school's attainment of its performance goals and operational compliance, which will include academic and financial performance as required by O.C.G.A. § 20-2-2083(b)(4).

    2. The results of SCSC monitoring will be included in SCSC evaluations of state charter school performance under their charter contracts and SCSC Comprehensive Performance Framework. The SCSC may initiate termination proceedings pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 20-2-2068 and SCSC Rule 691-2-.04 based on the findings of its monitoring activities.

    3. The SCSC Comprehensive Performance Framework shall serve as the basis for academic, financial, and organizational accountability. Regardless of the length of a school's charter term, the SCSC shall review each state charter school's results under the SCSC Comprehensive Performance Framework every five years and impose meaningful consequences if the state charter school fails to consistently meet expectations under the SCSC Comprehensive Performance Framework. The SCSC may initiate termination proceedings pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 20-2-2068 and SCSC Rule 691-2-.04 if the state charter school fails to consistently meet expectations under the SCSC Comprehensive Performance Framework.

    4. The SCSC staff shall prepare an annual report for the SCSC chairperson that includes details regarding each state charter school’s academic performance and operational compliance.

  2. Academic Performance

    1. The SCSC staff shall monitor student performance data for each state charter school to determine the school’s progress towards meeting the performance goals outlined in the charter.

    2. Each state charter school must participate in Georgia’s Single Statewide Accountability System (SSAS) as required by federal and state law, and SCSC staff shall review each state charter school’s annual determinations under the SSAS.

    3. SCSC staff shall notify a charter school in writing if state charter school is materially noncompliant in meeting the performance goals of its charter. Failure of a state charter school to remedy or make progress towards meeting its performance grounds may be grounds for termination of the charter as provided in SCSC Rule 691-2-.04.

    4. The SCSC staff shall include data regarding each state charter school’s academic performance, attainment of performance goals, and SSAS determinations in its annual performance report.

  3. Operational Compliance

    1. The SCSC staff shall monitor each state charter school for its compliance in meeting the operational requirements of its charter and law. This shall include, but not be limited to: the school’s organizational goals as outlined in its charter; financial performance; revenues and expenditures; financial reporting and audit requirements; state and federal charter school laws, rules, and regulations; and any other rule or law applicable to the state charter school.

    2. SCSC staff shall notify a charter school in writing if state charter school is materially noncompliant in meeting the operational requirements of its charter. Failure of a state charter school to remedy operational noncompliance may be grounds for termination of the charter as provided in rule 691-2-.04.

    3. The SCSC staff shall detail each state charter school’s operational compliance or noncompliance in its annual performance report.

  4. Required Training

    1. In accordance with O.C.G.A. § 20-2-2084(f), all members of the governing board for each state charter school shall complete annual governance training.

    2. All members of a governing board for a state charter school must complete initial governance training within the fiscal year in which the SCSC approved the school’s charter petition by attending governance training provided by SCSC staff.

    3. In fiscal years subsequent to the year in which a state charter school’s petition is approved, members of governing boards for state charter schools may fulfill annual training requirements by attending governance trainings provided by SCSC staff or through a training provider approved by the State Board of Education to provide governance trainings to charter schools. For trainings provided by training providers other than SCSC staff to be utilized to fulfill annual governance training requirements, the topics and duration of the training must be aligned training provided by SCSC staff. Each state charter school that utilizes a training provider other than SCSC staff to meet its annual governance training obligation must submit a written record of completion in a form and manner determined by the SCSC that includes a signature from the training provider certifying that the governing board member(s) attended the trainings and that the topics and duration aligned with training provided by SCSC staff. SCSC staff may require state charter schools that have not met standards on the SCSC Comprehensive Performance Framework to attend governance training provided by SCSC staff.

    4. The SCSC may require the members of a state charter school governing board, members of a state charter school’s administration, or the faculty of a state charter school to attend topic-specific trainings provided by the SCSC to address deficiencies in performance or operational compliance of the charter school identified by the SCSC.

  5. Financial Reporting. Each state charter shall complete all financial reporting obligations in a timely manner as required by law, rule, or contract. Independent annual financial audits required by O.C.G.A. § 20-2-2065 shall be completed by an independent certified public accountant licensed in Georgia in a manner consistent with Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS) and shall be submitted to the SCSC no later than the first business day of November following the close of the fiscal year being audited. In addition to all financial reporting for state charter schools required by law, rule, or contract, a state charter school that fails to meet its contractual financial performance goals may be required to submit monthly financial reports to the SCSC Executive Director in a form and manner provided by the SCSC Executive Director.

  6. Record Inspection. Subject to state and federal law, each state charter school shall allow the SCSC and its staff access to all records, reports, documents, and files relating to any activity, program, or student of the charter school for the purposes of monitoring and evaluating the charter school's performance or compliance.

  7. Transparency of Records. To promote transparency and monitoring, each state charter school shall employ an online school website and ensure that the following information, at a minimum, is easily accessible on the school’s website:

    1. Governing Board membership;

    2. Governing Board meeting calendar;

    3. Meeting agendas for upcoming Governing Board meetings;

    4. Meeting minutes for past Governing Board meetings unless the Georgia Open Meetings Act limits their publication;

    5. Procedure for contacting the school’s Governing Board;

    6. Procedure for contacting the school’s most senior school administrator;

    7.  Any admissions application utilized by the school;

    8. Notification of enrollment and admission procedures required by SCSC Rule 691-2-.05, including the date, time, and location of any upcoming enrollment lottery;

    9. Annual operating budget or summary thereof as required by O.C.G.A. § 20- 2167.1; and

    10. The charter school’s Charter Contract.

  8. Onsite Inspection. Each state charter school shall allow the SCSC and its staff to conduct onsite inspections of all facilities, property, and equipment owned or utilized by the charter school. The SCSC or its staff may conduct such onsite inspections without prior notification to the charter school.

  9. Other Program Monitoring. State charter schools may be subject to monitoring of its programs and activities and required reporting by agencies or entities other than the SCSC including, but not limited to: the Georgia State Board of Education or the Georgia Department of Education, the United States Department of Education, the Department of Early Care and Learning, the Department of Public Health, the Department of Labor, and the Governor's Office of Student Achievement. State charter schools shall cooperate with all program monitoring activities as required by the respective program. State agencies may report any noncompliance of a state charter school to the SCSC or its staff. Upon receiving notification from a state agency that a state charter school is in noncompliance with one or more program activities, the SCSC staff may conduct additional monitoring activities, such as data review, record inspection, or an onsite inspection.

Authority: O.C.G.A. §§ 20-2-2083; 2091.