Charter School Information
Below please find East Feliciana Public Schools’ 2023-2024 Charter Request for Applications for schools opening for the 2025-2026 school year.
East Feliciana Parish School Board
2023-24 District Charter School Application Process
for Schools Opening in the 2025-2026 School Year or Beyond
Forms and Information Needed for Submission of a Type 1 or Type 3 Charter School Proposal
In compliance with R.S. 17:3982, the East Feliciana Parish School Board is making public through our website, and in printed form upon request, the guidelines for submitting a charter proposal, all forms required for submission of a charter proposal, the timelines established for accepting and reviewing charter proposals, the process that will be used to review charter proposals submitted to the board, and the name and contact information for a primary point of contact for charter proposals.
I. Chartering Priorities of East Feliciana Public Schools
In East Feliciana Public Schools, we are committed to prioritizing and protecting the safety of our community, identifying and meeting the comprehensive needs of each student, embracing innovation in meeting those needs, and regularly and clearly communicating with all stakeholders.
In accordance with these commitments, the 12 Essential Practices of charter authorizing identified by the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, and the purpose of Louisiana charter schools as outlined in Bulletin 126, Chapter 1, §105, we offer a transparent process for all persons with valid ideas and motivation to participate in the development of innovative schools. Our mission in charter authorization is to enhance East Feliciana Public Schools’ ability to fulfill our commitments to our community by authorizing charters to those persons who can demonstrate a plan grounded in both research and our community’s context to develop schools in which, in accordance with LA Rev Stat § 17:3972, the best interests of economically disadvantaged students and students with disabilities are the overriding consideration.
II. Charter School Application
Applicants should complete the Common Charter School Application available via our website.
Applicants should complete the appropriate application based on whether or not they are a New Charter Operator or an Experienced Charter Operator. Virtual operators will complete the addendum based on the type of operator they are applying as.
In order to ensure that the East Feliciana Parish School Board fulfills their responsibilities outlined in Bulletin 126, Chapter 3, §306 and in accordance with Bulletin 126, Chapter 3, §311, East Feliciana Public Schools requests the following additional needed information from applicants:
-A summary of the key demographic, process, perceptual, and student learning data beyond annual standardized assessment results that the school will monitor on an ongoing basis to account better and more thoroughly for educational results.
-A summary of how the applicant will ensure the best interests of economically disadvantaged students and students with disabilities are the overriding consideration of their school.
-A description of how the applicant will prioritize and protect the safety of the East Feliciana Parish community while operating their school.
The answers to these questions shall be included in the application after the executive summary and shall total no more than three pages, double spaced, together.
III. Charter School Application Process Schedule
· August 23, 2023: LDOE releases common application.
· By September 5, 2023: The East Feliciana Parish School Board posts all required information at efschools.net/page/charter-application.
· September 5, 2023: Deadline for districts to post all required information to their websites
· September 18, 2023 at 2:00 PM: In accordance with Bulletin 126, Chapter 3, §311, East Feliciana Public Schools shall provide an orientation session for interested applicants. All potential applicants are required to attend to receive a clear understanding of the application process, expectations for high-quality applications, evaluation criteria, and authorizer expectations upon approval. This orientation session shall be held virtually via the Microsoft Teams platform. Potential applicants should email jloveall@efschools.net by 5:00 PM on September 15, 2022 in order to receive an electronic invitation to this session. If you are unable to attend this orientation, please email jloveall@efschools.net to schedule an alternative orientation time and date. No applications shall be accepted prior to this session.
· October 20, 2023: Last day to submit an application in order to receive a Completion Check prior to the October 28 due date.
· October 27, 2023: Applications due
Applicants should email all application components, in order as a single PDF file, to jloveall@efschools.net. Within four business days of the submission of an application, the East Feliciana Parish School Board shall conduct a Completion Check of this application and provide the results of this check, by electronic means, to the applicant. Applicants are encouraged to submit their applications prior to the October 27, 2023 due date so that they can receive this Completion Check with sufficient time to make any necessary additions to their application prior to the due date. Only applications passing this Completion Check will be accepted, and no applications will be accepted past October 28, 2022.
· By October 30, 2023: The East Feliciana Parish School Board shall send, by both postal and electronic mail, notification to the state senator and state representative in whose district any proposed charter school is to be located of any charter application that has been submitted to the East Feliciana Parish School Board. The East Feliciana Parish School Board shall also notify the Louisiana Department of Education, by electronic means, of the receipt of any charter applications.
· By November 10, 2023: An independent evaluator as described below shall conduct an interview with any applicant.
· By November 16, 2022: The East Feliciana Parish School Board shall send any charter applicant, by electronic means, an initial memo from an independent evaluator as described below which provides a draft overall recommendation, rates each Evaluation Standard as met or unmet, and offers a narrative description of any unmet standard.
· By November 30, 2023: Applicants may submit in PDF format to jloveall@efschools.net a typewritten narrative response of no more than five pages, double spaced, to provide additional evidence or clarity regarding unmet standards. However, this is not an opportunity to propose a change to the initial scope of the application.
· December 5, 2023: In accordance with Bulletin 126, Chapter 3, §306, the East Feliciana Parish School Board shall hold a public meeting for the purposes of considering any charter applications and receiving public input.
· By December 15, 2023: In accordance with Bulletin 126, Chapter 3, §311, the East Feliciana Parish School Board shall send any charter applicant, by electronic means, the final evaluation and recommendations of the third-party evaluator.
· By January 4, 2024: The applicant may submit in PDF format to jloveall@efschools.net a typewritten narrative response of no more than two pages, double spaced, to be provided by January 8 to the East Feliciana Parish School Board, describing any factual errors they believe the third-party evaluator may have made in the final evaluation.
· January 9, 2024: The East Feliciana Parish School Board shall make a decision to approve or deny any charter applications.
· By January 19, 2024: The East Feliciana Parish School Board shall provide any charter applicant, by electronic means, the final decision regarding the approval or denial of their application. Notifications of charter proposals approved shall include information regarding additional action steps regarding the development of a charter contract in accordance with legally required timelines, and notifications of charter proposals denied shall include written explanation of the reasons for such denial.
· By January 19, 2024: The East Feliciana Parish School Board shall send, by both postal and electronic mail, notification to the state senator and state representative in whose district any proposed charter school is to be located of whether the application to operate a charter school was approved or denied. The East Feliciana Parish School Board shall also notify the Louisiana Department of Education, by electronic means, of any action taken by the East Feliciana Parish School Board on any charter applications.
· January 19, 2023: Last day for East Feliciana Parish School Board to make decisions to approve or deny charter applications in according with LDOE timeline.
IV. Charter Application Review Process
All charter applications will be reviewed by an independent evaluator with educational, organizational, legal, and financial expertise. The evaluator shall utilize the BESE-authorized Charter Application Evaluation Standards, incorporating an additional holistic standard of Alignment with the Chartering Priorities of East Feliciana Public Schools and prioritizing those individual standards explicitly aligned to these priorities in determining an overall recommendation. As described above, applicants will have the opportunity to provide to the evaluator a written response to the independent evaluation of their charter application before the evaluator provides a final recommendation to East Feliciana Parish School Board.
V. Charter School Contact Information
Individuals or organizations with questions about the district's charter application process should contact:
Jonathan Loveall, Coordinator
Office: 225.683.8277 Cell: 225.719.6430
Updated September 11, 2023
PLEASE NOTE: The East Feliciana Parish School Board strives to offer a transparent charter application process in full compliance with Bulletin 126 and additional LDOE policy. The East Feliciana Parish School Board shall, via this webpage, make and communicate any changes to our charter application process that may be required in the event of updates to Bulletin 126 and LDOE policy.