Common use of Navigating the Closure Process Clause in Contracts

Navigating the Closure Process. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇. Authorizing Matters Issue Brief, May 2011. National Association of Charter School Authorizers (2011). Introduction. 4 A Conceptual Timeline for Closure 5 Notification and Initial Steps. 6 Develop / Monitor Implementation of the Closure Plan 8 Finalize School Affairs: Governance and Operations 9 Finalize School Affairs: Finance 11 Finalize School Affairs: Reporting 12 Dissolution 13 Introduction Charter school closures happen when a school’s charter is revoked, non‐renewed, or relinquished. A number of factors can lead to closure of the school, including poor academic performance, finances, governance, or safety issues. Regardless of the reasons for closure, the board of directors of the public charter school is responsible for managing the closure and dissolution process.2 Cooperation between the public charter school board and administrator, authorizer, and other state entities can allow for the facilitation of a smooth process that “minimize[s] disruption for students while ensuring that public funds are used appropriately.”3 The closure process should begin as soon as the authorizer or the charter school board takes initial action to close the school, regardless of whether an appeals process has been completed or the decision has been finalized. This allows the school and authorizer to discuss the potential closure, identify a tentative timeline for the final decision, and work together to establish a closure team and clear paths of communication with each other, stakeholders, and the community. Whenever possible, the authorizer and public charter school should work together to ensure that the school is able to operate through the completion of the regularly‐scheduled school year. Under most circumstances, this should allow adequate time to complete all closure tasks. More importantly, it minimizes instructional gaps for students. However, there are occasions when it is necessary for a school to close mid‐year. In these cases, students’ educational transitions should be the highest priority. The school, authorizer, and other state entities must also identify the appropriate closure team and work closely together to prioritize closure tasks and manage their completion in as organized and efficient manner as possible. Though individual schools should develop closure plans that are tailored to their situation, resources, and needs, all schools should keep the following primary goals in mind: 1. Providing educational services in accordance with the charter and performance certificate until the end of the school year, or the agreed upon date when instruction will stop. 2. Reassigning students to schools that meet their educational needs. 3. Addressing the school’s financial, legal and reporting obligations. The closure process has many tasks, which are illustrated in the chart below. Based on the circumstances surrounding the closure, not all tasks in this protocol may apply. When the charter school, authorizer, and other state entities meet at the outset of the closure process, they should refer to the Closure Protocol and identify which tasks will be required or necessary. During this meeting, responsible parties and completion dates should be agreed upon to ensure a transparent and smooth closure. The template that follows includes the basic tasks that will usually need to be addressed to close a school; the format allows for the insertion of responsible parties and task deadlines.

Navigating the Closure Process. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇. Authorizing Matters Issue Brief, May 2011. National Association of Charter School Authorizers (2011). Introduction. Introduction 4 A Conceptual Timeline for Closure 5 Notification and Initial Steps. Steps 6 Develop / Monitor Implementation of the Closure Plan 8 Finalize School Affairs: Governance and Operations 9 Finalize School Affairs: Finance 11 Finalize School Affairs: Reporting 12 Dissolution 13 Introduction Charter school closures happen when a school’s charter is revoked, non‐renewednon-renewed, or relinquished. A number of factors can lead to closure of the school, including poor academic performance, finances, governance, or safety issues. Regardless of the reasons for closure, the board of directors of the public charter school is responsible for managing the closure and dissolution process.2 Cooperation between the public charter school board and administrator, authorizer, and other state entities can allow for the facilitation of a smooth process that “minimize[s] disruption for students while ensuring that public funds are used appropriately.”3 The closure process should begin as soon as the authorizer or the charter school board takes initial action to close the school, regardless of whether an appeals process has been completed or the decision has been finalized. This allows the school and authorizer to discuss the potential closure, identify a tentative timeline for the final decision, and work together to establish a closure team and clear paths of communication with each other, stakeholders, and the community. Whenever possible, the authorizer and public charter school should work together to ensure that the school is able to operate through the completion of the regularly‐scheduled regularly-scheduled school year. Under most circumstances, this should allow adequate time to complete all closure tasks. More importantly, it minimizes instructional gaps for students. However, there are occasions when it is necessary for a school to close mid‐yearmid-year. In these cases, students’ educational transitions should be the highest priority. The school, authorizer, and other state entities must also identify the appropriate closure team and work closely together to prioritize closure tasks and manage their completion in as organized and efficient manner as possible. Though individual schools should develop closure plans that are tailored to their situation, resources, and needs, all schools should keep the following primary goals in mind: 1. Providing educational services in accordance with the charter and performance certificate until the end of the school year, or the agreed upon date when instruction will stop. 2. Reassigning students to schools that meet their educational needs. 3. Addressing the school’s financial, legal and reporting obligations. The closure process has many tasks, which are illustrated in the chart below. Based on the circumstances surrounding the closure, not all tasks in this protocol may apply. When the charter school, authorizer, and other state entities meet at the outset of the closure process, they should refer to the Closure Protocol and identify which tasks will be required or necessary. During this meeting, responsible parties and completion dates should be agreed upon to ensure a transparent and smooth closure. The template that follows includes the basic tasks that will usually need to be addressed to close a school; the format allows for the insertion of responsible parties and task deadlines.

Navigating the Closure Process. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇. Authorizing Matters Issue Brief, May 2011. National Association of Charter School Authorizers (2011). Introduction. 4 A Conceptual Timeline for Closure 5 Notification and Initial Steps. 6 Develop / Monitor Implementation of the Closure Plan 8 Finalize School Affairs: Governance and Operations 9 Finalize School Affairs: Finance 11 Finalize School Affairs: Reporting 12 Dissolution 13 Introduction Charter school closures happen when a school’s charter is revoked, non‐renewed, or relinquished. A number of factors can lead to closure of the school, including poor academic performance, finances, governance, or safety issues. Regardless of the reasons for closure, the board of directors of the public charter school is responsible for managing the closure and dissolution process.2 Cooperation between the public charter school board and administrator, authorizer, and other state entities can allow for the facilitation of a smooth process that “minimize[s] disruption for students while ensuring that public funds are used appropriately.”3 The closure process should begin as soon as the authorizer or the charter school board takes initial action to close the school, regardless of whether an appeals process has been completed or the decision has been finalized. This allows the school and authorizer to discuss the potential closure, identify a tentative timeline for the final decision, and work together to establish a closure team and clear paths of communication with each other, stakeholders, and the community. Whenever possible, the authorizer and public charter school should work together to ensure that the school is able to operate through the completion of the regularly‐scheduled school year. Under most circumstances, this should allow adequate time to complete all closure tasks. More importantly, it minimizes instructional gaps for students. However, there are occasions when it is necessary for a school to close mid‐year. In these cases, students’ educational transitions should be the highest priority. The school, authorizer, and other state entities must also identify the appropriate closure team and work closely together to prioritize closure tasks and manage their completion in as organized and efficient manner as possible. Though individual schools should develop closure plans that are tailored to their situation, resources, and needs, all schools should keep the following primary goals in mind: 1. Providing educational services in accordance with the charter and performance certificate until the end of the school year, or the agreed upon date when instruction will stop. 2. Reassigning students to schools that meet their educational needs. 3. Addressing the school’s financial, legal and reporting obligations. The closure process has many tasks, which are illustrated in the chart below. Based on the circumstances surrounding the closure, not all tasks in this protocol may apply. When the charter school, authorizer, and other state entities meet at the outset of the closure process, they should refer to the Closure Protocol and identify which tasks will be required or necessary. During this meeting, responsible parties and completion dates should be agreed upon to ensure a transparent and smooth closure. The template that follows includes the basic tasks that will usually need to be addressed to close a school; the format allows for the insertion of responsible parties and task deadlines.

Navigating the Closure Process. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇. Authorizing Matters Issue Brief, May 2011. National Association of Charter School Authorizers (2011). Introduction. 4 Introduction 4‌ A Conceptual Timeline for Closure 5 Notification and Initial Steps. Steps 6 Develop / Monitor Implementation of the Closure Plan 8 8‌ Finalize School Affairs: Governance and Operations 9 Finalize School Affairs: Finance 11 Finalize School Affairs: Reporting 12 12‌ Dissolution 13 Introduction Charter school closures happen when a school’s charter is revoked, non‐renewednon-renewed, or relinquished. A number of factors can lead to closure of the school, including poor academic performance, finances, governance, or safety issues. Regardless of the reasons for closure, the board of directors of the public charter school is responsible for managing the closure and dissolution process.2 Cooperation between the public charter school board and administrator, authorizer, and other state entities can allow for the facilitation of a smooth process that “minimize[s] disruption for students while ensuring that public funds are used appropriately.”3 The closure process should begin as soon as the authorizer or the charter school board takes initial action to close the school, regardless of whether an appeals process has been completed or the decision has been finalized. This allows the school and authorizer to discuss the potential closure, identify a tentative timeline for the final decision, and work together to establish a closure team and clear paths of communication with each other, stakeholders, and the community. Whenever possible, the authorizer and public charter school should work together to ensure that the school is able to operate through the completion of the regularly‐scheduled regularly-scheduled school year. Under most circumstances, this should allow adequate time to complete all closure tasks. More importantly, it minimizes instructional gaps for students. However, there are occasions when it is necessary for a school to close mid‐yearmid-year. In these cases, students’ educational transitions should be the highest priority. The school, authorizer, and other state entities must also identify the appropriate closure team and work closely together to prioritize closure tasks and manage their completion in as organized and efficient manner as possible. Though individual schools should develop closure plans that are tailored to their situation, resources, and needs, all schools should keep the following primary goals in mind: 1. Providing educational services in accordance with the charter and performance certificate until the end of the school year, or the agreed upon date when instruction will stop. 2. Reassigning students to schools that meet their educational needs. 3. Addressing the school’s financial, legal and reporting obligations. The closure process has many tasks, which are illustrated in the chart below. Based on the circumstances surrounding the closure, not all tasks in this protocol may apply. When the charter school, authorizer, and other state entities meet at the outset of the closure process, they should refer to the Closure Protocol and identify which tasks will be required or necessary. During this meeting, responsible parties and completion dates should be agreed upon to ensure a transparent and smooth closure. The template that follows includes the basic tasks that will usually need to be addressed to close a school; the format allows for the insertion of responsible parties and task deadlines.