New Charter School Transparency Requirements

In July 2019, the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools (Board) approved several measures designed to make the charter schools it sponsors more transparent to the public. The Board also approved an implementation plan that will require all of the charter schools it sponsors to adopt these new charter school transparency requirements for the fiscal year 2020. The new charter school transparency requirements are as follows:

New Charter School Transparency Requirements

Disclosure of Education Service Providers

Beginning September 1, 2019, Board’s rules require each charter holder to disclose certain information regarding any agreement or contract with an education service provider for the current year. If there is none, the charter holder must confirm that the charter holder is not a party to any such arrangement. To assist charter holders in complying with the rule’s requirements, the Board has developed a form that permits the charter holder to easily submit the required information to the Board.

Related Post: How to Start a Charter School in Arizona

Reporting

Under the new rules, charter holders must report to the Board within 10 business days if there is a tax lien or default notice. The rationale is that notices of default or tax liens are indicators of financial distress. Notices and occurrences that take place between July 1, 2019, and August 1, 2019, must be reported to the Board by the charter holder no later than August 15, 2019.

The new rules require charter schools to post a conspicuous and permanent link on its website to the school’s academic performance dashboard as well as the charter holder’s financial and operational performance dashboards on the Board’s website.

Each school that operated in the fiscal year 2019 must conspicuously post the link on its website by August 1, 2019. New schools opening in the fiscal year 2020 must conspicuously post the link by September 1, 2019.

Related Post: Student Discipline Policies and Dep Ed Office for Civil Rights


Ellis Carter is a nonprofit lawyer with Caritas Law Group, P.C. licensed to practice in Washington and Arizona. Ellis advises nonprofit and socially responsible businesses on corporate, tax, and fundraising regulations nationwide. Ellis also advises donors with regard to major gifts. To schedule a consultation with Ellis, call 602-456-0071 or email us through our contact form.

Share this post

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

five × 5 =

Scroll to Top
FREE DOWNLOAD

How to Start a Non-Profit Organization

Download our free guide to learn about the many elements needed to run a successful nonprofit organization, as well as how to avoid common pitfalls and mistakes.