The mission of the East Baton Rouge Parish School System, in partnership with our community, is to educate all students to their maximum potential in a caring, rigorous and safe environment.

The vision of the East Baton Rouge Parish School System is to graduate students with the knowledge, skills and values necessary to become active and successful members of a dynamic learning community. 

Charter schools offer teachers, parents and community members the opportunity to create new public schools in response to community needs. In return, these chartered schools agree to be held accountable by their authorizer- the EBRPSS- for student performance outcomes. If the charter school fails to produce the promised student outcomes, the authorizer may intervene in a variety of ways, and, as a last resort, can close the school. Quality charter school authorizing is the linchpin of the charter promise of accountability for results and the creation of quality educational opportunities. While EBRPSS is not responsible for the ultimate success or failure of a charter school, the district impacts that outcome by providing strong oversight and accountability.

Recognizing new and innovative ways of carrying out our mission, EBRPSS has become a charter authorizer.  The district engages in pro-active relationships and a value added approach to the schools with which we partner. During the start-up phase of the process, EBRPSS staff works closely with founding groups to ensure a successful opening. Once operational, EBRPSS staff monitors the financial, organizational and academic performance of its schools through frequent communication, regularly scheduled site visits, and data/ document reviews.  The district recognizes the great challenges and difficulties in starting a school and provides support in navigating the process while respecting the autonomy and uniqueness of each school.

A copy of the board approved district charter policy may be found here.

East Baton Rouge Parish School Board 2022 District Charter School Application Process for Schools Opening in the 2023-2024 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 Baton Rouge 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.

2022 NEW CHARTER SCHOOL REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS

Local district authorizers must use the BESE approved Common Charter Application and may add additional questions. Each local school system will have the Charter RFA application materials and point of contact on their websites. Please see the website for the school system in which you wish to apply for a Type 1 or 3 charter school. To view the BESE approved Common Charter Applications for New Operators, Experienced Operators, and Virtual Operators, see the State Charter School Application Process page.

KEY DATES FOR LOCAL AUTHORIZING

• December 10, 2021: Deadline by which local school boards must post application materials to their websites.
• January 21, 2022:  Letter of Intent is due to Kimberly Boudreaux kringgold@ebrschools.org
• January 28. 2022: Charter applications are due to districts.
• April 15, 2022: Deadline for districts to consider charter applications. If a district has not made a decision about a charter application by this point, that applicant group is eligible to appeal to BESE.
• May 1, 2022: Report any charter entered into; the number of schools chartered; the status of those schools, and any recommendations relating to the charter RFA process to charters@la.gov.

2022 New Charter School Request for Applications

In October 2021, BESE approved the 2022 Common Charter Application. Applicant groups shall choose to be considered by submitting one of three applications based on requirements outlined below. All applicants, regardless of track (new operator, experienced operator or virtual operator), must complete and submit the Overview Template along with the rest of the group’s application materials. See below for the approved common charter applications.

New Operator Application PDF

• Nonprofit organization whose primary members (founder and/or proposed school leader) do not have prior experience in leading or managing a public school; and
• Who do not intend to employ an educational service provider (ESP) with prior experience in leading or managing public schools.

Experienced Operator Application PDF

• Nonprofit organizations whose primary members (founder and/or proposed school leader) have prior experience in leading or managing a single public school; and/or
• Nonprofit organizations which have operated more than one charter school; and/or
• Nonprofit organizations which intend to employ an education service provider (ESP) which has operated more than one charter school.

PDF Virtual School Operator Application PDF

• Nonprofit organizations that seek to operate a public school facility aligned to the definition of a Virtual School as outlined in BESE Bulletin 126.

Overview Template

• All applicant groups must complete this document and submit along with the rest of the group’s application materials.

Evaluation rubric and standards will be released by January 5th, 2022.

Charter Application Review Process

All charter applications will be reviewed by an independent evaluator with educational, organizational, legal, and financial expertise.  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 Baton Rouge Parish School Board.

CSAL Charter School

Children’s Charter School

Inspire Charter Academy

J. K. Haynes Elementary and Middle

Mentorship Academy

South Baton Rouge Charter

BASIS Baton Rouge

The Emerge Center

IDEA Baton Rouge

Inspire NOLA

District Charter School Policy

Louisiana Board of Elementary & Secondary Education Bulletin 126 – Charter Schools

BASIS Materra
BASIS Mid City
Contract-Helix – Renewal
CSAL Elementary
CSAL Middle
Emerge School for Autism
Helix Aviation Academy
IDEA Public Schools Louisiana
Inspire Charter Academy
Inspire NOLA
J K Haynes
KIPP New Orleans
Mentorship Legal Academy
South Louisiana Charter Foundation

Charter Portfolio Manager, Kimberly R. Boudreaux | KRinggold@ebrschools.org | (225) 922-5400