District Affairs / Application Cycle

In accordance with Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) policy, Jefferson Parish Schools (JPS) is now accepting charter applications from high quality operators. Charter operators who are interested in turning around existing schools, as well as establishing new schools may submit applications for the 2021 application cycle.

JPS will review and select charter schools through the state-developed application process and according to the state’s timeline.

Jefferson Parish School Board 2021 District Charter School Application Process for Schools Opening in the 2022-2023 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, Jefferson 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.

Charter School Application

Applicants should complete the 2021 JPS Charter School Application found below.
Applicants should complete the appropriate application based on whether or not they are a New Charter Operator, an Experienced Charter Operator or an applicant proposing to open a Virtual Charter School.
In order to be eligible to submit a full application in Jefferson Parish Schools’ Spring 2021 Charter Request for Applications process, a Letter of Intent must be submitted by February 12, 2021 at 3:00pm CST. Eligibility Documentation information must be submitted by March 05, 2021 at 3:00pm and all of the outlined requirements shall be met.

The Full Application requires applicants to complete five sets of documents:

A Letter of Intent
An Eligibility Form
Background Check Forms
Overview Template
A Charter Proposal Written in response to the questions posed in the application (New Operator, Experienced Operator or Virtual Operator)

No Submissions will be accepted outside of the website upload.

Charter School Process Schedule

Date	Action
February 12, 2021	Letter of Intent due no later than 3pm - Follow the guidelines found here – Upload via website Applications for organizations who do submit a Letter of Intent by February 12, 2021 will not be accepted.
March 05, 2021	Eligibility Documentation Form due no later than 3pm - – Upload via website
March 19, 2021	Background Checks for All New Operators and Experienced Operators not currently operating a charter school in Louisiana must submit Background Checks for each Board Member identified.
April 05, 2021	Applications due not later than 3pm Applicants should upload required written responses to the questions found in the application and the Overview Template. *Incomplete applications will not be reviewed for approval.
April 06, 2021 – May 06, 2021	Initial Application Review/Independent Application Evaluation
May 07, 2021	Initial Memo From Third-Party Evaluation Team to the Applicant(s)
May 12, 2021	Applicant(s) Written Response (limited to 5 pages) – via website upload
May 17, 2021 – June 04, 2021	Capacity Interviews
June 16, 2021	Final Evaluation Recommendations from Independent Evaluation
June 21, 2021	Applicant(s) Written Response (limited to 2 pages) – via website upload
July 2021	Jefferson Parish School Board considers applications

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 of their charter application before the evaluator provides a final recommendation to the administration.

Charter School Contact Information

Individuals or organizations with questions about the district's charter application process should contact:

Semaj Allen-Raymond, M. Ed+30

Director of Charter School Partnerships

semaj.allen-raymond@jpschools.org

504-365-5312

Posted 1/29/2021

JPS Charter Application Resources

Letter of Intent Template

Eligibility Documentation Form

Background Checks Guidance Form

Overview Template