Reference Documents

• • Locale Lookup Tool
    “Rural community,” for the purposes of the Federal CSP Grant application, is a community served by one or more local educational agencies (LEAs) (a) with a locale code of 32, 33, 41, 42, or 43; or (b) that include a majority of schools with a locale code of 32, 33, 41, 42, or 43. Applicants are encouraged to retrieve locale codes using this tool
  • Federal CSP Grant Allowable Cost Guide
  • Academic Achievement Resources
  • Attendance Playbook: Smart Solutions for Reducing Chronic Absenteeism
  • Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans from Rems.ed.gov
    To gain the most from this guide, users should review all of this content prior to initiating their planning efforts, and refer back to it throughout the planning process. Here is a user-friendly breakdown of the five main sections:
    1. The principles of school emergency management planning.
    2. A process for developing, implementing, and continually refining a school EOP with community partners (e.g., first responders and emergency management personnel) at the school building level.
    3. A discussion of the form, function, and content of school EOPs.
    4. Additional information on the critical operational functions and courses of action developed to carry them out that schools should address in developing a comprehensive, high-quality school EOP.
    5. Additional information on the courses of action unique to particular threats and hazards.
  • USDA Financing of Rural Charter Schools – View the Slides from the Report Release Event 9/30/2019 in Fruitland, Idaho
  • Charter School Policy Manual

Charter School Grant Technical Assistance Workshops & Webinars

In coordination with consortium partners, Bluum will conduct in-person Charter School Grant workshops across the state. Please see the calendar to the right for upcoming events.

• • • View the CSP Procurement Policies for Idaho Charter Schools Webinar
      • Supporting Materials for Procurement Webinar
        – Allowable Cost Guide
        – Sample Procurement Checklist
        – Vendor Status Search Instructions (Debarred or Suspended)

Resources – Idaho Public Charter School Commission

The Idaho Public Charter School Commission offers a wealth of charter-related resources – links, tools and templates covering operations, finance planning, Performance Framework, and more:

• • • Support Materials – Find a pre-opening checklist and timeline, board and governance resources, and info about additional charter support organizations.
    • PCSC Policies
    • Research & Organizations – A list of organizations which provide additional support for charter schools in Idaho.
    • New & Transfer Petitions – Idaho statute describes the process through which the PCSC may consider new charter petitions. Administrative rule and PCSC policy provide additional structure. Webinars on this page provide additional information about preparing a new petition, the petition process submission timeline, preparing a new petition budget, and the role of the authorizer.

Resources – Idaho State Department of Education

• • Charter 101 Workshops – In Idaho, any organization submitting a charter school petition is required to attend the Charter Start 101 Workshop presented by the Idaho State Department of Education. Click the “Training” tab for current schedule, or contact Michelle Clement Taylor for more information.
  • Accountability – Schools can use this to understand Idaho’s ESSA indicators for the school report cards. For more information, contact
    Karlynn Laraway.
  • Idaho Public Schools Report Card – Compare your school to others in the state (required for expansion/replication grant applications)
  • Assessment Resource Center – Sign up for training and newsletters. In-person training dates can be found under the training tab, at the bottom of the page.
  • 2019 State Department of Education Assessment Road Show Presentations

Resources – National

• National Charter School Resource Center – The National Charter School Resource Center produces and gathers templates, best practices, and videos from supporting education organizations to provide the ultimate resource bank for the charter sector.
• How to Add a New Organization Profile on Grants.gov

Resources – Guides and Toolkits

• Charter School Facility Refinancing Guide & Toolkit – This peer-reviewed guide and toolkit, authored by Elise Balboni, will be a valuable asset for not only charter schools in Idaho, but other schools across the country that are in the process of financing or refinancing their charter school facilities. It is our sincere hope this guide will help schools maximize every dollar spent on facilities so they can spend more in the classroom with their students.

• Establishing an Idaho College or University as an Authorized Chartering Entity – 2022
• Idaho Charter Market Analysis: Exploring Growth Opportunities for Idaho Charter Schools – 2022
• 2019 NACSA Authorizer Evaluation Report: Idaho Public Charter School Commission (IDAHO PCSC)
• Why Universities Choose to Authorize Charter Schools
• Treasure in the Valley: Demographic Changes and New School Opportunities in Ada and Canyon Counties
• Shifting Sands: Idaho’s Changing Student Demographics and What it Means for Education
• Idaho Charter School Growth Opportunities – 2019

Addressing Civil Rights Issues in Education
Led by two nationally-recognized civil rights attorneys and an Idaho education attorney, this event was designed to provide resources and tools to help schools of all kinds understand and respond to some of their most pressing civil rights issues:
Presentations – Addressing Civil Rights Issues in Education

Presentation on 10/7/19 to the Idaho State Legislature Federalism in Education Subcommittee “Federalism in K-12 Education”

Idaho Charter School Growth Opportunities – Prepared by EcoNorthwest