èßäÊÓƵ

Welcome
èßäÊÓƵ is particularly interested in charter èßäÊÓƵ applications that focus on closing the achievement gap, meeting District priorities, and educating an ethnically, racially, and socioeconomically diverse group of èßäÊÓƵ with culturally competent curriculum and pedagogy. 

Important Information
PPS accepts applications for charter èßäÊÓƵs with high èßäÊÓƵ components (grades 9-12) and charter èßäÊÓƵs with any combination of grades K-8 in alternating years.  In other words, applications that include high èßäÊÓƵ grades will be accepted in even-numbered years, and applications that do not include high èßäÊÓƵ grades will be accepted in odd-numbered years.   

Application Cycle
Applications for new charter èßäÊÓƵs can be submitted on July 15, 2025.  A letter of intent must be sent on or before May 1st, in order to be eligible to submit a charter èßäÊÓƵ application to PPS.  Only applications that do NOT include a high èßäÊÓƵ component will be accepted in 2025.

The application documents can be accessed below.  Please contact the PPS Charter Schools Office with any questions.

2025 Charter School Developer Application: click here

2025 Completeness Checklist: click here

2025 Application Review Criteria & Rubric: click here

IMPORTANT DUE DATES:

• Letter of Intent to Apply - Due BY May 1, 2025
• Application to develop a public charter èßäÊÓƵ - Due ON July 15, 2025  
  
  

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a charter èßäÊÓƵ? 
Charter èßäÊÓƵs are public èßäÊÓƵs that are intended to provide innovative programs with specific educational philosophies and/or delivery models that offer additional options for èßäÊÓƵ and families within the public èßäÊÓƵ system.  Charter èßäÊÓƵs are 501(c)3 organizations that enter into a contract with èßäÊÓƵ for sponsorship and they maintain a high level of autonomy in exchange for increased accountability.  Charter èßäÊÓƵs are governed by Oregon Revised Statute (ORS) 338.

Who can start a charter èßäÊÓƵ? 
Any interested person or group who can obtain 501(c)3 status may submit a charter èßäÊÓƵ application.  In Oregon, charter èßäÊÓƵs are frequently proposed by (but are not limited to) community groups, educators, partents, existing nonprofits, and other organizations.

When is the deadline for applying for charter èßäÊÓƵ status? 
PPS Board policy states that charter èßäÊÓƵ applications are accepted on July 15 (or next business day) each year.  Because we typically receive multiple applications, and because the statutory timeline begins upon submission, we reserve this one date for applications each year in order to process all applications on the same timeline.  Additionally, applications without high èßäÊÓƵ components (K-8s, K-5s, 6-8s, etc.) are only accepted in odd years; applications with high èßäÊÓƵ components (9-12s, K-12s, 6-12s, etc.) are only accepted in even years.

Are there a maximum number of applications per year that PPS accepts? 
No.  PPS places no limits on the number of applications that can be submitted per year.  The only limitation on applications is the timeline by grade level, as stated above.

How long does it take to develop an application? 
While the development of a charter èßäÊÓƵ application is intensive and lengthy, there is no definitive length of time for writing it.  Most successful applicants, however, begin developing the application and communities of interest well over a year before submitting the application.

Is there grant money available for starting a charter èßäÊÓƵ? 
The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) has grant monies available and after an application has been approved by the sponsor, the charter èßäÊÓƵ is eligible to apply for grant money with ODE.  

What is PPS’s role as a charter èßäÊÓƵ authorizer? 
PPS is responsible for oversight and monitoring of all charter èßäÊÓƵs sponsored by the district.  PPS collects required annual deliverables, monitors financial stability and student performance, and ensures that the charter èßäÊÓƵ is compliant with law and the contract.  Additionally, PPS provides support and partnership to charter èßäÊÓƵs in a variety of ways – technology support, monthly directors’ meetings, and professional development, to name a few.

What if I have questions? 
Please direct all questions about charter èßäÊÓƵ statutes, rules, and processes (including the application process) to the PPS Charter Schools Office.

How long is the charter èßäÊÓƵ application process?  
Modifications to the charter èßäÊÓƵ law in the 2013 legislative session allowed for multiple opportunities for mediation and appeal during the application process.  Because of this, the application process could last from as little as 8 months to as many as 20 months.    

What laws must charter èßäÊÓƵs follow? 
Charter èßäÊÓƵs are governed by Oregon Revised Statute (ORS) 338, which makes reference to other laws that apply to charter èßäÊÓƵs.  Mandatory charter èßäÊÓƵ processes and timelines are described in detail in Oregon Administrative Rules (OARs) 581-026-0005 through 581-026-0515.  Additionally, charter èßäÊÓƵs are subject to federal law.

How are charter èßäÊÓƵs funded? 
The vast majority of charter èßäÊÓƵs' funding typically comes from Oregon’s State School Fund, which are public dollars allocated for education.  By statute, charter èßäÊÓƵs must receive a minimum of 80% of the per-student dollar amount for èßäÊÓƵ in grades K-8, and 95% for èßäÊÓƵ in grades 9-12.  There are additional weightings for èßäÊÓƵ in poverty and èßäÊÓƵ who are English Language Learners.  As registered 501(c)3 organizations, charter èßäÊÓƵs can apply for and receive grants and private donations, and can conduct fundraising activities.

How do charter èßäÊÓƵs enroll èßäÊÓƵ? 
Charter èßäÊÓƵ enrollment must be fair and equitable, and may only be limited by the age of the student, the grade of the student, and the space available.  No other admissions criteria may be used.  If a charter èßäÊÓƵ receives fewer applications than it has spots available in a particular grade/class, then all applicants should be admitted.  If the charter èßäÊÓƵ receives more applications than it has spots available in a particular grade/class, then it must conduct an equitable, blind lottery to determine enrollment for that class/grade.  A charter èßäÊÓƵ may admit èßäÊÓƵ who reside in other districts, but priority must first be given to èßäÊÓƵ who reside in the district where the charter èßäÊÓƵ is located.  Charter èßäÊÓƵs may employ a sibling preference provision after a student has been enrolled for the prior èßäÊÓƵ year, but this is not mandatory.  Charter èßäÊÓƵs manage and run their own application cycles and lotteries.

What is the role of the PPS Board in charter èßäÊÓƵ processes? 
The PPS Board makes the final decision whether or not to approve all initial charter èßäÊÓƵ applications, whether or not to renew charter èßäÊÓƵ contracts that are up for renewal, and whether or not to terminate a charter èßäÊÓƵ contract (when/if that situation arises).  Additionally, members of the PPS Board conduct the statutorily-required hearings during the application and renewal processes.

How does a charter èßäÊÓƵ hire teachers and other staff? 
Charter èßäÊÓƵs have a great deal of autonomy when hiring staff.  At least 50% of charter èßäÊÓƵ teaching and administrative FTE must be licensed, and the rest must hold charter èßäÊÓƵ registry with the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC).  All teachers must meet state credentialing requirements for core subjects.  Teachers at charter èßäÊÓƵs, however, are not PPS employees and are not part of the Portland Teachers Association, and, therefore, are not assigned to charters by the district, nor are they subject to seniority bumping.  Each charter èßäÊÓƵ has full autonomy in hiring its own teachers and determining its pay scale for all staff, while ensuring that all aforementioned requirements are met.

How do charter èßäÊÓƵs determine their location/sites? 
Each charter èßäÊÓƵ is responsible for securing its own èßäÊÓƵ site.  Most charter èßäÊÓƵs lease buildings, and some own or share space with other agencies.  However it is done, each charter èßäÊÓƵ must ensure that its building meets all applicable requirements and codes, and is properly permitted.

Is a charter èßäÊÓƵ exempt from state testing requirements? 
No.  Charter èßäÊÓƵs, as public èßäÊÓƵs, are required to test èßäÊÓƵ with state-adopted testing materials in the timeline set forth by the state.  Currently, Oregon èßäÊÓƵ must be tested in grades 3-8 and 11 in various subjects.  Charter èßäÊÓƵ èßäÊÓƵ must also meet Oregon diploma requirements in order to graduate, and charter èßäÊÓƵs must provide a curriculum aligned to Common Core Standards.

How does a charter èßäÊÓƵ serve èßäÊÓƵ with different needs like Special Education (SpEd) and English Language Learners (ELL)?
Charter èßäÊÓƵs partner with the district for Special Education, as the district is ultimately responsible for ensuring that èßäÊÓƵ in need of SpEd services receive them.  PPS provides SpEd learning center teaching staff, speech/language pathologists, and èßäÊÓƵ psychologists to charter èßäÊÓƵs through a staffing formula based on the charter èßäÊÓƵ’s population of èßäÊÓƵ. 

Charter èßäÊÓƵs are responsible for serving the needs of èßäÊÓƵ qualifying as English Language Learners.  Each PPS charter èßäÊÓƵ must submit a written plan which details how the èßäÊÓƵ will serve English Language Learners (ELL), even if no èßäÊÓƵ identified as ELL currently attend the èßäÊÓƵ.  The plan must: (1) be based on a sound educational theory or legitimate experimental strategy; (2) be implemented effectively, and (3) produce results that demonstrate that language barriers are being overcome.

Who is responsible for providing transportation for charter èßäÊÓƵ èßäÊÓƵ – the district or the charter èßäÊÓƵ? 
Charter èßäÊÓƵs are required to ensure that transportation is not a barrier to enrollment of their èßäÊÓƵ.  Given that charter èßäÊÓƵ èßäÊÓƵ can come to the èßäÊÓƵ from all areas of the district, charter èßäÊÓƵs can employ a variety of options such as: organizing parent carpools, providing direct transportation, providing bus passes to families and/or èßäÊÓƵ, etc.  Charter èßäÊÓƵ èßäÊÓƵ are also eligible to ride on already-existing district bus routes, if there is space and the stops are convenient to the charter èßäÊÓƵ.