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Charter commission reports progress; new law creates $1 million cap on annual basic entitlement approvals
Summary
The Community Choice Schools Commission reported operational set‑up, procurement of a contract with the National Charter Schools Institute and a legislative change allowing private gifts; OPI noted House Bill 251 sets a $1,000,000 annual cap on basic entitlement approvals, requiring stricter ranking of charter applications.
Kathy Kinchlow, director of planning for the Community Choice Schools Commission, briefed the Montana Board of Public Education on commission operations and recent statutory changes affecting community choice charter schools.
Kinchlow said the commission has been working on bylaws, policy committees, and the procurement of a support contract with the National Charter Schools Institute, which will provide authorizer tools and an accountability tracking platform for monitoring academic, operational and financial goals. She noted a bill amendment now allows the commission to accept private gifts alongside public funding to help start‑up schools pursue federal grants.
OPI staff also walked the board through proposed revisions to the public charter school application and evaluation criteria required to be published by June 1. Changes include an explicit yes/no question on an applicant’s commitment to personalized and proficiency‑based learning and clearer instructions to submit concise application responses rather than extensive appendices.
OPI staff highlighted a statutory cap introduced in House Bill 251 that limits board approvals for new charter school basic entitlement increases to $1,000,000 per year. Staff said the cap will force the board to apply stricter ranking and prioritization when total requested entitlements approach the cap.
Board members asked about timelines for a judge’s opinion on pending litigation and resources to support authorizing in rural settings; staff and Kinchlow said they are connecting with other states and authorizers to learn best practices for rural and tribal contexts.
No formal board action on the commission contract or application criteria occurred at the meeting; staff said required public documents will be published on the OPI website by June 1.
