ODE specialist outlines steps for Mapleton to become a single‑district charter

Kristen Kelly, charter school specialist at the Oregon Department of Education, told the Mapleton SD 32 board at its Jan. 8 meeting that converting to a single‑district charter is largely an administrative and governance process rather than a wholesale operational restart.

"You would need to merge your two schools into one school with one institution ID," Kelly said, explaining that the district already operates as public schools and would complete a charter proposal, community input, board approval and a charter contract before state review. She cited the state statutes that guide the process and said she would provide the chart of required time stamps to the board.

Kelly emphasized that charter schools remain public schools subject to federal and state accountability requirements, including ESSA, IDEA and civil‑rights laws. "All teachers and administrators must be licensed or registered by the TSPC," she said, and added that funding continues to flow through the state school fund based on ADM/ADMW.

Board members asked how much paperwork and rebranding would be required; Kelly said the process can be time consuming but is "not very difficult" and offered ODE assistance throughout. She recommended keeping district assets under the district’s control so that a reversion to regular district schools would be administratively simpler if a charter does not succeed.

The board did not vote on conversion at the meeting; members asked staff to gather more information on specific points (bond eligibility, transfer caps and grant availability) before bringing a formal proposal back for discussion.