21-3-307. Charter application; contents; phased-in application process.

(a) The charter school application shall be a proposed agreement, shall be on a form prescribed by the state superintendent pursuant to subsection (d) of this section, and shall include:

(i) A description of the educational program of the school, designed to identify those whom the school is attempting to educate, what it means to be an educated person in the twenty-first century and how learning best occurs. The goals identified in that program shall include the objective of enabling pupils to become self-motivated, competent and lifelong learners;

(ii) The measurable pupil outcomes identified for use by the charter school. "Pupil outcomes" for purposes of this paragraph means the extent to which all pupils of the school demonstrate they have attained the skills and knowledge specified as goals in the school's educational program. "Pupil outcomes" shall include state assessments and standards;

(iii) The method by which pupil progress in meeting those pupil outcomes is to be measured;

(iv) The governance structure of the school, including but not limited to the process to be followed by the school to ensure parental, teacher and community involvement;

(v) The qualifications to be met by individuals to be employed by the school;

(vi) The procedure that the school will follow to ensure the health and safety of pupils and staff;

(vii) Admission requirements, if applicable;

(viii) The manner in which an annual audit of the financial and programmatic operations of the school, including any services provided by the school district, is to be conducted;

(ix) The procedure by which pupils can be suspended or expelled;

(x) In accordance with this article, the manner by which staff members of the charter schools will be covered under the Wyoming retirement system and federal social security;

(xi) A description of the rights of any employee of the school district upon leaving the employment of the school district to work in a charter school and of any rights upon returning to the school district after employment at a charter school;

(xii) Minimum enrollment requirements;

(xiii) Evidence that an adequate number of parents, teachers, pupils or any combination thereof support the formation of a charter school;

(xiv) Evidence that the plan for the charter school is economically sound for both the charter school and the school district;

(xv) A proposed budget for the term of the charter;

(xvi) A plan for the displacement of pupils, teachers and other employees who will not attend or be employed in the charter school;

(xvii) An explanation of the relationship that will exist between the proposed charter school and its employees, including evidence that the terms and conditions of employment have been addressed with affected employees and their recognized representative, if any;

(xviii) The employment policies of the proposed charter school;

(xix) An agreement between the parties regarding their respective legal liability and applicable insurance coverage;

(xx) A description of how the charter school plans to meet the transportation needs of its pupils and whether the charter school plans to provide transportation for pupils;

(xxi) In accordance with this article, a description of the rights of any employee of the school district upon commencing employment in a charter school; and

(xxii) A financial feasibility statement providing evidence of charter school viability following the first three (3) years of charter school operation.

(b) Upon submission of an application under W.S. 21-3-307(a), the superintendent of the school district shall notify the applicant within thirty (30) days of submission whether the application is complete. If the district superintendent determines that the application is incomplete, the superintendent shall advise the applicant of the reasons for the determination in sufficient detail for the applicant to make changes for resubmission of the application to the district superintendent.

(c) The district superintendent's determination that an application is complete shall not prevent the district superintendent from making subsequent recommendations to, or from opposing the application before, the school board.

(d) The state superintendent shall through rule and regulation prescribe a uniform charter school application and renewal application form to be used by each district and charter school applicant for purposes of this article, and shall establish charter school application review procedures, including timelines for application components specified under subsection (a) of this section. The phased application process prescribed by state superintendent rule and regulation may provide a process for mediation of disputes concerning completeness of an application between the applicant and school district, which would be subject to W.S. 1-43-101 through 1-43-104, would allow either party to initiate mediation and would impose costs of mediation equally upon both parties. Any mediation process prescribed by rule shall specify professional requirements for the impartial third party facilitating mediation. If either party refuses to mediate, the dispute may be appealed to the state board as provided in W.S. 21-3-310.