Charter Sponsor Review

Charter Sponsor Review for the 2019-2020 School YearThis is an update to Ohio sponsors with information about the Cleveland Transformation Alliance’s sponsor review process and related criteria established under state law.Based on input from the sponsor community, the Transformation Alliance has revised the timeline for our review processes, and established a protocol that clearly describes our work with the charter sector.The Transformation Alliance is a public-private partnership dedicated to growing a portfolio of high-performing district and charter schools located within the boundaries of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Our role is described in Cleveland’s Plan for Transforming Schools and was written into state law through House Bill 525 in July 2012.State law requires sponsors that meet certain criteria to request recommendation from the Transformation Alliance before opening new community schools within CMSD boundaries. Furthermore, all sponsors, including those that have already gone through the Transformation Alliance review process, must use criteria established under state law to open community schools in Cleveland. (The most relevant sections of Ohio Revised Code are included below.)Click here to access the Transformation Alliance sponsor review application. If your organization is planning to sponsor a new community school in Cleveland for the 2019-20 school year, please contact me at your earliest convenience. For sponsors meeting the criteria specified in state law, the deadline to submit an application to the Transformation Alliance is September 15, 2018.Click here to read the four objective criteria to be used by a sponsor to determine if it will authorize new community schools within CMSD boundaries. All sponsors must use these criteria to open new schools in Cleveland, even if they have previously been reviewed by the Transformation Alliance. Please let us know if you plan to sponsor new schools in Cleveland for the 2019-20 school as soon as you can. Early notice will facilitate our new, collaborative review process to ensure these criteria are used when new community schools open in Cleveland.Click here to read the criteria for assessing the ability of a sponsor to successfully authorize a community school in Cleveland.Finally, our school finder, online at myCLEschool.org, can help school operators and sponsors better understand which Cleveland neighborhoods are most in need of new, quality schools. Two analyses of that identify the highest-need neighborhoods in Cleveland are also available here.The Transformation Alliance stands ready to help sponsors gain a better understanding of our city's needs as we work to ensure all Cleveland children attend quality schools and every neighborhood has great schools from which families can choose.We encourage you or your staff to let us know about any plans you may have to authorize a new school in Cleveland for the 2019-20 school year so that we can work together.