This page will be a place for your questions and our answers about law & policy.  We will post new information as we receive it.  Feel free to ask us a question by filling out the form below.

Note: Should we post a question, we will not identify the writer.

Q: Can you clarify whether or not a charter school would be allowed to accept a voucher, if the voucher bill passes?

A:  The charter school is a public school. If the voucher program that passes allows for public schools to receive vouchers, the charter school should be able to receive them. Charter schools are public schools of choice which are free to students, so vouchers would not be needed.

The voucher program will allow 1200 students (1st year) and up to 14,000 students (by 5th year), to have a voucher to go to private schools. Unless the bill is amended before a final vote (to allow use at public and private schools), school vouchers will not be allowed for use at a public school.

Q: I am busy working on a charter school planning grant.

- how many needed for a board?
- how many allowed on a board?

A: In the New Hampshire charter school process, there are two boards of trustees--the first board is the non-profit, non-public board of trustees which is allowed to propose a charter, and the second board is the actual public board of trustees of the public charter school.

1. the non-profit, non-public board of trustees is regulated by the filing regulations of the Secretary of State for voluntary private, non-profit organizations. The Secretary of State's filing form calls for five (5) trustees.

2. the official board of trustees for the  public charter school can have any number of trustees. The number of charter school trustees is part of the school governance design included in the charter school application. 

The answer to your question, then, since you are talking about a "pre-charter planning grant," is 5. To submit a pre-charter planning grant, the forward-moving body is required to be a voluntary, not-for-profit, non-public organization which is created through filings with the Secretary of State. And the papers for filing ask for 5 board members. 

Q: Does the NH Charter School law enable charter schools in NH to receive Federal funding for charter schools?
 

A: Yes. Originally, when New Hampshire had a single authorizer (the local school district) provision in its charter school law, the law was apparently not considered strong enough to win one of the federal charter school grants. When New Hampshire's legislation was revised in 2003 to include a second authorizer (the State Board of Education), the State of New Hampshire was then awarded a 7.2 million charter school grant.

If a state has a charter school law and its State Department of Education does NOT apply for a federal charter school grant, individual schools in that state may apply directly to the Federal government for federal start-up funding. On a state or individual level, federal grants for charter schools are competitive.