How Charter Schools are Regulated in North Carolina

   List of Regulators with Contact Information 

        The General Assembly           

           State Board of Education  (SBE)

             NC Charter School Advisory Committee (CSAC)

                                      Minutes from the Charter School Advisory Committee

                                          Agendas from the Charter School Advisory Committee

               Department of Public Instruction (DPI)

Overview of the players.

General Assembly

Charter schools are permitted by law enacted in the General Assembly. The original law passed on June 26, 1996.  

North Carolina Charter School Law

State Board of Education - SBE

In North Carolina, the one and only charter school authority is the State Board of Education. All charter applications must be approved by this body. All renewals, revocations and polices are approved by the SBE.  SBE members are appointed by the state's governor. The board meets monthly, usually the first Wednesday (workday) and Thursday (voteday) of every month. 

SBE Charter Policies

NC Charter School Advisory Committee - NCCSAC or CSAC

The State Board of Education created the North Carolina Charter School Advisory Committee to advise the SBE on charter school matters. The SBE appoints members to the CSAC which is comprised of 15 members (three from the charter school community and twelve from various backgrounds - lawyers, county commissioners, local school board members, and members of university education departments, etc.). The CSAC normally meets monthly. 

The CSAC reviews new applications and makes recommendations for approval to the SBE. The CSAC recommends charter renewals and revocations to the SBE. Policy decisions affecting charter schools can originate in the CSAC but are usually a product of the Department of Public Instruction.

Department of Public Instruction - DPI

DPI is the day to day administrator of North Carolina K-12 public education law and State Board of Education policies. The phrase, the devil is in the detail, probably originated with a similar type body.  Compared to other states, North Carolina public education is highly centralized. DPI administers and oversees approximately 40% of the state's budget (in 2000 about $5.5 Billion -nearly twice as large as the second biggest budget item). The state has approximately 1.3 million K-12 students. About 19,000 students attend charter schools - 1.5% of NC K-12 students.

Office of Charter Schools

The Office of Charter Schools is a small part of DPI charged with implementing  the state's charter school law, regulations, and policies. This is where charter application forms originate and where completed applications are submitted. 

Education Districts:

First District:
Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hertford, Hyde, Martin, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Pitt, Tyrrell, Washington

Second District:
Brunswick, Carteret, Craven, Duplin, Greene, Jones, Lenior, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pender, Sampson, Wayne

Third District:
Durham, Edgecombe, Franklin, Granville, Halifax, Johnston, Nash, Northampton, Vance, Wake, Warren, Wilson

Fourth District:
Bladen, Columbus, Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Lee, Montgomery, Moore, Richmond, Robeson, Scotland

Fifth District:
Alamance, Caswell, Chatham, Davidson, Forsyth, Guilford, Orange, Person, Randolph, Rockingham, Stokes

Sixth District:
Anson, Cabarrus, Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Stanly, Union

Seventh District:
Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Davie, Iredell, Rowan, Surry, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin

Eighth District:
Buncombe, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Yancey