Charter School Amendments and Waivers

Contacts for Amendment and Waiver Requests

Each portfolio coordinator is assigned a portion of the state's charter portfolio and serves as the primary point of contact for their assigned schools when processing amendments and waivers linked to amendment requests.

Please submit all amendments through the electronic form submission links below.

Expansion Amendments

Types of expansion amendments

• Adding additional grade levels not previously approved for the charter LEA
• Adding an additional campus
• Adding an additional site under an existing campus
• Adding additional ISDs to the charter’s approved geographic boundary
• Adding additional students to the charter’s approved maximum enrollment

Process for submitting an expansion amendment

• Expansion amendments may be submitted between January 1 and March 1 of each calendar year and up to 36 months before the date that the expansion will be effective.
• Expansion amendments are submitted using the electronic Expansion Form.
• To assist in the preparation of the amendment, a PDF version of the electronic form and a required elements checklist are available.

What must be included in an expansion amendment

• Expansion amendments must include a resolution from the governing board of the charter indicating approval of the amendment, signed by a quorum of the board members in attendance at the meeting that the amendment was considered.
• Campus and site expansions must include Attachment C: Evidence of Campus Expansion Notification to Relevant Districts.
• Geographic boundary expansions must include Attachment E: Evidence of Geographic Boundary Expansion Notification to Relevant Districts. 
• Both campus/site and geographic boundary expansions must include evidence of Notification of Additional Campus, Site, or Geographic Boundary Expansion. A Sample Notification to District is also available to assist in the notification process.

Texas Administrative Code rules for expansion amendments

Please see 19 TAC §100.1033(b)(9) Expansion Amendment Standards and 19 TAC §100.1033(b)(10) Expansion Amendments for more information on the administrative rules impacting expansions.

Non-Expansion Amendments

Types of non-expansion amendments

• School, charter LEA, or charter holder name changes
• Return of a campus or site
• Relocating a campus or site
• Postponing the opening of a campus or site
• Changes to charter holder governance documents, such as articles of incorporation or charter bylaws
• Addition or revision of a management contract or MOU
• Changes to charter admission and enrollment policies
• Significant grade level changes at a charter campus
• Other changes to the approved charter application not already noted
• High-quality campus designation amendments (see additional information below this section)
• The process for submitting a non- expansion amendment:

Non-expansion amendments can be submitted at any time

• Non-expansion amendments are submitted using the electronic Non-Expansion Form.
• To assist in the preparation of the amendment, a PDF version of the electronic form and a required elements checklist are available.

Waivers Related to Expansion Amendment Requests

Charters may need to request that certain administrative rules be waived to facilitate the approval of an expansion amendment request.  

The process for submitting a waiver request:

• Requests to waive an administrative rule must be submitted using the Other waiver application in the TEAL Waivers system.
• Waivers submitted through the TEAL Waivers system must include a resolution from the governing board of the charter indicating approval of the waiver, signed by a quorum of the board members in attendance at the meeting that the waiver was considered.
• Once submitted, the waiver is assigned to the charter school’s designated portfolio coordinator in the Authorizing Division who will process the waiver.

To assist in the preparation of the waiver request, a required elements checklist is available. Additional information about waivers can be found at the TEA Waivers website and in the TEA State Waivers Guidebook.

High-Quality Campus Designation

The High-Quality (HQ) designation permits a charter holder to replicate its high-quality educational program at a new charter school campus under an existing high-quality open-enrollment charter school pursuant to federal statute. Charters that receive this designation may take part in the Charter School Program Grant, whenever federal funding for the Texas Charter School Program is available.  The list of charters that are currently eligible for high quality designation may be found here.

Requirements for the HQ designation

The requirements for the HQ designation can be found in 19 TAC §100.1033(b)(13) and include the following:

• The charter meets all general expansion requirements.
• The charter has operated for at least 5 years. 
• The charter is evaluated under standard accountability. 
• The charter is accredited. 
• The charter has 50% of students in tested grades. 
• The most current district accountability rating is the highest or second highest. 
• The previous two district accountability ratings are the highest or second highest. 
• The most current rating for all campuses operated by the charter is the highest or second highest. 
• The charter has no campus with federal interventions. 
• The charter is not under TEC Ch. 39 or federal sanctions.
• The new HQ campus will serve at least 100 students by the third year of operation. 
• The new HQ campus program will be distinct from any existing campus in the charter.

To submit a request for a High-Quality Designation, use the Non-Expansion Form.

Charter School Updates

Charter schools can use the new All-In-One Form to update:

• AskTED information
• Request a campus number for a new campus
• Verify information about a new campus or site
• Update governance information, including superintendent and governance board member changes
• Update other charter information that does not require an amendment. 
• To assist in completing the All-In-One Form, a PDF version of the electronic form is available.