Charter Schools - Subchapter D Charter - Experienced Operators

Subchapter D charters are often referred to as open-enrollment charters. This page covers the application process for a Subchapter D open-enrollment charter by an experienced operator. An experienced operator is defined as a sponsoring entity that currently operates a charter school in another state outside of Texas.

All prospective applicants that do not currently operate charter schools in other states should visit the Subchapter D New Operator application page.

Public colleges and universities may also apply for Chapter 12, Subchapter E charters.

Subchapter D - Eligible Entities

The types of entities eligible to hold a Texas open-enrollment charter are as follows:

Institutions of higher education;
Private or independent institutions of higher education;
Tax-exempt organizations classified as 501(c)(3)'s under the Internal Revenue Code; and
Governmental entities.

Churches and other faith-based organizations are not eligible to apply for a charter. These applicants will need to establish a separate, nonsectarian 501(c)(3).

Applying for a Subchapter D Charter

The Generation Twenty-Five application cycle is now open.

The mandatory information sessions were held on October 18th and November 1st. The Application Information Session Form (PDF, 806 KB) is provided as a reference. Prospective applicants should not complete the Generation 25 Application for Open Enrollment charter prior to attending the Application Information Sessions.

The Instructions and Guidance document (PDF, 753 KB) provides the complete timeline and detailed information pertaining to the completion of an application in response to the Generation Twenty-Five Request for Application (RFA 701-19-112).

The 2019 information session presentations are included here as a reference:

Application Overview (PDF, 5,300 KB), presented by John Garland
Laws and Rules (PDF, 72 KB), presented by Tracey Guerra
Financial Plan (PDF, 1,900 KB), presented by Pija Sathyanarayan
Curriculum Requirements (PDF, 456 KB), presented by Shelly Ramos
Special Populations - Special Education (PDF, 1,016 KB), presented by Dawne Vanderhule and Daniela Licona
Special Populations - English Language Learners (PDF, 1,720 KB), presented by Niloy Gangopadhyay and Roberto Manzo
Accountability System (PDF, 778 KB), presented by Jonathan Delgado

A list of Frequently Asked Questions (PDF, 420 KB) is also available for prospective applicants to review.

Required Resources and Information

Applicants whose sponsoring entity holds a Texas 501(c)(3) are to complete and submit the Generation Twenty-Five Charter Application Responses and Attachments Document for Experienced Operators (Word, 1,134 KB).

New Posting as of November 11, 2019: Errata #1 (PDF, 83 KB) - revises Instructions & Guidance Document Page 13.

The following attachment links are applicable to ALL applicants and provide additional necessary information for submitting an application:

The Scoring Rubric (PDF, 134 KB) for the Generation Twenty-Five Open-Enrollment Charter Experienced Operator application will be used by external evaluators to assess and score the strength of each application. This document is not to be filled out by applicants. It is provided to serve as a resources for aligning application material with Agency expectations.

Errors When Opening Files

When downloading and opening fillable PDF forms (i.e. Attachments E2, E3, and FOG8), you may receive an error if you try to open the file in your web browser (i.e. Chrome, Firefox, Safari). Some web browsers have a built-in PDF reader; files opened in the browser default to the built-in reader rather than Adobe Reader. If you cannot open a file or receive an error message when trying to open it:

Make sure an up-to-date version of Adobe Reader is downloaded and installed on your computer.
Save the file you are trying to open to your computer.
Open Adobe Reader, and use it to open the file.

You can also right click on the saved file and select "Open With..." and select Adobe Reader to open the file instead.

More Information

Please note: An application must describe an education program that is unique to the applicant. An applicant who plagiarizes or copies any other application does not meet this standard.

You can sign up for updates about the open-enrollment charter application process by email through our GovDelivery link.

Selected Laws and Rules Applicable to Open-Enrollment Charters

The links below reference some of the laws and rules that apply to charters:

If you have questions, contact John Garland by e-mail at John.Garland@tea.texas.gov or by phone at (512) 463-3533.

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