Transfer of School Sponsorship

Instructions and Timeline

Contract Starts July 1, 2027

Sponsoring Priorities

Sponsorship encompasses a great deal of legal responsibility, and the College of Education & Human Development at Bowling Green State University takes our responsibilities seriously. At the core, it upholds its mission of providing the resources necessary to promote and sponsor an exceptional charter school environment throughout the state of Ohio.

Adhering to the Principles and Standards for Quality Charter School Authorizing as established by the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA), BGSU utilizes the principles and standards as the foundation of its strategic plan for quality school sponsoring.

In accordance with the sponsoring priorities, principles, and standards, this application includes prescriptive requirements and evaluation criteria. To preserve the highest standard of quality sponsorship, the school must provide sound evidence of meeting each selection criteria. Only schools that earn at least 75% of possible points will be considered for a preliminary agreement.

There are significant consequences for deficient performance in academics, finance, operations, and governance. If a school does not perform well, it may be closed automatically by law or by the sponsor and could be subject to civil liability. It is imperative the school demonstrates its strong, evidence-based understanding of community school operations before BGSU would agree to sponsor the community school.

BGSU’s Eligibility Threshold

To be eligible to apply, an existing community school must not have had its contract non-renewed or terminated by its present sponsor for compliance or financial reasons. An existing community school must also meet the following additional eligibility criteria to apply.

An existing community school must have received no monetary findings for recovery in any audits in the past two (2) years and must be fiscally sound. In addition, the community school must have not been on any substantive corrective action plans (at the sole discretion of BGSU) from their sponsor during the prior academic year. Finally, the school must not be an online school.

The school’s governing authority and its members thereof must not have any current ethics or conflict violations filed with the Ethics Commission.

Any community school to which either of the following conditions apply shall be prohibited from entering into a contract with a new sponsor without approval from the Department:

1. A performance rating of less than three stars for achievement under division (D)(3)(b) of section 3302.03  of the Revised Code and a performance rating of less than three stars for progress under division (D)(3)(c) of that section; or
2. The community school is one in which a majority of the students are enrolled in a dropout prevention and recovery program, and it has received a rating of "does not meet standards" for the annual student growth measure and combined graduation rates on the most recent report card issued for the school under section 3314.017 of the Revised Code.

A community school to which the criteria above apply, may only enter into a contract with a new sponsor if the Department approves the school's request and all other criteria identified in  ORC 3314.034(B) are met.

*Meeting the eligibility criteria does not guarantee approval. BGSU will accept the application and either approve or deny based on the evaluation process.

Community School Change of Sponsorship Request as Required by ORC 3314.034

Ohio Revised Code 3314.034 establishes minimum performance criteria for Community School wishing to change sponsors. Community schools whose  performance does not exceed requirements described in Ohio Revised Code 3314.034(A) must first receive approval from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce prior to entering into a contract with a new sponsoring organization. Please note, community schools nonrenewed for reasons detailed in ORC 3314.07(B)(1)(a) or (b) must close and will not be approved for a change in sponsorship. Please thoroughly. Please thoroughly read this guidance and follow the instructions as outlined. 

Schools shall submit a request to change sponsors and all supporting documentation to the Department not later than 5 p.m. on February 15, 2026. Application and materials should be sent by email to Community.Schools@education.ohio.gov. The Department shall approve or deny the request within 30 days of receipt of the request. If the request is denied, the community school may submit an appeal to the Department, which shall hold a hearing in accordance with Chapter 119 of the Revised Code.

Notice of appeal to the Department must be filed with the Department not later than 10 days after receiving the decision. The Department shall conduct the hearing not later than 30 days after receiving the school's notice of appeal and act upon the determination of the hearing officer not later than the 25th day of June of the year in which the school wishes to change sponsors.

The Department will make a determination based on the information submitted by the community school.

 Applicants should read each section thoroughly and provide detailed responses. Schools that are applying should make sure the answer to each question is clearly identified in their responses.

 A community school seeking a change in sponsorship must submit a cover letter addressing the reason for change, along with a narrative describing the school’s impact on the students and community it serves, plan for academic improvement, school's financial viability and school’s operational performance.

Step One: Application for Sponsorship/Application Submission Requirements

To begin the process of transferring community school sponsorship, follow the timeline and application instructions. Resources are also available on the BGSU website and from state and local organizations dedicated to community (charter) school development. Contact April Samberg, Assistant Director of Community School Sponsorship, at 419-372-5318 to indicate interest and discuss any initial questions.

The full application packet, timeline, evaluation rubric, and sponsoring priorities are publicly available year-round on the BGSU Office of Community School Sponsorship website. Applicants should submit the electronic application using the link provided on the Transfer School Sponsorship webpage. All required questions are built into the electronic form and must be answered directly within the online application. The form also includes an option to upload supplemental supporting documents.

Applicants who prefer to complete a Word version of the application may request the official application template by emailing April Samberg at asamberg@bgsu.edu. In the Word version, responses must be entered directly into the provided document. Completed Word applications must be submitted by email to asamberg@bgsu.edu with the subject line: “Transfer of School Sponsorship Application- (School Name).” 

All essay responses must be completed using the provided application template. Any supplemental materials must be clearly labeled and submitted as separate attachments. If a criterion is not applicable, applicants must include a brief explanation indicating why it does not apply. All questions must be answered; incomplete applications will not be accepted.

 The application must be received by BGSU no later than September 30, 2026.

Note: If submitting the application via email with password protection, the password must be sent in a separate email to asamberg@bgsu.edu to ensure document access. The subject line for this email should be “Application Protection,” and the email body must include the proposed school name, and the password required to open the document.

Step Two: Review Period and Decision-Making

The BGSU Application Review Team includes a core group of individuals from BGSU College of Education & Human Development as well as external reviewers with expertise and sponsoring experience to make informed application decisions. Annually, and prior to reviewing applications, the Application Review Team is trained in the application process and materials; reviewer protocols; and the vision, mission, and strategic goals of community school sponsorship at BGSU. During this training, reviewers engage in rubric calibration activities to promote scoring consistency and shared expectations. Sample application components are reviewed and discussed to ensure alignment in interpretation of scoring criteria. This process is designed to reduce bias and promote fairness across all applications. All reviewers sign a Conflict-of-Interest Disclosure form. Any reviewer found to have a real or perceived conflict of interest will be excused to ensure impartiality in the review.

The rubric contains the application framework and evaluation criteria that are used as the primary factors for decision-making. Therefore, the school must present a comprehensive and evidence-based case for approval. The Application Review Team will conduct research into the applicant’s history with community schools, interview the current sponsor and applicant, and discuss the viability and appropriateness of the school with the Dean of Education and Human Development and Provost. Additionally, the Application Review Team reviews current academic data, sponsor compliance reports, and financial records including recent audits.

After evaluating and discussing all the data, each reviewer will individually complete a rubric. The combined scores and comments will be provided to the school in the final evaluation rubric. Should the Application Review Team need additional information to make a determination, the school will be contacted during the review period.

Step Three: Preliminary Agreement and Contract Term Length

To guarantee the most comprehensive and appropriate decisions are rendered, the BGSU only provides evidence-based recommendations to its Dean and Provost regarding applications for sponsorship. Only schools that earn at least 75% of possible points will be considered for a preliminary agreement.

If the application is approved, an in-person interview will be scheduled. After the interview, the Application Review Team, Dean of Education and Human Development, and Provost will decide whether to authorize a preliminary agreement. The school will be notified of the decision no later than January 15, 2027.

Should BGSU choose not to approve the application for sponsorship, the school will receive a notice that includes detailed reasons for the action and the effective date of denial.

Should BGSU choose to approve the application for sponsorship, the school and BGSU will execute a preliminary agreement describing the intent of the sponsor and the school to work in good faith towards the execution of a contract. The preliminary agreement will also be submitted to the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce.

BGSU currently offers sponsorship contracts for a maximum of five (5) years. The following table outlines the final evaluation rubric score and corresponding contract term length recommendations.

Step Four: Contract Negotiations and Attachments

BGSU will send the school a contract packet no later than February 28, 2027.  This packet includes the restated contract template, attachment cover pages, and an explanation of 5hanges made, typically statutory and best practices updates.

The school’s governing authority, leader, management company (if applicable), and attorney should review the contract to ensure accuracy of all terms.  Should the school find any errors or wish to negotiate any contract term, it should discuss the proposed changes with BGSU as soon as possible.

All contract attachments must be received by BGSU no later than April 30, 2027.  The attachments will be reviewed for accuracy, completeness, and appropriateness.  Should any adjustments be required, the BGSU will notify the school in a timely manner and convey specific instructions for the adjustments.

Step Five:  Contract Approval and Execution

After all contract terms are finalized, the contract must be approved by the school’s governing authority.  The school should prepare a resolution for the governing authority president to sign once the contract is approved.  This signed resolution must be included in the contract, so it is best to have a separate resolution signed that day rather than having approval reflected in the unapproved, draft minutes.

Once the school’s governing authority has approved the contract resolution, the governing authority president must sign and date the contract.  Then, the original, signed contract must be delivered in person or sent via postal mail and received by BGSU no later than May 31, 2027.

All negotiations must be complete, and the contract must be signed by both parties prior to the expiration of the current contract.  The BGSU Provost will only sign the contract once all requirements have been met.  BGSU will send a copy of the fully executed contract to the school and the Ohio Department of Education.  The contract will also be available for reference in Epicenter.  The contract will go into effect on July 1, 2027.