As the local school district in Chicago, CPS serves as the charter authorizer for the city. Illinois Charter School Law requires review of all charter school proposals submitted to Illinois school districts. CPS releases an annual request for proposals designed to review new school applications, provides recommendations to the Chicago Board of Education on new school proposals, and provides oversight to authorized charter schools. CPS uses this RFP as its mechanism to accept proposals and meet the Illinois statutory requirement. The Office of Innovation and Incubation (I&I) is the office within CPS that oversees charter school authorization and oversight for the district.
CPS is one of the nation’s largest school districts and a national leading charter authorizer, implementing all essential practices established by the National Association of Charter School Authorizers critical to fostering high-performing charter schools. Currently, I&I oversees a portfolio of 137 charter, contract, and options schools and programs, and serves over 55,000 students citywide.
The 2021 Request for Proposals
This RFP seeks proposals from development teams and existing operators who wish to open a charter school. This RFP also seeks proposals from existing Chicago contract school operators who seek a multi-grade expansion or seek replication to open a new contract school.
The information, forms, and support tools needed to complete this application can be found in the tabs on this site below:
- Timeline - Provides a timeline of the RFP process.
- Application and Supporting Materials - Provides the Application and includes the accompanying materials required to develop and submit a proposal.
Please contact 773-553-1530 or iandiauthorization@cps.edu with any additional questions.
Request For Proposal Process Timeline 2021
Each stage of the proposal submission and evaluation process is included in the timeline below. Please note that dates are subject to change.
Activity | Date | Information |
---|---|---|
RFP Released | December 30, 2020 | |
Office Hours with Applicants | February-March 2021 | We encourage prospective applicants to email iandiauthorization@cps.edu to schedule one-on-one appointments with us to discuss any questions. |
Epicenter Account Information Due | March 3, 2021 | Due by email to iandiauthorization@cps.edu by 5 p.m. |
Tier I Application Due | March 10, 2021 | Due by 5 p.m. to Epicenter |
Applicant Meeting | Late March 2021 | I&I staff will meet individually with applicants to discuss their proposal and the RFP process. |
Tier II Application Due | May 17, 2021 | Due by 5 p.m. to Epicenter |
Tier I and II Publicly Posted | Summer 2021 | Submitted applications will be posted on CPS.edu |
Tier III Application Due | July 30, 2021 | Due by 5 p.m. to Epicenter |
Tier IV Application Due | October 5, 2021 | Due by 5 p.m. to Epicenter |
Applicant Capacity Interviews | October 2021 | |
Public Hearing | November 2021 | |
CPS Board Meeting | December 2021 |
I&I reserves the right to request additional information and documentation from applicants, as deemed necessary for review, and to amend this timeline as needed.
Application and Support Material
All Application Support Material not currently available will be uploaded in January 2021.
This page includes all materials required to develop and submit a proposal if the applicant applying would be a new operator in Chicago or if the applicant is an existing Chicago operator.
Epicenter Account Information
All applicant groups must designate a lead contact/applicant who will complete the required application tiers in Epicenter, the online document management, compliance, and performance platform used by I&I. To designate a lead applicant for an Epicenter account, all applicants must submit the following information to iandiauthorization@cps.edu by March 3, 2021 at 5pm:
- Lead Applicant Name, Email, Phone Number
- Proposed School Name
- If applicable, the name of the proposed management organization
The lead applicant will then be provided an Epicenter account (if they do not already have one) and will be provided access to the RFP Tiers in accordance with the stated deadline for each Tier.
2021 Request for Proposals for New Charter and Contract Schools
- 2021 RFP FOR NEW CHARTERS AND CONTRACT SCHOOLS
Application to open new charter or contract schools.
Helpful Documents
- 2021 RFP EVALUATION FORM
Criteria used to evaluate the quality of proposals - 2021 RESOURCE GUIDE
Guidance that all operators should review when developing their proposals - TIER I, PROPOSED SCHOOL OVERVIEW SECTION 0.1 FILLABLE FORM
Applicants electing to use the fillable form for Section 0.1 should incorporate the form responses into their Tier I response. - COMPLETENESS CHECKLIST (TIER I)
- COMPLETENESS CHECKLIST (TIER II)
- COMPLETENESS CHECKLIST (TIER III)
- COMPLETENESS CHECKLIST (TIER IV)
Domain 1: Community Engagement and Support
Section 1.7: Facilities
- ADA COMPLIANCE REPORT
- INSPECTING ARCHITECT'S REPORT
-
All proposals that identify an independent facility must include a completed Sources and Uses Report
Helpful Links and Documents
- CPS EQUITY FRAMEWORK
- LIST OF CPS APPROVED ARCHITECTS
- CPS FACILITIES MASTER PLAN
A guide to communities and capital resources in Chicago
Domain 2: Academic Plan
Section 2.5: School Calendar and Schedules
Section 2.6: Special Student Populations
Helpful Links and Documents
- SCHOOL QUALITY RATING POLICY (SQRP)
- CHARTER SCHOOL QUALITY POLICY
- CPS OFFICE OF DIVERSE LEARNER SUPPORTS AND SERVICES
- CPS OFFICE OF LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL EDUCATION
- FY21 STATE TBE/TPI OVERVIEW & FAQ
- FY21 FEDERAL TITLE III OVERVIEW & FAQ
- CPS OFFICE OF LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL EDUCATION BILINGUAL EDUCATION HANDBOOK
- DUE PROCESS RECOMMENDATIONS AND LEGAL REQUIREMENTS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
- CPS FIVE YEAR VISION
- CPS LEARN.PLAN.SUCCEED.
- CPS CODE OF CONDUCT
Domain 3: Financial Plan
Section 3.1 School Budget
Helpful Links and Documents
Domain 4: Operational Plan
Section 4.4: Governance
Helpful Links and Documents
- CHARTER SCHOOL INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS
- CHARTER SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY PLAN
- PROCESS FOR ESTABLISHING NON-PROFIT STATUS IN ILLINOIS
- FOR RECOGNITION OF NON-PROFIT STATUS BY THE IRS
For potential donors to receive income tax deductions - CPS POLICY: EDUCATION OF HOMELESS CHILDREN AND YOUTH
- CPS CODE OF ETHICS POLICY
- ILLINOIS OPEN MEETINGS ACT
- FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT
Domain 5: Growth Plan
Section 5.3.1: Operational Capacity
Helpful General Documents and Links
- ILLINOIS CHARTER SCHOOLS LAW
All proposals will be evaluated on compliance with Illinois Charter Schools Law - CHARTER SCHOOL QUALITY POLICY
- CPS School Quality Rating Policy (SQRP) Website – An explanation of the SQRP and tools to improve your understanding of the policy
- CHARTER SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY PLAN
Application Overview
Applicant School Name | Name of Organization Applying | # of Proposed Campuses | Proposed Grades Served | Proposed Enrollment | Planned Opening Date | Targeted Communit(ies) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
At Capacity | Yr. 1 | At Capacity | Yr. 1 | |||||
Sankofa Academy Charter School | Withdrawn |