General Information
According to S.C. Code Ann. 59-40-10 (supp.2011 and as amended by H.3241), the term 'Sponsor' means the South Carolina Public Charter School District Board of Trustees, the local school board of trustees in which the charter school is to be located, as provided by law, a public institution of higher learning as defined in Section 59-103-5, or an independent institution of higher learning as defined in Section 59-113-50, from which the charter school applicant requested its charter and which granted approval for the charter school’s existence.
The sponsor of a charter school is the charter school’s Local Education Agency (LEA) and a charter school is a school within that LEA. The sponsor retains responsibility for special education and shall ensure that students enrolled in its charter schools are served in a manner consistent with LEA obligations under applicable federal, state, and local law.
Only those public or independent institutions of higher learning, as defined in this subsection, who register with the South Carolina Department of Education may serve as charter school sponsors. The SCDE shall maintain a directory of those institutions.
The sponsor is also referred to as the charter authorizer.
South Carolina Charter School Sponsors
Prospective IHE Charter School Sponsors
Institutions of Higher Learning that wish to register as charter school sponsors should contact the following email for the registration document:
charterschools@ed.sc.gov
