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The LSSU Charter Schools Office is currently accepting applications for new charter schools. We are seeking applications that are innovative and offer a unique educational option this is not already available in the proposed area. Applications will be accepted from April 15th 2025, and close at 11:59 p.m. on June 15th 2025. Note that academies outlined in the application will begin operations no sooner than the 2027-28 school year.
All applications should be sent to Jenny Peterman [email protected] and Chris Oshelski [email protected] .   An email confirmation will be sent once the application is received.
For more information, please either call or email Jenny Peterman at 906-635-2121 or [email protected] .We look forward to reviewing your applications. Thank you.
Final Version LSSU Phase I Application 2025 (Word)
Final Version LSSU Phase I Application 2025 (PDF)
Charter Application Review Process
Charter Application Process Flow Chart 2025
LSSU_PSA_Phase_1_Evaluation Review_Form 04012025
Charter schools are public schools. They operate in much the same way as traditional public schools. They are free, open to all, and operate under the direction of a publicly-appointed board of directors. Charter schools are constituent districts of Michigan’s intermediate school districts (ISDs) and operate under the leadership of the State Board of Education. They must comply with essentially the same statutory and regulatory requirements as other k-12 public schools, including No Child Left Behind and Education Yes! accountability programs and special education laws. While each charter school is unique based on location, teaching staff, student population, educational program and curricula, each is legally organized as a Michigan, not-for-profit, public school academy corporation, governed by a board of directors.
Michigan’s charter school law was passed in 1993. It introduced choice and competition into the system of public education. Guiding principles of the statute are (1) all students and parents, regardless of socioeconomic status or geographic location, should have the ability to choose the school that best meets their needs; (2) charter public schools support education reform by infusing the system with competition and market forces; and (3) charter public schools can test new approaches to academics, instruction, governance, finance, and management leading to new learning and leadership models. The state’s charter school law is consistently recognized as one of the nation’s strongest.
The system of oversight established by the legislation is both distinct from and complementary to conventional education structures. The charter school must have a valid legal contract, or charter, from its authorizer, which provides an additional level of accountability. A series of academic and operational performance measures must be met to continue the contract.
Balanced Leadership for Lasting Change. (2006). Michigan Council of Charter School Authorizers & Dykema Gossett PLLC.