Charter School Facilities: School Energy Savings
In response to rising fuel costs and other school expenses, the National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities offers a helpful list of links, books, and journal articles on heating, cooling, lighting, and maintaining school and campus facilities that results in energy efficiencies.

2007 Charter School Facility Finance Landscape
This 2007 edition of the Landscape provides an expanded snapshot of the public and nonprofit financing programs for charter school facilities across the nation. It is designed to serve as a roadmap for individual charter schools as they work to finance their buildings and as a policy guide for those interested in helping the sector and developing more equitable funding for charter school facilities. Based on extensive research, the document includes descriptions of financing products and geographic markets for 25 private nonprofit providers, two public-private partnerships, and several public initiatives for charter school facilities at both the federal and state levels. It also provides a listing of all state-level grant, loan and credit enhancement programs in the 41 jurisdictions with a charter law.

Report to the Community - Charter School Facilities Requirements: A Guide for Developers, Brokers and Landlords
This report outlines the challenges charter schools face in finding facilities and offers tips and strategies for securing school buildings. Charter school facilities' fundamentals, economic considerations, and legislated requirements are explained. The document also details how developers, brokers, and landlords can benefit from partnerships with charter schools.

Web Seminar: Financing Charter Schools
The Education Commission of the States has made available a replay of a webcast that presents data and analysis to help state policymakers and other education leaders understand the issues and the policy options states have regarding charter school financing. Users can simply login and view the web seminar at their leisure.

Webcast: Leave Nothing on the Table -- the Art of Skillful Negotiation
Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), a nonprofit community development organization that assists charter schools, has made a webcast available which focuses on developing negotiation skills. The webcast provides guidance in how to deal with contractors and professional service providers, as well as purchasing supplies, meeting with community members, and collaborating with staff and other stakeholders. It is designed to include real on-the-ground examples and demonstrate both the practice and the art of preparing for and conducting skillful negotiations.

New York City Charter Schools Fundraising Guidebook
This guidebook is designed to provide charter school boards and school leaders with detailed instructions on how to establish and manage an ongoing, successful fundraising program. Included are key topics such as how to incorporate fundraising into the school's strategic plan and diversifying funding sources. Several fundraising best practices and examples of successful fundraising plans are also included. While written for New York City Charter school developers and operators, others in the larger charter school community will find it to be a very helpful tool in their fundraising efforts.

Webcasts: Getting Ready for Construction and Creating a Dynamic ED-Board Chair Partnership
The Organizational Development Institute of LISC will offer two webcasts next week on "Prepping Your Site: Getting Ready for Construction" and "How to Create a Dynamic ED - Board Chair Partnership." On December 19 and 20, LISC will provide an interactive forum for discussion among industry experts, as well as national and local practitioners. LISC provides these webcasts, in partnership with KnowledgePlex, free of charge as a support and training service to community development practitioners nationwide. Anyone with access to the Internet and a telephone can participate in the Experts Online live events from his/her own desk at the scheduled time (2-3:30 each day). Participants will be able to hear the expert(s) speak, view the corresponding visual presentation in real time, and pose written or oral questions to the speaker(s) during the event.

Charter School Coalition
The Charter Coalition (TCC) is comprised of community development organizations that share a common mission to improve the viability of low-income and economically distressed communities with each member currently providing financial and development services to charter schools in low-income communities. The primary goals of the TCC include: leveraging the expertise and resources of its members to increase the accessibility to capital and technical assistance to charter schools; formulating industry best practice among community development practitioners; and creating a collective voice to advocate actively for public policy changes that support charter schools' efforts to build and strengthen communities. Ongoing activities include establishing consistent communications and networking opportunities, formulating best practices, and increasing resources and access to real estate development resources.

Charter School Growth Fund
The Charter School Growth Fund (CSGF) is seeking qualified charter school operators nationwide for it 2006 planning process. CSGF is a philanthropic venture firm that makes early-stage grants and loans for the development of charter management and support organizations that provide a quality education option to underserved students. CSGF accomplishes this mission by providing proven charter school operators with the guidance and resources necessary to create self-sufficient networks of high-performing schools.The application is available on CSGF's website (http://chartergrowthfund.org/) with regional information meetings in early January. The deadline is February 6, 2006.

Magnet and Specialized Schools of the Future: A Focus on Change
This book provides advice on the construction of a new building, addition, or renovation of a magnet or charter school. Twelve projects are described, followed by guidance on funding, finding a home for the charter school, designs for autistic students, specialized school design, site design and landscape architecture, acoustics, indoor air quality, sustainable design, and project delivery. A draft charter school operations facilities plan and many references are provided.

National Charter Schools Conference
The National Charter Schools Conference will be held in Sacramento, February 28-March 3, 2006, in conjunction with the 13th annual California Charter Schools Conference. Online attendee registration & hotel reservations will be available beginning August 15, 2005.

The Answer Key: How to Plan, Develop and Finance Your Charter School Facility
This free guide offers charter school operators step-by-step assistance in planning, evaluating and implementing facilities projects. Helpful worksheets, including needs assessments, budgets, and balance sheets are included. The document offers advice at all key stages of facilities development, from the concept phase through financing the project to completion of construction.

Business Plan Roadmap to Success
This site provides workshop notes from a US Small Business Administration workshop session on developing business plans.

(Re)Designing Learning Environments
( George Lucas Educational Foundation )
This featured program offers an in-depth journey into the planning and creation of new types of schools and learning environments with the hope that creative new schools will be built that reflect the mission of the school. The site showcases facility design through photos, interviews, and statistics on selected projects.

Code Check: Building Code Information
This website provides detailed information about the most common building code violations and how to avoid making them.

DesignShare
( Design Share )
A commercial site offering an online library of A/E firms and K-12 school projects with diagrams of architectural plans, Environments for Learning award program, articles and research, an E-newsletter, links to related sites, and a bookstore.

Historic Schools: A Roadmap for Saving Your School
( 2002, National Trust for Historic Preservation )
This brief suggests that not every historic school can or even should be saved, but all too often, historic schools and options for renovation are routinely dismissed without full consideration of alternatives or community input.

Historic Schools: Renovation vs. Replacement & the Role of a Feasibility Study
( 2002, National Trust for Historic Preservation )
Weighing the pros and cons of renovating a historic neighborhood school or building a new one takes preservation "know-how," experience, and creativity. Central to this decision-making process is the feasibility study, often conducted by an architectural consultant. The included feasibility study checklist can help identify the factors involved in making the best decision and assuring that a feasibility study for an historic neighborhood school is fair, objective, and reasonable. It will also assist in identifying "warning signs," questions to ask, and knowing what to look for when challenging the results and projected cost estimates of a feasibility study.

Charter School Facilities: A Resource Guide on Development and Financing
( 2000, April, National Cooperative Bank )
NCB Development Corporation and the Charter Friends National Network designed this resource guide to help navigate the facility development process. It covers facility planning, needs assessment, site selection, construction, and financing. Access the full guide in html here. This guide can also be downloaded in sections here.

Illinois Charter School Developer's Handbook: Getting Your Charter School Off the Ground
( Leadership for Quality Education )
While this guide was developed for Illinois' charter schools, charter school leaders in other communities will find that this resource offers practical, valuable advice for the phases of planning, designing, and operating a charter school. Important guiding principles and tips for several areas are provided, including: drafting a charter proposal, gaining community support, developing an educational program and accountability standards, recruiting and enrolling students, designing a school governance structure, recruiting and selecting staff, making personnel policies and contracts, fundraising and budgeting, finding and financing facilities, and complying with laws that apply to charter schools.