Charter School Amendment Petitions

Once the written charter agreement is established, charter school operators may petition the authorizer to amend the material terms of the charter agreement. The process for petitioning to amend the charter agreement, including the minimum types of material changes that require an amendment petiton, is outlined in Tennessee Public Charter School Commission Rule 1185-01-01-.04. 

Letter of Intent

The first step in filing a petition to amend the charter agreement is to submit a letter of intent to the authorizer and the Charter Commission. The letter of intent can be submitted twice per year: 

Fall Deadline: September 1 of the year preceding the school year in which the proposed amendment will take effect

Spring Deadline: January 15 of the year preceding the school year in which the proposed amendment will take effect

• Letter of Intent - DOC | PDF

Amendment Petition

The governing body must submit to its authorizer the completed amendment petition by the Fall or Spring deadline, as determined by the governing body’s submission date for the letter of intent. A letter of intent is not required in the case of an Emergency Petition. Amendment petitions are accepted twice per year:

Fall Deadline: October 1 of the year preceding the school year in which the proposed amendment will take effect

Spring Deadline: February 14 of the year preceding the school year in which the proposed amendment will take effect

• Amendment Petition - DOC | PDF

Emergency Petitions

If the governing body of a charter school determines that, due to unanticipated extraordinary circumstances, good cause exists for an emergency amendment petition to be submitted, it must make a finding by resolution at a meeting of the governing body. An emergency amendment petition may be submitted to the authorizer at any time; a Letter of Intent is not required. Operators submitting an Emergency Petition must follow the instructions provided in the amendment petition application. 

With questions about the amendment petition application process, please email State Board staff at charter.applications@tn.gov.