Montana Title 20. Education § 20-6-806. Charter contract--terms

(1) An initial charter must be granted for a term of 5 operating years, commencing on July 1 of the first school year the public charter school will operate. An approved public charter school may delay its opening for 1 school year to plan and prepare for the school's opening. If the school requires an opening delay of more than 1 school year, the school shall request an extension from the board of public education. The board of public education may grant or deny the extension depending on the school's circumstances.

(2) Within 45 days of approval of a charter proposal, the board of public education and the governing board of the approved public charter school district shall execute a charter contract that clearly sets forth the academic and operational performance expectations and measures by which the public charter school will be judged.

(3) The performance provisions of the charter contract may be refined or amended by mutual agreement after the public charter school is operating and has collected baseline achievement data for its enrolled students.

(4) The charter contract must be signed by the presiding officers of the board of public education and the public charter school's governing board.

(5) A public charter school may not commence operations without a charter contract executed in accordance with this section and approved in an open meeting of the board of public education.

(6) The board of public education may establish reasonable preopening requirements or conditions to monitor the startup progress of a newly approved public charter school to ensure that the school is prepared to open smoothly on the date agreed and to ensure that each school meets all building, health, safety, insurance, and other legal requirements for school opening.