Benefit Approval Process
Step 2: The district applies to TEA for Texas Partnership benefits
Overview
After a district develops and authorizes a strong partnership, the district can apply to TEA for Texas Partnership benefits available through SB 1882. All districts applying for benefits must complete and submit the Texas Partnership Benefits Application.
Apply for Texas Partnership Benefits
Download the Texas Partnership Benefits Application to get started.
Application Submission Timeline
Required Activities for Texas Partnerships benefits that begin in 2024-2025
The table below details required activities for the benefits application process. For more details, see the To the Administrator Addressed correspondence.
| Required Activities | Date |
| District and Proposed Partners Attend Required Webinars | Late Summer-Early Fall 2023 (see time and date options below |
| District submits Mandatory Letter of Intent | No later than Friday, December 4, 2023 |
| District submits locally developed charter authorizing policy, local campus partner application, and/or local application scoring rubric OR notifies TEA that the district has adopted TEA models | No later than Friday, December 4, 2023, or no later than 5 working days prior to local campus application release (whichever date is earlier) |
| Texas Partnership Benefits Application Package due |
Priority deadline 1 (CSP grant eligibility): Friday, December 15, 2023 Priority deadline 2 (no pre-opening plan submission required): Friday, January 31, 2024 ·Final deadline: March 29, 2024 |
Required Webinars
Districts and operating partners are required to attend Texas Partnerships Webinars. Each webinar is offered multiple times, but applicants are only required to attend one time option for each webinar.
Application Review Steps
Completeness Review
TEA will first review the application for completeness and to ensure that districts have adopted and/or utilized all relevant policies and templates as required. If TEA determines that any part of a district’s submission is incomplete, it will notify the district so it can re-submit the necessary documents.
Application Evaluation
TEA will review and evaluate relevant submissions from each district’s application for partnership benefits. TEA will formally evaluate (and approve) application resources that are applicable to the type of partnership school and type of partner organization. Required application documents will be evaluated by internal and external review teams. External review teams will be comprised of vetted individuals with expertise in reviewing charter applications.
Capacity Interviews
TEA will conduct capacity interviews with districts submitting an application that does not meet a minimum threshold in one or multiple of the steps above. During these interviews, TEA staff may ask questions to clarify specific elements of the application(s) and to assess the district’s and partner’s capacity to implement the partnership plan laid out in their application.
Texas Partnership Benefits Application
The Texas Partnership Benefits Application includes a section on district charter authorizing policies and practices. In it, districts must describe how they will implement their charter policies, including the resources available, the leadership of the district’s charter authorizing functions, and the process the district will put in place to review, monitor, and intervene at a school when necessary. TEA will evaluate the quality of those policies and practices for districts partnering with a new Texas partner, regardless of school type. Districts must also attach their board-approved charter authorizing policy.
Local Campus Partner Application
All districts must share the Local Campus Partner Applications that their partners submitted. However, TEA will only evaluate the quality of the Local Campus Partner Application for districts partnering with a new Texas partner.
Partnership Performance Contract
All districts that apply for partnership school benefits must submit an executed Partnership Performance Contract. TEA will evaluate the quality of the contracts for all partnerships regardless of school or partner type. Districts should refer to the Partnership Performance Contract Rubric when drafting and negotiating contract terms to ensure alignment with regulatory requirements. The Partnership Performance Contract Rubric clarifies contract criteria for partners’ operating authority, academic performance goals, financial goals, campus enrollment and expulsion policies, contract terms, charter exemptions, service level agreements, per-pupil funding allocations from the district, accountability for implementing an education plan, and consequences for breach of contract. TEA has also created a Partnership Performance Contract template.
If the performance contract does not meet all the criteria in TEA’s evaluation form, TEA may approve the contract contingent on the district making specific, requested modifications.
Contact Us
We’d love to hear from you. Contact the Texas Partnerships team for assistance or questions about forming a Texas Partnership.
