National Association of Charter School Authorizers

“Nacsa's bylaws establish two classes of membership: 1. Regular membership is open to institutions, agencies, and other entities across the united states that are legislatively authorized to grant charters for operation of public charter schools and to oversee and evaluate public charter school performance. 2. Associate membership is open to organizations that support the mission of nacsa but are not legislatively authorized to grant charters and to any individuals that support the mission of nacsa.”

“Nacsa's bylaws provide for the election of board members by a vote of the board of directors. The composition of the board is restricted to nacsa members. Nominations for board members are solicited from nacsa's membership.”

“Nacsa's bylaws provide for the following oversight by the membership (during the annual meeting) of governance decisions: 1. Regular members will vote on any resolutions proposed for the association that have been duly filed in writing in accordance with article x(resolutions), and may pass such resolutions by a majority vote of all regular members present and voting. 2. Any duly filed amendments to the bylaws may be adopted by a majority vote of all regular members present and voting. 3. The association's membership may act to repeal the bylaws or adopt new bylaws by majority vote of all regular members present and voting.”

“Nacsa has established a finance committee which is composed of 5 members of the board of directors. The duties and responsibility of the finance committee include the independent audit report review function and the form 990 review. Specifically, the form 990 is provided electronically to all finance committee members. Members forward any comments or questions directly to nacsa's cfo prior to filing.”

“Nacsa's president and ceo will monitor proposed or ongoing conflicts of interest and disclose them to the finance committee in order to deal with potential or actual conflicts. The president and ceo, after consultation with the finance committee, shall determine whether a conflict exists and is material, and in the presence of an existing material conflict, whether the contemplated transaction may be authorized as being necessary for a compelling reason, just, fair, and reasonable to nacsa. The decision of the president & ceo on these matters will rest in his sole discretion, and his concern must be the welfare of nacsa and the advancement of its purpose. The president and ceo will provide an annual update to the board of directors on conflict of interest disclosures.”

“The process for determining employee compensation of nasca, also applies to the compensation determination of the president & ceo of the organization. The process includes all of these elements: 1) review and approval by the board of directors of the organization; 2) use of data as to comparable compensation; and 3) contemporaneous documentation and recordkeeping. 1) review and approval - the compensation of the president & ceo is reviewed and approved by an appointed subcommittee of the board of directors of the organization. The compensation is then approved by the entire board of directors. Any persons with conflict of interests with respect to the compensation arrangement at issue are not involved in this review and approval. 2) use of data as to comparable compensation - the compensation of the president & ceo is reviewed and approved using data as to comparable compensation for similarly qualified persons in functionally comparable positions at similarly situated organizations. 3) contemporaneous documentation and recordkeeping - there is contemporaneous documentation and recordkeeping with respect to the deliberations and decisions regarding the compensation arrangement.”

“The process includes all of these elements: 1) review and approval by the board of directors of the organization; 2) use of data as to comparable compensation; and 3) contemporaneous documentation and recordkeeping.”

“Documents are made available upon request”

“To promote the establishment and operation of quality charter schools through responsible oversight in the public interest. Nacsa serves the education and resource needs of the full range of chartering authorities across the country, whose work is vital to enhancing educational opportunities for students and servicing the needs of parents, educators and community leaders for greater educational accountability of our public schools.”

“Donated services were provided by board members during the year”

“Communications and marketing communications at nacsa maximizes the organization's impact by ensuring key audiences are aware of nacsa's work and trust the organization's expertise so that authorizers are equipped to improve the quality of charter schools at scale. As an independent voice for quality charter school authorizing, nacsa also serves as a leadership organization in the charter sector and helps national and local media interpret how events in the news are impacting charter school performance and oversight. Nacsa's communications team positions nacsa to be the leading national voice on the direction of charter school authorizing and a thought leader on the charter sector, school quality and innovation in education.”

“Customized supports nacsa's mission is to help each authorizer maintain high standards and public accountability for charter schools while preserving the autonomy that defines quality charter authorizing. Nacsa's customized support is grounded in the organization's principles and standards of quality charter authorizing (principles and standards), professional standards first published in 2004 and updated in 2018, 2022, and 2025 that provide the framework for delivering personalized guidance aligned with each authorizer's unique context and goals. Nacsa provides tailored support services designed to meet each authorizer's unique needs and circumstances. Our customized approach spans strategic planning, evaluation, resource development, and decision management, including context-specific policies, protocols, and chartering templates that reflect state-specific requirements and local circumstances. For authorizers seeking additional capacity, our decision management services provide customized support in developing and implementing rigorous, merit-based processes for critical authorizing decisions, including new school application approvals. This allows authorizers to maintain decision-making authority while accessing specialized expertise tailored to their needs.”

“Capacity building nacsa recognizes that building strong organizational capacity among the nation's charter school authorizers is essential for overall sector improvement. Nacsa's capacity building initiatives work to strengthen authorizing organizations by developing their internal capabilities, cultivating high-potential talent, and fostering a robust network of current and future effective leaders to enhance retention and sustainability. Nacsa's capacity building efforts include its leaders program, the leaders alumni program, an introductory bootcamp delivered in multiple formats, various cohorts responding to contextual and landscape- based needs, and other targeted asynchronous and synchronous learning opportunities designed to strengthen organizational effectiveness and leadership development. Policy + research nacsa engages public officials and education policy organizations across the nation to advance strong charter school authorizing policies and practices. Nacsa collaborates with charter and education policy organizations to provide data and evidence to influence policymakers and promote policies that improve outcomes for students. Nacsa's research focuses on identifying and tracking active charter authorizers nationwide; analyzing the academic performance of authorizer charter school portfolios; investigating the implementation of charter school authorizing practices nationally; and pursuing research that informs nacsa's policy and advocacy objectives. Nacsa's strategy, research and policy team is also charged with evaluating nacsa's progress toward its strategic plan goals. Membership nacsa was founded by and continues to serve a diverse array of authorizing agencies, including state education agencies, school districts, colleges and universities, special purpose or independent chartering boards, municipalities, and not-for-profit organizations. Several active and former authorizers serve along with non-authorizers on the nacsa board of directors. Nacsa publishes issue briefs, case studies, and monographs. Nacsa also hosts a webinar series, creates opportunities for shared learning via virtual cohorts, and facilitates meetings that bring together members to discuss special topics of common concern. Member feedback is also solicited throughout the year and nacsa continues to find ways to facilitate sharing and dialogue among members. Members are also connected to other nacsa divisions if they seek additional knowledge or are looking for more customized resources.”

“Management consulting 675,115 248,706 6,250 branding and design 18,189 0 0 editorial services 73,100 0 0 payroll processing fees 0 13,910 0 it services 15,161 56,829 0 newswire services 16,748 68 0 total 798,313 319,513 6,250”