What is an authorizer?
Public charter school authorizers are entities charged by law to approve public charter schools, to oversee school observance of the law, as well as to uphold the performance agreement (charter) each school signs. Public charter schools in North Carolina may be granted preliminary approval by one of three authorizers: the board of trustees of a campus of the North Carolina university system, a local board of education, or the North Carolina State Board of Education. However, the North Carolina State Board of Education issues all charters for charter schools in North Carolina. If a local district or university rejects a charter application, the applicant may appeal directly to the state board of education, which can choose to overturn the district or university decision. Nearly all applicants in North Carolina bypass the local board of education, as well as the university authorizer option, and submit their proposals directly to the state board of education.
