Your Charter School Was Just Approved. Now What? A Guide to Post-Authorization Support

Finding out that your charter school has been approved is one of the most exciting moments in a founder’s journey. You’ve spent years crafting a vision built with community and proving to authorizers that this school deserves to exist—and now it does.

But if you’ve been through the authorization process, you already know: approval is not the finish line. In many ways, it’s the starting point.

The planning and initial years of operation are among the most demanding in the life cycle of a newly authorized charter school. The decisions founders make before doors open and in the first two years of operation are critical in shaping the school’s culture, academic programs, and long-term sustainability. Some may not have a clear roadmap for what comes next.

At BES, we support school founders—both within and outside the BES Fellowship—past authorization and into Follow On Support (FOS), so they can serve students and provide them with a high quality education for generations to come. See why FOS is necessary for early stage founders and get a glimpse into the training and support it provides.

“My coaches at BES were exceptional, both during my fellowship and in Follow-On Support. Their expertise, commitment, and genuine investment in my success made a significant difference. They provided thoughtful feedback, encouraged innovative problem-solving, and consistently pushed me to grow as a leader. What stood out most was their accessibility and willingness to go above and beyond to ensure I had the tools and confidence to succeed. The relationships I built with my coaches transcends beyond the Fellowship year and the FOS program. I am sure I have lifelong support in both of them.”

Dr. Calandra Sales
Founder & Executive Director, Independence Preparatory Academy (Fairfield, AL)
2022 BES Fellow (Character & Equity Fellow) and Follow On Support leader

The Planning Year After Authorization Is More Complex Than It Seems

Most founders are surprised by how quickly the to-do list expands after authorization. Suddenly, you’re not just writing about your school, but you’re building out key aspects of your foundation.

In the planning year before a school opens, leaders are typically navigating facilities identification and securing a compliant space, governance transitions from a founding board to a governing board, building a first-year budget and financial planning systems, hiring a founding team, marketing your school to recruit students, and translating the academic program from a written plan into actual curriculum, schedules, and instructional systems.

Each of these is a significant undertaking on its own. Together, they demand a level of leadership capacity that most founders are still developing, which is exactly why the planning year is so critical to get right.

The founding years of a school are hard in ways that are difficult to fully anticipate, especially when you have to navigate without people in your corner who have gone through this process before.

Who Follow On Support Is For

This is where Follow On Support comes in.

FOS is designed for founders of public charter schools in their planning year through their second year of operation. While BES Fellows are supported through FOS as part of their broader journey with BES, the program is also open to leaders who did not participate in the BES Fellowship. Any founder of a newly authorized public charter school can enroll.

Because enrollment is year-round, there’s no deadline. Founders can begin support at any point after authorization, and can enter Year 1 or Year 2 of the program without having participated the prior year.

What Post-Authorization Support Actually Looks Like

We’ve seen what the planning year demands, what catches new founders off guard, and what separates schools that start strong from those that struggle to find their footing. That experience shapes everything about how we design post-authorization support for charter school leaders.

BES coaches bring firsthand experience supporting over 90 schools through the start-up phase. They’ve seen what breaks down in year zero, what governance challenges look like before they become crises, and what strong instructional leadership looks like in a school that’s still finding its footing. 

FOS features 80-100 hours of support per year for leaders in years 0-2. This is broken up into the following:

Coaching on key topics across school leadership, governance, and finance and facilities

On-site observation and coaching on instructional, cultural, and operational practices

Reviews of school artifacts, such as documents and videos of practiceThose in the planning year (year 0) also receive monthly cohort-based virtual training on core topics determined in collaboration with leaders in the cohort. Also included for those in year 0, but optional for years 1 and 2, is a three-day, in-person session that includes training, peer-to-peer consultancies, school visits, and community building.

The Founding Years Set the Tone

The planning year and early years of operation are hard. They are also among the most formative for the school, for the students and families you’ll serve, and for you as a leader. The post-authorization support a founder accesses during this period has a direct impact on whether a school starts strong and stays strong.

100% of FOS leaders believe their coach at BES is effective.

100% of FOS leaders feel equipped to utilize their role as a leader/educator to improve academic outcomes for students of color.

2025-2026 Mid Year Survey of FOS Leaders in Years 0-2

If your school has been recently authorized, reach out to us at partners@bes.org to learn more and start a conversation about Follow On Support.

*The cost for FOS is pro-rated for schools with shorter planning periods or mid-year starts. For BES Fellows, the rate is subsidized and often cost-shared with a local funder.