News
Charter Schools
Charter Schools face very unique challenges. We are prepared to help.
Decades of experience allow Musick Peeler’s attorneys to provide charter schools with superior advice and representation to the entire charter school organization. And, since charter schools operate under strict budget and time constraints, our services are streamlined to provide the most cost-effective and successful outcomes tailored to each charter school’s precise needs.
More specifically, our attorneys’ hands-on charter school expertise begins with your earliest planning efforts and continues through the life of the school’s operation. We have resolved, with cutting edge advice, every legal challenge that you may face. Our services include:
Business Operations & Governance
- Charter school petitions and renewals
- Charter school and school board organizational documents
- Operational contracts and agreements
- Supporting corporations and facility-holding LLCs
- Public Records, Brown Act, ethics and conflict of interest compliance
- Student safety and disciplinary matters
- Obtaining and maintaining 501(c)(3) tax exemption
Facility Construction & Renovation
- Program management agreements
- Contracts with architects/contractors/engineers
- Construction progress oversight
- Construction insurance, bonds, claims, and litigation
Finance
- Financing of school sites and ancillary real estate
- Negotiation and preparation of financing documents, such as deeds of trust, sale-leasebacks, ground leases, school operating leases and subleases
- Working capital finance
- Charter School Facilities Program
- Maximization of school eligibility for SB 740 rent reimbursement
- Bonds and New Markets Tax Credit financings
Labor & Employment
- Wage and hour and leave-of-absence laws
- Employee discipline and termination
- Defense of federal and state EEO claims
- Employment policies and manuals
- On-site professional development and staff training
- Federal and state mandated leaves of absences such as FMLA, CFRA, ADA, and PDL
- Charter school and back office provider litigation representation
Land Use, Permits & Environmental
- Land use and environmental due diligence
- Analysis of Phase I and Phase II reports
- Environmental cleanup and mitigation
- Conditional use permits, other entitlements, hearings and litigation
- CEQA/NEPA preparation, compliance and litigation
Litigation
- Assessment of litigation risks
- Pre-litigation and alternative dispute resolution
- Administrative hearings
- Federal and state court litigation, trials and appeals
Real Estate & Facilities
- Acquisition, leasing, licensing and development of school facility, parking, offices and playground
- Proposition 39 or other facility use, lease, license, purchase, sale, and escrow agreements
- Analysis and resolution of covenants, conditions and agreements affecting real estate, including obtaining accurate title reports, surveys and appraisals
- Ancillary contracts involving real estate, including easements, parking licenses, broker’s agreements, and tax deferred exchanges
- Real property transfer and taxation issues, including transfer tax, reassessment, and tax exemption issues