Governance Academy
Advance your Board Governance in six months.
A self-paced, governance improvement program for charter school boards. The Academy baselines your board governance using the Charter Governance Maturity & Integration (CGMI) standard and performs a guided appraisal at Level 2, 3, or 4 based on your governance goals. The Academy is CSP grant eligible making it easy for schools to fund and adopt.
Why charter boards need this
Governance maturity is hard to measure and improve, until now.
Most charter boards are committed but under-resourced. Onboarding is informal. Policy review happens when something breaks. Strategic plans live in a folder and rarely come up at meetings. Authorizers ask for evidence of governance quality and schools scramble to produce it.
The Governance Academy is the structured improvement program built for that gap. It overlays Charter Vision’s 12 governance modules with a guided 6-month curriculum that turns governance from a reactive function into an evidence-based capability — and produces a formal CGMI rating at the close.
The 7-phase program
How the Academy works
Each domain phase runs four weeks: a Learn-and-Assess week, two Build-and-Do weeks, and a Validate-and-Close week. Phases unlock sequentially — Domain 1 first, because you need the right people in the right seats; Domain 5 last, because transparency is the capstone.
Phase 0 · Intake
Weeks 1–2
Intake & Onboarding
Readiness check, baseline decision, target level, personalized program plan.
Phase 1 · Domain 1
Weeks 3–6
Board Composition & Competency
Roster, orientation, skills matrix, succession, role-specific training.
Phase 2 · Domain 2
Weeks 7–10
Governance Processes & Compliance
Meeting management, policy framework, COI, retention, regulatory compliance.
Phase 3 · Domain 3
Weeks 11–14
Strategic Oversight & Accountability
Strategic plan, executive evaluation, academic accountability, charter promise.
Phase 4 · Domain 4
Weeks 15–18
Financial Governance & Sustainability
Budget oversight, audit & internal controls, reserves, multi-year planning.
Phase 5 · Domain 5
Weeks 19–22
Transparency & Stakeholder Accountability
Public transparency, community engagement, authorizer relationship, continuous improvement.
Phase 6 · Close
Weeks 23–26
Guided Appraisal & Certification
Evidence assembly, formal CGMI Guided Appraisal, level certificate, advancement plan.
What you walk away with
The Academy produces a portfolio of governance evidence.
GMS score & capability profile
0–100 Governance Maturity Score across 5 domains × 4 practice areas, with a domain-by-domain capability profile that pinpoints strengths and gaps.
CGMI Level Certificate
Formal certification at CGMI Level 2, 3, or 4, generated against the published CGMI-F v1.0 spec — citable in authorizer renewals and grant applications.
CGMI-C Compliance Exhibit
An evidence-backed exhibit (Level 2+) ready to attach to state submissions, authorizer reports, and grant applications.
Advancement plan
Specific, prioritized actions per domain to advance to the next maturity level in the next cycle.
CSP grant eligible
Pay for the Academy with Charter Schools Program funds.
Governance Academy qualifies under multiple CSP allowable-cost categories. The program is a one-time purchase with bundled platform access — structured to comply with CSP’s “non-sustained costs” guidance.
Board governance training
CSP grants explicitly fund charter school board governance training. The Academy’s curriculum, role-specific modules, and CGMI certification fulfill this directly.
Technical assistance
CSP funds technical assistance to build governing capacity. The Academy is structured TA: AI-guided policy development, compliance system implementation, and formal capacity assessment.
Software subscriptions & licenses
CSP allowable cost guides confirm subscription/license fees for software aligned with grant objectives. Bundled Charter Vision platform access qualifies.
Financial management strengthening
NC GROW explicitly funds technical assistance to strengthen financial management. Domain 4 is an entire Academy phase covering this.
Pricing
Two packages. First-time + re-enrollment.
Academy is a one-time purchase. Re-enroll every 2 years to renew a CGMI rating, or any time to pursue a higher level. Re-enrollment carries forward your previously validated deliverables as FAST_TRACKED.
Academy Add-On
For schools already on a Charter Vision subscription. Existing subscription continues; the Academy program runs for 26 weeks.
First-time
$1,500
Re-enrollment
$1,000
CSP Grant Package
Grant-eligibleStand-alone purchase. Includes 12 months of bundled Charter Vision platform access plus the grant module.
First-time
$4,500
Re-enrollment
$3,500
Tier 1 · Self-Assessment
Free with any Charter Vision subscription. Capped at CGMI Level 2 (Developing). Valid 1 year.
Tier 2 · Guided Appraisal
Academy program. Up to CGMI Level 4 (Advanced). Valid 2 years.
Tier 3 · Certified Appraisal
Coordinated by a human CGMI-CA appraiser. No level cap. Valid 3 years. Coming soon.
Frequently asked
Common questions
- Who can enroll?
- Any registered charter school. The Academy purchase includes 12 months of full Charter Vision platform access — no pre-existing subscription required. Existing subscribers receive a credit equal to their remaining months.
- Is this a cohort program?
- No. Schools enroll independently and run on their own 26-week timeline. There is no synchronous calendar or peer cohort — the Co-Director AI guides the program.
- Do board members need to do anything?
- Yes. Members complete role-specific training assignments and contribute to deliverables (policies, plans, self-assessments). Stakeholders see read-only progress.
- Can the Academy certify CGMI Level 5?
- No. The Guided Appraisal certifies up to Level 4. Level 5 requires a Certified Appraisal from a human CGMI-CA appraiser, which Charter Vision can coordinate separately.
- What if we don’t finish in 26 weeks?
- Schools can use a one-time pause (≤4 weeks) and a grace period (≤8 additional weeks) at no cost.
- What if we don’t reach our target level?
- You receive a certificate for the level achieved plus a detailed advancement plan, and re-enroll at a discount for the next cycle.
Governance Academy generates ratings against CGMI-F v1.0. CGMI is a trademark of Charter Vision.