Charter schools are expected to open in Alabama in 2017.
Ed Richardson, chairman of the Alabama Public Charter School Commission, said Tuesday that the fall of 2017 is when the first charter school is expected to open in the state.
The commission on Tuesday worked on an application template for groups interested in starting charter schools. The template is expected to be approved within a few months.
Applicants will have to submit information about their financial management, operations plan and curriculum.
Charter schools are publicly funded schools that are free from the regulations put on other schools and may be run by private groups.
The Alabama Legislature last year approved GOP-backed legislation to allow charter schools in the state for the first time.