Utah Military Academy Governing Board- Education Management Organization

Utah Military Academy (“UMA”) is a tuition-free public charter school authorized by the Utah State Charter School Board with campuses in Riverdale and Lehi, with learning centers in St George, Logan and Vernal. UMA desires to expand learning centers, as well future possible growth.

The Governing Board seeks to engage a highly experienced, full-service Education Management Organization (“EMO”) capable of providing comprehensive charter school development, academic, operational, financial, compliance, governance, and facility coordination services necessary to successfully operate the charter school. [...]

The purpose of this RFP is to solicit proposals from qualified Education Management Organizations capable of providing end-to-end charter school development and operational management services from pre-opening through ongoing operations while maintaining full compliance with state, federal, and authorizer requirements.

The selected EMO will operate under the direction and oversight of the UMA Governing Board, which retains full and exclusive governance authority.

The selected EMO must provide comprehensive, integrated, full-service management. Proposals that do not demonstrate the ability to provide all required service categories may be deemed non-responsive.

Charter School Development

The EMO must demonstrate the ability to support charter school startup and development, including:

• Pre-opening planning and implementation
• Operationalization of approved charter program
• Enrollment launch and startup planning
• Staffing and system development
• Grant support and compliance
• Coordination of academic program implementation

Academic and Instructional Support

The EMO shall:

• Implement the UMA academic model and curriculum with integrity
• Provide professional development and instructional coaching
• Implement PLC and MTSS systems
• Support measurable academic growth and student achievement
• Support special education and ELS populations and compliance with federal education law

Operational Management

The EMO shall provide:

• Recruitment, hiring, training, and evaluation of staff
• Enrollment and student information systems
• Daily administrative operations
• School safety and operational compliance
• Technology and infrastructure support

Financial Management

The EMO shall provide:

• Budget development and financial planning
• Accounting, payroll, and reporting
• Cash flow and reserve management
• Audit preparation and coordination
• Grant administration and compliance

Compliance and Regulatory Oversight

The EMO shall ensure compliance with:

• Utah Charter School Act
• Utah Procurement Code
• Federal education laws (IDEA, ESEA, FERPA, ADA)
• Authorizer accountability frameworks
• State and federal reporting requirements

Governance and Board Support

The EMO shall provide:

• Strategic and operational reporting to the Governing Board
• Policy and compliance support
• Governance and operational planning support
• Work closely with the board to ensure the continued success of the military mission

Facilities Coordination

The EMO must demonstrate the ability to support facility acquisition, planning, coordination, and operational readiness sufficient to ensure the school is prepared for opening and ongoing operations.

Marketing and Community Engagement

The EMO shall:

• Support marketing and enrollment efforts
• Assist with community and family engagement
• Support achievement of enrollment targets

Submission

Proposals will be received in **PDF format** to Curt Oda at Copatriot53@yahoo.com, until **November 16, 2026, 3:00PM local time**. The *Financial Proposal* is to be submitted separately.

Evaluation Criteria

| Category | Weight |
| --- | --- |
| Experience and Organizational Capacity | 25% |
| Charter Startup and Implementation Capability | 15% |
| Operational and Compliance Strength | 20% |
| Financial Management | 20% |
| Cost | 10% |
| Military Support and operations | 10% |

Timeline

Award Notification: No later than December 1, 2026.

Contract Term

The contract term shall be for the term of the charter unless renewed in accordance with law. The selected EMO must enter into a written services agreement.

UMA reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, waive informalities, and select the proposal determined to be in the best interest of the school. UMA is not liable for proposal preparation costs.