The board's immediate goal was finding a director, and over the past few weeks they have been interviewing candidates. The state office will submit recommendations to Patti Harrington, state superintendent of public instruction, by Friday and she will appoint a director next week.

The board then will examine existing practices such as grant and charter application processes, annual school monitoring and evaluation procedures to determine what changes will be made.

Board member David Moss said now with the board in place he hopes to work to alleviate some misconceptions about charter schools as well as to educate the public on what charter schools are about — resulting in more support.

Though the number of charter schools in Utah doesn't compare with states such as Arizona, Florida and Michigan — with numbers reaching past 400 — the number of students enrolled has grown exponentially in the past five years.

Twenty-six charter schools in Utah will be up and running by this fall, and the board already has close to a dozen schools waiting in the wings for approval.

"We're excited about what lies ahead of us. We know it's going to be a lot of work, but we think it's going to be a great opportunity, and we hope to be able to offer some excellent opportunities for students and parents who need those," Allen said.

The board consists of two business representatives, Brian Allen and Sonia Zisumbo; three charter school representatives, Anne Peterson, Eric Smith and Scott Smith; and two members nominated by the state school board, David Moss and Barbara Killpack.

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E-mail: terickson@desnews.com