Potential Charter School

Transcription

1 Potential Charter School Applicant Orientation February 18, 2015 Presented by: St. Johns County School District

2 Meeting Topics Purpose of charter schools and state requirements for the application St. Johns County application process, timeline, and expectations for completion Potential challenges Answer questions

3 St. Johns County Schools Enrollment: 37,119 PK-12 th grade students 51 school sites Over 4,000 employees

4 SJCSD School Choice Options Traditional Public Schools Charter Schools Virtual School McKay Scholarships Home Education Career Academies College Prep (AP, IB, AICE/Cambridge)

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6 Florida Charter Legislation Legislation establishes the following: Purpose of charter schools Requirements for the application Eligibility criteria for students Role/responsibility of the charter school operator and sponsor Funding sources Training for charter school governing board approved by DOE

7 Why Charter Schools? Charter schools shall fulfill the following purposes: Improve student learning and academic achievement Increase learning opportunities for all students Encourage the use of innovative learning methods Require the measurement of learning outcomes Charter schools may fulfill the following purposes: Create innovative measurement tools Provide rigorous competition to stimulate continual improvement Expand the capacity of the public school system Mitigate the educational impact of new developments Create new professional development opportunities for teachers

8 FLDOE GUIDE: How to Start a Charter School in Florida FLDOE Home

9 What Does SJCSD Look For? An application that offers an alternative to traditional public schools and meets all statutory requirements.

10 Let s Get Started Model Application Brick and Mortar Virtual High Performing Application Evaluation Instrument Florida School Choice Charter Statutes and Rules SJCSD uses the state approved applications as required in statute

11 Remember: Organize as a non-profit Meet federal requirements: civil rights, ADA, Section 504, IDEA Employ practices that are nonsectarian Participate in the statewide assessment program Meet state graduation requirements Employ certified teachers

12 The Charter Application Educational Plan Sections 1-8 Section 1: Mission, Guiding Principles and Purpose Mission statement Demonstrates how the school will meet the purpose and guiding principles

13 The Charter Application Educational Plan Sections 1-8 Section 2: Target Population and Student Body Target population Projected enrollment for each year of the charter by grade level

14 The Charter Application Educational Plan Sections 1-8 Section 3: Educational Program Design Daily schedule Calendar Clear and coherent educational program Research base for program design

15 The Charter Application Educational Plan Sections 1-8 Section 4: Curriculum Plan A detailed curriculum plan for all students A reading curriculum grounded in scientifically-based reading research Evaluation method for curriculum effectiveness

16 The Charter Application Educational Plan Sections 1-8 Section 5: Student Performance, Assessment and Evaluation Formal and informal assessments Detailed plans for assessing student performance Promotion standards and graduation requirements (high school) Plans for sharing student performance information

17 The Charter Application Educational Plan Sections 1-8 Section 6: Exceptional Students How services will be provided A plan to evaluate the school s effectiveness in serving exceptional students as well as gifted A realistic enrollment projection and aligned staffing plan

18 The Charter Application Educational Plan Sections 1-8 Section 7: English Language Learners A detailed educational plan Staffing plan aligned to the educational plan

19 The Charter Application Educational Plan Sections 1-8 Section 8: School Climate and Discipline Classroom management and discipline plan and policies Student code of conduct

20 The Charter Application Organizational Plan Sections 9-13 Section 9: Governance Organizational Chart Founding board Governing board Description of the legal entity responsible for the school Roles and responsibilities of the board and how it will provide oversight

21 The Charter Application Organizational Plan Sections 9-13 Section 10: Management Day to-day operations of the school Job descriptions, roles and responsibilities for teachers and administrators Recruitment and retention plan Evaluation plan for administrative and instructional staff A staffing plan

22 The Charter Application Organizational Plan Sections 9-13 Section 11: Educational Service Provider (ESP) Who is the ESP? Why and how did you choose an ESP? What services will they provide? Draft of the contract Roles and responsibilities for financial management Arm s length relationship List of other schools that the ESP has contracts with ESP s history

23 The Charter Application Organizational Plan Sections 9-13 Section 12: Human Resources and Employment Compensation plan Professional development Personnel policies and procedures

24 The Charter Application Organizational Plan Sections 9-13 Section 13: Student Recruitment and Enrollment Marketing plan Admission procedures Parent agreements Parent and Community involvement

25 The Charter Application Business Plan Sections Section 14: Facilities Plans for facility acquisition, renovation and financing Back-up plan

26 The Charter Application Business Plan Sections Section 15: Transportation Section 16: Food Service Transportation plan Food service plan Plans should cover all students

27 The Charter Application Business Plan Sections Section 17: Budget Start-up budget Annual financial plan for each year requested Line item narrative Calculate revenue on state provided Revenue Estimate Worksheet DO NOT include grant money in the budget

28 The Charter Application Business Plan Sections Section 18: Financial Management and Oversight Policies and procedures Insurance

29 The Charter Application Business Plan Sections Section 19: Action Plan Implementation timeline

30 What s Next? Use the evaluation tool to review your application Review your responsibilities as an applicant Organize as a nonprofit organization, 501(C)3 Establish a governing board that complies with the Sunshine Laws Submit a timely application to the Sponsor that meets the requirements in statute Prepare the application for submission

31 SJCSD Charter Application Format Title Page with the name of the school The Application Cover Sheet Statement of Assurances A Table of Contents Tabs identifying each section of the application Pages numbered consecutively throughout the application 5 hard copies, double sided 5 electronic copies in PDF format

32 SJCSD Application Process Provide technical assistance as requested Receive applications by established deadline Distribute applications to the Application Review Team Meet with Review Team to discuss merit of each application Conduct interview with applicant team Evaluate application using State Evaluation Instrument Submit application to School Board for action on Superintendent s recommendation Notify applicant of decision

33 Application Challenges Application is not original or innovative Application is not in the state approved format Inconsistencies throughout the application Budget is based on another district s Revenue Estimate Worksheet Lack of familiarity with SJCSD - different terminology, tests (ESE, ELL) Hard copy and electronic copy of the application differ Not familiar with legislative mandates and changes

34 Q&A