welcome to tabs training activities for business staff we are pleased to welcome you to the final...

WELCOME TO TABSTraining Activities for Business Staff

We are pleased to welcome you to the final session of the 2004-05 TABS program!

TABS is designed to provide topic-specific knowledge about a variety of school business topics.

“Charter Schools, Public Schools of

Choice”

Presented by Charter School

Financial Services

March 11, 2005

Training Activities for Business Staff (TABS)

San Diego County Office of EducationJoe Rindone Regional Technology Center

March 11, 2005

Charter Schools

Public Schools of Choice

“. . . Anyone closely allied with a public school - - whether a parent or family member of a student, or a teacher, administrator or classified staff member - - can attest to the perils resident in the complex tangle of rules sustaining our public school system. These include the potential to sap creativity and innovation, thwart accountability and undermine the effective education of our children.”

WILSON v. STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION89 Cal.Rptr.2d 745, 75 Cal.App.4th 1125 (1999)

Charter Schools,Public Schools of Choice

PRESENTERS

Delano Jones,

Charter School Technician

Carole Parks, Ed.D.

Consultant, Business Advisory Services


AGENDA• Table Discussions of Workshop

Outcomes• Overview of Charter Schools• Similarities and Differences

Charters and Traditional Public Schools

• Flexibility• Oversight of Chartering Agency• Questions


Welcome

Introductions

Table Discussions of Workshop Outcomes

Overview ofCharter Schools

• California was second in the nation to authorize charter schools.

• California Charters Schools Act of 1992

• Political support from both sides of the aisle

• 40 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico have charter laws today.


Public charter schools funded by the state (Wilson v. State Board of Ed., 1999)

• Nonsectarian

• Non-discriminatory

• Voluntary student enrollment


Charter is a contract between chartering agency and charter petitioners

• Term usually 3-5 years

• Supplemented by MOUs

• Application for 5-year renewals


• Expand educational choices for parents and students

• Provide competition to stimulate continual improvement

• Change from rule-based to performance-based accountability system linked to pupil outcomes

Overview ofCharter SchoolsSan Diego Unified School District

#028, Charter School of San Diego (1993)

#033, Darnall E-Charter (1993)

51 charter schools in 2003-04

58 operational charter schools in

San Diego County in 2004-05

Maturity of 51 Charter SchoolsSan Diego County 2003-04

1 to 3 years 45%

4 to 5 years 20%

>5 years 35%


Growth of charter schools • Proponents and opponents• Marketing

– Internet– Direct advertising

• Entrepreneurial approach• Support from state and national

organizations


Similarities and DifferencesCharters and Traditional

Public Schools

Similarities and DifferencesCharters and Traditional Public Schools

• Charter schools tend to be much smaller than traditional schools

• Charters are allowed to waive many state laws, rules, and regulations

• Educational management organizations found more frequently in charter schools than in traditional public schools


• Charter schools have student demographics similar to other public schools

• Charter schools are funded by the state and by private foundations.

• They are more flexible than a traditional public school because they can choose their own curriculum and teachers.

• Charter school teachers are less likely to be certified than their peers in traditional public schools

• Less teaching experience • Charter school parents claim to

be more involved than with previous schools



• Charter schools are not homogeneous (not all the same)

• There is no single charter effect

• Part of the motivation behind creating charter schools is to foster innovation, which leads to different approaches


• They vary along several dimensions

• Differences affect:– Accessibility– Achievement– Operation– Governance

Similarities and DifferencesCharters and Traditional Public Schools• Accessibility-Student Representation

Charter School students:• More likely to be black and less likely to be

Hispanic or Asian but no more or less likely to be white.

• Racial mix of student varies by charter school type

• Differences between groups tends to be small

Similarities and DifferencesCharters and Traditional Public Schools• Accessibility-Student Representation

• Charter school admissions processes differ little from admissions processes in a traditional public school

• Charter schools are more likely than traditional schools to focus their services on specific student populations


There is no conclusive data to indicate that students in charter schools perform better than students in traditional schools


Flexibility

Charter Schools Flexibility

Who initiates the Charter petition process?

• Teachers and/or other educators

• Parents

• Charter developer(s)

• School district governing board


Is this proposed charter school a start-up charter or a conversion from an existing public school?

• Start-up

• Conversion

• Charter district

Start-up or Conversion Charter

Start-up 76%

Conversion 24%


Type of Curriculum

• Classroom-based

• Nonclassroom-based (independent study)

• Combination (classroom-based and independent study)

Type of Curriculum

Classroom-based 65%

Nonclassroom-based or combination

(classroom-based & independent study)

35%

Number of students enrolled

Less than 100 19%

100-199 18%

200-349 18%

350-499 8%

500 or more 37%


Grade Levels Operated

• Elementary

• Secondary

• Combined grades

Must include same grades as chartering authority

Grade Levels Operated

Elementary grades 57%

Secondary grades 14%

Combined grades 29%


Which students will the proposed charter school serve?

• Socio-economically disadvantaged students• Academically low performing students• Culturally diverse student body• Similar racial ethnic ratio as school district• English learners• Gifted or talented students• Students focused on academic interest area


Which students will the proposed charter school serve?

• Students residing primarily in area of school district

• Students in San Diego, Riverside, Orange, and/or Imperial Counties

• Must be California residents• Must enroll voluntarily in charter

school


Where will the charter school serve students?

• Central city charter school site

• Urban fringe/large town site• Home schooling• Rural charter school site• Nonclassroom-based

distance education only


How will this proposed charter school operate?

• Nonprofit public benefit corporation, IRC 501(c)(3)

• Dependent “arm of the district”

Independent, direct-funded• For profit, by an educational

management organization (EMO)


How is charter school governance established?

• Appointed board• Elected board• Stakeholder representation on

board• Nonprofit public benefit

corporation bylaws provide for board of directors

• School district governing board provides governance.


Who comprises the charter school leadership?

• Chief administrative officer• Director• Business manager• Leadership resembles traditional

public school with principal as site

administrator


How many persons (FTEs) will be employed?

• Management

• Certificated Teachers

• Noncertificated positions

• Paraprofessionals

(Must voluntarily be employed.)


Will the charter contract out any services?

• Management services

• Special education (CDE-authorized provider)

• Business


What is the general atmosphere of the external environment of the proposed charter school?

• Chartering authority

• County office of education

• Surrounding traditional schools

• Community


What revenues will be applied for to supplement the regular state funding for charters based upon pupil attendance?

• State and federal charter planning and development grants

• Loans• Private grants• Private fundraising and donations


Oversight of Chartering Agency

Charter Organization

Locally funded(Dependent with School Board Governance)

16%

Direct funded 84%

Incorporated

501(c)(3)53%

Charter Schools Oversight

Financial Oversight –

Is the charter school a financially viable enterprise?


A charter school sponsor maintains fiscal oversight responsibilities in the key areas of accounting, pupil accounting, budgeting, and payroll.


The chartering authority shall use any financial information it obtains from the charter school to assess the fiscal condition of the charter.


The charter shall provide reports to the district and county office:

• Preliminary Budget• First Interim Report• Second Interim Report• Annual Report of Revenue and

Expenses• Annual Audit Report


• Supervisorial oversight fee of actual costs not to exceed 1% of defined state revenue of the charter

• Liability protection from debts, obligations, and claims of charter school


County Superintendent has oversight authority to:

• Make reasonable inquiries• Monitor operations• Conduct investigation

into operations


Program Oversight – Is the charter living up to the outcomes promised in the charter?


The chartering agency may inspect or observe any part of the charter school at any time.


Is the charter school conducting a successful educational program that benefits pupils who attend?


Are all students participating in the Standardized Testing and Reporting Program?

Has the charter attained its Academic Performance Index (API) Growth Target?


Are all charter facilities accessible under American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA)?

Are all student facilities free of religious artifacts when school is open?


Procedures are available to resolve disputes relating to provisions of the charter.

Substance of dispute could result in action including revocation of the charter.

• Notice to cure

• Board action to revoke

Questions


Training Activities for Business Staff (TABS)

Thank you for attending.

Thank You for Attending!

Upcoming TABS Sessions

Look for 2005-06 Sessionsto be Announced Soon!

YOUR OPINION MATTERS TO US—

PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO

COMPLETE THE EVALUATION FORM

welcome to tabs training activities for business staff we are pleased to welcome you to the final...

Documents

operational charter

charter laws

traditional schools

charter school of san

charter petitioners

darnall echarter

public school system

differences charters