so you want to start a charter school in georgia? a helpful read

7/30/2019 So You Want to Start a Charter School in Georgia? A helpful read.

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So You Want to Start a Charter

School?The fundamentals on how to found a

high-quality charter school in Georgia

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Charter School Basics

Busting Charter School MythsThe Charter School Development Process

The Charter School Application Process

Capacity Building for Charter School Founders

Agenda

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Name

Proposed School Name (if you have one)

District location

Why are you interested in starting a charterschool?

Introductions

3


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4

What are Charter Schools?

Are public schools of choice Are publicly funded, but organized and governed by a

private group of individuals, a private organization, or stateand local public entities

Are free from many of the regulations that governtraditional public schools

Involve partnerships with local communities and businesses

Charter schools

Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent


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Why charter schools?

Competition

Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent 5


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Innovation

Freedom from manystate and district

regulations inspirescreativity

Advocates see charterschools as incubators of innovation where best

practices will beimplemented



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Choice

Provide choice toparents and

students

Can serve as analternative to failing

schools

Can have a specificfocus or model that

provides a better fitfor some students



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Competition

Provide marketcompetition to

traditional publicschools as an incentive

for change

Traditional publicschools must respond

to the challenge toretain or win back

students



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9

Georgia Charter School History

1991 - Minnesotapassed the first lawallowing charterschools to be formed

1993 - Georgias firstcharter law was passedwhich only allowed forconversion charterschools

1995 - Georgias firstthree conversioncharter schools opened.Only one remains acharter school (AddisonElementary, Cobb)

1998 - Georgia passed alaw allowing thecreation of start-upcharter schools

2000 - Georgias firststart-up charter schoolopened (OglethorpeCharter School,Savannah-Chatham)

2004 - Facilities grantfunding is appropriatedfor charter schools

2008 - Georgia createdan alternate authorizer,the Georgia CharterSchools Commission

2011 - Georgia SupremeCourt ruled the GeorgiaCharter SchoolsCommissionunconstitutional

2012 Georgiacontinues to authorizenew charter schools



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What is the basic charter bargain?

Accountability Autonomy

Freedom fromstate, local and

EMO control

Flexibility toInnovate

Waivers from stateand local laws and

rules

Moreperformance

measures

Higher AcademicExpectations

Studentsoutperform localdistricts/Georgia

10Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent


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Student

Performance

Innovations

Flexibility/

Waivers

Must show the following links Petitioners are asked:

What would having acharter allow you to dodifferently to increase

student achievement thatyou could not do withouta charter?

Why do you need acharter to implement theinnovations you haveproposed?


Must show the following links:


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Conversioncharter school

Start-up charterschool

Locally-approvedcharter school

State-charteredspecial school

Charter systemschool

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What are the different types of charter schools?


Different starting points,same end point

Same starting point as aconversion,

different end point


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What is a conversion charter school?

Traditional public school that becomes a charter school Gains additional flexibility in exchange for higher levels of

accountabilityDefinition

31 conversion charter schools in Georgia Strategy for turning around low-performing schoolsFacts & Features

Student population, building, and operational systemsand structures are already in place

RelativeAdvantages:

Must comply with all Federal laws and regulations Must comply with all State laws, rules and regulations not

waived by the Charter

Federal/StateCompliance



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What is a start-up charter school?

Started by private individuals and private organizations, as well aslocal districts and community members

Can be locally approved (with SBOE) or a state-chartered specialschool (SBOE only)

Definition

Did not exist prior to the petition

Most common type of non-charter system charter school inGeorgia (85)Facts & Features

Opportunity to start a school from scratch with everythingneeded to be a successful school

RelativeAdvantages

Must comply with all federal laws and regulations Must comply with all state laws, rules and regulations not

waived by the charter contract

Federal/StateCompliance



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What is a career academy?

A locally-approved, start-up charter school thatpartners with a local district, area businesses, and atechnical college

Definition

Most career academies start off as programs Career academy courses are a reflection of the

communitys needs and businesses 15 career academies with charters in GeorgiaFacts & Features

Local districts are able to demonstrate theircommitment to preparing their students for eithercollege or a career

Relative

Advantages Must comply with all federal laws and regulations Must comply with all state laws, rules and regulations

not waived by the contractFederal/State Compliance



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What is a STEM charter?

A locally-approved, charter school or state-chartered special school that has a curriculum dedicated toScience, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)

Definition

While many charter schools have a STEM program,Georgia does not yet have any STEM charter schools

Governor Deal has committed capital funds to assistthe creation of STEM charter schools There are no STEM charters in Georgia yet

Facts & Features

May qualify for additional federal and state grants toplan and create a STEM charter

Relative

Advantages Must comply with all federal laws and regulations Must comply with all state laws, rules and regulations

not waived by the charter contractFederal/State Compliance



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BustingCharterMyths



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Myth: Charter schools take money away from districtpublic schools

Reality

Locally-approved charter schoolsare district public schools

Funds that go to locally-approvedcharter schools remain in the publicschool district



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Reality

Myth: Charter schools are created to serve only onetype of student



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Myth: Charter schools are created to serve only onetype of student


Reality


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Myth: Charter schools recruit only the cream of thecrop, the best and most motivated students

Charter schools are not systematically recruiting high-achieving students (Zimmer, et al., 2009)

Students transferring to charter schools have similar or lowertest scores than their peers in traditional public schools


Reality


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Myth: Charter schools arent accountable to anybody.They dont have to abide by state and federal law.

Reality

Charter schools in Georgia are held to a higher standard of accountability than traditional public schools

Charter schools may only waive certain elements of Title 20 Charter schools must comply with those state laws related

to student health and safety, funding formulas and othernon-waivable provisions

Charter schools must comply with ALL federal laws Charter schools can be closed for failure to meet

performance standards



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Myth: Charter schools do not serve students withdisabilities or English learners

Reality

Charter schools are required to complywith IDEA, Section 504, and Title III

Georgia Student Enrollment Data 2011:


Charter Non-CharterStudents withDisabilities

9.49% 10.63%

English Learners 9.32% 6.08%


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Myth: Charter schools perform more poorly thantraditional public schools

Nationally, studies have shown mixed results for charter schools and thesame is true in Georgia

However, Georgias high standards for approval, oversight, and renewal of charter schools is leading to many charter schools outperforming theirtraditional public school counterparts


Reality


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Georgias charter schools are neck -and-neck with traditional publicschools

2/14/2012 25Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent

85%

77%

85% 80%

70%

82%

80%

86%

77%73%

65%

70%

75%

80%85%

90%

95%

100%

2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

Percentage of Charter Schools Making AYP vs.Traditional Public Schools in Georgia

Charter Schools Traditional Public Schools

The general trend of Georgia charter school performance typically mirrors thetrend of traditional public school performance.


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Charter system schools outperform other types of charter schools and traditional public schools


50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

100.0%

2011 Percent of Schools Making AYPby School Type

Conversions StartUps System CS State


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Title I charter schools outperform traditional Title I publicschools and non-Title I start-ups and conversions


0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

State Charter Systems Conversions Start-ups

All SchoolsNon-Title I Schools

Title I Schools


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The Charter School

Development ProcessHow to get started and on the right

track

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This proposed timeline is

merely one example of how afounding group might approachtheir development. There are anumber of possible timelines.

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Disclaimer!


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Identify a needwithin your

community andpossible solutions

Identify a stronggroup of committedindividuals and form

a cohesive vision

Meet with the localdistrict

Submit a letter of intent

Decide if founding

group will contractwith a managementorganization

Develop a stronghigh-quality petition

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Developing a High-Quality Charter School


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Step 1 Identify the Need

Identify the possible needs of yourcommunity

Is there a strong demand for a particular type of school within the local district?

Are the local public schools not meeting the

needs of the parents? Have local public schools closed in recent years?

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Need is typically tiedto academic

performance.

SBOE requires thatall charter schoolsmust continuouslyimprove student

achievement

If there is not aneed, a charter will

not be granted

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Provide Examples of Need

Our local schools do not provide the training that our students need to compete in theglobal marketplace.

Foreign language Dual Language programs Immersion programs

Our local schools do not provide enough science or math options for our students.

STEM

Our local schools do not provide a rigorous academic program that will prepare them forcollege.

College Preparatory

Our local schools are not preparing our students adequately for careers in the localcommunity.

Career and Technology Education Career Academy

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Step 1 Identify the Need and Possible Solutions


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Step 2

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Step 2 Identify a Strong Group of PotentialFounders

Recruit individuals to serve on the governing board Potential members should reflect the community

Reflect the skills that will be needed to run a charter school

Recruit individuals to serve on committees Hold community meetings

Build general support and interest Get parental signatures


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Step 2

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Step 2 Creating the Vision

Draft a vision and mission statement shared by the entire founding board

Create a comprehensive application timelineWork on business plan and strategic plan

Develop clear roles and responsibilities A high-quality charter school should not be founded by a single individual

Attend local and state trainings on charter schools


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Step 2

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Step 3 Meet with the Local District

Listen to what

the districthas to say.Find out what

theirexpectations

are forcharters.

Explain why acharter school

is needed

Provide

evidence thatyourproposed

model couldbe the

solution tothe need

Stay positive!The localdistrict is animportantpotentialpartner


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Step 2

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Step 4 Submit a Letter of Intent

Letter of Intent Must be submitted to the local district and the SBOE 18 months

prior to the date the school would like to open.

Must include the following items: Proposed vision and mission of the school Name of the school Proposed grade configuration Name of the school system where the school will be located Anticipated number of students Proposed opening date


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Step 2

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Step 4 Submit a Letter of Intent

Letter of Intent Must be submitted to the local district and the

SBOE 18 months prior to the date the school wouldlike to open.

Must include the following items: Mission

Name of the school Proposed grade configuration


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Step 2

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Step 5 Determine if the board will contract with anEMO

This event could happen earlier or even later in theprocess. Ideally, the founding board will be in place and

established prior to deciding to contract with an EMO.

Founding board should look at multiple EMO/CMOcompanies

The founding board should interview the EMO/CMOs


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What is an EMO? What is a CMO?

Education Management Organization AKA Education Service Provider

For-profit organization that manages schools Educational Program typically proprietary

Community/Charter Management Organization

Non-profit organization that provides organizationalassistance to schools Typically does not have a proprietary educational program

2/14/2012 40Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent


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EMO can serve as a consultant or partner

EMO cannot serve as lead petitioner Cannot legally hold the charter Cannot legally receive many federal grant program

fundsCan help governing board develop capacity

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Role of the EMO in the Petition Process


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Who are the EMOs partners and funders?

What is the EMOs growth strategy? Does it align with your vision?

Where does the final decision-making authority rest? With the EMO orwith the governing board?

Does the EMO have the capacity and willingness to adjust a basic schoolmodel to meet the special or unique needs of the student population?

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Step 5 Key Questions to Ask EMOs/CMOS


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GaDOEs Standards

Evidence that Governing Board looked at a variety of EMOs

EMO Contract has clearly been negotiated between bothparties

EMO has a strong record of academic success in otherstates

EMO has organizational and financial stability

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Step 5 GaDOE Standards


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GaDOEs Standards

Attend local and state trainings

Review the application prior to starting

Divide up the application

Review and revise!

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Step 6 Writing the Petition


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The Charter School Application

ProcessHow to Navigate the Application

Process

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Submit high-qualitypetition to local

district

Get approved bylocal district

Submit high-qualitypetition to State

Go through

rigorous reviewprocess includingan interview

Get approved bythe stateOpen a high-qualitycharter school

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The Application Process


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What is the SBOE petition review process?


Submit Petition toSBOE

Petition reviewed

Legal review toensure eligibility

Substantive review

GaDOE panelinterview with

applicant

Letter to applicant

Core focus Compliance

Applicantresponds to

letter

GaDOE makesapproval/denial

recommendationsto SBOE

SBOE viewsItem for

Information

SBOEapproves

Action Item

Executionof the

Contract


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What are the key indicators that an applicant cancreate and sustain a high-quality charter school?


Strong SMART Academic Goals andSound Educational Plan Sound Financial Plan

Strong, Autonomous GoverningBoard Legal Compliance

High-Quality CharterSchool Application


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The State Board of Educations Role as an

Authorizer



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What is an authorizer?

Contracts

Enters into contracts witha non-profit charterpetitioning group and/or

local school district(charter systems)

3-party contract forlocally-approved charterschools (SBOE, district,school)

2-party contract forcharter systems (SBOE-district) and state-chartered special schools(SBOE-school)

Decision-making

Determines if a petitionto start and operate acharter school or charter

system should beapproved

Determines if existingcharter schools andcharter systems shouldbe renewed

Monitoring

Conducts ongoingoversight of charterschools to evaluate

performance, monitorcompliance, and enforcecontract terms

Ensures that charterschools practice openenrollment and conductfair and open enrollment

lotteries

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An authorizer is an entity that has the authority to create charter schools



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What are the responsibilities of authorizers?

Maintain high standardsfor schools

Set high standards forapproving charter schools

Close schools that fail tomeet standards andtargets set forth in lawand by contract

Cultivate quality charterschools that meetidentified educationalneeds

Uphold school autonomy

Responsible for holdingschools accountable fortheir overall performance

Minimize administrativeand compliance burdenson schools

Focuses on holdingcharter schoolsaccountable for outcomesnot processes

Protect student and publicinterests

Make the well-being andinterests of students thefundamental valueinforming authorizeractions and decisions

Ensure that schools fulfillfundamental publiceducation obligations toall students includingnonselective,nondiscriminatory accessto services and the school

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An authorizer is an entity that has the authority to create charter schools



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Who are authorizers in Georgia?

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Local Boards

of Education

State Board of

Education


State Boardof Education

For locally-approved and system charter schools

For state-chartered special schools


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How does the Department of Educationsupport the State Board in their role as

authorizer?



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What are theroles and responsibilities of GaDOEs Charter SchoolsDivision (a.k.a. Office of Charter School Compliance)?


Review and developrecommendations on

locally-approved charterschool petitions and

state-chartered specialschool applications

Technicalassistance to localschool systems on

chartering

Technical assistance tocharter applicants

Charter applications Renewal applications Planning, implementation,

facilities grants

Strategic plan andpolicy for Georgias

charter schoolsprogram

Management of federal grants

Annual Report tothe General

Assembly andGovernor

Monitor charter schoolcompliance with the terms of

their charter


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What does the Charter Schools Division NOT provideassistance with?


Write charterpetitions

Develop budgets forcharter petitioners Draft grant applications

Advise governing boardson legal issues Daily operationsassistance


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Capacity Building for Charter

School Founders Governance

Educational Finance

Facilities/Operations56


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Governing Board Basics


Diversity inExperience

Legal Financial

Real Estate Educational

Consist of 5-13 members

committed toseveral hoursof work each

month

Well-developed

training planfor entirecharter term

Well-developed

recruitmentplan foradditionalmembers

At minimum, governing board plans should have the following:


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Governing Board Capacity


Board membershave experiencein finance, legal,

business, and

real estatematters

Boardcomposition is

reflective of and has

strong ties tothe localcommunity

Board meetsregularly and

keepsaccurateminutes

Boardmembers areengaged and

properly

trained togovern notmanage


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Governing Board Autonomy


Reliance onauthorizer

(local, state) andEMO, CMO

Independencefrom authorizer

(local, state)and EMO, CMO

Indicators of Autonomy Ability to set own budget Ability to make personnel decisions Contracts for services provided by the district Governing board members selected/recruited

without district or EMO/CMO assistance Independent audit firm and attorney

The school shouldbe here


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Governing Boards

Best Practices

Create policies and guidance

Employ principal and evaluate theprincipal yearly

Meet monthly and receive regularupdates on academics and finances

Have a strong committee structure

Warning Signs

Micromanage daily school affairs

Turn over all control to amanagement organization

Meet irregularly

One or two people assume allof the responsibilities



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Developing an Academic Plan

Should address the need (s) identified in step 1 of theprocess

Should be aligned to the Common Core GeorgiaPerformance Standards

Should be research-based and rigorous

Should be innovative for the local community



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Sound Educational Plan


High Quality InstructionalProgram

Sets high academic

standards and goals forall students Recruitment and

development of highly-qualified instructionalstaff

Strong professionaldevelopment plan

Legal Compliance

Federal programs

Accountabilityrequirements

Title III/ESOL Special education


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Academic Goals and Objectives


SMART Specific

Measurable Attainable Rigorous Time-limited

Meet NCLBAYP

requirementsand State

AMOs

Exceed theperformance

of localdistrictschools

Includemultiple

measures:absolute andcomparative

At minimum, goals must meet the following criteria


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Innovation and Waivers


DemonstratedInnovativeness

+

Minimal need forwaivers

DemonstratedInnovativeness

+

Demonstratedneed for waivers

Minimalinnovativeness

+Minimal need for

waivers

Minimalinnovativeness

+Demonstrated

need for waivers

Does not

qualify for acharter

Optimal

Innovativeness

N e e

d f o r

W

a i v e r s

More

MoreLess

Less


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Making Good Financial

Decisions


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True or False


When projecting your locally approved charterschool funding for your budget you should usethe local districts average per pupil revenue.

As a state-chartered special school you willreceive more funding than as a locallyapproved charter school.

A recent college graduate with a B.B.A. inmarketing can serve as your charter schoolsCFO.


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CFO Requirement


Designation of a chief financial officer possessing the following MINIMUMcredentials

Baccalaureate or higher degree in business, accounting, or finance from an accreditedcollege or university and a minimum of four years experience in a field related to business;

OR Documented experience of ten or more years in the field of business and financial

management.

Designation of a chief financial officer possessing the following ADDITIONALcredentials

Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or other financial certifications Masters degree in related field Previous education finance experience Prior experience managing a budget of at least $1 million Prior experience with governmental accounting and GAAP


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State/QBE Funding


Georgia utilizes a state funding formula that is based onthe full-time equivalent (FTE) student counts in nineteeninstructional programs

Cost components are identified for each program

Programs are weighted to reflect estimated costsassociated with each program


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Local Funding


Local revenue should be allocated to a local charter schoolon the same basis as for any local school in the local schoolsystem.

Charter schools do not receive the AVERAGE revenueamount. Charter schools receive a local amount that isproportionate to the grades and students served.

Local funding is only earned by Start-Up and ConversionCharter Schools (not by State-Chartered Special Schools).


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Sound Financial Plan


Conservativerevenue

estimates

Basic internalcontrols

5-year cash-flowprojections

Compliancewith CharterSchools Rule CFO requirements Annual audit Facilities


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Finding a Facility

Where to locate your charter schooland how to do it on a budget

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Location What district will the school be located?

Location What type of facility will the school be located?

Existing school building, converted office space, former privateschool facility etc

Location Is the proposed facility located near safety hazards?

Gas lines, railroad tracks, stores that sell alcohol

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Facilities Site Approval


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Facilities Site Approval(Condensed)

Identify multiple siteoptions (at least 3)

Submit site optionsto GaDOEs facilities

services division

If required to byGaDOE , make any

necessaryadjustments to site

and facility

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Charter Schools Facilities Grant

In Georgias FY 2012 Facilities Grant competition, there were $5.9 million infacilities grant funding requests for $1.8 million in available facilities grants

27 schools were awarded facilities grants and 34 schools applied for the grant Competitive grant program for all types of charter schools except charter

systems Qualified demand for facilities funding in Georgia is significant

Awards

Schools submit application with the following components Statement of need Academic performance History of fiscal management Five-year facilities plan

Application

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Most Frequently Requested Items in


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Most Frequently Requested Items inCharter School Facilities Applications

Lease/MortgagePayments Janitorial School Buses

HVAC Plumbing Other General

Maintenance

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Facilities 5 year Sustainable Budget


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Facilities 5 year Sustainable Budget


Make reasonable rent or mortgage estimates when afacility hasnt been secured

Provide transparent documentation to support your estimate

Facilities costs should not exceed 15% of budget over 5 year period Conservative 5 year budget projections

Provide all information requested on the charterapplication Geographic region Facility descriptions Permits, Certificate of Occupancy and documents of ownership/lease

Factors Impacting Type of Support


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Charter Schools Face Financial Challenges That Threaten Their

Performance of Existing Sites

Finances

Management andAdministration

Debt, CapitalPlanning,Expansion Risk

GeographyDynamics

- Measures of educational outcomes and student performance- Current and future enrollment targets- Number of students on waiting list (for last 5 years)

- Revenue projections (including estimated enrollment,revenues, expenses)

- Audited financial statements (for last 3 years)- Charter renewal history and description of charter renewal

process- Stable governance and leadership with experienced

management team and organizational capacity- Facilities and financial expertise on the school board

- Demonstrated student demand to mitigate expansion risk- Financial expertise of school leaders

- Facilities costs as a percent of operating budget

- Philanthropic focus of local funders- Favorable school brand- Overall school costs may vary depending on location

Factors Impacting Type of SupportNeeded by Charter Schools

so you want to start a charter school in georgia? a helpful read

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