WELCOME TO TABS Training Activities for Business Staff

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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
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Training Activities for Business Staff
(TABS)San Diego County Office of EducationJoe
Rindone Regional Technology CenterMarch 11, 2005

• Charter Schools
• Public Schools of Choice

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. . . 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 EDUCATION 89 Cal.Rptr.2d 745,
75 Cal.App.4th 1125 (1999)
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Charter Schools,Public Schools of Choice

• PRESENTERS
• Delano Jones,
• Charter School Technician
• Carole Parks, Ed.D.
• Consultant, Business Advisory Services

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Charter Schools,Public Schools of Choice

• AGENDA
• Table Discussions of Workshop Outcomes
• Overview of Charter Schools
• Similarities and Differences Charters and
  Traditional Public Schools
• Flexibility
• Oversight of Chartering Agency
• Questions

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Charter Schools,Public Schools of Choice

• Welcome
• Introductions
• Table Discussions of Workshop Outcomes

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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.

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Overview ofCharter Schools

• Public charter schools funded by the state
  (Wilson v. State Board of Ed., 1999)
• Nonsectarian
• Non-discriminatory
• Voluntary student enrollment

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Overview ofCharter Schools

• Charter is a contract between chartering agency
  and charter petitioners
• Term usually 3-5 years
• Supplemented by MOUs
• Application for 5-year renewals

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Overview ofCharter Schools

• 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

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Overview ofCharter Schools

• San 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

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Maturity of 51 Charter SchoolsSan Diego County
2003-04
1 to 3 years 45
4 to 5 years 20
gt5 years 35
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Overview ofCharter Schools

• Growth of charter schools
• Proponents and opponents
• Marketing
• Internet
• Direct advertising
• Entrepreneurial approach
• Support from state and national organizations

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Charter Schools,Public Schools of Choice

• Similarities and Differences
• Charters and Traditional
• Public Schools

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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

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Similarities and DifferencesCharters and
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.

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Similarities and Differences Charters and
Traditional Public Schools

• 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

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Similarities and DifferencesCharters and
Traditional Public 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

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Similarities and DifferencesCharters and
Traditional Public Schools

• They vary along several dimensions
• Differences affect
• Accessibility
• Achievement
• Operation
• Governance

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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

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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

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Similarities and DifferencesCharters and
Traditional Public Schools

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

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Charter Schools,Public Schools of Choice

• Flexibility

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Charter Schools Flexibility

• Who initiates the Charter petition process?
• Teachers and/or other educators
• Parents
• Charter developer(s)
• School district governing board

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Charter Schools Flexibility

• Is this proposed charter school a start-up
  charter or a conversion from an existing public
  school?
• Start-up
• Conversion
• Charter district

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Start-up or Conversion Charter
Start-up 76
Conversion 24
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Charter Schools Flexibility

• Type of Curriculum
• Classroom-based
• Nonclassroom-based (independent study)
• Combination (classroom-based and independent
  study)

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Type of Curriculum
Classroom-based 65
Nonclassroom-based or combination (classroom-based independent study) 35
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Number of students enrolled
Less than 100 19
100-199 18
200-349 18
350-499 8
500 or more 37
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Charter Schools Flexibility

• Grade Levels Operated
• Elementary
• Secondary
• Combined grades
• Must include same grades as chartering authority

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Grade Levels Operated
Elementary grades 57
Secondary grades 14
Combined grades 29
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Charter Schools Flexibility

• 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

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Charter Schools Flexibility

• 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

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Charter Schools Flexibility

• 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

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Charter Schools Flexibility

• 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)

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Charter Schools Flexibility

• 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.

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Charter Schools Flexibility

• Who comprises the charter school leadership?
• Chief administrative officer
• Director
• Business manager
• Leadership resembles traditional public school
  with principal as site
• administrator

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Charter Schools Flexibility

• How many persons (FTEs) will be employed?
• Management
• Certificated Teachers
• Noncertificated positions
• Paraprofessionals
• (Must voluntarily be employed.)

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Charter Schools Flexibility

• Will the charter contract out any services?
• Management services
• Special education (CDE-authorized provider)
• Business

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Charter Schools Flexibility

• What is the general atmosphere of the external
  environment of the proposed charter school?
• Chartering authority
• County office of education
• Surrounding traditional schools
• Community

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Charter Schools Flexibility

• 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

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Charter Schools,Public Schools of Choice

• Oversight of Chartering Agency

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Charter Organization
Locally funded (Dependent with School Board Governance) 16
Direct funded 84
Incorporated 501(c)(3) 53
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Charter Schools Oversight

• Financial Oversight
• Is the charter school a financially viable
  enterprise?

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Charter Schools Oversight

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

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Charter Schools Oversight

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

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Charter Schools Oversight

• 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

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Charter Schools Oversight

• 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

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Charter Schools Oversight

• County Superintendent has oversight authority
  to
• Make reasonable inquiries
• Monitor operations
• Conduct investigation into operations

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Charter Schools Oversight

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

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Charter Schools Oversight

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

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Charter Schools Oversight

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

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Charter Schools Oversight

• Are all students participating in the
  Standardized Testing and Reporting Program?
• Has the charter attained its Academic
  Performance Index (API) Growth Target?

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Charter Schools Oversight

• Are all charter facilities accessible under
  Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?
• Are all student facilities free of religious
  artifacts when school is open?

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Charter Schools Oversight

• 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

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Charter Schools,Public Schools of Choice

• Questions

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Training Activities for Business Staff (TABS)

• Thank you for attending.

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(No Transcript)
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Thank You for Attending!

• Upcoming TABS Sessions
• Look for 2005-06 Sessionsto be Announced Soon!

YOUR OPINION MATTERS TO USPLEASE TAKE A MOMENT
TO COMPLETE THE EVALUATION FORM