Third Day of Charter Christmas–CSAPs

On the third day of Christmas
Our charters gave to me:
Much higher CSAP’s
Increased property values
and an education at a cheaper fee.

I am about to expose a huge secret:

No charter application is ever submitted with the goal of mediocre academics.

Why would anyone ever put the time and effort into creating a school alternative if just striving to be average?

What would the mission statement for such a school read?

” ABC Public Charter School is committed to ordinary academic performance, assuring that each student tests down the middle of the curve, and graduates with a mundane report card. Our focus is on ABC, the Average Bland and the Common, but not so much on the rest of the alphabet. Your child deserves to blend in like the rest of us as we deem high student self esteem overrated. But above all, do not hold us accountable to any of these, as corporate and personal responsibility, may be construed as overachievement.”

A charter authorizer would not even give this kind of charter school application the time of day.

The school districts are not looking to create tolerable education. They want to offer the best education.

Not even the so called low-performing school districts are looking for average. One could argue that average is still an improvement over sub-par. A school that would be average performing elsewhere may be the leader in a crummy school district. But who wants to settle for being Crème-de-la-Crap, over indisputable excellence?

A charter school application goes through tremendous scrutiny by its authorizer to prove two things; the school will be academically successful and the charter deserves taxpayer moneys.

This can be tricky to prove before you open a school. Charter applicants sink hundreds of hours into facts and research before a school even gets a temporary charter approval.

Don’t think it’s a done deal after you get the blessing from the Board of Education. That’s just when the work begins.

Charter schools regularly report to their authorizer in regards to academic performance and fiscal responsibility. It is part of the accountability process as charter schools are public schools.

Should a charter school fail in executing the terms of the charter agreement, the school district (or authorizer) may opt not to renew the application.

In other words, should a charter school not perform at the satisfaction of the authorizer in regards to meeting budgets and student achievement–the school will close.

School closings are ugly. Even if the school was voted unanimously as fiasco, you don’t want your Face Book profile to read that you are an experienced school closer or the captain of a sunk charter ship. So everyone in a charter school, from parent volunteers to staff and board members, work diligently on continuous assessments and quality control. No wonder these are the schools that generally top the rating charts.

The beautiful thing is that charters are fairly autonomous, so should there be indications that there is decreased performance, charter administrators have freedom to amend this by applying changes–immediately.

My opinion is that if academic changes could be made this quickly everywhere, many troubled schools would not plummeth to irrevocable depths of the deficit-pits. As a matter of fact, I believe school performance would go up. School administrators are experts in their field. If they could freely apply innovative teaching concepts to adjust dwindling achievement, we would have a fast progressing education.

One clear benefit of having charter schools as part of the public school district is that successful education tools already existent in this environment can be replicated and implemented into the traditional schools.

I’d go so far as to suggest that the authorizers to partner with the charters by motivating them to use education products and tools of interest. The charters are viable testing facility for such purposes. Applying a proven concept for district wide purposes is for the advantage of all.

The Fourth Day of Charter Christmas is coming soon.
For additional context see previous blogs.

 

CSAP Lookup: http://denverpostbloghouse.com/csap/

School Growth and Achievement Chart: http://www.coloradoleague.org/uploaded-files/District_Level_Chart.html

Parker Core Knowledge Charter School

One of my favorite movie scenes is when Jim Carrey asks Lauren Holly to rate the chance for a romantic relationship. She tells him the odds are “one-in-a-million,” to which he replies “So you are saying there is a chance!”

That’s positive thinking.

Parker Core Knowledge Charter School is that one school Moms trade waitlist stories about. You have probably heard about post-delivery mothers who b-line to the school after being discharged from the hospital–just to make sure their newborn is registered for kindergarten. More often you hear about the parents that add their preschooler to the roster only to find that they are in the upper 500’s of hopefuls for the annual 46 kindergarten placements offered.

So what is so special about Parker Core Knowledge Charter School?

To begin with it is a public Douglas County School. That’s right; the coveted PCKCS is not a pricey private school, but a public district school. So promising to fund a wing to the elementary school building in exchange for guaranteed enrollment will do you no good. Not that a substantial financial investment to any school would be unappreciated, it would just not result in your kids name budging on that waitlist. Instead every child in Douglas County has the same chance of getting schooled by the famous Core Knowledge-you just need to be first in line.

Secondly, it is a K-8 th grade school with a traditional schedule and small classes. Enrollment is capped at 23 students per classroom. These facts alone give many elated parents goose-bumps.

Let’s talk academics. The Core Knowledge Sequence is a curriculum based on the theory that “knowledge builds on knowledge.” In other words, the student’s learning achievement is devised not just to increase, but expand with each year of schooling.

So it should come as no surprise that the feather in PCKCS’s hat is their middle school.

Just like its elementary school, PCKCS middle school offers a small campus and modest class sizes. With enrollment at 46 students per grade, the middle school campus has a total of 92 students. Add fifteen highly qualified teachers, seasoned school leadership and parent involvement and you are truly beginning to picture the reason for this long standing success. Seventh and eight grades are formative years, both academically and socially. It is the transition from an elementary child, to a young adult.

PCKCS recognizes that most kids welcome the new privileges presented with the teen years, yet need guidance and support while navigating through this freedom.

The PCKCS Middle School program has achieved the winning combination of top District CSAP scores, excellent ratings, student electives, and parent-student-teacher partnership.

What about that notoriously long waiting list?

The odds of getting into PCKCS Kindergarten may have felt like one-in-a-million, but for middle school I am saying that there is a chance. Here’s why:

When it’s time for kindergarten and you are at the end of the list of hundreds of Core Knowledge fans, some give up hope. By the time sixth grade rolls around and plans to attend the next level of schooling gets on the agenda, a number of families have long forgotten about the school of their dreams.

After years of waiting, that phone call or letter from PCKCS may be attempting to reach you-but your contact information has changed. The waitlist can literally go from hundreds, to enrolling a fresh applicant because they could not find you!

Whether you are a recent PCKCS middle school contender, or a faded name on the list from elementary school– the odds to be one of the 92 lucky teens who attend PCKCS–is a true possibility.

Did I mention that PCKCS has a school wide sibling policy? That means that a middle school student’s enrollment would actually move his/her younger siblings pass the non-siblings on the waitlist–even for kindergarten.
No personal donations to the building fund required.

If you want more information about Parker Core Knowledge Charter Schools, use the links below, or visit the PCKCS Middle School Open House December 11 th, 2008 at 6PM. Key phrase is “first come, first serve.”

11661 Pine Drive,
Parker, CO 80138
Tel: 303-840-7070

www.ckcs.net
Annual Report
School Accountability Report (Middle School)
Winner of John Irwin School of Excellence Award 2006-07
Letter of Intent

The Second Day of Charter Christmas

In Good Company

“On the second day of Christmas
The charters gave to thee:
Increased home values
and education at a cheaper fee.”

 

Have you ever been at a party with friends and family, wondering why everyone is giving you the stink eye? Suddenly you realize that someone has tagged you on the back with a sticker that reads “Hello, my name is: UGLY.”

You awkwardly crack a smile, peel off the label, and manage a “Very funny guys. Who did this? Jim? Mike, did you…?”

All eyes turn to you, but nobody is laughing. You thumb the lint on the sticky side of the nametag for a moment then paste it to the front of your lapel. A spontaneous applause erupts, before the partygoers turn their backs, and return to conversations…without you.

Situations like this prove two things. One, you were probably not really invited. Secondly, family should be like cheesecake–rich, sweet and in small portions.

Unfortunately there are people who would like to un-invite our charter schools. Little comments like “Those charter kids take away from the district kids,” and “Charter schools are a bunch of elitist mutineers,” have charter school families feel a little like ugly stepchildren. Go figure.

I guess I can go along with the step-kid part of the title. After all, the genesis of a charter school lay with an organization or community members, and originates with the school district by approval rather than creation.

It’s more the ugly labeling I ponder.

There really are not any Douglas County Quasimodo charter buildings that come to mind, and the kids enrolled at the charter schools are just as cherub-esque as any other students. So one can only assume that “charter school ugliness” is what Forest Gump would declare as “ugly is as ugly does.” Elitist mutineers robbing from someone else’s kid would be hideous behavior by most definitions. So is this typecast deserved or is the public charter school concept just misunderstood?

Do charter schools “take away” from other school district students?

This oversimplification stems from “per pupil revenue funding” and that this money follows the student and not the school. Public schools receive moneys according to the number of students enrolled, so the argument is that any student who does not attend the neighborhood school is denying that facility this income.

What is missing here is that a school does not receive revenue for a child that it did not accrue the expense for schooling.

Truth is that a charter school does not actually “take away” from the district, but adds to it.

Overcrowding at the neighborhood schools have become such an issue in Douglas County that year-round schools, overflow trailers, and jam-packed classrooms have resulted. The DCSD was requesting funds to build 10 additional elementary schools on your recent 2008 ballot–not for the heck of it–but because the existing public schools are filled to capacity and growing at a prospective rate of 2,000 kids per year.

The worry among staff and parents is that the overcrowding is not only a space issue, but this will affect the quality of education.

Our DCSD public charter schools are that take the load off the neighborhood schools by offering excellent educational options for 3,500 students and growing.

North Star Academy Charter School is currently teaching 479 children K-6 th grade at the Parker location. The school is in the process of adding a second campus in Highlands Ranch with the goal of serving a combined total of 1,200 K-8 th grade students. The popularity of this program has rapidly grown warranting this expansion.

American Academy Charter School is constructing their permanent facility in Castle Pines and will offer desirable education to 808 children, whereas the current location is limited to enrolling 533. It is also noteworthy that American Academy is offering a middle school program that is already rivaling top CSAP scores in Douglas County. Not shabby for the new school on the block.

The legendary Parker Core knowledge Charter School added a bonus kindergarten class for the 2008-09 school year, offering enrollment to more of its waitlist hopefuls. Over time PCKCS has progressed from the original 18 kids per to 23 children per classroom-responding to the increased demand for its famous educational excellence.

The charter schools of Douglas County are multiplying to meet the needs of thousands of kids that are pending the waitlists. As long as the DCSD is reporting concern for building space and prospective loss of quality due to financing issues, you will have citizens that answer the call with charter school solutions.

It is well known that homebuyers look for a healthy school district as a scratch-and-sniff test to what type of community it is. This is why there is a correlation between good schools and good property values. With the growing number of excellent DCSD charter schools, mixed with high performing traditional schools, our property values will benefit from continued positive ratings. In a climate where our school district is stifled by lack of financing to solve the facilities and staffing problem with traditional schools, charters are a viable immediate solution.

Folks that write out a charter school application could just as easily go start a private school, so why don’t they?

Most charter school founders are devoted in the philosophy of public education and want to contribute to their school districts. It is sadly paradoxical that this group of community do-gooders often gets pigeonholed as elitist insurgents by those who do not truly understand the genuine service and allegiance it takes to originate a public charter school.

Since charter schools are public schools and are funded by the taxpayer, there is no tuition. A charter school is a choice for any school district student and enrollment is by lottery or waitlist. Each child stands the same chance at enrollment regardless of the family’s social or economical standing.

In addition to being a public district school, our charter schools have unique missions and meet distinctive educational needs within the community. Charter schools have far less regulations than the traditional schools, hence a vast freedom in teaching styles and tools. There are charters with focus on technology, science, math, languages, arts, gifted and talented, and more.

Perhaps one day we will have founder’s appreciation day similar to teacher appreciation week. Our communities owe tremendous gratitude to this handful of unsung heroes.

In conclusion: If one would add the phrase “charter school ugly” to the Urban Dictionary it would be defined as a “[backhanded insult] for a group or institution that provide quality and value to the education to the point of controversy.”

So next time you find yourself at a party with the “Ugly” label on your back, remember the caliber of person with whom you share the title. Then strike a pose, paste the sticker to your lapel and wear it like a badge. There is no shame in charter school ugly.

The third day of charter Christmas is coming soon…

DCSD School Options

This entry is third in a series. See previous blog posts.

The First Day of Charter Christmas

This is part two in a series. For a complete prelude, please refer to previous post “3A, 3B…3C?”

Everybody sing:

“On the first day of Christmas
The Charters gave to Thee
An education for a cheaper fee”

I am well aware that some of you just coughed on your eggnog. There is an urban legend that it costs more to educate a district charter school student than a child that is schooled through the traditional equivalent. You may even have heard the phrase that charter schools are “inefficient.”

So what is the truth in charter school funding?

Imagine our school district like a large retail chain–let’s call it Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart has a great advantage due to its sheer size, it purchases mass produced goods in humongous quantities at impressive bulk discounts, then resells it at an everyday low price, builds and staffs warehouse sized stores. There are heaps of Wal-Mart shoppers that happily frequent the retail giant for everything from toilet-paper to vegetables.

Then we have the charter schools. These public school hybrids are like an entrepreneur program within our own school districts. Let’s throw this outfit into the retail analogy. We’ll call it the Mom and Pop store. The name is fitting since in most instances charter schools have been created by parents to fill a need within the school district. Charter schools are public schools that are parent driven yet district run.

The Mom and Pop store fills a different need for the shoppers, often it is a specialized one. They do not compete with the purchasing power of the bulk giants, so they create successes differently. The Mom and Pop customer may be looking for home-grown quality and values the merchandise differently than just from a cost perspective. Warranty, customer service, custom fit, and personalization is important to such a patron.

For a customer, having options are an advantage. You can price shop and compare services, and in a competitive environment you can bank on promotions, marketing, and a progressive product mix. If you have ever lived in a small rural town you sincerely appreciate the point I am making.

Our public education has great parallels to the retail world. Just like all customers are not the same, neither are our children. Some have different learning requirements and offering choices in public education meet these needs. It also creates healthy in-house competition. We can also learn from each others trials, errors, and successes. The charter schools can opt for what is beneficial from the broader district and other charter schools–and the district can implement what is proven successful within the charters.

Attention Wal-Mart shoppers! How can two public schools have different costs?

Charter schools are public schools funded by the taxpayer, yet the funding structure is different than the one for other public schools.

Initially the funding system was set up this way because charter schools were a new concept and the success uncertain. Charter schools run like a small business and operate with far less regulations than the other school district schools. Accountability and manageability was at first a concern, as was the question if a school like this could run a budget in the black at the same time as yielding a well educated student.

Needless to say, charter schools are no longer the educational wild card and have proven successful to the point of controversy.

Funding changes are still slow and the charter schools are waiting idly by as legislature to even the playing field is evolving.

How is chartered education cheaper?

This income comparison may be a little lopsided because the charter school number is based on current 2008 numbers and the traditional district figures according to the 2006/07 assessment data.

According to these reports, the DCSD per student revenue (including local, state, federal tax, plus federal, state, private grants, and discretionary income such as mil/levy/bond income) is $8,186.

The charter schools, although also public district schools, do not receive equal shares from each of these categories. Partially due to the nature of how the schools function within the district, andbecause the discretionary nature of some of these income line items. Both district level voluntary and government legislative progressions are continuing to develop in effort to correct this. The current per pupil revenue for a Douglas County charter school average is $6,819 per student.
The number varies per charter school depending on if the school is partaking in mil, levy and bond income.

Regardless of earnings all public schools have expense similarities. Administration, staff, building construction and maintenance, operations, management, student services and materials, are real costs in either case. Since charter schools run fairly autonomously with traits of an independent business, these expenses are the responsibility for the individual schools. However, the charters still operate under the school district umbrella and are held accountable at that level. There is great variance from district to district how this is handled. In Douglas County the charter schools are required to purchase some of these services from the school district (health services, Infinite Campus technology, legal services, auditing, risk management, district level charter school administration, ESL, and special education services) whereas other school districts may offer the flexibility for the charters to seek outside providers for these.

There are some expenses that are currently unique to the two types of public education.

One is transportation. Douglas County public charter schools do not have school buses. The expense and coordination of transportation to and from school is with the parents. The charter schools have petitioned to be included in transportation funding, but this would constitute as discretionary funding and to date none has been received. Without transportation funding, no school transportation, hence the lack of transportation expenses to the charter school.

Another difference is nutritional services. Only one out of seven Douglas County public charter schools have a kitchen appropriate to produce lunches for its own students. The others outsource the lunch programs ranging from fast food vendors,to school district or third party catering. Due to this solution staffing a nutritionist, cooks, and so on, is unnecessary. On the downside the cost and quality of services are as varied as pizza toppings and paid for directly by the parents. Whether a charter school without a kitchen is able to support government programs such as free meals may also be a question. For good and bad,it results in “no lunch program, no lunch program cost.”

The charter expense voted most likely debated- – school building.

District school buildings are funded by bonds from property tax income. The DCSD petitions to thevoter for building construction, if approved it is the tax payer that funds these debts.
There is not one charter school building in Douglas County that was paid this way. Instead the charter buildings were funded by private bonds supported by investors and the school carries the debt.
Rare is the charter school that is able to pay for its mortgage/rent without dipping into the per pupil revenue.
Let’s say that a new construction charter school costs $12,000,000 (modest number). Run the annual mortgage on that. Divide that with the number of students enrolled in the school (500 is a good average for DCSD charter school). Subtract that number from the $6819 average charter PPR income. It is that much less money that each charter schoolhas for paying teachers, materials and services. Now you understand why the charter schools are asking the lawmakers and the leaders of our district to be inclusive of all public school district schools in bond and mil revenues. After all, the taxpayer pays indiscriminately, so why should not all district schools receive such revenues?

Besides tax revenues both charters and the other district schools apply for grants. If you have a great grant writer, this is good news.
Is there any reason we should not pursue this as a collective district? There may be specialized grants some schools cannot apply for, but there may be new oportunities that we can pursue as collaborated schools.

What about educational quality?

Just like there are high yielding traditional schools, there are superb charter schools.

For sake of comparison we used 8th grade proficiency in reading CSAP’s and the Denver Post School ranking tool. Only five of the seven charter schools go through 8th grade. The top three schools in the Douglas County School District are:

1. American Academy Charter School (88% proficient)
2. Core knowledge Charter School (82% proficient)
3. Platte River Academy Charter School (76% proficient)

So back to the original questions “Are charter school students more expensive to educate? “And “Are charter schools inefficient?”

You decide.

“The Second day of Charter Christmas” coming soon…

Helpful links:

http://denverpostbloghouse.com/csap/rankings.php, www.dcsdk12.org, www.coloradoleague.org, www.cde.org, http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdechart

Douglas County 3A, 3B…3C?

I have now spent about one week mil’ing over the fact that the 3A/B override and bond did not pass for the Douglas County School District. Changes are coming and a $16,000,000 budget cut is hanging in the air.

I am admittedly one of those disgustingly optimistic people that do not dwell on the negative for long before I view it as an opportunity for plan B, or perhaps we should call this one plan C. The brilliance of a backup plan is that being forced to think creatively can sometime result in some wonderful benefits that the plan A solution did not present.

I started by making a list of all perks and benefits that 3A/B would have brought with it for our school district. It suddenly dawned on me that this wish list is very similar to the ones I’ve seen for many of our public charter schools. But since funding for our district charter schools are different than to the traditional counterpart, the charter schools are often working around taxpayer increase to complete those projects. In many instances the charters have mastered thinking outside the box with such finesse it seems they are rarely inside the box.

How do the charter schools do this?–Parent power.

Our charter schools are parent driven, but district run. With the help of people like you and me, nearly 3,500 kids in Douglas County are getting a high quality education. With parent volunteers and creative solutions many charter schools are built, filled, and operating on a shoestring budget–yet yielding superb students that are ready for higher education and a bright future. The 2006-07 assessment reports are available on the DCSD website and it will show you that not a single student dropped out of one of our district’s charter schools.

My friends, this type of success and efficiency does not need to be limited to our charter schools.

A little known fact is that our charter schools serve as a test lab for our school districts, because they have a whole heap more freedom in curriculum choices and teaching techniques due to fewer regulations. After one of these cutting edge tools are proven successful, our school districts can implement them into the neighborhood schools. Long gone are the days when charter schools were the unknown wildcard. Instead they are active contributors to our public education.

There is absolutely no reason to reserve ourselves by only implementing teaching tool success. The DCSD charter schools were not a part of the recent $22,000,000 budget slash since they operate their own budgets in the black and were not the cause for the fiscal gap in the greater school district projected cost difference. We should study the successful charter school’s fiscal achievement and replicate some of this into a broader development. This way when the school district is back on the ballot it can prove frugality and sensible budgeting–the tax paying voter loves that!

To further prove the point, let me quote the DCSD superintendent Jim Christensen from the districts own home page:

“We are extremely disappointed with the results of this critical election. However, we are so grateful for the hundreds of parents, community members and volunteers who worked tirelessly on behalf of the students and staff of this School District,”

Did you read it? Dr. Christensen credits hundreds of parent and community volunteers for getting a lot accomplished for our schools–and he is right. Without parents little gets done within our school district.
I am not implying that our board of education sit around and pick their noses, but just imagine of how the ballot elections would look if the parents were not voting. Our interest and active particiation is required.
That’s just one example to how our citizens make a difference, the list goes on. Since the charter schools are parent driven, they are created and sustained by parents.
There are roughly 3,000 charter parents in Douglas County, and this is one involved, go-getting bunch of people. These are the kind of people that see a need in our education and create school solutions. With collaboration between charters, the school district, and our parent resources we can create a wonderful environment with gains for all.

As the 2008 ballot guide also points out, Douglas County is one of the wealthiest areas to live. Compare it to the Denver school district where the largest bond in Colorado State History was just passed. Denver has failing schools, low income families and deal with adversities that are rare in our area.

If the economy can be blamed for 3A and B in Douglas County, is the economy that much better in Denver?

Not only did some of Colorado’s poorest tax payers support the massive Denver educational bond increase, they are supportive of their school district–which is studying and duplicating existing school success stories.

There is also another potential cause I have heard for the failing of 3A/B–that Douglas County is republican land–and the voters do not want to give more money to the government.

Let me clarify that I am not making this a republican or democratic issue.
I am just pointing out some feedback.
As part of this argument I have also heard that this year’s voter is not up for supporting a bail-out of a government branch with financial woes.
But if that was truly the case 5A for Douglas County Library growth would have passed as the DCL has no debt.
On either side of the politics you must love an entrepreneurial spirit.
Charter schools are like small businesses. We can study and learn from this small business, which is by the way, exactly what the charters want us to do. It is to the entire school district’s advantage to research and implement existing success.
I realize I am leaving you hanging here, but this is an upcoming blog and too long of a topic to complete in this post.

I feel strongly that Douglas County is in a position to band together and lead a new era of effective financial leadership and teamwork in educational excellence. It is already being done among some of our schools.

We have seven functioning Douglas County School District Charter schools that desire to contribute to the community they serve and build a solid relationship with the Board of Education. So instead of reinventing the wheel, let’s work together as an allied public school unit to achieve these goals without sacrificing educational standards for our students.

And to those of you, who are pooh-poohing this idea before listening to the entire petition, keep in mind that an additional $16,000,000 is a lot of money to cut out of our schools, so being a little open minded is not as large of a sacrifice.

To help me explain some of the ways that a charter school/neighborhood school alliance could be a terrific backup plan to 3A/B–I recruited the help from a familiar Christmas tune. After all, a coalition like this could only be a gift that keeps on giving.

So over the next several days, keep checking in with this blog, and warm up your singing voice. The first day of charter school Christmas in coming soon!

The Wind Beneath My Charter School Wings

Mrs. Mary Campbell. She was my son’s first grade teacher. It was the first year for this new charter school and many amenities were still on the wish list–like a school building.

But my boy did not complain about being taught in a trailer, lacking of a cafeteria, school library, or a playground. Who would pay attention to those details when you got to hang out with someone as amazing as Mrs. Campbell? He always described her as if he was comparing her with a super hero. She had glasses that made her real smart, sweatshirt that helped the kids remember which season it was–and she had super powers that were previously only possessed by Grandma…and maybe the president of the United States of Colorado.

Come to think of it–Mrs. Mary Campbell was a super hero. When my son came to her classroom, she did not view him as the lump of coal that the naked eye would have. No, he was a diamond in the rough–and with a little of this, that and an awful lot of the other–she could make you see it too.

Perhaps from outside the school barrack window, looking in, one would assume that only the rookie and unskilled teachers would work in this makeshift environment by their own choosing. But truth is that these teachers are fully aware of what starting a charter school is all about. Not only was Mrs. Campbell a seasoned teacher with an expert ability in envisioning and empowering her student’s potential, but she could also retell the wonders of a mature charter school and counted herself among the blessed to be a part of its infant stage.

Teachers are amazing individuals to begin with. They spend at least the same years educating themselves as many higher paid professionals. There is a genuine love for actively contributing to the common good for other people’s children. They spend day after day surrounding themselves with ankle biters with whom they do not share common DNA–on purpose!
Personally, I am just wiped after a two hour birthday party with about a dozen of other people’s offsprings. And that is with the assistance of paid party-throwing professionals!

So when I single out the charter school teachers, don’t assume that I think less of any other professionals within the field–I truly don’t. Every educator is phenomenal for their dedication to our kids.

I do, however, owe a personal gratitude toward charter school teachers as my children’s education could not be possible without them.

There are several sacrifices teachers make when opting for charter school employment.

1. Although striking it rich was not a top reason to be a teacher in the first place, consider that public charter school teachers in general make less than the conventional public school counterpart. The average annual income for a Colorado full time public school teacher is $ 44,000, but the state average for a charter school teacher (charter schools are also public school district schools) is $33,000 per year. To get the local angle, the average salary for a Douglas County School Teacher is $49,400, but the Douglas County School District Charter School Teacher averages $33,100. The DCSD number is somewhat flawed since the charter teachers salaries were included in the district average.
Why do the charter teachers make less? It has to do with charter school funding (a topic so expansive and complicated that I will dedicate my next entire blog to dissecting this).

And since we are broaching a comparison between our public school teachers, I’d like to dispel one more charter school myths once and for all– charter school teachers are both educationally pedigreed and highly qualified. Although the No Child Left Behind Act does not require charter school teachers to have a current Colorado teaching license, many do. And don’t think that those that do not have the license were just picked up from the street either. All charter educators must meet the other requirements on the list to be considered “highly qualified Teachers.” I provided the link to the department of education below if you want to read more about this.

Furthermore, if charter school teachers were not qualified to teach, then why do charter schools turn out such highly educated students?

·2. Since charter schools generally pay (at least part of) their operations costs from the per-pupil funding, charter school buildings and structural amenities may also be less than that of the neighborhood schools. Charter schools often start out in trailers, shopping centers, or other rented space. Cafeterias, PE halls, play sets, sport fields, school libraries, music and art facilities, language and technology labs, may be missing from a charter school building and something for a teacher to keep in mind.

3. School transportation is not a reality at most charters and many teachers work before and after classes directing traffic and children in the carpool lines through rain, shine, sleet or snow.

4. Materials can also be an issue. As you can see by the teacher salaries–charter budgets are very tight. Donation requests to the families and the community to supplement is not uncommon. I imagine this being yet another humbling aspect of teaching at a charter school.

So why do teachers choose charter schools? Charters are not just a choice for the students–but for the teachers.

I have inquired with several educators throughout the years about this topic. Recently I asked this question to a couple of charter school directors. The list of answers truly remains unchanged, so here it is (not in any particular order).

· Charter Schools are public schools. Charter schools make it possible for a teacher to remain as a school district employee, while not being required to join the union.

· Charter Schools function with fewer regulations, so specialized curricula and tools can be implemented and used in the classroom. For example, there are charters that serve with a focus on math and technologies, or there are charter schools that are created around teaching approach such as the Core Knowledge Sequence. Since charter schools have the freedom to test some of these less traditional teaching methods, it provides a marvelous opportunity for the entire school district to adapt the successful ideas after tried and true. Therefore, many express there is more flexibility of teaching within the charter school environment.

· The Parent-Teacher-Student relationship. Charter schools are accountable to the schools district and have to report its budget and ability to meet it, as well as the effectiveness of the student’s education. The student’s knowledge and ability is truly the ROI (return on investment) for any school. If a charter fails to prove that they are fiscally responsible or sufficient at meeting the agreed upon educational standards, the school district can opt to not renew the charter–hence close it’s doors.

I ponder what changes we would experience if all schools were governed in this manner.

As you can imagine, this business milieu impacts the motivation of both the school staff and the families who are enrolled. The success of the school and its quality of education is of vested interest for all parties. A failing student is simply unacceptable, and parents are quickly invited by the professionals to join in changing direction for a fading student as early as potential problems are detected. Tutors are commonly staffed and available for children that need that extra support, to make sure no charter child is left behind.

· Volunteerism among the families is a key to school success. Parents willingly enroll their children in charter schools knowing that there are minimum volunteer hours requested. When the adults in a family spend significant in their children’s school–the results are amazing! Often you get a better view to your kid’s day, familiarize yourself with the teacher and staff, and witness first hand how your active involvement affects the school with direct benefit. It’s addicting. Teachers appreciate this parent contact because should need to contact you arise, they know who you are and have an established communication. Student success can be hinged on something as simple as follow up and consistency. When teachers and parents work with the students to provide this supportive environment, they create the foundation for learning excellence.

· Classroom sizes and discipline codes are two other reasons mentioned by many teachers as why they choose to work at a charter school. It provides a safe school environment, not only for our kids, but for the teachers as well.

Now Mrs. Mary Campbell was the first of a series of amazing teachers for our family. That super heroes choose to be teachers as their alter ego should not be a huge surprise. It’s probably just the astute six year olds that catch onto their disguise in ascots, Birkenstocks, and holiday sweaters. But at 3PM teachers change into their true attire–with terry cloth capes swept around their necks and their underpants on the outside of their Dockers. That’s why kids are so shocked when they see the teachers in common places, like the grocery store. Look closer next time and you’ll probably see that cape peeking through their overcoat.

I want to wrap this blog entry up with a shout-out to all of you who contribute within this field. Each of you on the list below is superheroes to the Piper family.

I encourage you, dear reader, to use the comment section to your list of teachers that deserve an honorable mention. No matter what type of school your favorite teacher is at, they all deserve to hear our appreciation.

Mrs. Bottoms and Mrs. Walker, Mrs. Patterson, Miss Sara and Miss Janet–No boo-boo left behind, even if the lunchbox didn’t make it, Mrs. Embach and Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Zellner–, Mrs. Hamby and Mrs. Kurtz, Mrs. Carr and Mrs. Kupper, Mrs. Kennedy and Mrs. Becker, Mrs. Sitzmann and Mrs. Colley, Mr. Como, Mrs. Eckert, Mrs. Mohrhouse, Mrs. Bender, Mrs. Amasquita, Mrs. Obregon, Mrs. Ackerman, Mrs .Barker, Mrs. Myers, Mrs. Redfern, Mrs. Coyle, Miss Marion and Miss Whitley, Mr. Morgan–and last but not least–Mrs. Aplin and Mrs. Harth, hats off to you!

Links:

No Child Left Behind http://www.cde.state.co.us/FedPrograms/NCLB/tiia_hqt.asp.
Colorado Department of Education http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdechart/faq.htmColorado
League of Charter Schools www.coloragoleague.org
Douglas County School District www.dcsdk12.org

Charter School Speed with SPED

You can pick your friends, you can pick your seat, but you cannot pick your friend’s seat.

These were some of the fundamental rules we learned as preschoolers. As amusing as it sounds, we can apply these same guiding principals to our public charter schools.

Charter Schools have their friends in its founders, staff, families, supportive organizations and the communities they serve. It’s a growing fan base. If you have been watching the political debates, you have witnessed that as soon as one debater name-drop the charter name, the opponent will immediately “diddo” the comment, to make sure he is no debater left behind. Being a charter friend is not just cool–it’s politically correct.

Charter schools can actively participate in picking their seats when deciding how many students per classroom it will offer at capacity.

But just as in the saying above, charter schools cannot pick which student accepts a seat in the school.

There are some peculiar claims, such as “Charters do not accept Special Ed students,” and “Charter Schools have high CSAP scores because they only accept the brightest kids.” While I do not believe that the misinformed intend harm with this fiction, often they are sharing thesetales with the uninformed and it evolves into a charter myth domino affect.

As all public schools, charters are subject to federal and state laws and constitutional provisions preventing discrimination. To further assure fair treatment in enrollment, the schools have to detail its enrollment process in the charter school application. This means that establishing an unbiased enrollment policy occurs before a charter school is even accepted and opened by the district. That is only one of many complicated requirements for anyone wishing to start such a school. Outside of the commendable act of starting a school, the heavy text of a charter application is a recommended read to anyone with a point to prove, hours of expendable spare time and no chess club to frequent, or for the sleep deprived (almost as effective as Ambien). *

How does that apply to charter schools and special education (SPED) student enrollment?

For starters, it means that as public schools, charter schools cannot participate in any prejudice act to a student with needs for special education services. To not accept this student in the enrollment process would be the same as not accepting someone due to race, creed, color, gender, national origin, religion, or ancestry.

It is also by federal law that school districts must cover the needs for children with special requirements. Since the charter schools are public school district schools, it is by federal law that the school districts are obligated to cover the needs for students enrolled in its schools.
Most charter contracts include a provision which reads that the school will buy into the district’s SPED services. The cost of SPED services to the charter school is based on its total student enrollment–regardless to how many of the pupils use the SPED program.
Hence it does not make a difference financially to the charter if it has hundreds of kids with special needs, or none!

The “law card” also applies in regards to entry exams in the enrollment process. The Charter Schools Act prohibits discrimination based on academic ability.

This means that charter schools cannot legally shuffle through their wait-list in search for the top intellectual candidates. That too would be discrimination.

A placement test can be given to students after enrollment has been officially accepted. This can be helpful, not just for the school, but for the new student, as a gauge in assigning the appropriate classes.

On that note, any public school may set eligibility thresholds that are consistent with the grade level. For example, a middle school is not required to admit a student to 8 th grade that has not completed the 7 th, but it cannot deny enrollment due to low CSAP scores.

Are there any charter schools that are premitted to pre-test prior to admission?

Of the hundreds of Colorado charter schools, there is one school exempt to the no pre-admissions testing rule–Stargate School in Thornton.

The Colorado Charter Schools Act was created in 1993 and at that time it was lacking the rule in regards to pre-admissions testing. It was the following year that educator Nancy Hall and her husband submitted the Stargate School charter application to the Adams Twelve School District. The district was experiencing cuts in gifted education programs and Mr. and Mrs. Hall formed a charter as a response to this need in their community. This new school created an option for children whom required accelerated education to stay within the public schools and enabled the Adams Twelve School District to meet these needs. It is truly a wonderful example of how community members can get actively involved in assuring continued quality education for its students.

What many do not know about Stargate is that this school serves a significant population of “twice exceptional” students. These are children that may have extraordinary skills in one area, but coping with disabilities in others. For example, a child may have a high IQ while managing dyslexia, or Asperger’s syndrome. Stargate’s programming is broadly inclusive for these unique learning requirements.

It was not until 1997 that pre-admission testing was prohibited by law in the Colorado Charter Schools Act. Due to the prior existence of Stargate and the purpose it served, the school’s admission policy was grandfathered and permitted to continue.

But as mentioned–Stargate is the only charter school in the state of Colorado that functions with that enrollment policy.

So if you cannot write it off as an advantage in applicants, why is it then that many charter schools have great CSAP scores, ratings, and shiny awards in exceptional educational achievement?May I suggest the parent-teacher-student partnerships, the entrepreneurial spirit, smaller class sizes, solid curriculum, disciplinary policies, qualified and caring teachers, and sense of social responsibility…just to mention a few.

 

I have found that through these articles I can reach my friends from my seat. By using the email button above you can reach yours.For more information about the quality of the teachers and staff–keep checking for my next charter school blog.

 

P.S. I am a reasonable individual, who appreciates that you do not know me from any other blubbering blogger in the virtual world. You should always fact check before claiming someone’s view as your own. This practice will prevent inaccuracies and human errors from becoming myths. Please feel free to use the links below to verify the content of the above article:
State of Colorado: http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdechart/guidebook/sped/index.htm
State of Colorado: http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdechart/csact.htm
Colorado League of Charter Schools:www.coloradoleague.org
Obama/McCain agree on charter schools: http://www.publiccharters.org/files/pressreleases/1016_McCain_Obama_Agree_on_Charter_Schools.pdf
*I am not a physician. Talk to your doctor about the best sleeping aid for you. Ambien: http://www.ambiencr.com/

Or use your preferred search engine

Charter School Enrollment for Mummies (and daddies)

“How did your kid get into that Charter School?”

If I had a nickel for every time I heard this question I could personally offset the school district’s budget deficit.

There is such confusion and misconception in regards to a charter school’s enrollment policies.

While pork may be the other white meat–Charter schools are the other public schools.

How did your kid get into the neighborhood school? You enrolled them. The same applies for charter schools. You complete an enrollment form, or a letter of intent. Each charter has its own unique nuances, but in Douglas County the two enrollment policies for new families are either on a first-come-first-serve basis, or more commonly-the lottery system. Call the school of interest for you and ask them which one they use. Let’s dissect each of these.

For simplicity and sake of comparison we’ll assume you are enrolling a kindergartener in both cases.

If the school you are considering has a first-come-first-serve policy–you fill out the letter of intent and the date. You receive a number indicating your student’s place on the list and you become one of the hopeful families to receive that special phone call. The more popular the school is, the longer the list-and the longer in advance you need to start the process of intent.
Good news is that there is no fee to get your student’s name on the list (as charter schools do not have tuition or application fees) so you can decline if the offer of enrollment comes and you have changed your mind.
The not so good news for those of you, who waited awhile for this process, is that many charter schools are so coveted that you needed to have your child on the intent list before they started preschool. I have to admit that I, myself, fell in this category. I thought that the woman who told me to enroll my toddler son into kindergarten was a little off her rocker. Had she seen my son? He was still eating paper, not reading them! Our little guy was four years old when I realized he needed to be on the list.
Flukes happen and the year he was to start second grade several families coincidentally moved, and he became a uniform clad fellow.

The lottery system is fairly self-explanatory. The enrolling hopeful completes a letter of intent and this information is entered into a computer system. Software shuffles the names and randomly selects the lucky students. The benefit of this process for those of us who dragged our feet is clear, as we are just as likely to get a spot for our children as those who turned in the paperwork during the postpartum period.

In addition to these enrollment methods there is in general a sibling and employee policy. Siblings of current attending students and children of full-time employees have a priority in enrollment over new families.

Have I heard of families accepting enrollment for an older child so that a sibling can get in? Yes.

Have I heard of someone taking employment at a charter school to assure that their kindergartener is offered a spot? Yes.

Have I heard of a charter school tipping the scales in favor of a certain family due to status, grades, bribes or threats? Never!

At charter schools space is the issue. Classroom size is smaller and so are the buildings. They accept students up to capacity and the rest go on a waitlist until the process begins again.

Well, we have covered just the basics of charter school enrollment. Next we will address unfair and incorrect comments such as “Charter schools have better CSAP score because they don’t accept special education students,” and “Charter schools test and turn away kids that don’t fit your curriculum.”

Until then, write our Superintendent Dr. Jim Christensen a Thank You Note and let him know how much you personally appreciate the Douglas County Charter Schools.

Dr. Jim Christensen

620 Wilcox Street

Castle Rock, CO 80104

Or if you are sending a hallmark e-card: jim.christensen@dcsdk12.org

P.S. There is a comment button. If you have comments, complaints or questions about my writings, please use it. I don’t bite…hard.

Charter School Moms and Pit Bulls

What is the difference between a charter school mom and a pit bull?

One is legal to unleash in Douglas County.

Whoever answered lipstick would be wrong. And a little post-election dated.

If you have ever been in a charter school carpool line, you’d notice that we are more likely to wear pajamas in public and our kids breakfast wiped on our sleeves, than lipstick.

We do have a couple of similar traits with pit bulls though. The most infamous of such is probably the habit of fiercely fighting for our little ones and their environment. Whether this is a virtue or not, can be argued.

Most of us charter school families chose to place our students in these public school options because it was a better fit for our kids.

Note: I am NOT saying there is anything wrong with our neighborhood schools, just that all kids are not created equal and thankfully we have great educational options in Douglas County.

Those of us who have kids that don’t fit the standard educational mold and are privileged to live within a school district, which offers healthy educational alternatives, are often attracted to charter schools.

What makes charter schools desirable?

For starters, they are still school district schools. For those of you new to this, let me simplify the explanation-charter schools are parent driven and district run.

There is this urban legend out there that charter schools are not really public schools. Charter Schools are public schools.

Don’t take my word for it–I’m just a charter mom-Google it.

Let’s face it, if charter schools were not a school district school, why do they receive your tax dollars for funding? Why are they listed under “options” on the Douglas County School District website? I don’t know any private schools that get that treatment.

Charter Schools do not charge tuition.

So that nice school in town with high test-scores, uniforms, and small class sizes-does not have enrollment fees, tuition, or subscription dues. It is the same cost to you, my property-tax-paying-friend, as the neighborhood school.

To be fair I believe my husband and I accrue some additional expenses through having our kids in the charter that we did not have while in our traditional neighborhood school.

Gas-for one-is an expense we pay ourselves. I am not aware of one charter school in Douglas County that operates or subscribes to a school bus system.

Welcome to driving the carpool in your pj’s.

That is to and from five days a week. We live about twenty-five minutes away from our school, so you see how it adds up.

Time-How much is your time worth? Most charter schools need the families to donate a minimum of twenty hours per school year to the school. Many of us log that in the first month or two. If you enroll your child in a charter school, you will quickly notice that everyone knows everyone. That’s because when you volunteer you end up bumping into each other in the hallways, classrooms, carpools, parking lot, and the janitor’s closet. You get the idea. No task is too small to be a huge contribution to your kid’s charter school.

The volunteer element alone gives charter schools that small-town-feel. That may make you squirm and run–or click the search button for your local charter school listings. Like I said, none of the education choices are a one-size-fits all.

This brings me to why charter school moms have this innate defense mechanism when it comes to protecting the school their kids are enrolled in. Our teachers, students, staff and staff are not just part of our children’s education-they are our school family.

And just like in-laws and extended family, there may be times when they drive us nuts. But if someone criticizes them unfairly, you stand up for them.

Although I view myself more as a pussycat than a pit bull, I am planning on writing a series of nuggets debunking the most common myths about charter schools.

I do not intend to sway you to join our family, or even to add us to your top five, but I hope to create an understanding of who we are and what we stand for.

I am officially off leash.