Oregon Public Charter School Incentive Grant Application for: |
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Overview and Background The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) administers a Charter School Incentive Grant Program, which is intended to assist the developers of prospective charter schools in the initial planning and implementation phases of charter school development. If successful in this competitive application process, up to $500,000 would be made available for the planning ($50,000) and implementation ($450,000) of a Triangle Lake Charter School over a 3 year period. Acceptance of the initial $50,000 for planning and associated due diligence in no way obligates the Blachly District to move forward with a formal charter proposal, but district board approval of a charter contract would be required to access the $450,000 for school implementation. The creators of this Incentive Grant Application, termed the “Developers” from this point forward are: Derek Pennel, John and Lisa Wagner, Larry Avery, Heidi Brown, Tony Wynn, and Jeff Thiessen. This Executive Summary satisfies ODE’s requirement for district notification a minimum of ten calendar days prior to formal application submittal, which is currently planned for the first week of March 2009.
Abstract of Project and Project Goals Originally conceived as an idea to stabilize enrollment trends in the district, the roots of the charter school movement in Blachly have expanded to include a wide variety of goals and motivations. Although one of the primary goals of the project planning phase is to seek a broad community consensus on the proposed school’s mission and curriculum focus, the Developers have established the following mission statement as a serviceable starting point: "As the engine of economic and community vitality in the rural, Lake Creek Valley, the mission of Triangle Lake Charter School (TLCS) is to partner with parents and a nurturing community to unlock the unique potential of each student, regardless of aspiration; to develop healthy, creative, life-long learners capable of meeting the challenges of tomorrow yet ready to seize the opportunities of today." Along with a vision to offer increased academic choice and a learning environment tailored to the interests and needs of each student, fundamental to this mission is the belief that what takes place in the days and years after graduation are equally important in assessing a school’s overall performance. Located in a close-knit community where 7 out of 10 students meet the State’s definition of “at-risk,” we will retain high expectations of our students and establish challenging goals for our school that meet or exceed state averages. With a total capacity of ~180 K-12 students, it is recognized that enrollment stabilization (or growth) will only happen if parents/students deem TLCS to be “THE school of choice” among a bevy of competing alternatives. In a community such as Blachly, change simply doesn’t happen without strong community support. For that reason, one of the primary goals of the planning phase will be to create a community outreach program where plans can be frequently shared, feedback solicited, and opinions voiced. By being active participants in this ongoing dialogue, community members will feel enlisted in the final school design. The Developers envision a series of town-hall meetings, attended by the local media, as the most effective way to accomplish these communication goals. These meetings would continue throughout the planning and implementation phases and would be augmented with periodic updates utilizing both print and electronic media.
Project Timeline
Purpose of School As outlined in the Triangle Lake Charter School’s (TLCS) proposed mission statement, we believe a school can and should serve more than a single purpose in the community in which it exists. Similarly, we have developed specific and measurable goals that address virtually all of the goals listed in ORS Chapter 338. That said, the central purpose of the school will be to: Increase choices of learning opportunities for students (Goal B), and better meet individual student academic needs and interests (Goal C). The Developers believe that these two goals are fundamental to the effort of increasing student preparedness for life after graduation and are a trademark of exceptional learning environments. Just because a school is small and rural, does NOT mean parents/students should be forced to accept a limited number of academic options. In today’s global economy, technology is the glue that connects many of us. This same technology can be leveraged to bring an expanded world of learning to the underserved students of this community. With an upgraded technology infrastructure, funded in part by proceeds from this grant, our vision is to offer a significant number of on-line classes to augment the dwindling list of electives currently available to district students. Furthermore, many of these can be offered as dual enrollment opportunities through Lane Community College (or other partner institutions), which has the added benefit of jump-starting a college-bound students’ post-secondary academic career. Just as important, relevant remote learning coursework would also be made available for students on vocational or alternate career paths, who might otherwise be at risk for dropping/tuning-out as part of the school’s current academic delivery model. Coupled with these remote options, we intend to tap into the Lake Creek Valley’s diverse community to offer hands-on learning experiences whether in the field, stream, office, or a more traditional classroom setting. As a charter school, TLCS could utilize local experts and professionals as registered, albeit unlicensed, instructors. As a part of the economic revitalization of this community, the school will work with local businesses and individuals to promote industries that could thrive in this rural setting. Students could take advantage of the four-day school week to acquire hands-on experience in an area of interest to them. These students would not only gain experience and life-long skills, but also be an economic benefit to their cooperating mentors. In this way the charter school could provide assistance to entrepreneurs and small businesses and also encourage students to pursue for-profit and not-for-profit ventures in their own community both before and after graduation.
Demographics/Need Although the proposed charter school would likely draw additional students from neighboring districts, it is hoped that TLCS would also help pull new families into the district, attracted by the community’s quality-of-life AND quality of education. In either case, the overall demographics of the student population are not expected to materially change. Given the precipitous drop in expected in-district student population over the next 5 years, the long-term viability of the school as currently configured is in question. If Triangle Lake School were forced to close, the impact to students and the community would be immense. Students would likely be fed into the Mapleton District to the west (~30 miles away) or into the Junction City District to the east (~25 miles away). In either case, students could be faced with bus rides of an hour or more. After school extracurricular activities would become a luxury, available only to those whose family could afford the daily transportation. At the community level, the socio-economic effects would be devastating. The proposed charter school benefits the community in three significant ways: 1) The increased focus on individualized learning plans based on student’s interests and future aspirations, along with an increased number of curriculum offerings will turn a strong school into a truly exceptional one. 2) It gives families in neighboring districts a compelling academic alternative (and in many cases a much shorter bus ride), likely leading to enrollment growth at TLCS. 3) The increased flexibility associated with a charter school allows the District to scale its resources more easily in response to future enrollment changes.
Governance Structure As a single school district, Triangle Lake Charter School will follow all documented practices and policies of the Blachly School District and as required by federal and state law. In addition, state law mandates that a charter school board be established as an independent entity within the district to oversee operations of the charter school. The Developers envision a charter school governing board comprised of two current district school board members (selected by the district school board), one teacher (selected by the teaching staff), one classified employee (selected by the classified staff), and one “at large” community member (applicants to be interviewed and selected by the district school board). The superintendent/principal will be included on this board as a non-voting member. This governing body will be formed within 45 days of the district school board’s approval of the charter. Upon formation, the charter school board will assume all duties previously held by the Developers with respect to charter planning, implementation, and the associated community outreach. Additionally, this board will be empowered to make most of the day-to-day governance decisions pertaining to the charter school, including those related to curriculum development and financial operations. A ‘Roles and Responsibilities Matrix’ will be crafted to clearly delineate where district board ownership stops and charter board ownership begins.
Education Program Triangle Lake Charter School will set the highest academic standards by using state-adopted texts to align our curriculum with state requirements, emphasizing the power standards agreed upon and articulated among our k-12 staff. Through small class sizes and the use of paraprofessionals incorporating direct-instruction, the RTI (response to intervention) model will be utilized in all core subject areas, thus providing research-based intervention to promote enhanced academic achievement for all students. The use of technology will be incorporated throughout our instruction, along with character education through PBS programs, Second Steps, and Champions of Character in athletics. Students will be encouraged to practice a lifestyle of physical fitness, which includes the opportunity to participate in school-sponsored athletics without the risk of being cut from the team. The typical school day will include rigorous, focused instruction in the core subjects: math, language arts, social studies, and science, as well as in health, foreign language, fine arts, physical education and an expanded list of electives. Classroom-based instruction will be carried out from 8:00 to 4:00, Monday through Thursday. For the elementary, these extra minutes at the end of the day can be used for enriching activities, counseling, building strong study habits, and teamwork building. For the middle and upper grades, each day will include a daily “check in” with an assigned advisor to be sure the student’s learning plan is being followed. Unencumbered by the standard classroom confines, Fridays will be open for off-campus career-related learning experiences, cooperative learning projects and professional collaboration. For grades 7-12, each year of classroom and off-campus learning will culminate in a field trip that integrates core curriculum, character development, cultural diversity, and career exploration.
Accountability Goals With aspirations to be “THE school of choice,” it’s recognized that TLCS will be held accountable for achieving its published goals. Ultimately, parents and students will vote with their feet if the school is unsuccessful in its mission, so trend in enrollment- especially out of district enrollment- is likely the single best indicator of how the school is progressing towards its goals. That said, we have developed other more specific school accountability goals, which include: a) Maintaining a student-to-teacher ratio of less than 14:1, b) Significantly expanded course offerings (as measured by % increase in available electives), c) Availability of on-line college credited coursework, d) At minimum, quarterly parent-teacher conferences to discuss student progress, e) TLCS will continue to adhere to a 100% participation / “No-Cut” policy for its extracurricular activities. Every student, regardless of ability, will be allowed to participate in any extracurricular activity offered by the school for the duration of that activity. Less defined at this juncture, but no less important, is our vision of fully integrating information technology into the classroom environment. Specific goals supporting this vision include: Development of a K-12 technology curriculum (by the end of year one), and implementation of the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) in TLCS (by the end of year two). Although we feel it extremely important that the community at-large have an opportunity to give input to our published student goals- and that is a key deliverable of our outreach activity- the following goals have been articulated by the Developers: a) Despite the District’s high percentage of “at risk” students, meet or exceed annual state/federal achievement benchmarks, b) In partnership with the student, parents, and teachers, all students K-12 will have a customized learning plan in place by the end of year one, c) Over 70% of TLCS graduates will be enrolled in college, military or formal vocational training within one year of graduation, and d) To encourage high fitness levels, > 80% of TLCS students will participate in school sponsored athletic programs.
Priority for Admission Academic choice is not something parents in remote areas of Oregon are accustomed to having. Triangle Lake Charter School would represent the only charter school west of Eugene (40 miles), south of Eddyville (70+ miles), and north of Coos Bay (90+ miles). We believe the school’s academic mission and ambitious goals described in this application will prove to be a compelling option for many families- especially for those in neighboring districts who live closer to the Triangle Lake School campus than to the school they currently attend. Supporting parent choice, the following priority for admission shall apply:
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