• How do charter schools work?
A charter school is basically creating a different kind of school within a school district. It is a public school and it is created with the sanction of the district board. Federal and State law encourage charter school creation as a way to foster academic innovation and improved educational outcomes.
• What are the goals and vision of the current Triangle Lake Charter School planning effort?With your help we are working to refine both the vision and goals, and that is the primary intent of the planning phase we are now in. The vision articulated in our successful grant application was:
"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."
• Why are we considering converting our school to charter?
This effort is being motivated by both economic and academic factors. If current student trends continue unchanged, the Blachly District student population is expected to be less than 100 K-12 students within 3 years. At this level, it would be economically difficult to continue to operate the school without massive staff and/or program cuts. By converting to a charter school, we can augment our current student population with out-of-district students, which, potentially, could reverse our declining enrollment and revenue trends, thereby improving the district’s long-term viability. Academically, becoming a charter school affords the school the opportunity to build on its current strong foundation by adding innovative programs and curriculum to better meet the needs of the district’s families and students.
• We’ve always been a small school with ‘peaks and valleys’ in enrollment: how is the current situation any different?
Peaks and valleys are normal, but right now our numbers are spiraling downward to a point that future numbers look unsustainable. Put bluntly: the number of students, and thus the amount of funding, will likely not be enough to continue running our school.
• How many additional students do we realistically expect to gain in the event we decide to go charter?
We may only gain 5-20 students overall in our classrooms, we don’t really know yet, but by going charter, we may be able to gain a good number of online students with a minimal effort and also gain a portion of their ADM.
• What are the primary pro’s and con’s associated with becoming a charter school?
Pro’s
• District borders no longer an enrollment limiter
• Higher level of accountability for results
• Offers some relief from state mandates and more flexibility in achieving academic goals.
• Encourages academic innovation
• Comes with approximately $500,000 in grant funding over a 3-year period to implement.
Con’s
• Open borders mean that existing students can attend other schools without having to pay out-of-district tuition.
• With increased state requirements (e.g. additional board and expanded reporting requirements, etc.) come additional administrative burdens.
• Change can often be difficult…and sometimes disruptive.
Questions from Public 9/25/09
• How will charter school status affect intramural sports?
There shouldn’t be many changes. We might have more students and possibly more choices if there is enough demand.
• If we go charter, what league will we play in?
We plan to stay in the same classification and league. Our numbers would have to increase dramatically to even approach consideration for a classification change.
• Could we have a pre-school with our charter school?
That is something we would like to consider and we are currently researching that possibility.
• I would like to see our school access web school and have more technology available.
That is the subject of much of our current research: Offering more choices to our upper grades and more resources for our lower grades through improved technology and access to internet coursework.
• Does going charter mean any kid can come to our school?
Not exactly. We decide how many kids each grade can handle then give priority to those students who already reside in the district (and their siblings) then devise a system, likely a lottery, that will fill available slots. We cannot deny a student access due to race, religious affiliation, disability, income level, gender, etc. We can, however, have students from outside our district sign a contract that obligates them to a code of conduct, attendance, and academic achievement in order to keep their enrollment from being revoked.
• Could we use Skype connections to work with small language classes, etc. where we have connections with former exchange students?
That is a possibility we can explore.
From Administration
• Charter borders: Are the only schools that have free open borders those that are grandfathered in?
No, all charter schools have open borders.
• Are we responsible for Special Education kids that leave our district still?
Yes, the sending districts are responsible for Special Education identified students, though the school district serving the student can bill the sending district for services provided to that student.
• We can’t turn away Special Ed. kids. Are we still responsible for their support, where does the ADM go?
We can’t turn kids away because they are special ed (with identified disabilities.) If our school district provides some of the student’s educational program, we can bill for a portion of that student’s ADM. Here is the ODE’s answer:
All special education students have an IEP and are ultimately the responsibility of the resident district,
not the charter school. The additional funding given to the resident district for special education
students is intended to assist the district in providing these services. The district may not require a
charter school to hire a certified special education teacher. However, an IEP team may develop an
IEP that calls for a district special education teacher to consult with charter school staff and for
charter school staff to implement the IEP services with this consultation. The IEP team decides
whether a student needs direct services by a special education teacher or services provided by a
regular education teacher with the consultation of district education staff. Charter schools are
responsible for implementing modification and accommodations identified on a student’s IEP. To the
extent that charter school staff needs additional support to ensure implementation of the modifications
and accommodations, the IEP team would determine the necessary supports for personnel.
• How do we keep the one school/one district separate?
During this planning phase, there really are no legal requirements for separation of activity. The only exception to this relates to accounting for charter grant expenditures. Grant funds can only be used for activity that is clearly separate and discrete from ongoing district business. Separation of actual one school and district later would be determined through a charter board and school district set up. For further information Mark Jeffrey has suggested that our superintendent could chat with his former business manager.
• How does this work? For example, teachers doing curriculum research (on school time)? Is it legal to do this dual time? How do we differentiate the time? Do we have to?
So far we haven’t found any issues in this regard. It doesn’t seem to be a problem as long as it doesn’t interfere with current duties, such as classroom teaching. In fact, in most of the charter school conversions we’ve researched, administration and staff were extensively involved in the planning and implementation activities leading up to the conversion.
from Classified Union • There is some worry that charter schools have a little more freedom in regard to contracts. If a charter school makes an agreement, can they change it once the charter is accepted?
For existing employees, our intent is to leverage the district employment contracts in place at the time of our charter school conversion. Once in force, a charter school would be under the same obligation to honor the contract terms and conditions as any other entity. If new employees are added in the future, it is possible that the contract structure may be different for these employees.
• Exactly what freedoms do charter schools have specifically? Freedom from what state requirements?
They have the freedom to implement programs in the way they see fit as long as it follows state guidelines for content. Charter schools still have to test and meet other state standards. They have other freedoms such as not always having to have certified teachers for instruction of non-core classes. They also have the freedom of opening district borders.
• There is a concern that our population would be overrun by outsiders and that we would get students rejected from other schools. How much of a possibility is that? What control do we have over this?
The charter has complete control over the number of students it can accept, first priority going to district students. Charters cannot discriminate according to things like income level, athletic ability, language proficiency, gender, ethnicity or disability. The likelihood of our school getting all of the other schools’ rejected kids is low, since there is a lot of competition from other charter schools and availability of options for those kids is great. Open slots are likely to be determined by lottery, not everyone who wants in will be guaranteed to get in. Although we are looking at providing some online curriculum, we want to remain primarily a “brick and mortar” school. Proximity alone will deter many, though we could choose to bus students in from a distance. We can also implement the aforementioned contract which obligates guest students to a certain code of conduct, attendance, and academic achievement.
From Teachers
• Job security is very important, Can teachers trust the powers-that-be to keep their jobs secure?
For existing employees, our intent is to leverage the district employment contracts in place at the time of our charter school conversion. Once in force, a charter school would be under the same obligation to honor the contract terms and conditions as any other entity. In theory, a charter school could choose not to renew or renegotiate a contract upon expiration. However, it’s highly doubtful our school would be successful without happy and motivated staff.
• When will they have time to process the Charter school document and “pillars”?
The charter team is now narrowing down our key school focus areas (i.e. ‘pillars’.) The project manager will be documenting our proposed pillars over the next several weeks.
• Will kids leave our district if the borders are opened up?
It is possible but not likely. They will have that freedom, but they are free to attend any charter school in the state now. It is actually less likely that they will leave since the idea of a charter is to specialize. We are looking to specialize our school to better meet our students’ unique needs. Combined with our small class sizes, we expect the benefits of staying at Triangle Lake Charter School to be superior to the alternatives.
• Would there be any changes to how a Triangle Lake Charter School is governed?
We would retain our current School Board but add a charter board as is required by law.
• What impact has the charter conversion had on schools similar to ours?
We are conducting a lot of research to find the answer to this question. For the most part the changes seem to be positive. There are currently around ten single school district charter schools in Oregon. Most of them have been in similar situations to ours.
• We currently have a great school, supportive community, and wonderful learning environment, and I’m concerned that this may be diluted- or lost- by becoming a charter school and significantly adding to enrollment. How do we control who and how many new students can enroll?
We do have a great school, and going charter should only make it better. We have the infrastructure that many schools across the state envy and are trying to re-create. Currently we do have a wonderful learning environment but limited choices and opportunities for our students. We are also facing some extreme budget issues that threaten that learning environment and ultimately our school’s existence. We have historically welcomed and taken in “outsiders” and made them our own. We are only doing that in a structured and planned out manner. WE control the number of students each grade accepts. We cannot, of course, limit students based on race, religion, disabilities, etc.
• If converted to charter, will the school’s academic and extracurricular programs change?
We do hope for some positive changes in academic opportunities, it is possible that there will be more extracurricular changes due to increased demand, for example, but we have not made plans in that direction. We are looking at implementing things like field trips and excursions that complement what students are learning in the classroom now.
• If we convert to a charter school, will there be any changes to the teaching personnel or certification/qualification requirements?
Right now, we are hoping to keep all current personnel. There are changes in certification requirements for non-core classes and we may take advantage of that in hiring additional personnel.
• Do you plan to ‘bust’ the current teacher’s union?
That is not something we are currently considering.
• Who ultimately decides whether or not to convert our current school to charter, and when is that decision likely to be made?
The school board ultimately decides to accept or reject the proposal, although there is an appeal process at the state level if it is rejected.
• What is the current status of the Triangle Lake Charter School planning effort?
Right now we are in the planning/research stage.
• Ultimately, how would success of the new charter school be measured?
We will be measured by current state standards, in addition to some extra requirements specific to charter schools.
• When would the school officially be converted to a charter school?
The timeline at this point is to submit the charter document in December, hopefully to have it accepted by January, but not actually implement the Triangle Lake Charter School program until fall of 2010.
• If we don’t like the new charter school, can we convert back?
Yes, we think. However, we could find no examples of a school returning to its former non-charter status in Oregon.
• Where can I go to find out more information about the current Triangle Lake Charter School effort, or to give my input?
You can send an e-mail to tlcharterschool@yahoo.com, drop us a line and leave it in the box in the office, or call Lisa Wagnerat (541) 927-3222. We will try to add information and a link on the regular school website as well.
More questions gathered by team members:
• What’s happening lately with the Charter School thing?
We are currently working on refining our program plans, doing lots of research into what works well, and what it is that families want for their school. We will be working on public information and the more technical aspects of implementing a charter over the next couple of months.
• What happens to our good teachers? If nothing, then how does that save us any money?
We are actually looking to keep our good teachers by getting creative in other areas. Cutting teachers is only one way to save money. Boosting our numbers increases our funds for example. We are also able to add online courses and non-certified teachers to teach extra courses at a lower cost.
• Will we be able to offer more variety in classes? How can we teach more classes with less staff?
We are looking to offer more variety. One way to do this is to offer online coursework that will not require additional teachers. Another is to allow less expensive, highly qualified but non-certified teachers to teach additional courses.
• What if I don’t want my student to attend the Charter School?
No one will be required to attend the charter school. Keep in mind we are not looking at changing our programs drastically and are looking to make the school better for our students.
• Will the Charter School have a sports program?
It looks as though we can continue our sports program essentially unchanged.
• If my student goes to this charter school, will he/she have any problems getting into a college or university?
All classes being offered at Triangle Lake should still fill state requirements for graduation. We have graduation requirement policies now that are above standard and these will be continued. If anything, we expect our college bound students to be better academically prepared with our increased academic offerings, including dual credit (HS + college) opportunities.
• What if the Charter School doesn’t work well here? If not working well, how bad does it get before we switch back?
We are researching this right now, there seems to be a formal process for dismantling the charter, it may be up to the school board or charter board. It does not necessarily have to get “bad” in order to do this. We are not looking to make such extreme changes to our school that we should experience dramatic benefits or detriments.
Thanks to all of you who put forth or gathered questions for our project. We do welcome more input, questions, or concerns. You can call Lisa Wagner at 927-3222 or e-mail at
tlcharterschool@yahoo.com
Last updated 11/01/09 |