Application for the Establishment of Triangle Lake Charter School ~a public charter school~ Submitted to Blachly School District #90 January 20, 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface
1. Identification of Applicant The petitioners listed below represent are educators, community members, and parents interested in the development of Triangle Lake Charter School.
2. Name of Proposed Charter School The name of the proposed charter school will be Triangle Lake Charter School (referred to in this application as TLCS). 3. Mission and Philosophy "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." 4. Objectives, Goals, and Expected Results The central purpose of TLCS will be to build on the strong foundation of the existing Triangle Lake Elementary and High Schools. Triangle Lake Charter School will look to pursue educational excellence and enhance individual learning through three focus areas:
TLCS will employ a number of measurement tools to ensure that state requirements and the goal of educational excellence are met. First, Kindergarten-readiness will be assessed with Beery, testing vocabulary and sound readiness. Then, for Kindergarten through 3rd grade, Dibbles testing will be utilized to measure reading skills. For 4th through 12th grade, Read Naturally ORF will be used. Through the benchmark years (grades 3, 5, 8, and 10), OAKS state testing will be implemented to measure core skill areas. Additionally, curriculum based measures as well as work samples will also be incorporated school wide. Finally, high school students may also participate in the PSAT, SAT, and the ASVAB tests. 5. Demographics and Need Of Triangle Lake’s 121 students approximately 85% are Caucasian, 10% are Hispanic, and less than 5% are represented by other ethnicities. The student body is comprised approximately 5% foster children and approximately 25% of the students are identified as eligible for special education under IDEA. District families host up to 15 high school exchange students from all over the world (Europe, South & Central America, Asia, Middle East, and Africa). Approximately 61% percent of the students participate in the free and reduced price lunch program. 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: 6. Distinctive Teaching and Learning Techniques
7. Curriculum Overview Building on the existing curriculum of Triangle Lake Elementary and High Schools, TLCS will achieve its mission and goals through the use of an articulated K-12 curriculum that focuses TLCS resources, optimizes student learning, increases efficiency, and eliminates curricular gaps by aligning to the State Benchmarks. It is the intent of TLCS to have core classes taught only by certified staff. Core classes are identified as Language Arts, Science, Math, and Social Studies. Kindergarten through 8th grade core coursework will be taught by certified elementary staff. The staff will receive focused training in their respective content area(s); innovative teaching techniques; curriculum development; charter school development and implementation; and other areas of professional development. TLCS will implement its goals through a variety of curriculum strands. The focus on natural resources will be implemented by an Oregon State University supported program “Stewardship Schools”, a place based learning that uses curriculum such as “Project Learning Tree”, “Project Wild”, and “Project Budburst” to focus on forests, wildlife, and water. The program spans Kindergarten through 12th grade and will be integrated through a variety of core subjects such as Math, Science, and English. The program will provide flexible curriculum implementing methods such as hands on learning, learning to action, level appropriateness scaffold learning correlated to state benchmarks and learning standards. It will utilize our local environment and organizations such as Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to implement and supplement its content. Information technology will be leveraged to enhance the learning environment. Access to computers for students will be increased and teachers will be provided with new technology and dedicated technical support. Students will be expected to exhibit grade-level specific technology proficiency. The addition of on-line remote learning overseen by highly qualified teachers would expand the educational opportunities for students without burdening on-site staff. The Health and fitness focus will be implemented through a variety of methods. Maintaining a fitness facility available to students (and community members), encouraging participation in afterschool athletic programs, maintaining a breakfast program, continuing a rigorous Physical Education program, and augmentation of the existing curriculum with a more robust health strand are some of the intended methods of implementation. 8. Governance The developers envision a charter school governing board comprised of one current district school board member (selected by the district school board), two teachers (preferably one elementary and one upper level, selected by the teaching staff), one classified or confidential employee (selected by the classified/confidential staff), and one “at large” community member (applicants to be interviewed and selected by the district school board). Each member will serve staggered terms ranging between one and three years. The superintendent/principal will be included on this board as a non-voting member. This governing body will be formed within 60 days of the district school board’s approval of the charter. Upon formation, the charter school board will assume duties previously held by the developers with respect to charter planning, implementation, and the associated community outreach such as marketing and communication. Additionally, this board will be empowered to make mostof the governance decisions pertaining to management of the charter contract, including those related to integration of curriculum goals with the existing curriculum. Financial operations will continue to be approved by the District Board. A ‘Roles and Responsibilities Matrix’ will be crafted to clearly delineate where district board ownership stops and charter board ownership begins. 9. Projected Enrollment Given the remote and isolated nature of the district, combined with generally low family income levels, it’s unlikely that many students would enroll and travel to a neighboring district to attend classes- even without change to the school’s structure or education program. For that reason, the current in-district enrollment at Triangle Lake School, adjusted for graduates and the incoming kindergarten class, is a solid starting point for estimated enrollment. Since a number of out-of-district families near the district borders have indicated interest in attending Triangle Lake School in the past, TLCS expects to gain up to 15 new on-site students in the first year of operation with only a modest outreach effort. To understand why, consider the following example: Students who live on the west end of the Junction City School District, one of Blachly’s neighboring districts, currently are a 45-minute bus ride to Junction City schools, but only 5-minutes away from the Triangle Lake campus. The boundary to Mapleton School District, Blachly’s neighbor to the west, is approximately a 15-20 minute bus ride. It is expect this reduced distance, in combination with significantly smaller class sizes and expanded curriculum offerings, makes Triangle Lake Charter School a very attractive alternative for these families. After the first year, enrollment changes will largely be dictated by the school’s performance to goals and progress towards its academic mission, along with family migration patterns into and out of the district. Although continued growth can certainly be accommodated, for planning purposes it is assumed that TLCS enrollment will reach 145 on-site students by the 2012-2013 school year (Triangle Lake enrollment for elementary and high school for 2009-2010 stands at approximately 121 students.) In addition to the projected growth in our “brick and mortar” setting, TLCS would make provisions for the addition of online student enrollment, most likely through the contracting services of an online school provider. This service provider could ultimately provide online options for up to 35 students in the first year, with the potential to scale up or down depending on overall site enrollment trends. TLCS would set a maximum student enrollment of up to 150 students for total full-time on site students (K-12). If enrollment demands exceed TLCS capacity, the TLCS board may establish enrollment capacities by grade level. 10. Targeted Population TLCS intends to target K-12 students currently located in the Blachly school district, in addition to those from neighboring districts. By adapting its goals and objectives to better meet the needs of the community and its students, TLCS plans to maintain the current student population and also add in-district students who do not currently attend Triangle Lake schools, in addition to drawing out-of-district students. TLCS will consider extending bus routes that will provide transportation to and from the school to designated areas outside of current district boundaries. TLCS plans to design educational programs that will appeal to the families within and outside of the current district boundaries. Finally, TLCS would likely serve an online student population from throughout the state. 11. Facility TLCS will operate at the current Blachly School District #90 site at 20264 Blachly-Grange Road, Blachly, OR 97122 and utilize all premises, furnishings, equipment and properties as needed. Additionally, it is hoped that several off-campus locations will be utilized to meet the school’s educational goals. 12. Admissions Policies >In support of parent choice, student admission to TLCS will be voluntary. All students residing in the current Blachly School District will be eligible for enrollment, and, as permitted by State law students who reside outside of the district may also be admitted. TLCS would follow state law pertaining to non-discriminatory student admissions. However, the school may limit enrollment of students within a given age group or grade level. Enrollment preference will be given in the following order:
For additional openings, an equitable lottery selection will be employed. In the event that TLCS contracts with outside agencies to provide online enrollment options, those students may have additional admission requirements. 13. Statutes and Rules
14. Proposed Budget and Financial Plan (See Appendix A)
15. Student Behavior/Conduct/Discipline TLCS shall continue to implement the discipline policies established for the current Blachly School District 90, which provide age-specific codes of conduct, rules, student rights and appeal procedures, complying with all state and federal laws. TLCS shall notify its students and parents of the student rights and responsibilities by the issuance of a handbook, and shall keep its discipline, conduct and student rights policies in a location that is accessible to students and the public. TLCS will additionally provide a positive behavior system. Discipline involving suspension and expulsion shall be achieved according to Oregon Law. All TLCS expulsion proceedings shall be administered according to district policies appropriate to age level. Grounds for expulsion from TLCS shall be consistent with state and federal law. TLCS may employ a non-resident student code of conduct form, requiring those students attending from outside districts to adhere to a level of conduct, academic achievement, and attendance or face revocation of enrollment. (See Appendix B) 16. Date of Operation/School Calendar TLCS will begin operation as a charter school in the fall of 2010. The first day for students and teachers will be determined after District approval of the school calendar. 17. Description of Staff and Qualifications for Teacher Initially, Triangle Lake Charter School will be composed of one administrator (superintendent / principal) 2.0 FTE confidential employees (business manager and administration support, 6.65 FTE non-teaching staff (bus drivers, facility maintenance, janitorial, clerical, and library/computer support), 2.0 FTE paraprofessionals (instructional assistants), and 11.5FTE certified staff (licensed instructors). At this juncture we have no defined plan for registered staff, although this could change over time with staff retirements and the introduction of new curriculum. Regardless, the academic core will continue to be staffed by certified teachers. TLCS intends to keep the school-wide student/teacher ratio of LESS than 15:1, so the above numbers can and will change in response to enrollment fluctuations. TLCS will retain most of the district’s current staff. In addition, plans will be made to contract positions (or equivalent contracted services) in order to implement the ASPIRE program and student individual education plans, as well as technology support to implement the school's technology focus. The plans articulated in the district’s Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP) will serve as an excellent general foundation upon which more specialized professional development elements can be added. 18. Special Education Services TLCS Board, District Board, and any sending district will collaborate on policies and procedures designed to assure that all Special Education Students who apply for enrollment at TLCS receive appropriate educational services in the most favorable setting for the student. The parties recognize that there will be several methods or “delivery mechanisms” for providing these services, and that the types of special education service capabilities developed at TLCS will depend on the number and special needs of the Special Education Students who apply for enrollment at TLCS, the availability of other special education programs within the Oregon education system, changes in law and funding sources, and advances in teaching materials and techniques. ORS 338.165 currently provides that the school district within which a Special Education Student’s parent or legal guardian or other person in parental relationship to the student resides (the “resident school district”) is responsible for providing any special education and related services to the student. 19. Community Involvement TLCS will provide opportunities for ongoing community outreach and involvement to continue the process that was implemented during the planning phase. In addition to establishing methods of communication with the general public, TLCS would provide opportunity for community involvement in the form of one position on the Charter Board. TLCS would also research possibilities for mentorship programs where community members volunteer mentorship assignments with high school students and potentially include openings as registered, non-licensed instructors. TLCS will also seek to cultivate connections with local businesses and agencies to support educational, vocational, and service learning opportunities. 20. Term of Charter The charter will be effective upon signature of both parties (Triangle Lake Charter Project Team and Blachly School Board #90), and unless otherwise terminated, would expire at midnight on June 30, 2015. The charter would be deemed approved for renewal at the expiration of its initial term and upon the expiration of each renewal term unless, not less than 180 days prior to the term expiration date, one party gives the other party written notice of non-renewal. Each subsequent renewal term shall be for a five-year period commencing on July 1 immediately following the expiration of the prior term and expiring at midnight on June 30 of the fifth year. 21. Performance Bonding or Insuring TLCS shall utilize the district’s current insurance provider of record: 22. Plan for placement of teachers and students if terminated or not renewed In the event of termination or non-renewal of this Charter, TLCS shall follow the reduction-in-force provisions in any applicable, collective bargaining agreements for licensed and classified employees or as otherwise provided by Blachly School District #90. If as a result of termination or non-renewal of this Charter, a determination is made to reconstitute TLCS as a regular public school district under the authority of the District Board, the District Board will, as staffing requirements permit and funding allows, and on the recommendation of the Superintendent, make every effort to retain all staff employed by Blachly School District #90 at time of its reconstitution as a regular public school. Students will be re-enrolled in the regular public school. 23. Program review and fiscal audit TLCS will utilize the Blachly District’s financial auditor of record (currently Pauly, Rogers, and Co., P.C.). The superintendent, TLCS Board, and District board shall review the operations, financial and otherwise, of TLCS at least annually. The TLCS Board will arrange an annual financial audit of TLCS’s accounts utilizing the district’s auditor of record in accordance with the Municipal Audit Law, ORS 297.405 to 297.555 and 297.998. The TLCS board will provide the District Board with a copy of the audit during the financial review. TLCS will employ the services of an outside contractor (currently expected to be NWCEO) to perform a periodic performance review as required by charter school statute. 24. Alternative arrangements for students and staff not choosing to attend charter school Students who reside within the District boundary may opt out of attending TLCS. They are encouraged to notify the district but not required to seek release from the district. Those students who have opted out of attendance at TLCS, may be provided transportation to and from the district boundary nearest their residence as part of the regularly scheduled routes. As a single school district, no provisions can be made to assign staff outside of the school or district. 25. Employment relationship between charter school and district Employees working at TLCS shall remain employees of Blachly School District #90 and utilize the existing practices of Blachly School District #90 regarding the selection and hiring, training, discipline and firing of its teaching, administrative and operations staff with the exception of those changed by waiver or mutual consent of parties in a Collective Bargaining Agreement. TLCS will implement policies in compliance with all applicable federal and state laws and Collective Bargaining Agreements in effect at during the life of this charter regarding recruitment, promotion, discipline and termination of personnel; methods for evaluating performance; and a plan for resolving employee-related problems, including complaint and grievance procedures. (ORS 338.135) |