Digital Marketing for Charter Schools Webinar

Did you miss our Digital Marketing for Charter Schools live webinar? Not to worry, if you want to up your digital marketing game for your school, you can watch it at your own pace and on your own time! Our on-demand version is now live and available for you!

Charter school leaders know that charter school growth requires solid student enrollment and retention programs that position their school for future replication or program growth. Having at least some digital marketing prowess can help you reach and exceed your school’s growth and/or expansion goals.
Want to up the digital marketing game for your charter school? Watch our Digital Marketing for Charter Schools webinar to fill your toolbox with some actionable tips as we dive into digital marketing strategies specifically tailored for charter schools.
In this webinar, we’ll cover:

Strategy: Developing a digital marketing plan;
Tactics: The best tools for charter schools; and
Resources: Where can you learn more?

You’ll learn: How digital marketing efforts can help your charter schools build a solid digital footprint, different approaches to help develop and maintain your charter school’s reputation, as well as how to leverage marketing to grow student enrollment.
We also provide an overview of the digital landscape, discuss what digital tools are relevant, how best to implement programs, and we cover the various platforms and how to effectively use them to maintain your charter’s reputation and increase awareness.
Join our CMO, Janet Johnson, and Sr. Marketing Manager, Stephanie Ristow us as they discuss digital marketing tips for charter schools.
Janet has deep experience in strategic planning, brand management, positioning and go-to-market strategies. She’s run global marketing teams for education technology, cloud automation, and technology (SaaS, enterprise software) companies.

Stephanie manages demand generation programs for Charter School Capital and has spent the duration of her career with big brands like Microsoft, Nike, and WebMD.

Don’t miss this opportunity to walk away with digital marketing best practices and new ways to leverage digital platforms for success!

WATCH NOW

Charter School Capital’s Values: Empowerment

Sharing our Values

At Charter School Capital, we hold each other accountable to core company values as the driving force and foundation of what we do. These values are our guiding principles as we work together to more effectively support the growth and development of our charter school partners. And, as a result, Charter School Capital is a proven catalyst for charter school growth. In CSC’s ten years, we very proud to say that we’ve helped finance the education of more than 800,000 students in over 600 charter schools across the United States.
We measure everything we do by these core values:

Best-in-Class
Empowerment
Innovation
Teamwork
Accountability

In this blog series, we wanted to spotlight how all of us at CSC work to exemplify these core values. For this, the second post of the series, we’ll dive deeper into what empowerment means to us and how we embody and reflect this goal both internally and with our charter school partners.
After over one month here as a member of the Charter School Capital team, it’s already become clear to me—and quite refreshing—that our values are, indeed, a way of life here. They’re simply woven into the fabric of daily life at the office. It’s so refreshing to be a part of such a healthy non-siloed environment where there’s a shared passion and mission infusing every action. The claps and cheers reverberate through our all-hands meeting as our President and CEO (co-founder), Stuart Ellis shares our goal to reach one million students served this year.

Empowered as Individuals

To get some expert insight into how we strive to live up to the value of Empowerment, I sat down with Corey Brock, Senior Paralegal for Charter School Capital (CSC). Corey has been with Charter School Capital for five years so has seen our rapid growth and been instrumental in being a part of our cultural development. He was selected by CSC leadership as the embodiment of the Empowerment value here at CSC, so I was really looking forward to getting to know him better—and learn why he was chosen as our representative for this value. And, after meeting with him, as it did with Nancy Edmiston in our Best-In-Class values post, it became clear.
When I sat down with Corey, I really wanted to understand what he thinks CSC means when we talk about empowerment—and how our company not only empowers its employees to be their best, but how we empower the schools we work with to achieve and even exceed their goals.
So, I began by simply asking how he feels he’s empowered here, in his own job, at Charter School Capital. “I’m allowed by the leadership members that I work with to constantly be thinking outside the box and find creative solutions … if you see something that needs doing, you just go do it. And then if you see a need that we have, by all means, take it, run with it and make it your own. Empowerment here actually equals creativity and flexibility,” Corey explained.
He recognizes that this spirit of empowerment has a broad effect on the entire CSC team as he seen coworker after coworker “not only growing their careers but growing as people.” He’s seen so many people move up in the organization because, in large part, they’re empowered to “think outside the box they were put in.”

“Empowerment here actually equals creativity and flexibility.” ~Corey Brock

Empowered to Face Challenges

I asked Corey how he felt CSC’s spirit of empowerment plays a part in helping employees overcome any challenges they may face. He was unhesitant in his response. “The leadership has empowered me to take on challenges, and this shows me that they trust my work and that, in turn, fosters trust. They don’t give you work you can’t handle—and there’s no fail here. Yes, there are times that maybe things didn’t go as planned, but the thing that I’ve always been impressed with is, when that happens, you’re not viewed as though you’ve failed. It’s like, OK, this is an opportunity to grow, and then … how do we move on from here?”
“I’m also empowered to speak up. I feel more empowered to raise my hand when I see something going off the rails or something’s just not working. This is one of the few places that I’ve ever worked at that I actually have a voice.”

Empowering Charter Schools

After feeling inspired and ready to conquer the world based on Corey’s explanations of how our leaders empower employees here to be creative and innovative without fear, I really wanted to understand how he thinks all of this translates to our customers. How do we empower our charter school partners in the same way we inspire that spirit internally?

“I’m so comfortable with everyone I work with, especially leadership, and I feel like that comes from the empowerment that they have given to me. The spirit of CSC is that whatever you do, whatever your role is, whatever you are brought in to do you, you are part of the success. I truly feel that they have my back, and that is extremely inspiring.” ~Corey Brock

“One of our mottos is ‘We’re here to help,’ and we are. Our schools are not static, cookie-cutter organizations. They have a plan or a mission, and sometimes they need a little assistance reaching their goals. We’re empowered to help them to do that. We as a company, and we as employees have to be able to be as creative and flexible as possible to meet their specific needs at specific times, help them improve their financial health, or just help them grow … and we empower our schools by giving them the stability that they may need,” shares Corey.
“Our founders and employees are incredibly passionate about charter schools. I’m excited to be a part of a mission-driven company where everybody really is here to support the birth of these charter schools and help them be successful.”
He goes on to explain that we partner with our schools to balance each other’s’ strengths. “We’re saying, you don’t need to worry about x, y, and z. You can focus on what you’re really trying to accomplish. Let us worry about this part of for you.” To me, that feels empowering. By doing what we do best, we enable school leaders to focus on their true goals—educating students.

Conclusion

I feel like the best leaders I’ve ever had were those who saw my strengths and enabled me to find and implement creative, innovative solutions to challenges without fear of failure. And what I’ve learned from Corey, is Charter School Capital understands that by empowering each team member in this way, we’re ultimately empowering the success and growth of the charter schools we serve—and the charter movement as a whole. These words, these values, are not just lip service here at CSC, “Words like best-in-class, and empowerment … they are in our daily, our hourly lexicon,” says Corey. “They are just part of our culture now.”

Charter School Bills Introduced in the California Legislature

Last Friday was the bill introduction deadline for the California legislature. At the close of business, thousands of bills were ‘placed across the desk.’ Now that the deadline has passed the legislature will begin holding policy hearings on each proposal. After the introduction, the bills can still be amended at several points in the process and several bills were introduced as ‘spot bills.’ Spot bills are bills that have been introduced stating that they will change a section of law but are not fully amended yet.

Below are bills that we identified which could impact charter schools in California:

AB 1743 by Assemblyman Chu would require all public school students to complete a course in college and career preparedness in order to receive a high school diploma.
AB 1871 by Assemblyman Bonta would require a charter school to provide each needy pupil with one nutritional free or reduced-price meal.
AB 2011 by Assemblyman Kiley would exempt non-classroom based charter schools from geographical restrictions for state-mandated purposes.
AB 2082 by Assemblywoman Garcia would prohibit Teach for America teachers from being assigned to any California public school that has at least 40% of its pupils coming from low-income families as defined by the federal Elementary and Secondary Act of 1965.
AB 2289 by Assemblywoman Weber would include as an excused absence, 4 absences per school year to care for a sick child, which a doctor’s note is not required for. The bill would also allow a parenting pupil who expects to give birth up to 6 weeks of parental leave or 8 weeks of parental leave for a caesarian section birth or birth with complications and allow a parenting pupil not giving birth up to 4 weeks of parental leave after birth.
AB 2291 by Assemblyman Chiu would require schools and charter schools to annually provide an online bullying training module, developed by the Department of Education, to certificated school-site employees.
AB 2601 by Assemblywoman Webber would mandate that charter school students in grades 7 -12 receive comprehensive sexual health and HIV prevention education.
AB 2891 by Assemblyman Holden would authorize the governing body of a charter school to enter into a College Career Access partnership with an agreement with the governing board of a community college district.
AB 3058 by Assemblyman O’Donnell would require a charter school to notify the county superintendent of schools of their location, in that county, 60 days prior to commencing operations.
AB 3167 by Assemblyman O’Donnell would require a charter school to reply to inquiries from the Superintendent of Public Instruction within 30 days of the request.
Additionally, AB 2488 by Assemblyman O’Donnell is a school bond measure which includes funds for charter schools and traditional schools and SB 1216 by Senator Glazer is a charter school spot bill that has yet to be amended.

If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me at branchejones@gmail.com.

NEW WEBINAR: Essential Steps for Facilities Planning Webinar

Interested in learning more about charter school facilities planning? Join us on February 27th 9am PT/12pm ET for this informative webinar on everything you need to know about planning for your next facility or facility expansion! You’ll hear from Freddy Mendoza, Assistant Principal & Teacher from Arizona College Prep Academy and Jon Dahlberg, VP of Business Development & Facilities at Charter School Capital as they share their perspectives on the charter school facilities landscape and how to properly plan a facilities project. They’ll touch on how to balance your team’s facility dreams with your budget and even share some pitfalls you can avoid so you can take away actionable insights on what considerations you need to make when planning a facility project for your school.

JON DAHLBERG

Vice President of Business Development & Facilities, Charter School Capital

Jon brings years of financial experience to the Charter School Capital team, along with his plethora of vibrant socks and bowties. A graduate of Bethel University, with a Bachelor’s in Accounting, Jon has more than 25 years experience in financial services. Prior to joining Charter School Capital, Jon spent more than a decade at Wells Fargo, where he rose to Vice President for Product Management.

FREDDY MENDOZA

Founder and Teacher, Arizona College Prep Academy

Freddy involves himself in his community and has been participating in the improvement of Arizona’s Public Education System for more than a decade. He has created many paths to hook students through music, sports, art and other co-curricular opportunities. Freddy founded the Southern Arizona Athletic Association which offers sporting opportunities to over 500 student athletes in the Tucson area.

The following information was taken from the California Charter School Association:

California Charter School Facilities Funding & Flexibility in Jeopardy – Learn More & Act Now

The Charter School Facility Grant Program (SB 740) is a major source of funding for qualifying charter schools leasing private facilities. This year the Governor has proposed an increase of $28.3 million for the program – a major win – but the California State Legislature must still approve this increase. However, we have serious concerns because the proposed Budget Trailer Bill would impose new rules which may impact your funding.
The proposal would eliminate an automatic funding backfill when the program is oversubscribed. This would likely result in funding cuts to all program participants beginning this year! The new rules would also cap annual grant increases to statewide COLA rates without consideration of the many conditions that cause lease cost increases. If enacted, these changes could be devastating to charter schools that receive this funding.
Send a letter to the Education Budget Subcommittees to support the funding increase and oppose these restrictive new rules by March 1^st.

Download this template letter
Customize the letter
Sign the letter
Put it on your organizations’ letterhead (if applicable)
Scan and send the letter to Carson Eades at ceades@ccsa.organd we’ll deliver the letters to subcommittee members for you!

April is for Advocacy!

In the past five-years, CCSA has hosted Charter School Advocacy Day in Sacramento. The impact of that event was significant, but with so many key issues decided in April, charter advocates must be present earlier and more often.
One day is not enough.
Plan now to join charter school advocates in Sacramento at a time when legislators consider issues that will significantly impact charter school students – like additional SB 740 facilities funding. Choose any Tuesday in April to make your voice heard! To learn more and register by Friday, March 23, click here.

Participate in the Scholar Dollar’s Program!

The State Treasurer’s office is currently promoting their ScholarShare 529’s Scholar Dollars Grant Program which will award more than $300,000 to California’s K-8 public and charter schools in 2018. This is your school’s chance to earn additional funding for your school while encouraging participation in the state-sponsored college savings plan. You can learn more about how to register your school and how to participate at www.myscholardollars.com

We are less than 40 days away– 25th Annual California Charter Schools Conference

The 25th Annual California Charter Schools Conference will be held March 26 to 28, 2018, in San Diego, CA. With thought-provoking speakers, in-depth programming and fun networking events–you don’t want to miss the largest annual gathering of charter school professionals in the state. To register, visit the conference website at charterconference.org and for complete descriptions, speaker bios and to explore the entire 2018 program, visit the Program Search page. You can search by programming topics, date, grade level, audience and time of day. We look forward to seeing you in sunny San Diego!

At the Capitol: Statewide Advocacy webpage: Track current legislation and regulations, schedule a legislative visit and more.
State Budget Update webpage: Find out how the state budget impacts charter schools
Have questions related to legislation or regulations? Email Government Affairs or call: (916) 448-0995, ext 308.

The Ultimate Guide to Charter School Facility Financing: Straightforward advice on planning, financing options, getting approved, and choosing a partner.
Does finding that perfect facility for your school seem like a huge, complex undertaking? Well, you’re not alone…it’s the greatest challenge faced by charter schools across the country. We understand that most charter school leaders aren’t financial or real estate experts, and for a good reason—you’re focused 100% on educating children. And, you want the best for them. Planning and financing any facility project is complex, time-consuming, and has the potential to distract your team from its core mission: serving your students.
This manual covers our perspectives on the charter school facilities financing landscape market and provides practical and actionable advice on planning and realistically balancing your team’s facility dreams with budget realities. We also cover the four primary funding structures that charter schools use to finance facilities: cash, banks, bonds, and long-term leases. Download this free guide to get all of your facilities questions answered!
In it, you’ll get straightforward, actionable advice on:

Facilities planning
Financing options
Getting approved
Choosing a partner

DOWNLOAD NOW

Florida Legislative and Constitutional Revision Commission Update

This article was co-written by Kevin Burgess, Client Service Representative at Charter School Capital and Larry Williams, DPL, Owner/Managing Partner, Larry Williams Consulting LLC

This year’s legislative session is shaping up to be just as lively as last’s year’s for charter schools in Florida. The Education Committee in the Florida House of Representatives introduced HB 7055 an extensive education bill that deals with many topics including some that should be of interest to charter schools.
The highlights for charter schools of HB 7055 are:
School Leader Preparation Programs:

The bill allows charter schools and charter management organizations to submit applications to establish Level I and Level II leader preparation programs or program renewals.

Deferral of Opening:

The bill allows a charter school to defer opening for up to 3 years, rather than two.

Surplus Facilities:

The bill requires that tangible personal property that has been properly classified as surplus, marked for disposal, or otherwise unused by a district school board must be provided for a charter school’s use on the same basis as it is made available to other public schools in the district. A charter school receiving such property may not sell or dispose of the property without written permission of the school district.

High Performing Charter Schools:

The bill revises the criteria determining a high-quality charter school by also allowing a school that receives two consecutive grades of “A” to be determined a high-performing charter school. It allows a high-performing charter school to replicate up to two new schools that substantially replicate one of its high-performing schools. For those schools qualifying under the two consecutive grades of “A” provision, the bill revises the financial eligibility requirements to require only 2 years of financial audits that received an unqualified opinion and no state of financial emergency.
The bill clarifies that the increase in student enrollment may occur as long as it does not exceed the capacity of the facility at the time of enrollment, rather than the original capacity of the facility, allowing a charter school that has expanded its original facility or has access to additional facilities, to increase enrollment without being limited to the original facility capacity.
The bill also provides that facility capacity for purposes of grade level expansion must include any improvements to an existing facility or any new facility in which a majority of the students of the high performing charter school will enroll.

Charter School Contracts:

The bill revises the initial term of a charter to 5 years. The bill allows a planning period of 1 year in addition to the 5-year charter.
The bill specifies that, in the event of a termination or nonrenewal, the sponsor must have clear and convincing evidence that one of the disqualifying factors occurred. The bill also specifies that a violation of law must be material in order to constitute a disqualifying factor.
The bill revises the hearing procedures once a charter school receives its notice of termination or nonrenewal by removing the option for the school district to conduct a direct hearing. The hearing must be conducted by an administrative law judge within 90 days after receipt of the request for a hearing, and the administrative law judge must issue the final order. The administrative law judge must also award the prevailing party reasonable attorney fees and costs incurred during the administrative proceeding and any appeals.
The charter school governing board may, within 30 calendar days after receiving the judge’s final order, appeal the decision pursuant to s. 120.68, F.S.
The bill also revises the ability of charter schools to modify their charter due to consolidation and provides that a charter school with a school grade of “C” or higher that closes as part of a consolidation must be reported by the school district as a consolidation.
Services provided to a Charter School by a School District: If a dispute regarding a contract to provide goods and services cannot be resolved through mediation, an appeal may be made to an administrative law judge appointed by the Division of Administrative Hearings, rather than the Charter School Appeals Commission. The administrative law judge has final order authority to rule on the dispute and shall award the prevailing party reasonable attorney fees and costs incurred during the mediation process, administrative proceeding, and any appeals, to be paid by the non-prevailing party.

Background Screening:

If a charter school has their employees undergo background screening through the school district in which the charter school is located, the bill requires the district to provide the background screening results of its governing board members and instructional and non-instructional personnel to the charter school within 14 days after submission of the fingerprints. If the district fails to do so, the fees for the screening must be reimbursed.

Charter School Capital Outlay:

The bill specifies that charter school capital outlay funds consist of state funds when such funds are provided. However, if in any given fiscal year the amount of state funds for charter school capital outlay is not equal to or is less than the average charter school capital outlay funds per unweighted full-time equivalent student for the 2018-2019 fiscal year, multiplied by the estimated number of charter school students for the applicable fiscal year, and adjusted by changes in the Consumer Price Index from the previous year, charter school capital outlay funding shall also consist of revenue resulting from the discretionary 1.5 millage authorized in s. 1011.71(2), F.S.
The bill modifies the calculation for distributing discretionary millage revenue to eligible charter schools by clarifying that the debt service obligation that can be reduced from the distribution is the debt service obligation incurred by March 1, 2017, which has not subsequently been retired.
The bill requires each school district, annually by October 1, to certify to the DOE the amount of debt service and the participation requirement can be reduced from the total discretionary millage revenue. The Auditor General must verify compliance during scheduled operation audits of school districts.
The bill further provides that if aggregate lease-purchase agreement payments, including lease purchase agreements entered into before June 30, 2009, exceed three-fourths of the discretionary millage proceeds, the district may not withhold the administrative fees authorized in law 113 from any charter school operating in the school district.
As of the first full week of February 2018 discussions in the Florida House of Representatives are centered on Capital Outlay. The latest proposal eliminates the school districts’ obligation to share local property tax revenue with charter schools — at least in the first year.
Florida House of Representatives HB 7055, would set a benchmark for charter school capital outlay. That benchmark would be the amount of state capital funding in next year’s state budget — $120 million. The benchmark would increase each year, based on two factors – inflation and the growth of charter school enrollment. This would hold charter school capital funding constant in future years, on a per-student basis, at whatever the level lawmakers set in the 2018-19 budget. Should state charter school capital funding ever decrease below that set amount, then school districts would have to make up the difference with local property tax monies.

What does this mean, and what’s next?
Under HB 7055, the Districts’ could have the obligation to share local property tax funds with charter schools in the future, but for the time being this latest proposal might just help to solve the rift between the school districts and the legislature as seen in the multiple lawsuits over last year’s HB 7069.
The full House passed H.B. 7055 on February 8^th and it will now be sent to the Senate for consideration. Since HB 7055 was introduced as a committee bill rather than a member bill, it does not require a companion bill in the Senate to be considered. Additionally, the House has language in its version of the budget that makes passing of the budget contingent on passing HB 7055 or similar legislation, ensuring that HB 7055 will be included in budget negotiations when the House and Senate begin budget conference committee meetings later this month to iron out a final budget.
Meanwhile, in the Florida Senate, the Education Committee has introduced SB 1434. This bill provides that a charter school is not eligible to receive capital outlay funds if the chair of the charter school governing board and the chief administrative officer of the charter school do not annually certify under oath that the funds will be used solely and exclusively for constructing, renovating, or improving charter school facilities that are owned by: (1) A school district, a political subdivision of the state, a municipality, a Florida College System institution or a state university; or, (2) An organization that is qualified as an exempt organization under the Internal Revenue Code whose articles of incorporation specify that, upon the organizations dissolution, the subject property will be transferred to a school district, a political subdivision of the state, a municipality, a Florida College System institution, or a state university. The revised eligibility requirements may result in a change in the number of charter schools that receive capital outlay funds.
As for the Florida Constitution Revision Commission (CRC), there are two proposals proposed by Commissioner Erika Donalds that have cleared the CRC Education Committee and are now on their way to the full commission for consideration. Currently the Florida state constitution gives 67 county-wide school districts almost exclusive authority to operate all free public schools within their geographic boundary. Proposal #45 contains specific language that firmly establishes the Florida Legislature’s authority in setting policy relating to free public education. This provision could very well pave the way for legislators to establish an alternative state charter school authorizer. The second proposal # 71 contains language that give the Florida Legislature broad latitude in authorizing the establishment of public schools within the state. Both of these proposals increases the constitutional authority of the Legislature with regards to state-wide public education, including public schools, in whatever manner the Legislature may desire.
While the proposed legislation and constitutional revisions may undergo further change before the legislative session ends in March and the constitutional revisions are brought to the voters in Florida, this gives you an idea of what is happening in Tallahassee now…

UPDATE fromLarry Williams, DPL, Owner/Managing Partner, Larry Williams Consulting LLC: February 24, 2018

While House Speaker Corcoran wanted this bill to be included with the appropriation bills that will ultimately go to budget conference, the Senate President Negron for the moment has ruled that out and has opted to send it through the Senate committee process the same as any other bill sent from the House to the Senate with no Senate bill companion. The Senate referred the bill to the Education Committee and Appropriations Committee, and was heard this past week in the Education Committee.
Senator Pasadomo is running the bill in the Senate and offered a strike-all amendment removing some major portions of the House version of the bill, but keeping some major issues intact such as the Hope Scholarship and the language addressing education unions. There were a number of amendments offered during the committee meeting, and several were adopted including one that removed the union language. There is much more to this story, but suffice it to say the Senate version of this bill is now significantly different from the House version and there will be a great deal of work to bring the two in-line to pass both chambers.
Budget negotiations always hinge on resolving policy issues between the two chambers, and this session is no different. Leadership in both the House and Senate will have to come to agreement on this and a few other issues before serious budget talks can begin.

If you want to learn more about Charter School Capital’s funding options or schedule time with a client services representative get started here:

GET STARTED

Some Charter School Enrollment Practices Under Scrutiny: ACLU Aims Spotlight on Arizona

The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that all children with disabilities ages three through 21 are entitled to a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for employment and independent living. This right is not a “special program” that charter schools can restrict. Instead, it is a right to attend public schools, including charter schools, to the same extent as non-disabled students are able.

Why Arizona is in the Spotlight for Charter School Enrollment Practices

As stated in a recent study by the ACLU of Arizona, out of the 471 charter schools that the ACLU of Arizona was able to analyze, the ACLU believes that at least 262 (56 percent) have policies that are clear violations of the law or discourage the enrollment of certain students, including students with disabilities, students who struggle academically, students with disciplinary history, and students from immigrant families. For instance, the investigation found six charter schools have an enrollment cap on the number of students with special education needs, which violates federal and state law.
The ACLU presented their “Schools Choosing Students” report to the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools (ASBCS) at its last meeting, and asked ASBCS to take immediate action against schools that are not complying with the law. “This report should be a wake-up call to Arizona charter schools that they are not fulfilling their ‘school choice’ promise,” said Alessandra Soler, executive director of the ACLU of Arizona. “Education leaders must act to remove discriminatory barriers to public charter school enrollment so that all students have an equal opportunity to attend a charter school if that’s what the student’s family wants,” stated Soler.
To learn a bit more about this and get some recommendations for how charter schools should best proceed, we spoke with Lynne Adams with the law firm Osborn Maledon in Phoenix, Arizona.
Adams shares that “ASBCS President, Kathy Senseman, made it clear that the Board was on the same page as the ACLU on this one, calling the practice of placing a cap on special education student enrollment ‘blatantly illegal,’ ‘absolutely illegal,’ and promising that the Board ‘will enforce the law’ with respect to such violations.” Adams pointed out that ASBCS has recently issued guidance warning against such practices, which is also consistent with guidance provided by the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) and the Arizona Charter Schools Association.

NOTE: If your child receives special education services, (s)he must have an Individualized Education Program (IEP). That’s the law. An IEP is an important legal document. It spells out your child’s learning needs, the services the school will provide and how progress will be measured. The IEP is meant to address each child’s unique learning issues and include specific educational goals. It is a legally binding document. The school must provide everything it promises in the IEP.
The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) is a federal law that guarantees all children with disabilities to have access to a “free appropriate public education,” often referred to by its initials – FAPE – that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education.
This means that special education is not considered a special program, it is a required service allowing special needs children to access the same curriculum as other students.

Not in Arizona? What does this mean for your charter school?

Adams warns that charter schools need to be paying close attention to their own enrollment practices.

Are you following both your local AND federal laws?
Do you admit special education students on the same terms as other students?
Do your enrollment documents ask questions about whether a potential student has an IEP, has been disciplined by a previous school or needs accommodations for a disability?

Failure to admit all eligible students on the same terms could subject your school to the same scrutiny—and even closures—as some Arizona schools may be facing.
Pay particular attention if you ask on charter school enrollment applications whether a prospective student has an IEP or Section 504 plan. According to Adams, “The Office for Civil Rights has taken the position that, in general, such information may only be asked after enrollment. (OCR FAQ) Many schools believe that it is essential to gather such information prior to enrollment in order to ensure continuity of services. However, if you include such questions in your enrollment application, you should consider including an explicit statement confirming that such information ‘is requested solely for purposes of ensuring continuity of services upon enrollment,’ and that it ‘will not be considered in making enrollment decisions.’”
“Despite the fact that the ACLU has primarily and presently focused its attention on Arizona schools, this should be a proverbial ‘canary in a coal mine’ warning, putting charter schools across the country on high alert,” says Adams. This is likely the next wave of attacks on the charter school movement—analyzing their practices to determine whether their doors really are open to all students.

Lynn Adams is a partner with Osborn Maledon, in the firm’s commercial litigation group. Her practice focuses on education law and complex commercial litigation. She represents numerous charter schools, traditional public schools, community colleges and universities in regulatory matters and litigation, and provides them with on-going legal advice, including compliance with Arizona’s open meeting and public records laws.
If you wish to contact Ms. Adams, you can connect with her via email: Ladams@omlaw.com
And, if you have any questions or comments on this subject, we’d love to hear them. Please add them here.

Charter School Resource:
Flexibility for Accountability, Why Charter Schools Succeed

Editor’s Note: This is a great charter school resource! It’s a short video and blog post originally published here by POLICYed and contributing scholar Macke Raymond. We think it’s vital to keep tabs on the pulse of all things related to charter schools, including informational resources, and how to support charter school growth. We hope you find this—and any other article we curate—both interesting and valuable.

Why do charter schools succeed, even in the most underserved areas? The answer is in the way they’re structured. Charter schools are granted the flexibility to operate in exchange for accountability of their students’ achievement. They are granted the flexibility to design and run schools for fixed periods of time. But they must be transparent with their academic and financial performance and meet strict academic standards in order to continue to stay open. Therefore, charter schools are highly motivated to improving student performance, and that’s the accountability piece. It’s this policy framework that allows education outcomes to improve for students. Because of the flexibility in how they’re structured, charter schools can make changes as they learn what works best. Traditional public schools don’t have the same flexibility. It is crucial to close charter schools that aren’t doing well, making way for new schools to take their place. This is one of the most important innovations to public schools in decades.

Some Key Facts:

Charter schools succeed because they operate within the framework of flexibility and accountability.
Charter schools improve student achievement even in impoverished areas.
Charter schools are allowed to be flexible in how they operate in exchange for being accountable for their results.
Charte schools that do not improve student achievement should be closed in order to allow better performing schools to take their place.

Charter School Resource FAQs:

What is a charter school?

A charter school is an independently run public school granted greater flexibility in its operations, in return for greater accountability for performance. The “charter” establishing each school is a performance contract detailing the school’s program, students served, performance goals, and methods of assessment.

Are charter schools all the same?

No. Charter schools can vary a great deal in their design and results.

What’s the difference between a charter school, public school, and private school?

Charter schools are public schools of choice, meaning that families choose them for their children. They operate with freedom from some of the regulations that are imposed upon district schools. Charter schools are accountable for academic results and for upholding the promises made in their charters. They must demonstrate performance in the areas of academic achievement, financial management, and organizational stability. If a charter school does not meet performance goals, it may be closed.
Private schools, on the other hand, are self-funded and primarily rely on tuition, grants, donations, and endowments. They are completely autonomous and can offer curriculum not regulated by state standards.

How are charter schools funded?

Charter schools are public schools. Like district public schools, they are funded according to enrollment (also called average daily attendance, or ADA), and receive funding from the district and the state according to the number of students attending.

Can charter schools deny low-performing students?

No, charter schools are public schools and thus must accept any students who are eligible to attend. Just like public schools, they are not allowed to prevent students from attending their school. If the charter school is oversubscribed however, meaning more students apply for positions in the charter school than are eligible, the charter school will hold a random lottery for admittance. It may not pick and choose students who based on arbitrary criteria like test scores, family income, or English proficiency.

Working exclusively with charter schools, we know there are two foundational elements for success – financial stability and the freedom to focus on educational programs. We help charter school leaders around the country by providing access to the resources necessary for stability and growth. Whether your charter is growing enrollment, expanding facilities, implementing new programs, hiring teachers, or has other operational needs, Charter School Capital has the resources to help. Our team will work with you to plan for growth and replication, streamline cash flow and other operational needs, and finance facilities expansion—so you can stay focused on what’s most important – educating your students. We’d love to chat.

In this school spotlight, we’re so proud to share how Charter School Capital helped Arizona College Prep Academy (ACPA), an Arizona charter school, finance their growth and expansion by providing the funding to purchase a new facility.

Arizona College Prep Academy

Planning, locating and securing facilities is challenging for most charter schools, as Arizona College Prep Academy in Tucson learned through experience.
The school opened in 1997 as an affiliate of AmeriSchools network and became an independent charter school in 2012. Growing and in need of a new facility, the school administrators were faced with unexpected challenges. Banks would not provide funding because they viewed Arizona College Prep as a new school and therefore a very high risk. Likewise, the school was ineligible for start-up school funds because it was a pre-established charter transfer. In an effort to find the resources they desperately needed, school officials contacted several third-party funding organizations. However, none came through. Enter Charter School Capital, the only organization with both the ability and desire to help.
“It was a blessing to find Charter School Capital,” says Freddy Mendoza, assistant principal at Arizona College Prep. “Working with them has been great. They have been very responsive, very communicative and very much about the school and the kids.” Introduced through the Arizona Charter School Association, the two organizations are happy to celebrate a multi-year partnership. Through this partnership, Charter School Capital has been able to help open doors for Arizona College Prep Academy.

The Challenge

The greatest challenge was finding a facility that met the school’s unique requirements. Most available commercial buildings are too large, too small or don’t meet code specifications for schools. Charter School Capital was able to offer not only financing for the building but expertise in charter school facilities planning as well.
“We couldn’t have even looked at a building like this without Charter School Capital,” says Mendoza. “They made deals available to us that wouldn’t have been otherwise. Once the deal was made, they were critical in helping us understand what we needed to do. Their team made it easy for us.”

The Solution

Charter School Capital provided the financing necessary to purchase the property and now leases that property to Arizona College Prep Academy.
Charter School Capital will retain ownership of the facility, alleviating the need for the school to spend time focused on building repairs and maintenance and instead focus on their mission – educating kids.

“We couldn’t have even looked at a building like this without Charter School Capital.”
~Freddy Mendoza
Assistant Principal, Arizona College Prep Academy

Results

Arizona College Prep will have the option to take ownership of the property in the future but for now, they appreciate the time to focus on their staff and students, making everyone comfortable in their new home and letting the community know the school is open for enrollment.
“Obviously this is a business deal and we look at the numbers but the focus keeps coming back to how we educate these students, which is what we value. Charter School Capital’s process of getting to know our school and what we’re about was great.”

Do you need to expand, renovate, or move your charter school? We’d love to support you. It’s our mission to help you educate more students, so we focus on providing products and services that enable you to meet – and exceed – both your growth and facility goals. When you succeed, we succeed—it’s that simple.