August 2020 - Grow Schools

As schools reopen and students once again fill the nation’s classrooms (physically and remotely), charter schools in all states are facing the challenging task of keeping kids safe.

We’ve assembled a list of resources – from the NEA, the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools and from other authoritative sources – all designed to empower charter school leaders to make sound decisions and put effective measures in place to create safe environments.

As we pore through these materials, several key pieces of guidance emerge:

Prepare the school campus for physically-distanced learning
- Smaller groups per classroom,
- Barriers and distance markers in place,
- Plenty of sanitizer and cleaning tools available,
- Improvements to air circulation and indoor air quality
Set up protocols for contingencies
- What to do if a teacher or staff shows symptoms,
- What to do if a student shows symptoms or tests positive,
- What to do if the school needs to close again.
Empower teachers and students with the right tools
- Ensure there’s PPE, sanitizer, cleaning stations
Set up protocols and educate students to follow these
- Teach students to avoid physical contact,
- Teach students not to share phones, toys, books, etc.,
- Teach students to properly keep physical distance

Additionally, guidance includes aspects of social equity and inclusiveness.

Ensure all remote students have access to the proper equipment and connectivity,
Ensure special-needs students have needed accommodations,
Ensure masks don’t impede hearing-impaired students from understanding teachers

This is not an inclusive list. Please refer to this previous post for links to comprehensive sources. What we aimed to accomplish in this post is to give you a contextual view of the areas to address, and key things to keep in mind.
Also, depending on how badly-affected the area and city around the school might be, measures would of course become more stringent. The goal is to facilitate learning while doing our utmost to protect the health of our students.

We hope this has been helpful. Make sure to click here for more.

Schools all over the United States are abuzz with discussions about reopening. How to reopen safely, how to implement physical barriers, how to allocate space for proper social distancing, how to stagger classes, how to accommodate for virtual learning.

In this commotion a key component for student health and safety is the issue of air ventilation.

America’s school buildings are old (on average 42 years old). And while an aging school building can cause hazards in several areas, nothing compares to the threat posed by Coronavirus in buildings with poor air ventilation.

A report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office states that a full 41 percent of school districts need to update or replace their heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems (HVAC) in at least half of their schools.

We urge school leaders to be proactive in addressing the quality of air ventilation in their school building/s.

A great place to start is a consultation with an HVAC expect.

Charter School Capital has teamed up with BioStar Renewables to help school leaders improve the air quality in their schools.

Learn more at our upcoming Webinar on August 26!

As described in a recent article from the Charter School Development Center (CSDC), the proposed California budget bill AB-77 (supported by both Governor Newsom and the Legislature) would base 2020-21 school-year funding based on 2019-20 attendance.

Because the State of California funds charter schools and school districts based on their average daily attendance (ADA) , this would significantly affect growing schools – many of which have already hired additional staff, and purchased books, material and equipment, and in some cases expanded their facilities to accommodate for a larger student body.

According to CSDC, “Given the general lack of support for non-classroom-based charter schools in the Legislature, prospects for a broader fix are troubling. Even the proposed Newsom Administration “fix” is far from a done deal. We anticipate the Legislature is likely to support it, but it will likely take up the issue next week and would need to enact any legislation on point before the August 31 constitutional deadline to pass bills for this year. The last-minute nature of the growth cap, tight deadlines, and the Legislature’s lack of public engagement during the pandemic all make advocacy especially challenging.

Notwithstanding these challenges, CSDC suggests that all charter school leaders, parents, and stakeholders, including those from classroom-based ones that may support the proposed “fix,” contact their legislators to advocate for expanding the proposed growth funding cap to address all charter school students/families, including those served by non-classroom-based schools and do the same with Governor Newsom.”

This year when the California Legislature passed their budget they did not provide funding for growing schools, both traditional and charter schools. In the education budget trailer bill, SB 98, the CA Legislature held school district and charter school funding harmless at the 2019 – 2020 levels which essentially capped funding and provides no new dollars for additional students enrolled in the 2020 – 2021 school year.

This created a lot of acrimony and opposition from different sectors in the education community. Governor Newsom acknowledged the issue, in a message to the legislature, when he signed the budget trailer bill urging them to craft a targeted solution for the funding issue.

Due to this lack of funding four charter schools have filed a lawsuit against the state and numerous education reform groups are lobbying the legislature to address the issue. The legislature adjourns for the year on August 31st so the race is on to enact a fix.

The Department of Finance has released their first draft of language to provide a legislative fix. Though it might work for some traditional schools it is not an ideal fix for charter schools. Additionally, the language specifically leaves non-classroom based charter schools out of the fix. There is no policy rationale to cut off funding for students deciding to change schools during this pandemic that is gripping the nation.

Many non-classroom based charter schools experience growth throughout the year and the COVID – 19 virus has seen these numbers increase for the 2020 – 2021 school year.

I urge you to call your legislator and advocate that they fund all students in California, regardless of what public school they attend. It is an issue of equity and fairness that should not be taken lightly.

You can use this website to locate which Assembly and Senate district that you reside in: FindYourRep.Legislature.ca.gov.

Today we celebrate Mr. Dewey’s Birthday.
Richard Dewey was the third-grade teacher of our Founder and President Stuart Ellis.

In his 37 years of teaching, Mr. Dewey was a mentor to many teachers and countless students, and a special mentor to Stuart. It was this outstanding educator’s legacy and commitment to teaching excellence that inspired our Dewey Awards – an annual Grant that honors accomplished teachers, and rewards charter schools with three $1,000 gifts per year.“

Mr. Dewey fundamentally changed the way I thought about myself – and really made me believe I could accomplish anything in life” – said Stuart as he described the origins of the Dewey Awards at Charter School Capital.

Mr. Dewey’s extensive career included classroom experience with gifted students, contributions as a K-12 administrator, work in teacher mentorship and certification and in curriculum development, teaching at University level and working with teacher task groups. He was also a gifted musician who composed, arranged music and conducted choirs.

We join Richard’s loving wife of 53 years, his three sons and 11 grandchildren in remembering him with great fondness.“Every adult I talked to, they could think back and they could see that one inspirational teacher who really changed everything for them,” says Stuart. “He still inspires me.”

Did you have a teacher like that? Comment below with your favorite teacher and a note about how they impacted your life.