Month: September 2023

Buying, building, or upgrading your school’s facility isn’t a single decision — it’s five different paths, each with its own timeline. Staying in your current space with a modified lease can take as little as 6–7 months. Building new construction from scratch averages 13 or more months. Getting the timeline right, before you commit to a path, is what keeps a facility project from disrupting a school year it wasn’t supposed to touch.

Why Buy Your School Building

Buying gives your school three things a lease can’t:

  • Stability. Ownership makes your school a permanent fixture in your community, rather than a tenant subject to a landlord’s plans.
  • A financial asset. Building ownership builds equity over time instead of paying down someone else’s mortgage.
  • Autonomy. You control your own improvements and expansion timeline, instead of negotiating every change with a landlord.

The challenge most charter leaders run into isn’t wanting to buy — it’s the same one every school faces: needing more space while working within real budget constraints.

Today’s School Buying Landscape

The market conditions shaping charter school facility decisions have shifted since this was last updated, and they’re worth knowing before you set a timeline:

  • Construction costs are still climbing. Construction inputs are running roughly 40% higher than early 2020 levels, with costs still increasing another 5% or so year-over-year.¹
  • Tariffs are a real line item now. Steel, aluminum, and imported metal furniture — all common in school construction — currently face tariffs as high as 50%, which shows up directly in a construction budget.¹
  • Skilled labor is tight. Roughly 61% of U.S. metro markets are currently supply-constrained for construction labor, a number expected to keep climbing.¹ That means less flexibility in your contractor’s schedule, so build in buffer time.
  • Borrowing costs have room to plan around. Commercial real estate loan rates currently range roughly 5%–12.5% depending on the loan type and your school’s financial profile, after the Federal Reserve cut rates through the second half of 2025 and held steady into 2026.² A specific rate quote depends on your school’s financials — but it’s a very different environment than it was even two years ago, and worth revisiting if you last checked rates a while back.

Given these conditions, charter school leaders benefit from a strategic, not reactive, approach to facilities.

students playing basketball outside the SET school building

Strategic Approaches to Your Facility Decision

There are three broad paths: stay in your current space, buy your own building, or take on new construction. A few ways to make any of them work harder for your budget:

  • Phase the work. Phased construction or renovation lets you manage cash flow instead of financing everything at once.
  • Right-size your space. Define the space your mission actually requires before you go looking — it’s easy to overbuild.
  • Look at what you already have. Renting out unused space, or repurposing an underused wing, can generate funds toward your next project.
  • Watch the market and move when it aligns. Conditions shift; the school that’s ready to act when a good opportunity appears has an advantage over one that’s just starting to plan.

Three Financial Benchmarks Worth Tracking

  • Average Daily Attendance (ADA): Aim to fill at least 80% of your facility’s capacity based on ADA, so you’re not paying for space you don’t need.
  • Rent-to-Revenue Ratio: Keep revenue at least 5–6 times your lease costs for financial stability.
  • Coverage Ratio: Keep net income at least 120% of your lease costs to protect your school’s financial health.

How Far in Advance to Plan: Timeline by Scenario

How early you need to start depends entirely on which path you’re on. Based on Grow Schools’s underwriting experience across charter school facility transactions,³ here’s what each path typically takes from first conversation to move-in day:

Building new construction — average process 13+ months

TimingMilestone
Month 1Scope & confirm need
Months 2–3Find building & size improvements
Month 4Propose solution & execute LOI
Month 5Execute PSA/lease
Months 6–7Close on transaction
Month 8Complete prep
Months 9–12Build
Month 13Move in

Moving to a forever home with improvements — average process 9–11 months

TimingMilestone
Month 1Scope & confirm need
Month 2Propose solution & execute LOI
Month 3Execute PSA/lease
Months 4–5Close on transaction
Month 6Complete prep
Months 7–10Build
Month 11Move in

Moving to a forever home without improvements — average process 9–11 months

TimingMilestone
Month 1Scope & confirm need
Month 2Execute LOI
Month 3Execute PSA/lease
Months 4–5Close on transaction
Months 6–9Build
Month 10Move in

Staying in your current space with a modified lease — average process 6–7 months

TimingMilestone
Month 1Scope & confirm need
Month 2Execute LOI
Month 3Execute PSA/lease
Months 4–5Close on transaction
Month 6Move in

Staying in your current space with your lease as-is — average process 6–7 months

TimingMilestone
Month 1Scope & confirm need
Month 2Execute LOI
Month 3Execute PSA/lease
Months 4–5Close on transaction
Month 6Move in

The pattern across every path: the first month (scoping and confirming need) and the final stretch (closing and moving in) are non-negotiable minimums. The variable is what happens in between — and that’s exactly where a phased approach or a clear space plan can shorten your timeline.

hands pointing at a construction plan

Building Your Facility Plan Early

Whichever path you choose, starting early gives you room for the delays every facility project runs into. A few habits that help:

  • Run an annual building audit. Know your facility’s condition and whether it can meet your needs before you’re forced to react to a problem.
  • Plan for costs beyond the purchase price. Future maintenance, energy efficiency, and your school’s growth trajectory all affect the real cost of a facility decision.
  • Review your lease and contracts now, not later. Know your lease expiration date and confirm compliance with regulations like Prop 39 well before you need to act on them.

Make an Ideal Space Plan

If buying is the right move, build a space plan around your mission and growth goals, not just your current headcount:

  • What spaces does your mission actually require?
  • How many classrooms do you need — today and in five years?
  • How many bathrooms, and how much hallway and office space?

How Grow Schools Can Help

Money to Buy Your School is Grow Schools’s facility financing solution for charter schools. We buy your building and lease it back to you, often at reduced monthly rent, with a clear path to ownership — and you can close on a property in as few as 90 days. See how the timing played out for DuBois Integrity Academy, which used a Grow Schools partnership to buy their building, then expand into additional buildings as they grew from 578 to more than 1,300 students.

Keep Learning

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to buy a school building?

It depends on the path. New construction averages 13 or more months from scoping to move-in. Moving to a forever home that needs improvements averages 9–11 months. Staying in your current space with a new or modified lease is the fastest option, averaging 6–7 months.

What’s the very first step in the timeline?

Scoping and confirming your need — typically month one on every path. This is where you define what your facility actually has to do for your school before you start evaluating buildings or contractors.

Is it a good time to buy given current construction costs?

Construction costs remain elevated — inputs are running about 40% above early-2020 levels, with continued increases expected — and tariffs on steel, aluminum, and imported furniture add to project costs.¹ That doesn’t rule out buying or building; it just makes the case for phasing construction, right-sizing your space plan, and locking in financing terms early rather than waiting.

What financial ratios should I track before committing to a facility?

Three: Average Daily Attendance at 80%+ of your facility’s capacity, a rent-to-revenue ratio of at least 5–6x, and a coverage ratio (net income to lease costs) of at least 120%.

How does Grow Schools’s facility financing work?

We buy your school and form a long-term partnership with you, leasing it back — often at reduced monthly rent, with rent increases limited to cost-of-living adjustments. Rent payments set you on a path to ownership over time.

How quickly can Grow Schools close on a building?

In as few as 90 days once you’re in the process — though as the timelines above show, the full journey from scoping your need to moving in typically takes longer, depending on which path you’re on.

Sources

  1. HB Capital RE, “CRE Construction Costs 2026: Tariffs, Labor and the Replacement Cost Advantage”; Terrapin Consulting Group, “K-12 School Construction Cost Per Square Foot (2026)”
  2. NerdWallet, “Commercial Real Estate Loan Rates for 2026”
  3. Grow Schools, internal webinar data: “Money to Buy Your School” (November 2025)

In this session, licensed mental health professional Caroline Poland joined us to answer questions on supporting teachers. She gave tips for supporting teacher mental health and well-being, including understanding the neurological aspects of trauma, practicing active listening, and fostering a positive school culture.

Join the experts as they answer all your questions live on Tuesdays on YouTube at 10am PT / 12pm CT / 1pm ET.

Read Full Transcript :

Michael Barber:
Hi, everybody. And welcome back to Tuesday Tips. I’m Michael Barber. We’ll welcome all our school leaders back as we talk about the biggest challenges facing school leaders. And today, we’ve got one of the biggest that we hear all the time and continues to be a challenge for school leaders, and that is mental health. Specifically, we’re welcoming back Caroline Poland, who joined us last week at our webinar on all things teacher mental health and wellbeing. And Caroline’s graciously come back to allow us to ask a few more questions on that webinar and have a chat of what’s coming up in the next few weeks as we tackle student mental health. So Caroline, welcome to Tuesday Tips. Thanks for joining us.
Caroline Poland:
Thank you. It’s great to be here.
Michael Barber:
Great to have you back again. So let’s hop right into the questions. By the way, if this is your first time here at Tuesday Tips, we’re here every Tuesday at 10:00 AM Pacific, 1:00 PM Eastern on our YouTube channel. We keep this chat to about 10 minutes, although I’m guessing today, based on not only just the expertise we have in the room, but some of the questions that we’ve got, we might go a little over. So maybe we’ll keep it to try and keep ourselves to 15 or so minutes, but we’ll do our best. So we’ll start with this first question. And this really gets, I think, at the heart of our conversation we had last week. But the question is this, how can understanding the neurological aspects of trauma inform a school leader’s approach to teacher wellbeing?
Caroline Poland:
That’s a great question. We’re going to talk a little bit more in detail about that next time, but I think understanding the neurobiology of trauma, what’s happening in our bodies and our nervous system when we experience a threat or a perception of any potential threat is really important because it allows us to make sense of behaviors that we’re seeing, or on the student end misbehaviors, disobedience, that we might on the surface label as one issue that underneath the surface is a very different story. So when we can understand the story as it’s being told by someone individually instead of what our perception is on the surface, then we’re better able to meet them with where they’re at and walk alongside them in their journeys. We don’t all need the same thing in a work environment. Our safety and threat perception is different. And so for school leaders, supervisors to be able to understand that each person that you supervise is different and be able to create something a little bit different for each person is really helpful in supporting their wellbeing and understanding, again, the story underneath the surface.
Michael Barber:
Yeah. You talked a lot about during our webinar the idea of listening, and that for a lot of us listening is an activity. How we define listening is not actually what listening should be, right?
Caroline Poland:
Right.
Michael Barber:
Can you unpack that a little bit? Because I think that’s important to the context of this question on the idea of actually listening versus just listening, if you will.
Caroline Poland:
Right, right. So I introduced that with a quote by Stephen Covey, not verbatim, but the biggest issue in communication is that we listen to reply and not listen to understand. And so listening can be a very passive process or it can be a very active process. And anytime we’re in a supervisory role or relationships in general, we want to be engaged in very active listening where we’re listening to understand the story underneath the story. And that comes not through our defensive replies or trying to just get our point across over and over, but really sitting back, taking on that stance of a really curious observer, you’re playing detective. So you’re flipping over every stone and saying, “I’m really going to listen to what you are saying so I can understand what this story actually is.” And then be able to better understand what we need to do moving forward to fix whatever the issue is or solve the problem. And so-
Michael Barber:
Yeah.
Caroline Poland:
… that’s the open-ended questions, reflections, affirmations, all of that.
Michael Barber:
Yeah, such good insights there. One of the things you also focused on during the webinar was the idea of culture and how it’s set from the top down. And we talked a lot about the impact of principals and school leaders and their impact on culture. I’m just wondering if you could reflect again on some of the steps that school leaders can take to actively shape that culture inside of their schools.
Caroline Poland:
Yeah. Yeah, research supports very strongly that idea that the top of organizations, principals really set the culture for everyone in the school, and that includes well-being. And so there’s several different ways that you can go about doing that. First, you want to really consider what those guiding values are of your organization. Those values and the vision that we have is the true north. And if we can focus on true north and everything that we’re doing is pointing to that, then we’re not going to lose our way. But when we take our eyes off of that vision or those values, we lose what our north is and then we can lose ourselves in the water, so to speak. And really it gets kind of confusing and takes us further away from where we want to be. So also, remember that we have to be in our regulated nervous system, our prefrontal cortex in order to hold to our values. So that’s another reason why neurobiology is so important.
But consider those guiding values. Really listen, that active listening to what our employees need. Prioritizing their mental health, and that can be done in a number of ways that we can unpack here. Embracing work-life harmony, people are of course allowed to be humans outside of work. But is that just a passive understanding or are you really encouraging that and supporting that explicitly? That’s really important. And then writing clear policies and procedures, whether that’s about workplace expectations, workplace mental health, gender harassment, discrimination, and racism, being very clear on what it is, what happens if you report it, how you’re going to be supported, and being explicit about that entire process creates a very firm foundation for mental health and wellbeing.
Michael Barber:
Yeah. So many good tips there that are both practical and I think strategic of how school leaders need to be thinking about teacher wellbeing and impacting their mental health. I’m wondering, how does school leaders and principals, how do you keep this sustained and a ongoing effort throughout the year? Because you think of the school year and there are so many highs and lows to the school year, and so many times where school leaders are under an immense amount of pressure, particularly as the context of the last few weeks. School leaders are just taking a breather and they’re dealing with immense challenges. I mean, we’ve heard from many of our school leaders, flu, COVID-19 making a huge return into schools and the impact on both their teachers and their students. Obviously making sure students are showing up for school, these stressful moments of the beginning of the year and throughout the year. Some thoughts on how school leaders and or principals can make sure that there’s a sustained and ongoing effort around teacher wellbeing and mental health?
Caroline Poland:
Right. And that’s such a challenge. We get caught in the tyranny of the urgent, and the tyranny of the urgent often takes us further away from health and wellbeing, whatever area of life we’re talking about. And I think that, again, is where it needs to be very explicit or it needs to be part of the true north guiding values that there are policies and procedures written into place so that there’s something built into the structure of that. But really practically, I think that involves building it into your schedule. Because if it’s a passive thing that fits in if there’s time, there’s probably not going to be time for it. Too many other things going on. Whereas if we can-
Michael Barber:
Yeah.
Caroline Poland:
… take intentional time, it’s built into supervisory meetings, it’s part of your natural questions that are being asked, maybe there’s a rhythm of anonymous surveys that go out to your staff where you can begin to adjust course. But I think it really has to be built into rhythms of days, weeks, months. Some days maybe only five minutes, maybe sometimes you can fit in an hour. But realistically, if we’re not intentional about it, it’s not going to happen.
Michael Barber:
Yeah. I think the more practical you can make it as a leader, whether you’re a school leader or not, putting it in your calendar, maybe it’s a reminder inside your to-do list app on your phone, making it a reoccurring thing so that you offload that mental stress of having to think about doing these every single time. There’s some very practical things that school leaders could be doing to make sure that they’re doing this on a regular basis, right?
Caroline Poland:
Right. And the great thing is we have a brain outside of our body now that exists in our calendars, our phones, our watches, that ping us reminders. And so this is more for wellbeing in general, although certainly applicable here. I often tell people, “You don’t have to remember to do something. Your phone can remind you to do that.” And so every hour a 10-minute passing period can a little notice come up on your watch to take a slow exhale. That’s a very simple way to just kind of get yourself grounded. Maybe it’s a reminder set as part of meeting notes to ask a specific question. But utilize your brain outside your brain because we have that. You might as well use it and take advantage of that.
Michael Barber:
For sure. Use the tools that you’ve got at your disposal, right?
Caroline Poland:
Yes.
Michael Barber:
One of the things that you mentioned just that I was really fascinated by and I think we got a lot of reactions to was some of the data you showed around retention and wellbeing issues, and just the direct connection that wellbeing and mental health has on retaining teachers. And in a context that we find in ourselves right now where we have more teachers leaving the profession than those joining or interested in joining the profession where we have significant gaps of teachers inside many states and inside many classrooms inside those states, can you unpack just some of the insights from that research about why this is so vitally important to the longevity and health of your school?
Caroline Poland:
Right. Yeah. Lots of great research out there. Again, if anyone’s interested, you can contact me. I’m happy to send information your way. But we can’t unmarry retention and wellbeing and leadership. They’re interconnected and one builds on top of the next. And so we want to be very aware of that. Again, every time we’re trying to address one, we need to be addressing address all of that. And I think when we talk about the pipeline from teacher education to those first years of teaching to sustaining over time, that pipeline has to be built with mental health and wellbeing in mind. If our job is or if our idea is that we can just use people up and push them along, then we’re never going to meet our goals of retention.
And if our goal is to help retain teachers in the long run, then we have to address health, we have to address wellbeing. And that means that we have to allow teachers to be humans and we have to value teachers as the humans that they are. And when we chop away too many parts of who people are and expect people to come to work in a very fragmented form of themselves, that takes a massive toll over time. So we really want to make sure that we’re valuing our educators as teachers or as humans, everything, everything that makes them humans, including their past histories and really building that pipeline with that in mind.
Michael Barber:
Yeah. I think we could spend a whole webinar session and a whole ‘nother 90 minutes, a whole 10 YouTube Lives on this conversation of the-
Caroline Poland:
Yes.
Michael Barber:
… connection of bringing oneself to work and the impact that it has on mental health and wellbeing, and in an era where we see teachers, laws being put in place that don’t allow teachers to bring their full selves to their work.
Caroline Poland:
Right.
Michael Barber:
We’ve got some challenges we’re going to face certainly in the future. We’ve talked a lot about school leader and teacher mental health. Maybe that’s a certain percentage of the equation. I was going to say half, but I think that’s probably wrong. But the other big part of the community at school is students. That’s why teachers are coming to work. As we think about how we impact student mental health and wellbeing, I know we’ve got a conversation coming up in a few weeks. Would love just some highlights of what we’re going to be talking about from you on, I believe it is October 5th, our October 5th webinar, 10:00 AM Pacific, 1:00 PM Eastern on student wellbeing. So some initial thoughts and thought starters and things you’re going to be talking about when we chat in a few weeks.
Caroline Poland:
Yeah. I’m really excited about this conversation and working on my slide set. It’s energized me quite a bit in terms of giving you all very practical things that you can do. I know one of the things that I hear from educators is, “The need is so great. I don’t know what to do when I’m trying to balance that with all the learning objectives or teaching for the test that’s coming up or standardized testing. What can I do?” And so we’re going to really look at some very practical things that you can do that don’t take much time that will integrate really nicely into the structure and flow of your work days. And those things also you can use for yourself for your own mental health and wellbeing. But just as we talked about how principal health and wellbeing is critical for educator health and wellbeing, the same thing is true for our students.
And so one of the greatest gifts ever, I guess this is a little spoiler for what we’re talking about. One of the greatest gifts that we can ever give to our students is safety, connection, and emotional regulation. So we’re really going to talk about all of those areas, how you can build those things into the framework of your classroom. What you can give of yourselves in ways that are not draining, but energizing to you as well that will help to have students that will be more regulated, that will feel safe in the classroom because all of that supports healthy learning and a healthy flow of a classroom that just leads to great learning and energy in general instead of for a drain on people around.
Michael Barber:
[inaudible 00:15:23]. So we’ll look forward to having that conversation in a couple weeks. That’s on October 5th, 10:00 AM Pacific, 1:00 PM Eastern. If you’re wondering how to register for that webinar, we’ll have it up on our website later today. You’ll just head over to charterschoolcapital.com and search student mental health, and it’ll show up there. You can also follow us on Instagram @CharterSchoolCapital, and you can find out the registration page there. Caroline, I want to say a big thanks for you for joining us today on our Tuesday Tips. We will be back next week with one of our team members, Ryan Eldridge, to discuss all things finding a forever home for your school. But for now, we’ll say goodbye and say thanks to Caroline. And we’ll see you next week. Thanks, everyone.
Caroline Poland:
Thank you.

Burnout in education isn’t simply about feeling stressed or overwhelmed—it’s a chronic condition that occurs when educators perceive that workplace demands consistently outweigh their available resources. This distinction is crucial: burnout is primarily a systemic issue, not an individual failing.

School leaders must recognize an essential truth: No one can self-care their way out of burnout. While personal wellness practices are valuable, they cannot solve problems rooted in workplace conditions. Creating meaningful change requires addressing the underlying organizational factors that contribute to educator exhaustion.

Particularly damaging are environments where inappropriate, harassing, or discriminatory behaviors persist. These toxic elements not only exacerbate burnout but undermine the educational mission itself.

Practical Strategies for Supporting Educator Mental Health
School Leaders Mental Health And Well Being
1. Master the Art of Supportive Listening

Effective communication begins with genuine listening. As Stephen Covey wisely noted, “The biggest communication problem is we do not listen to understand. We listen to reply.”

To truly support your educators through healthy, supportive listening, embrace the OARS approach:

  • O – Ask open-ended questions that invite reflection and deeper conversation
  • A – Use affirmations that acknowledge strengths and boost confidence
  • R – Regularly summarize key points to ensure mutual understanding
  • S – Show through reflection and action that you’ve truly heard their concerns
2. Cultivate Healthy Leadership Dynamics

The relationship between supervisors and educators profoundly impacts school culture. Transformative leadership includes:

  • Setting crystal-clear expectations that eliminate ambiguity and reduce stress
  • Empowering educators by delegating meaningful responsibilities and fostering professional autonomy
  • Actively balancing demands and resources through regular check-ins about workload challenges
  • Modeling respectful communication that acknowledges different perspectives (remember: respect doesn’t always mean agreement)
  • Creating intentional celebration rituals that recognize both small wins and major achievements
The Five Pillars of Workplace Mental Health

The 2022 Surgeon General’s Report identified five essential elements for maintaining mental health in any workplace:

1. Protection from Harm

Educators must feel physically and psychologically safe. This includes protection from harassment, discrimination, and excessive stress.

2. Connection and Community

Schools thrive when they foster genuine belonging among staff members. Strong professional relationships create resilience during challenging times.

3. Work-Life Harmony

Educational leaders should actively promote boundaries that allow teachers to maintain fulfilling personal lives alongside their professional commitments.

4. Mattering at Work

Everyone needs to know their contributions are valued. Regular, specific recognition of educators’ impact reinforces their sense of purpose.

5. Opportunities for Growth

Professional development shouldn’t just be about acquiring skills—it should nurture a sense of progress and possibility that combats stagnation.

About the Author
Caroline Poland headshot

Caroline M. Poland, MA, LMHC, LCAC, CCTP, CCFP, NCC is a licensed mental health counselor, certified clinical trauma professional, and the Founder and CEO of both Poland and Associates Consulting, LLC and Landmark Counseling, LLC (a private counseling practice in Indiana).

In her work, Ms. Poland brings insights from psychology, mental health, and science to the topics of women in the workplace, decision-making, compassion fatigue and burnout, trauma, and sexual assault, with the goal of establishing healthy trauma-informed organizations. Ms. Poland has worked with organizations around the world on issues of trauma informed care, healthy workplaces, impactful leadership, decision-making, and the unique experiences of women in the workplace, leading to optimal productivity, health, and flourishing.

Her website is polandandassociates.com, and you can contact her at caroline@polandandassociates.com .

In this session, Tricia Blum joined us to answer questions on back-to-school operations. She spoke about COVID-19 preparedness, transportation and staffing and financial management.

Join the experts as they answer all your questions live on Tuesdays on YouTube at 10am PT / 12pm CT / 1pm ET. Charter School Capital – YouTube

Read Full Transcript :

Michael:

Hi, everyone, and welcome back to Tuesday Tips. I fully realize it is Wednesday. We had some scheduling challenges yesterday, so we are doing Tuesday Tips on Wednesday. Welcome back. We’re here every single week for about 10 minutes talking all things challenges for school leaders. I’m really excited to welcome my guest today. It is Tricia Blum. Tricia, welcome back. I think this is your second time with us on YouTube live, or we’ve just done so many webinars together, maybe I’m getting the two confused. But if you don’t know Tricia, Tricia leads up our consulting practices at Charter School Capital, helping school leaders navigate all the challenges that they encounter running their schools. And so we asked her to come back to talk about operations challenges and financial challenges that schools may be facing and answer some questions related to that. So we’re really happy to have you back, Tricia. Welcome.

Tricia Blum:

Thank you so much. I’m excited to be here and I’m excited to share some of the wisdom I learned as a former CEO of Charter School Network, as well as all that I’ve learned at CSC. So glad to be here.

Michael:

Yeah, this is a brain we get to proverbially pick for the next 10 to 12 minutes that’s got so much deep experience with both leading schools and helping those school leaders that may be in tough spots that are working on challenges. So I’m really excited to ask Tricia some questions. So we’ll kick it off with this. We’re a few weeks into the school year. Some schools have been back since the beginning of August. Some just got back in the last two to three weeks. As you think about the beginning and the start of the school year, what should schools be thinking about from an operational perspective right now?

Tricia Blum:

That’s such a great question because I know I remember the days. Yeah, about five or six week, things start kind of slowing down enough that you feel like you’re not just putting out fires and of course those first couple of weeks you don’t know which fires are to come. So this is a great time to talk about operational aspects that schools should look at to ensure success for their coming year.

I wasn’t going to lead with this, but recently health and safety in terms of COVID. So I would be looking at, and I don’t know how many other folks have talked about this, but COVID-19 preparedness. Who knew we were going to be talking about it in Fall of 2023? I think you have to dust off your old policies and see if they still make sense. Figure out where your sanitation stuff is. Are you going to mask again? What are you going to do? And I think that’s incredibly important.

I have a couple of examples. I have a school in Indiana who they lost their entire middle school and their teachers and a Dean to COVID for an entire week the second week of school. And personal, my child went off to college, called me, no kidding, I left and she called and said, “Hey, my roommate has COVID. I’m standing in the bathroom with a mask on and campus safety is rolling in to figure out how this is solved.” So we don’t want to deal with it anymore, but I can’t state enough how important that might be to be looking at right now.

Michael:

Yeah. I was actually on Instagram this morning and there’s sort of a meme account for the Washington, D.C. area. I live just outside of Washington, D.C., as you know, and a teacher from Ward 7, we have eight Wards in the D.C. region, tweeted yesterday that basically her whole classroom is out with COVID. And just that it’s here. It’s still around, just because we’ve gone through the summer. Just an entire challenge to layer on already the other operational challenges that school leaders face.

I do want to mention, if you have questions about COVID, we have some older resources that are probably still very relevant from early on in the pandemic. I’d be more than happy to if people have got questions or want to reach out and ask us where they are, but you can also just go to our website at charterschoolcapital.com, search COVID in that search box, top right corner, and you will find a plethora of resources. But yeah, just a challenge I think a lot of schools are facing right now. Everybody’s going back into the classroom and bringing all their germs with them.

Tricia Blum:

Right. Absolutely. And again, like I said, I think, not just schools, all of us, I mean, I know when my child called and said that, I’m like, “What?” So we’re all getting a little flatfooted with that, so let’s get our policies put back in place and also find where all those old masks are and where is all that old hand sanitizer because you might need it again.

I think another really big challenge at the beginning of the school year that really sets the tone for the rest of the school year is transportation. So getting your bus routes and safety routes all put in place and taken care of as best as you can right now so that you can flow through the rest of the year. Certainly, I know, having spent summers working with bus organizations and creating routes and all of that, you think you’ve got it set, but when school starts, invariably you’ve got new students coming in from other areas, and so now’s a good time to address your transportation.

Staffing is also incredibly important right now, and again, it goes along with transportation. You’ve spent the summer sort of putting together your staffing plan. Again, kids have shown up that may have special ed that you weren’t planning on having. They may be stronger in areas that you weren’t. So hashing out if you need to move teachers around teaching and staffing assignments. And then in the same token, if you’ve got teachers that are new, and/or, again, like I said, you’ve got some challenges that you didn’t know were coming in terms of special ed or other resources, maybe ELL, addressing all of that through professional development, which you may not have scheduled for right now. You’ve done some right before school started, and then you’re not really planning to do some for a few months, so make sure you’re hitting your professional development.

The same goes for curriculum and instruction, and again, I could spend hours on all of these. I know we’re trying to spend 10 minutes, so I’m just bumping through the big highlights, right? Technology, same. You wrote a plan, now you have to make sure that the plan actually still works and then change it if you need to. So facilities and infrastructure. Along those same lines, you need to take a look at how the school building is actually working for you this year and make any needed repairs or maintenance. It’s also a great time, I think, to take a look at what next year is going to look like, right? You’ve got a whole new set of students. Our brains are all working on it. And so this is a great time to jot down some notes, if you will. I use the word jot down, put it in your tablet, doesn’t matter. Just so that you’re like, “Oh, yeah, I remember.” So come spring, you’re like, “That’s right. We need to make sure that our building has this or that.” So that, I think, is part of it.

Making sure that your communication plan out to your community stakeholders, parents and students, all of that. Again, you likely already have a communication plan, but making sure that it actually says what you’re doing and you’re doing what it says or make the changes necessary. Crisis communication, a huge part of that. Again, I mentioned COVID. You’re going to have those communications going out again, and probably a lot of us fairly lost.

Budget and finance. We can spend a lot of time talking about that. Review and adjust your budget as necessary. Attendance and records. That’s always tricky this time of year. Some states are getting ready to have their once or twice a year counts. Some states work on an average daily attendance. So it’s really important that whatever software you’re using, make sure that your attendance and records are straight so that you can get paid for those students. So that is, I don’t know, about 10 or 11 things. That’s all. Just 10 or 11 things that you should be paying attention to as you start out the new school year that will get you set up.

Michael:

If there was a masterclass for starting the new school year, you just gave that masterclass. So I’m going to give you a virtual pat on the back because that was an incredible rundown in a very concise amount of time. I want to ask another question related to something you touched on. As you’re getting your student count, as you’re looking at that budget, Charter Schools have obviously got to continuously manage their fiscal responsibilities and fiscally manage their practices and their audit readiness. Is there anything in this particular time of year beyond what you’ve already stated around just making sure how as a school leader you can improve that financial management and audit readiness for the rest of the year?

Tricia Blum:

So I think there are, and this is one that I personally learned. You need to hire competent financial personnel. You really do. I’m going to say this, and I didn’t say it five years ago, but I say it now. If you have the ability to hire someone that has Charter School funding experience, it doesn’t specifically have to be someone that has Charter experience in your state, but we know that Charter funding is an animal unto itself, and if you can find someone that is competent and understands that there is a lag in funding and that there are peculiar, easy for me to say, peculiarities, wow, around funding, I think that’s really important. And if the person you are working with is not competent, now is the time. I know so often we fire slow, and I know that sounds harsh, but this is the time. If you don’t have someone that’s not doing a job that you need to have done in finance, now is the time. Make sure [inaudible 00:09:59].

Michael:

Yeah, such good advice.

Tricia Blum:

… get rid of the non-competent. That’s, again, may sound harsh, but don’t spend the rest of the year hoping that they are going to catch up and figure it out because, I see it time and again, finances for Charter Schools are challenging enough. If you put someone that’s not competent in the seat for the school, you’ve got a whole world of problems. So I can’t stress that enough.

Michael:

Yeah, such good advice. One question I wanted to ask you related to the first question around the beginning of the year and sort of having your facility prepared for that beginning of the year and thinking about what you may need in a facility in the future, is you and I have talked a lot and we’ve also done a lot of work around audits and audit best practices and talking specifically about how you audit your building. Do you have any thoughts on what an internal building audit might reveal for a school leader to understand like, “Hey, is this building serving us now and is it going to serve our mission in the future?” Any thoughts there?

Tricia Blum:

I have a lot of thoughts actually, and I will say, doing a building audit at the beginning of the year, it’s a great time, because, again, you’re able to take a look at how the school is operating with your students this year, right? You can look at safety and accessibility, your learning spaces. What is your technology infrastructure? So often we don’t even think of that, or us non-techies don’t think of that anyway, and then you may have a great building, but it may need actual infrastructure. So I think resource allocation, energy. There are all sorts of things that you can specifically look at. I think, do we have an ebook on that, Michael?

Michael:

We do.

Tricia Blum:

Okay. I was going to say, good. So we’ve got that, but what I’m also going to say is a piece, when you are doing your facility audit, it is great to have your custodian or your janitor, of course, one of the leaders, if not the CEO or executive director, your insurance company, bring in your insurance company, and then hopefully you have someone on the board or a parent that’s pretty involved that is in the facility industry. I can’t stress enough the great audits that come from having a group of folks walking through the building because we all have a different lens and we all see things differently, and so that will give you a real 360 view.

Michael:

Yeah. Such good advice. And Tricia mentioned an ebook, a guide that we’ve done on all things audits. It’s available on our website. Again, just hop over to charterschoolcapital.com, search audits. You’ll get a very, very in-depth ebook, which I think is sitting behind my desk somewhere in this stack, about 55 pages long that we’ve refined over 17 years of working with schools. So you’re more than welcome to go grab one of those that Tricia intimately helped put together for us over the last last four or five years as we’ve rolled out that audit knowledge. Tricia, any last words of advice for school leaders when it comes to ops and what they should be thinking about? This is an open floor, open-ended question. Anything you’ve been hearing or any other wisdom you can share with us when it comes to operations and school leaders?

Tricia Blum:

For me, the month was always October, but for a lot of you, it’s right now. Now is the time to take a breath. You’ve made it through the first four or five weeks of school. Take a deep breath, stop working 12 hours a day. Enjoy what you have created, enjoy your students. Be good to your staff. Be good to yourself.

Michael:

Such a good way to end Tuesday Tips this week. We really appreciate your voice today joining us, even if it’s Wednesday. We appreciate that voice anytime Tricia comes on and chats with us either at a webinar or here on YouTube. So Tricia, I’m just going to extend a quick thanks again for your time.

As always, we’re here Tuesdays at 10:00 AM Pacific, 1:00 PM Eastern. I know it’s Wednesday. We’ll be back next Tuesday with Caroline Poland, who is joining us tomorrow for a webinar on teacher mental health and well-being. I hope you’ll come join us as we figure out decent strategies to help school leaders tackle and how to provide a safe space and mental and well-being services for their teachers. That’s tomorrow starting at 10:00 AM. You’ll have to register for that one. You’ll get the Zoom invite, and we hope we’ll see you there. But if you can’t make it tomorrow, Caroline will join us next Tuesday, 10:00 AM Pacific, 1:00 PM Eastern here on YouTube. Thanks again for joining us, and Tricia, goodbye. Hope you have a great Wednesday.

Tricia Blum:

Thanks so much. Take care. Thanks for having me.

The PA Charter School Legacy Awards stand as a distinguished recognition within Pennsylvania’s educational landscape, honoring exceptional individuals and organizations that have made significant and lasting contributions to the growth, advancement, and success of charter schools.

These awards celebrate visionary leadership, innovative educational practices, community engagement, and unwavering commitment to the betterment of kids’ lives through the charter school system.

2022 Legacy Award Winners

Erin Corvaia

Award Type: Teacher

School: Pennsylvania STEAM Academy

Quote: “There is such a great need for those kids to be loved and supported and be told that great things can happen for them. And the kids themselves, and knowing that I can provide for them, that is the greatest reward.”

Bio: Erin Corvaia is a kindergarten teacher at Pennsylvania STEAM Academy. Erin joined Pennsylvania STEAM two years ago, and channels her background in Outdoor Education and love of natural science into the STEM curriculum.

Dr. Wayne Jones

Award Type: School Leader

School: Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship

Quote: “Through creativity, flexibility, and innovation, we can inspire and empower young minds to reach their full potential and break free from the limits of traditional education.”

Bio: Dr. Wayne Jones joined Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship as their CEO in 2013 with a financial management, operations, and sports management background. Dr. Jones got his doctorate in Leadership Education, and devoted his education and resources towards studying entrepreneurial education’s impact on young students.

Ralf Weiser

Award Type: Parent Advocate

School: Avon Grove Charter School

Quote: “It was a very harmonious experience. It was give and take on both sides— on the parents’ sides and on the administrations’ side.

Bio: When Ralf and his wife moved into a new school district with two young children, they researched the school choices available to them and found that the resources available at Avon Grove Charter: art, languages, music— would provide their children with a rich exposure of experiences. They quickly became involved in volunteering, and ultimately, Ralf joined the school board, serving on that board through the challenges of COVID-19 and beyond.

Jennifer Morrison

Award Type: Rising School Leader

School: Pennsylvania STEAM Academy

Quote: “I feel like I can deeply connect with kids and adults as well. And if I whittle it down — the kids know that I love and respect them. Sometimes I have to be the disciplinarian or the “meanie,” but at the end of the day, all my kids know that I love them and over the years, I have seen so many successes.”

Bio: Jennifer Morrison is the Principal and CEO of Pennsylvania STEAM Academy, a brand-new charter school in Harrisburg. With a background in psychology, Jennifer taught art for 16 years in the charter school system before spending a few years in the public system and ultimately joining Pennsylvania STEAM when they opened their doors two years ago.

Pat Hennessy

Award Type: Charter Lawyer

School: Philadelphia Area Charter Schools

Quote: “An education lawyer has a tangible result where you can actually see the impact that you’re having: thousands of children are being educated in charter school every year from all walks of life…and we’ve really moved the needle on the education that is provided, and that’s a really fulfilling part of what I do.”

Bio: Pat has been recognized as a Pennsylvania Charter Schools supporter. A founder and co-chair of Barton Gilman LLP, Pat Hennessy has been serving charter schools as counsel and representative for over two decades. Pat has also been named one of the “Best Lawyers in America” in Commercial Litigation for two years in a row (2022-2023), and named a Pennsylvania “Super Lawyer” in Schools and Education for three consecutive years (2021-2023).

Jesse Topper

Award Type: Elected Official

School: Pennsylvania Charter Schools

Quote: “Our rule in government is to make sure that everyone has access to education. I can’t guarantee success for every kid, family, for every institution. But I can guarantee as a public policy maker that each student has access to the education that will enable them to live the American dream.”

Bio: Representative Topper is the Republican chair of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives education committee. Rep. Topper is passionate about making sure that every kid and family has access to education. He is now serving his fifth term in office, representing residents of Bedford and Fulton counties.

Steven Catanzarite

Award Type: Lifetime Achievement

School: Lincoln Park Performing School

Quote: “Charter schools are not so much about innovation as it is about renovation. Discovering things that may have been forgotten, bowled over by how large education systems can grow. So I think charter school systems are at their most innovative when they’re renovating.”

Bio: Steven has been involved in charter school advocacy and leadership since 2006, when he became involved in the founding of Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center, which was anchored by a performing arts charter school. He now serves as the founding Managing Director and CEO. Stephen is a writer, musician, and artist passionate about arts education.

Senator Anthony Williams

Award Type: Legislator

School: Pennsylvania Charter Schools

Quote: “The greatest success that I can see is literally right in front of me: when a young man or young woman who’s gone through these schools comes back, returns, and says if it wasn’t for this school, I wouldn’t have the type of life I have.”

Bio: Senator Anthony Williams has served Pennsylvania as a state senator of the 8th district since 1998. He served as an original change-maker of Pennsylvania’s charter school legislation, ensuring expanded options for families, and he has pushed to expand school choice through the Education Improvement Tax Credit and the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit programs.

Join us for the 2023 PA Legacy Awards!

The 2023 PA Legacy Awards are here to celebrate outstanding individuals who have left a mark on their communities and schools.

Visit the Coalition site at https://pacharters.org/ to learn more about the 2023 PA Legacy Awards and the incredible individuals shaping a brighter tomorrow. Together, let’s amplify their voices and celebrate the pursuit of a better world through charter school education.

Interested in starting a charter school in Alabama? Read on for some of the history of charter schools in Alabama, the unique challenges you might face, and the step-by-step plan to begin your charter school journey.
The History of Charter Schools in Alabama

In 2015, the Alabama School Choice and Student Opportunity Act made Alabama the forty-third state to approve the implementation of charter schools. Mobile Area Education Foundation, the first charter school in Alabama, opened its doors in 2017.

There are only a handful of charter schools in Alabama since the charter law passed.

  • ACCEL Academy, Alabama’s first charter school, doubled its graduate rate in only two years and is on track to continue growing. More diverse educators are joining the ranks of charter schools in Alabama. ACCEL Charter school specifically focuses on at-promise students. The student population of this charter school often sees ACCEL as their last chance. This school can serve older teenagers and young adults who have already entered the workforce by offering day and evening classes. There is a big emphasis on student emotional well-being as well as education.
  • University Charter School is an excellent example of how charter schools serve marginalized groups and help bring diversity to a community. Committed to integration, this charter school received a five-year grant in 2018.
  • Magic City Acceptance Academy is a charter school in Magic City, near Birmingham, that aims to provide an LGBTQ-affirming environment for students.
  • Alabama Aerospace & Aviation High School is dedicated to educating students on aviation and aerospace. The school prides itself in that they don’t teach kids to take tests but teaches them to solve problems. 

In a state where high school graduation and college attendance rates are low, these charter schools are a beacon of hope for those in favor of education reform. However, Alabama is 69.1% white and  41% rural, which can mean initiatives toward diversity and inclusion often meet resistance. In June 2020, the Alabama Public Charter School Commission decided to close down Woodland Prep in Washington County. One of the reasons cited was the failure to gather enough community support. Supporters of the school feel this was primarily due to the school leader being a native of Turkey and a practicing Muslim.

The Specific Challenges of Growing a Charter School in Alabama

Charter schools are usually created with great intentions to improve students’ education through innovative ideas and models, but it’s way easier said than done. There are plenty of unforeseen challenges and hurdles that can slow the growth of your charter school, such as:

  1. Finding a facility. Most charter schools make do with far fewer resources than traditional public schools. That can make sourcing an affordable school building that allows growth a challenge to charter schools in Alabama. The lack of affordable school buildings and funds to access proper facilities limits the establishment of new charter schools and limits the growth of high-performing independent schools.
  2. Teacher recruitment and retainment challenges. Charter schools reportedly lose 20-25% of their teachers each year. Teacher retention is a common problem for charter schools in America, so it’s worth focusing on employee morale, benefits, and development. Factors like low pay, employee burnout, and long hours are just a few reasons teachers leave. Understanding the difficulties that teachers face can help you make better recruitment and retention strategies.
  3. Student transportations. With nearly half of Alabama’s population and 29% of its K-12 public school population living in rural areas, providing adequate transportation for students can be challenging for charter schools. The cost of transporting students in rural areas is higher than students who live in city districts. Charter schools in Alabama should consider and prioritize transportation logistics when creating the school’s budget.
Launching Your Charter School in Alabama

After you’ve established the concept and mission of your charter school and you’ve organized a governing tax-empty board of members and parents, here are the steps you should take to launch your charter school in Alabama:

  1. Complete an application. A charter school’s application should include “evidence of community support, a description of the academic program, staff recruitment plans, a plan for identifying and serving students with disabilities, and a facilities plan.”
  2. Wait for final approval. Following the application process, the group starting the charter school will attend interviews and public hearings with an external reviewer and the authorizing body.
  3. Hire staff. Once the application is approved and the contract begins, it’s time to hire faculty and staff.
  4. Open enrollment. Assuming your charter school has met Alabama’s pre-opening requirements, you can open registration to students living in the charter school’s zone. Only after students who live inside the school zone have enrolled can an Alabama charter school open enrollment to students who live outside the zoning area.
  5. Market your school. Once your charter school is approved and ready to go, it’s time to start thinking about ways to attract new students and supporters.
Growing Your Alabama Charter School with Enrollment Marketing

Enrollment marketing combines your ‘ground game,’ traditional school enrollment marketing efforts, and education-specific digital marketing, geared towards increasing enrollment.

  1. Utilize Social Media for Increased Visibility. Leverage social media platforms to enhance the visibility and reach of your charter school.
  2. Invest in Online Advertising. Allocate resources for Facebook Ads or Google Ads to actively promote your charter school in the online space.
  3. Develop a High-Quality Website. Create a comprehensive website that provides essential information for parents, potential donors, and other stakeholders.Include details such as the school’s mission statement, curriculum, and general rules.
  4. Explore Traditional Marketing Methods. Consider traditional marketing avenues like TV and radio commercials to reach a wider audience. Design informative pamphlets that highlight your charter school’s unique offerings.
  5. Hire a Professional Enrollment Marketing Team. Opt for a specialized team with expertise in school-oriented marketing strategies. This approach lets you focus on your core responsibilities while the marketing experts attract new students to your school.
Ensuring Long-term Success For Your Alabama Charter School

Take the proper steps to ensure the longevity of your Alabama charter school. Here are successful charter school practices to model:

  1. Create a mission statement that mentions student success—and follow it. Prioritizing student achievement and personal development is what sets successful charter schools apart from the crowd. Your charter school should have a mission statement that embodies your group’s pre-determined goals for achievement. A case study that surveyed charter schools in the country found that the more concise and clear a charter school’s mission statement is, the easier the mission will be for others to understand and embrace.
  2. Prioritize parent and caregiver involvement. Keeping parents and families involved with their child’s schooling has long proven to help student success. Still, a 2007 study suggests that parental engagement aids in the overall success of charter schools by creating a stronger sense of ownership among parents and increased feelings of community.
    Networking with kinship organizations is also excellent for gaining local support for your charter school and engaging new parents. Another effective way your charter school can engage families is by creating volunteer opportunities, hosting events, and scheduling home visits.
  3. Hire and retain high-quality teachers. Innovative hiring practices are one of charter schools’ most notable unique qualities, but studies have shown this could be a pitfall in that it can lead to the hiring of poorly qualified teachers. Go above and beyond to make sure that your charter school is recruiting the top talent and giving teachers the resources they need to develop and contribute to the success of the school’s students.

Alabama Resources:

Recent News Stories:

The idea of the audit can invite stress, and it’s understandable to feel daunted by the need to address compliance and other issues while you’re focused on the day-to-day aspects of growing a school. The Charter School Audits Guide Preparing Your School for the Annual Audit offers month-by-month breakdowns schools can use to stave off overwhelm. The key is preparing a little bit at a time.

Here’s what the plan looks like:

School Audit month-by-month breakdown

As seen in the chart above, month one is dedicated to the fiscal audit overall. That’s because month one is when schools have just completed the previous year’s audit, so the first steps are about how to move forward from there.

For a detailed look at previous months, click the links below:

Month 1 – What do after your audit

Month 2 – Post-Audit Conversations

Month 3 – HR

Month 4 – Insurance

Month 5 – Operations

Month 6 – No Audit, Fiscal Year End

Month 7 – Governance

Month 8 – Skip it! Focus on your back-to-school efforts

Month 9: Facilities

A facility audit, often referred to as a “facility inventory,” entails a thorough evaluation of all your facility’s assets. A well-executed facility audit can provide invaluable insights into your school’s home and whether it aligns with your mission and plans for growth.

The Objective

The overarching objective of the facility audit is to weigh the value of your facility’s assets against the potential costs of replacement—or even relocation entirely. It also serves as a forecasting tool for projecting future maintenance expenses.

Should You Buy Or Lease Your Building 1

Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll need to consider when conducting your facility audit:

  1. Walk Your Facility

Walk through your facility, taking note of any alterations or necessary renovations.

  1. Meet with Your Landlord

Walk your facility with your landlord for a joint review of your facility’s condition to discuss upkeep and improvements.

  1. Review Contracts

Read through your lease and other agreements. Make adjustments where necessary to ensure that contractual terms align with your school’s evolving needs.

  1. Plan for Growth

Analyze how your school’s projected growth aligns with your current lease terms. Assess whether purchasing a building might be a more advantageous long-term option.

Auditing your facility is key in making the best choices for your school’s growth. If you decide to buy, next steps include learning about the school building marketplace, the planning process, and the four primary funding structures that charter schools use to finance facilities: cash, banks, bonds, and long-term leases.