Charter schools are public schools that operate independently from the district school system. This structure gives schools more freedom in terms of curricula, programs, focus, and mission. The first charter school opened up in the Midwest in the 1990s.

There have been significant developments since then. Currently, there are 7,427 charter schools in the United States.

Charter schools are usually started by education champions, mavericks seeking to make a difference. These public schools are vetted to ensure that their curriculum and their funding are adequate. Charter schools are tuition-free, and they can set their own curricula. While funding for charter schools in Arizona does come from the State, it is often not commensurate to the funding of district schools. This creates a challenge for those who seek to fund the growth of an Arizona charter school.

History of Charter Schools in Arizona

Arizona was the tenth state to adopt charter schools. Charter school law was enacted in June 1994. It soon became known as the strongest charter law in the country.

After a recommendation from their neighboring state of Colorado, Arizona legislators created the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools to oversee these schools. There are more than 560 charter schools in Arizona today.

Areas of Focus for Charter Schools in Arizona

Charter schools do best when they have a specific focus. Arizona has a rich tradition of agriculture, so it’s no surprise that a network of schools focuses on agri-business. Students at the Arizona Agribusiness and Equine Center graduate with up to 17 college credits under their belts.

Some Arizona schools focus on the Arts – such as the Metropolitan Arts Institute, the New School for the Arts and Academics, and the Arizona School for the Arts.

Some schools focus on accelerated learning – such as the Mohave Accelerated Schools and the American Leadership Academy.

Some schools have a high percentage of students below the state poverty line. These schools function as community hubs, with meal plans for the students and other services that bolster families in their zone of influence.

Challenges for Growing a Charter School in Arizona

While the number of successful charter schools in Arizona keeps increasing, there are certainly challenges to growing a charter school in Arizona. Some of the biggest challenges are:

Finances

Many charter schools face financial struggles. Sometimes a school expands too quickly or embarks on too audacious a growth plan, and the finances of this growth cause cash flow problems. Sometimes the business plan has flaws that materialize only once the school is in operation. Keeping a charter school viable requires a strong combination of good governance and sound financial planning.

Working together with a financial partner such as Charter School Capital allows a charter school to navigate a temporary lag in funding, an unplanned financial emergency, or an ambitious growth plan.

Enrollment

To attract a steady flow of new students, an Arizona charter school needs to establish itself in the local community and be known. This requires good word-of-mouth, combined with strategic initiatives to promote the school – both at the grassroots level (what we call the “ground game”) and through digital marketing campaigns.

COVID-19 Pandemic

One of the leading causes of enrollment challenges in the past year has been the coronavirus pandemic. Many schools in Arizona moved over to a virtual teaching model to overcome the health crisis. This caused a strain on school resources. Depending on available infrastructure and skill level, some schools adapted quicker than others. Some of the financial strain was softened by the advent of ESSER funds (COVID-19 relief funds for schools). However, as the Delta variant disrupts in-person teaching, once again, schools are feeling the pressure.

Starting a School in Arizona

The process of starting a charter school in Arizona is similar to that of other states. However, a key difference is the length of time it may take. As we count all the planning, charter application, finding a building, and recruiting teaching staff, it will take a minimum of two years for a charter school.

1. Plan and Write Your Charter Application

This is the very first item for anyone looking to open an Arizona charter school. Planning and writing the charter school application allows the Board of Education to see precisely what your charter school will do, their curriculum, and your mission as an organization. This is usually helpful to give people an idea of how they can find a facility and the staff needed for their organization.

2. Find a Facility and Finalize Your Educational Plan

Finding a facility is also essential and clarifies that your charter school has a place to operate. This is what many of the board members will want to see, and they will be able to promote your school more if you are more prepared.

You will also have to finalize your educational plan, including the educational philosophy, the target population, and the course offerings. This will be the bulk of your application. (This document is currently 88 pages long – so allow ample time to fill it out.)

3. Submit the Application by June

Arizona is strict about its charter school applications. If you want to open your charter school in 2024, you must submit your application before June 2022. This allows the board to check your information and plan and see if you can be approved by December. Then, you have eight months to prepare and make your charter school plans a reality.

Growing Your Charter School in Arizona

Here are some of the ways that you can grow your charter school in your local community:

Market yourself to the local community online and offline.
Use social media where you can for digital marketing.
Use ads and promotional events to spread the word and get support early.
Create a website to help your parents and community see the value of your charter school.

While you can do most of this yourself, another approach is to outsource initiatives such as creating a website and digital marketing to a trusted partner. Charter School Capital has a team of professional marketers devoted to offering this service to charter schools

Do You See Yourself as an Arizona School Leader?

Charter schools help families have a wider choice on where their children can pursue their education. Creating a charter school in Arizona takes more work than in other states, but you can expect more stability once your school is off the ground than in most states.

Contact us today to learn more about how we can assist you with creating your charter school and what you will need to be approved with the first application.

Every day at 2:40 pm, Imagine Bell Canyon’s formal classes end and BlazerWorld begins. Students stream out of classrooms and go to their jobs in our MicroSociety.

One of the challenges of 21st century education is how to connect what students learn in the classroom to what they will encounter in “real” life. Imagine Bell Canyon sought out and implemented a proven educational model that successfully immerses students in the real world, and we have been using it to connect concepts to reality for more than 10 years! Better yet, it’s so much fun that the students can’t wait to get involved.

MicroSociety

Every day at 2:40 pm, Imagine Bell Canyon’s formal classes end and BlazerWorld begins. Students stream out of classrooms and go to their jobs in our MicroSociety, called BlazerWorld. A MicroSociety is an educational model that gives students the opportunity to explore real-life situations and continuously learn from them. The original MicroSociety was developed by George Richmond in the late 1960s after he struggled to connect with and engage his students’ learning with real-life scenarios that would matter to them. He and his wife went on to develop a curriculum and training program for schools across the country to develop their own MicroSocieties.

BlazerWorld is Born

Imagine Bell Canyon envisioned how impactful real-world learning would be for students, so we embraced the MicroSociety curriculum, completed the 3-year training program, and worked with students to create our own MicroSociety, establishing BlazerWorld in 2009. At BlazerWorld, so named for our cheetah mascot, Blazer, students are governing and participating in a miniature society that mimics the larger society beyond school walls.

Students run this world, teachers are simply there to help. Grades K-6 students put the concepts they learn in the classroom to the test in their jobs and learn crucial interpersonal skills along the way. To quote a third-grader, “MicroSociety is the best part of my day because I get to make my own decisions and decisions for my own employees.”

Students Go To Work

The opportunities in BlazerWorld are endless. Students with a great idea for a new product have the freedom to start their own business. This gives the students an entrepreneur experience, an increasingly important skill set in the 21st century, helping them learn the fundamentals of running a business. [CallOutBox bgcolor=”orange”]“MicroSociety is the best part of my day because I get to make my own decisions and decisions for my own employees.”
– Imagine Schools third-grader[/CallOutBox]Financial fluency develops, as well as knowledge of branding and marketing because every product must be developed, made, and produced by students. One of our second grade classes started a recycling venture only using items found at the school or donated from recycled materials.

Students work a variety of jobs in government and business. Participating in the BlazerWorld Market Place isn’t just about doing a job though. Our kids develop and practice the skills for getting the job; they write a resume and interview for the job they want.

Student business owners learn the right interview questions to ask to find the employees they want. Once they are employed, students receive a paycheck, pay taxes, and spend their money within the Market Place.

Leaders and Skills Emerge

Many times, the leaders that emerge in BlazerWorld are not necessarily the academic leaders in the classroom. BlazerWorld gives our students more opportunities to find and hone their strengths. A completely different, yet complementary, set of skills that will set our students up for life success, develops at BlazerWorld.

When students leave BlazerWorld, the learning doesn’t stop. Students out shopping look at products in a store and understand the many steps required to get that product on the shelf, and even think about what they might do differently. It’s incredible to see the connections our kids make and the dreams that emerge!

Imagine Bell Canyon has the flexibility and vision to find the educational programs and models, like MicroSociety, that develop our students’ skills and character and equip them to be amazing 21st-century citizens. Come join us in preparing students for their futures, we are enrolling now!

About Imagine Bell Canyon

Imagine Bell Canyon provides optimal teaching and learning in a safe and nurturing K-8 environment which prepares Blazer World citizens to be their best in a global and diverse society. Imagine Bell Canyon is a tuition-free public charter school that is recognized as one of Arizona’s top schools for academic excellence and a source of community pride. Enrolling now!

At ARCHES Academy, our commitment is to help each K-8 student achieve mastery of the standards by use of authentic learning experiences, coaching and mentoring, freedom of choice, and personal responsibility. Our methods produce outstanding individuals who not only demonstrate exceptional literacy in the arts and sciences, but mastery of self alongside true leadership ability.

Leadership is integrated into everything we do at ARCHES Academy. Leadership is a life skill and an ongoing opportunity for every student to explore and learn about who they are. We care so much about leadership, we organized a community event around it; Leadership Day is coming up on May 7!

ARCHES students sitting on rug

Leadership Day is an entirely student-led celebration of all that our ARCHES Academy students have learned in our Leader In Me program throughout the year. We expect to see songs, skits and demonstrations. It’s going to be a lot of fun and we hope every member of our ARCHES community — including current and prospective families — joins us.

Opportunities to develop and show leadership abilities abound at ARCHES. Our older students (our masters) are mentors to our younger students (our novices). Our students help on campus too, in the library, lunch room, as materials managers in PE and more.

We are Warriors at ARCHES and every student is expected to step up, in the best of ways! We teach goal setting, progress tracking, and the variety of methods to effectively communicate. Our students learn how to advocate for themselves — to express their wants and needs and to synergize with others and with their classrooms.

Our approach to education focuses on the humanities and sciences, on how to think rather than what to think. This honors each student’s personal interests and encourages problem-solving. We are holistic in that we endeavor to teach the whole child: heart, mind, body, and spirit. Our methods produce outstanding individuals who display incredible leadership ability. ARCHES Academy is enrolling K-8 now, Join us for the 2021-2022 school year and for Leadership Day on May 7!

About ARCHES Academy
Our commitment is to help each K-8 learner achieve mastery of the standards by use of authentic learning experiences, coaching and mentoring, freedom of choice, and personal responsibility. At ARCHES Academy, our educational approach produces outstanding individuals who not only have acquired exceptional literacy in the arts and sciences, but mastery over self and true leadership ability. ARCHES is growing! Enrolling K-8 tuition-free today!

Jake Logan, President and CEO of the Arizona Charter Schools Association, briefed the audience about the presidential election and Senate seats in Arizona, along with the statewide races.

Mr. Logan reminded us this year neither the governor nor the superintendent of schools were on the ballot, but there were three open seats for corporation commissioners. Mr. Logan shared his opinion that the seats are likely to go to Republican Lea Márquez Peterson, who Gov. Doug Ducey appointed to the commission, Republican Jim O’Connor, who originally came in as a write-in candidate, and Democrat Anna Tovar, who is finishing a term as Tolleson Mayor.

Echoing the Associated Press, Mr. Logan stated that Congressman David Schweikert would likely defeat Dr. Hiral Tipirneni for AZ 6th Congressional District Representative.

In Eastern Arizona, the race in Legislative District Six, which includes the city of Flagstaff, was between Republicans Walt Blackman and Brenda Barton on the Republican side, and Coral Evans (Democrat) and Art Babbott (Independent). In a close race, both Republicans are expected to secure the seats.

Mr. Logan spoke of the demographic flip in Legislative District Eighteeen, which includes Ahwatukee, where Democrat incumbents came ahead, and in LD20 – another Democrat pickup, with Representative Judy Schwiebert gaining a seat. Also in LD20, Republican Paul Boyer —a charter school teacher—is favored to win against Democrat Doug Ervin in a very competitive race. LD20 includes parts of Phoenix and Glendale.

In LD21, it seemed to be a tight race but did not play out that way, with Republicans maintaining Senate and House seats. Senate President Karen Fann is expected to continue acting in her leadership role.

LD28 is another district that has seen a massive voter shift in the last five or six years. Christine Marsh, a teacher, seems likely to win against Sen. Kate Brophy McGee once all votes are counted.

Ballot Initiatives

Prop 207, legalizing marihuana for adults, was passed. Mr. Logan was asked if any of the taxes from this initiative would go toward schools, and he replied that he does not believe so.

Prop 208 “Invest in Ed” passed, with a very robust campaign. It will go into effect in January, and they’ll start collecting taxes in January – so schools are not likely to see resources realized in that school year. Charter schools are included in 208. Mr. Logan mentioned he does not know how much it means at a school level, but he provided a few estimates.

What’s Next

The Election Results will be certified at the end of November by the Secretary of State and the Governor – at which point the results will be official. House and Senate caucuses will elect their leading teams.

In the Arizona House of Representatives, Michelle Udall — a former member of the Mesa school board — and Representative Russell Bowers are both keeping their positions as Speakers. Russell Bowers began serving as state House speaker in 2019.

The JLBC (Joint Legislative Budget Committee) will then start working on a budget, likely announced in January.

In terms of charter schools, the Association will be sharing updates, especially in terms of mandates concerning COVID-19. Mr. Logan mentioned the Association would hold additional calls to update charter schools on any changes.

How Charter School Associations Can Help Their Schools Succeed

Editor’s Note: For this CHARTER EDtalk, we were honored to be joined by Eileen Sigmund, the President, and CEO of the Arizona Charter School Association as she generously shares some of the things the Arizona Charter School Association is doing to ensure the high-performance of Arizona charter schools. And, with 70 percent of their charter students sitting in A or B rated charter schools, compared to 56 percent of their district peers, they must be doing something right.
As the voice of Arizona’s charter schools, the Arizona Charter Schools Association engages a diverse coalition of policymakers, school leaders and community members for a fair, transparent policy landscape that allows quality charter schools to flourish throughout Arizona.
They work hard to advocate and strengthen the autonomy, equity, and quality of Arizona’s diverse public charter schools and are driven by the belief that all Arizona students should have access to a high-quality public school.
Watch the video below or read on to hear how the AZ Charter School Association is achieving such outstanding results.

Janet Johnson (JJ): Hi, I’m Janet Johnson from Charter School Capital and we’re here In Austin, Texas for the National Conference for Charter Schools. We are lucky to be here today with Eileen Sigmund who is President and CEO of the Arizona Charter School Association, and Marci Phee from Charter School Capital as well. And today we’re going to be talking a little bit with Eileen about academic performance. Thanks for joining us.
Eileen Sigmund (ES): Happy to be here.
Marci Phee (MP): Thank you. So we’re doing a campaign called “We Love Charter Schools”. Can you tell us in two sentences or less why you love charter schools?
ES: Charter schools meet the unique needs of our children so they can academically thrive and flourish.
JJ: Beautiful, you’ve done that a few times.
ES: I’m a charter school parent.

Measuring Growth Rather Than Just Performance

MP: The state of Arizona recently altered the rating system for charter schools to emphasize improvement and growth of the students rather than just strict performance. Can you discuss the benefits of measuring growth over performance?
ES: So the benefits of growth are really in the K-8 sector. In 9- 12, there’s also the completion of courses. So there are differences as you look at the academic performance for A-F measurement. The benefit of growth is not saying kids need to come to kindergarten already ready, already verbal, already knowing how to hold a pencil, because many of our kids don’t. And so what growth does is it allows to show educator impact on that individual student as compared to their academic peers. And so the growth is really showing how are you moving a child forward to proficiency who may not be at proficiency, who may not know two plus two equals four but is grasping that one, two, three, four. So it’s trying to value a child where they start, and then where they’re going, instead of how ready and prepared they are at a proficiency level. Does that make sense?
MP: It does make sense. It sounds like it allows educators to meet the students where they are and create progress. The progress over the perfection of things.
ES: Correct, correct. And we use in growth, we use the Colorado growth model. The growth model has been used in other states and actually, the Charter Association was part of the federal grant back in 2007, 2008, and the Charter Association was the main catalyst in getting the growth model to Arizona and that growth model has been used consistently for the last decade, the same growth model. So it’s also something educators are aware of, educators have learned. So it was used in our A -F back when we started in 2011.

Using Data to Coach Staff

MP: That’s helpful, thank you. How can charter schools better develop and support their teaching staff to support this model that you just talked about?
ES: Sure, teachers are no different than any other profession, that coaching continuously, constantly. The use of coaching and the use of data. So the use of data to know exactly where your students start, measure again halfway through the year, see their progress, measure again right before they take the state test. And so it’s the coaching around the use of data and then figuring out the academic strengths and weaknesses of each individual child.

Achievement with Accountability

MP: In Arizona, the majority of charter school students are sitting in “quality seats.” Can you tell us a little bit about what that means?
ES: The 2017 letter grades came out, 2018 will be out shortly. The students that were measured were our traditional students. We didn’t measure our alternative students, our online students, or our small schools. So 70 percent of our charter students are sitting in A or B rated charter schools.
JJ: Wow. That’s very impressive.
ES: Right, that’s compared to 56 percent of their district peers.
JJ: Can you say that again?
ES: So 70 percent of our charter students on the 2017 letter grades are sitting in A or B rated charter schools, compared to 56 percent of their district peers. And the reason for this is that our charter schools, the A through F is the reason they’ll keep their doors open. All F rated charter schools have signed agreements that either they’ll improve their academic rating over the next three years, or if they get another F in the next three years, they will be closed.
JJ: Wow, that’s commitment.
ES: Right. And so there were eight F rated charter schools. Three were already closing or are in the process of closing. Five signed a consent agreement. And some may have transferred or surrendered, but those are the ones, the eight is the number I’m consistently stuck on.
MP: Well, and from my experience with schools that have consent agreements in any state, typically I’ve noticed that if they’re going to sign it, they have approval from the board that they are committed to making those changes.
ES: Correct.
MP: I think that’s a great tool for driving improvement.
ES: Correct. And we have a manager of a separate affiliated partner, it’s called the Center for Student Achievement, an LLC under our charter school association, and we actively do professional development with our schools. And we’ve seen schools go from D to A. So there’s commitment and there’s the great leader, the great teachers and then this coaching to move things forward. We’ve seen this improvement. So all of our students benefit.

AZ Charters Outperforming Traditional District Schools

JJ: So the association is a very active, active body in development, professional development, et cetera, et cetera.
ES: And data. Yes, yes. So when I came onboard at the end of the legislative session in 2007, I had some experience with the charter sector, but I’m mainly a litigator, lobbyist, journalist and charters are created to provide student achievement and provide the communities a choice. Improving student achievement is where we’ve spent the last decade to make sure the quality is there for families because it’s our statutory mandate and then choice is also there in all the communities.
So, the charter sector in Arizona is in every one of our 30 legislative districts. If charters were their own state, they would outperform almost every other state except Massachusetts, and our charter sector is bigger than Delaware, Rhode Island. So we are large. And finally, if you look at eighth-grade math, based on the 2017 national report card, our charter students performed first in the country on math results for eighth grade and second in the country for reading results for eighth grade. So we have quite a bit of quality bragging rights.
And then for the last three years that we’ve had a new test, it’s called AZ Merit, our charter students have outperformed the state average in every grade, in every subject for the last three years. So our goal was the improve the quality, working collaboratively with our leaders and our authorizer, we have absolutely delivered on those results. So it is something that Arizona is very proud of.
MP: It should be.
ES: And our leaders are to be thanked because the work they’ve done has been extraordinary. Them and our teachers. It’s amazing.

An Active and Experienced Association is Key

MP: Well, I’ve noticed in my experience with your association, you’re very integrated with the schools and a part of the school and part of the movement, non-negotiable kind of feels like you’re just there. So my experience with other associations is that the membership school has to sort of reach up and self-serve the benefits that are part of their membership. But with the Arizona association, you really push them out and become partners with the schools and I just think that that’s a huge benefit and that other associations could probably model after that.
ES: Well, thank you. We have a team of 20 and we understand how busy our leaders are. They’re there to educate their students. Every Friday, we do a consistent email communication. It comes out at 6:30 in the morning. It’s a summary. Then, as different issues come up, we’ll bring in legal expertise, we’ll do webinars, we actively reach out to our schools based on their letter grades to make sure that they have the training they need, they can customize it, and we try to bring in experts on our team.
We had one of our charter leaders who won the MLK Award, she’s won different awards, she started or turned around three different high-poverty charter high schools and had outstanding academic results. We brought her on as our Director of Innovation. For operations, we had somebody who opened seven schools and so we brought him on our team. We brought on the former head of accountability for the Department of Ed. She’s our Chief Academic Officer.
We really try to bring the expertise and deliver that out to our schools and make them aware of the benefits. We have a 90 percent membership. Well, it’s probably about 88 percent, so it’s almost 90 percent. So we really try to work with our schools.
Now, we’re about to take things to the next level as we build up even stronger our communications around advocacy, as we move forward to the next election, the next session, because whether we like it or not, charter schools and choice has been under attack and even though there’s huge parent demand, we need to proactively get out the message about the benefits of parents being able to choose the right fit for their child. And so that’s going to be a campaign we’re moving forward.
We actively work with the National Alliance, other states, vice chair of the State Leaders Council. So my goal is to strengthen charter school organizations because we’re still a nascent industry and the miss and detractors are starting to increase. So you really need to get out that positive message and I think this conference and the work that Charter School Capital does really helps to get out that positive message.

On Working with Charter School Capital

MP: Can you share a little bit about your experience working with Charter School Capital?
ES: Yes. So I actively brought in Charter School Capital into Arizona. Charter School Capital fills a need that our schools wanted because obtaining financing is difficult. The public markets and bond markets or banking markets won’t always provide the financing our schools will need to get through a difficult situation. So for example, one of my schools, one of my great leaders in Tucson worked with Charter School Capital to buy their building. And it was a really positive experience for our school leader in Tucson.
But even prior to that, I worked with Stuart [Ellis], I had seen the need that was filled, and it’s a unique need and our schools definitely need to make sure they have all financial options because just as our students are unique, so are the school models for creating … We have 550 school models. And as we move forward, all the school leaders are in different places and Charter School Capital can meet the needs of those leaders.
MP: We’re very grateful for Arizona and being able to serve the leaders and the students there and partner with your association.
JJ: And we’re honored to have you here today. Thank you so much for spending time with us. We really appreciate it.
ES: Happy to do it.

Since the company’s inception in 2007, Charter School Capital has been committed to the success of charter schools. We provide growth capital and facilities financing to charter schools nationwide. Our depth of experience working with charter school leaders and our knowledge of how to address charter school financial and operational needs have allowed us to provide over $1.6 billion in support of 600 charter schools that educate 800,000 students across the country. For more information on how we can support your charter school, contact us. We’d love to work with you!

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Charter School Capital Funding Enables Skyline Education to Grow and Provide the Resources Needed for Their Students

Read this school spotlight to learn how Charter School Capital funding helped Skyline Education when they needed it most.

Providing a quality education to at-risk students often requires multiple resources. One-on-one instruction with teachers, access to good computers and customized lesson plans for students with special needs are just a few of the tools necessary to help children from underserved communities reach their potential. That is the formula behind the success of Skyline Education, a charter network in Arizona.
The multi-disciplined approach to education that Skyline’s six campuses provide “comes at a fairly high up-front expense,” says KJ Weihing, vice president of finance at Skyline Education. “We wanted to make purchases but didn’t have the up-front funding. That’s why we called Charter School Capital; they helped us get that short-term funding.”
Skyline opened its first campus in 2000, but it wasn’t until 2009 that the charter began to experience rapid growth. That year, the charter added two new campuses to its network, another in 2010 and two more in 2012. The network now serves more than 1,000 students in socially and economically diverse communities, including the Gila River Indian Community.
Such dramatic growth these past few years created a real need to access working capital, explains Weihing. The charter network knew that it would be receiving its funding, but given the uncertain payment schedule from the State of Arizona, they didn’t know when. School administrators knew that they needed some form of help to even out their budget throughout the year but were very wary of outside funders until they met Charter School Capital.

“We wanted to make purchases but didn’t have the up-front funding. That’s why we called Charter School Capital; they helped us get that short-term funding.”
~KJ Weighing, Vice President of Finance, Skyline Education

“I was impressed with the fee structure,” says Weihing. “A lot of times there are organizations that will lend for 20% interest because they know you can’t get funds anywhere else. Charter School Capital’s fee structure was not outrageous.”
But the relationship Skyline has developed with Charter School Capital is rooted in much more than just financial terms. Weihing would recommend to any charter school needing funds that they just “start the process,” stating that the two organizations have formed a real partnership dedicated to the success of Skyline Education.
“Last year, we wanted to make new computer purchases for one of our schools, but we didn’t have the current funding on hand to make that happen. So we used Charter School Capital to provide us with some short-term, immediate funds in order to get those computers into the classroom sooner than we would have been able to if we were waiting on funding,” concludes Weihing. The whole process has been “extremely seamless, quick and easy; I’m glad I did it.”

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San Tan Learning Center Grows with Charter School Capital Financing

In this school spotlight, we’re so proud to share how Charter School Capital financing helped San Tan Learning Center, an Arizona charter school, fund their growth and provide the stability they needed so they could stand alone.

San Tan Learning Center began its third year partnering with Charter School Capital to manage the school’s incredible growth since the school was formed in 2006. In that time, the school has grown from 250 students housed in a single 20,000 square foot campus to more than 650 students on two campuses totaling more than 60,000 square feet. That type of “whirlwind growth,” as Dr. Kris Sippel, Principal of San Tan Learning Center, refers to it, means that the school has increased their need for ongoing access to growth capital for more desks, computers, and space to house the students.
A few years ago, a lapse in funding by the State of Arizona combined with the school’s rapid growth meant the staff at San Tan Learning Center, based in Gilbert, Arizona, found themselves wondering where the money was going to come from to meet their changing needs. “I remember sitting in my office thinking ‘how am I going to get that $200,000 that I need’?” recalls. Sippel. “I was going through the mail and came across a postcard from Charter School Capital so I put in a call and a staff member called me back right away to talk about our needs. Their team got me comfortable with the process, pulled the documents together and presented to our Board of Directors.”

“It is a big relief to know that, with Charter School Capital, our organization can stand alone.”
~Dr. Kris Sippel, Principal

Dr. Sippel recognizes that at first, his board was hesitant. “They were worried about fees and paying back a loan with interest,” says Dr. Sippel. However, once the board understood that the funds provided by Charter School Capital were not a loan, the solution was embraced. “This doesn’t have all the rigmarole of a loan.” Dr. Sippel explains, “when I need funds, I get an email from Charter School Capital, process the paperwork, and provide the documents to get the funding –it’s so streamlined, it’s beautiful.”“It is a big relief to know that, with Charter School Capital financing, our organization can stand alone.”Dr. Kris SippelPrincipal
Growth and success for San Tan Learning Center means that they are able to provide quality middle and K-6 education to local students in their community.Dr. Sippelknows that what the school has to offer is unique,“we are a very family-oriented community; it just feels different at San Tan.” And he recognizes that Charter School Capital offered the school an equally unique experience, “Charter School Capital has done such a good job making us feel a part of something –that’s rewarding. You don’t get that feeling at a bank –the relationship piece just isn’t there.”
Dr. Sippel concludes with some advice for other charter schools experiencing rapid growth and facing financial concerns, “Ask yourself, ‘who’s going to sign a bank’s personal guarantee?’ Because it is a big deal; at least it was for me.” But Charter School Capital financing changes all of that. When describing the process, Dr. Sippel refers to something he calls the “3 F’s”: “Finding. Funding. Fast. That’s what they did the first time and that’s what they continue to do.” “It is a big relief to know that, with Charter School Capital, our organization can stand alone.”

Arizona State Board of Charter School’s Review of Enrollment/Application Forms

Editors Note: Lynne Adams, a partner at Osborne Maledon spoke with Ashley Berg, Executive Director at the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools (ASBCS) last week about Arizona charter school enrollment issues, and generously passed along some information about ASBCS’s independent review of schools’ enrollment forms and processes. As a follow up to our original post Some Charter School Enrollment Practices Under Scrutiny: ACLU Aims Spotlight on Arizona we thought we’d share her update with you. The below text is from an email communication written by Adams and she’s kindly given us permission to post it here. We hope you find this update informative.

Arizona Charter School Enrollment Forms Update

Ashley confirmed that the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools is not relying on the ACLU’s analysis of schools’ enrollment forms. ASBCS is doing its own analysis, and Ashley confirmed (as many of you already know) that the ACLU was simply wrong in some instances in determining that a school’s enrollment form violates some provision of state or federal law. That should give you some comfort—it did me. I’ve already located several errors in the ACLU’s analysis based on my review of client enrollment forms.
Ashley noted that the ACLU had not examined some enrollment form language, leading the ACLU to inaccurately conclude that a school tour or activity fees were required, for example. Of course, not all of the errors are in schools’ favor—ASBCS has identified concerns that the ACLU did not include in its data spreadsheet. But the fact that ASBCS is looking at these issues with fresh eyes is good.
Ashley indicated that in the next two weeks or so, ASBCS will be contacting schools that it believes have enrollment form problems. ASBCS will identify those concerns and give schools 30 days to remedy the problems. Schools can request an extension of the 30-day deadline if they have a good basis to do so—their governing board needs to approve changes to the enrollment form or related policies and procedures, for example. If the enrollment concerns are remedied/addressed within the deadline, ASBCS will not note an instance of non-compliance on the school’s operational dashboard. Of course, the converse of that is that the failure to remedy the concerns within the timeframe will result in non-compliance being noted on your school’s operational dashboard.
Ashley also noted that ASBCS had already reached out to the 75 or so Arizona charter schools that did not provide their enrollment forms to the ACLU and had collected those forms from all but about two of the schools. If you are one of those two hold-out schools, I strongly suggest that you submit your enrollment forms to ASBCS sooner rather than later.
Finally, in addition to the special education/Section 504 and student suspension questions that the ACLU has flagged as inappropriate on enrollment forms, Ashley noted that ASBCS will be reviewing schools’ enrollment forms to make certain that schools are using the ADE-approved PHLOTE (Primary Home Language Other Than English) form without revisions. You may ask home language questions on your application, but ASBCS is apparently taking the position that you must also use the PHLOTE form. You can find a copy of that form here (under “Home Language Survey”): https://www.azed.gov/oelas/forms/.
If you haven’t already done so, now is the time to get your “enrollment houses” in order. Review your forms—you should do this every year anyway—and make any revisions that are necessary. If you are not certain what findings the ACLU made about your school’s enrollment forms, you can find that information here.

David Garner and Lynne Adams are willing and able to assist you with the review of your enrollment forms and responses to the ACLU or ASBCS. Let them know if they can help you!

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.

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.