With the bill introduction deadline ending two weeks ago, the California legislature is now beginning to hold its first hearings on individual pieces of legislation. There were more than 2,600 bills and resolutions introduced, and several of those bills could impact charter schools. Below is a short summary for some of those bills.
AB 318 by Assemblywoman Caballero would require certificated employees and each pupil in certain independent study programs to communicate either in person, or by a live visual connection at least once per week.
AB 406 by Assemblyman McCarty would prohibit a charter school from contracting with a for-profit company for managing or operating a charter school.
AB 950 by Assemblywoman Rubio would allow a renewal of a charter petition that has been approved by the State Board of Education (SBE) on appeal to be heard either by the district that originally denied the petition or the SBE. It would also expand the use of “state-wide” benefit charter schools.
AB 1182 by Assemblyman Low is an independent study spot bill. A spot bill is a measure that has not yet been fully drafted, but has language in it that states the author’s intent.
AB 1224 by Assemblywoman Weber would create a pilot program allowing 5 County Offices of Education, picked by the SBE, to authorize 10 charter schools each throughout the state. CMOs with multiple schools would be able to apply to the program also.
AB 1360 by Assemblyman Bonta is a charter school admission and due process spot bill.
AB 1478 by Assemblyman Jones-Sawyer would apply the Brown Act, California Public Records Act and the 1974 Political Reform Act to charter schools.
AB 1528 by Assemblyman Acosta would extend the provisions allowing a virtual charter school to serve a student that has moved out of their geographical area during the school year to 1/1/21.
AB 1536 by Assemblyman Grayson is a charter school spot bill.
SB 806 by Senator Glazer is a charter school governance and oversight spot bill.
SB 808 by Senator Mendoza abolishes the appeal to the county office of education or SBE for denials and revocations of charter schools unless the county office finds that the district made a procedural violation during the hearing. It also allows a charter school petition to be denied if the district makes a finding that approving the charter would have a negative fiscal impact on the district.
To read more about these bills, visit the California Legislative Information website.
Category: Uncategorized
NPR’s education news site, nprEd , recently posted an article giving a rundown on charter schools, namely what ARE they and how are they different from other private and public schools?
Despite ever-growing numbers of charter schools in the country (3.1 million students currently enrolled in charter schools across 43 states), most Americans have no idea how charter schools work. The 2014 PDK/Gallup poll on public attitudes toward education found that while 63% of those asked favored charter schools (without a definition of what a charter is), 48% of those surveyed didn’t know they were public, and 57% thought they charged tuition.
The article covers how charter schools work, how they’re funded, who runs them, and whether they’re better than their public school competition. Read the full story.
JOIN OUR WEBINAR TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28!
What does it take to start-up, expand and replicate a charter school? Hear from Ron Packard, President and CEO of Pansophic Learning and Stuart Ellis, President and CEO of Charter School Capital, about growth strategies for your school.
REGISTER TODAY!
WEBINAR – Tuesday, February 28, 9 a.m. Pacific / 12 p.m. Eastern
Charter school leaders face many challenges during each phase of growth from start-up to expansion, through maturity. Our discussion will walk through these challenges and highlight best practices to implement at your school.
SPEAKERS
Ron Packard, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Pansophic Learning
Ron Packard is the CEO and Founder of Pansophic Learning, a global technology based education company. Packard is a well known educator, entrepreneur and visionary as well as the author of the highly regarded and reviewed book Education Transformation. Packard was previously the long time CEO and Founder of K12 Inc. He oversaw the growth of K12 from just an idea to almost one billion in revenue, making it one of the largest education companies in the world. During his tenure, revenue compounded at near 80%. Before K12, Packard was the Vice President of Knowledge Universe and CEO of Knowledge Schools, one of the nation’s largest early childhood education companies. He was also instrumental in the successful investments in Learn Now, Children’s School USA, Leapfrog, TEC, and Children’s Discovery Center. He holds a B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, both with honors.
Stuart Ellis, Founder, President and CEO, Charter School Capital
Stuart is the President and CEO of Charter School Capital, the nation’s leading provider of growth capital and facilities financing to charter schools nationwide. The company has provided in excess of $1.5 billion in support of 550+ charter schools educating more than 650,000 students across the country. Ellis has work with teams across many companies including Bain & Company and Opera Solutions, and he has led multiple high growth companies during his career. Ellis is a graduate from the University of California Berkeley, with honors.
Learn more about other charter school topics and check out our past webinars including facilities financing for charter schools as well as marketing stratgies to boost student enrollment.
We are excited to announce that American Education Properties (AEP), the facilities arm of Charter School Capital, has acquired the building occupied by Detroit Public Safety Academy. The acquisition secures the charter school a facility location to operate for the long-term.
Opened in 2013, Detroit Public Safety Academy provides students in grades 7-12 with a curriculum tailored to careers in the public safety sectors, including law enforcement, fire and emergency services, corrections and security. Law and government career programs are also incorporated into the curriculum. For the 2015/16 school year, Detroit Public Safety Academy celebrated a 100 percent graduation rate, with all students going on to continue their education in college or safety academies, or straight into career employment.
“We are delighted to support the future of Detroit Public Safety Academy by acquiring the building in which it operates,” said Stuart Ellis, president and CEO of Charter School Capital. “This remarkable charter school thrives on partnerships with local businesses to provide alums with jobs and training, ultimately making Detroit a viable community for future generations. We look forward to supporting this institution for many years to come.”
Detroit Public Safety Academy is operated by The Leona Group, a charter management organization (CMO) driven by a philosophy that every child can and will learn, regardless of ethnicity, economic or educational disadvantage.
“Detroit Public Safety Academy brought its program to Detroit at just the right time, and Charter School Capital purchased the school’s facility at a crucial time in the academy’s growth,” said Richard Kerwin, executive vice president of acquisitions and dispositions for Lormax Stern. “It has been a pleasure working alongside Charter School Capital to assure a long-term home for Detroit Public Safety Academy, and ultimately a better tomorrow for the community.”
Today, more than 1 million students find themselves on waiting lists for their local charter schools. The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools continues to highlight the lack of facilities options available to charter schools as a major issue charter leaders face. To meet this demand, charter schools require facilities that address the unique growth needs of each school and community and require access to capital to expand. Charter School Capital focuses solely on charter school needs, providing customizable facilities financing options to charter schools. Charter leaders retain control of their buildings and are afforded the flexibility to make the modifications necessary to expand their enrollment and academic programs.
Looking for more information about facilities expansion? Get in touch with our team at GrowCharters@charterschoolcapital.com.
Charter School Capital is excited to announce that its facilities arm, American Education Properties (AEP), has acquired five Florida charter school facilities, securing long-term occupancy and opportunity for the schools’ expansion via charter school facilities financing.
“It is immensely gratifying to positively impact the future of 4,065 students in a single transaction,” said Stuart Ellis, president and CEO of Charter School Capital. “After months of due diligence, we were delighted to arrive at terms that provide five charter schools in Florida with the peace of mind that comes in knowing their facilities are securely theirs to operate with a partner willing to fund growth and expansion for years to come.”
Gabriel Amiel and Arnaud Sitbon, principals of ESJ Capital Partners, stated, “A transaction of this magnitude represents ESJ’s largest charter school sale to date, and confirms our early belief in Florida’s charter school growth. We are pleased to work with the Charter School Capital team to collectively commit to the long term path of charter school education.”
The charter schools, operated by four different charter management organizations (CMOs) encompass a total of 295,992 square feet over 38 acres in Broward, Indian River and Hillsborough Counties. Charter schools operating in the facilities include Renaissance Charter School at Plantation, Imagine Charter and Middle School at Broward, Imagine School at South Vero, Championship Academy of Distinction–Davie Campus, and Kid’s Community College Riverview South.
Today, more than 1 million students find themselves on waiting lists for their local charter schools. The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools continues to highlight the lack of facilities options available to charter schools as a major issue charter leaders face. To meet this demand, charter schools require facilities that address the unique growth needs of each school and community and require access to capital to expand. Charter School Capital focuses solely on charter school needs, providing customizable facilities financing options to charter schools. Charter leaders retain control of their buildings and are afforded the flexibility to make the modifications necessary to expand their enrollment and academic programs.
Looking for more information about facilities expansion? Get in touch with our team at GrowCharters@charterschoolcapital.com.
It’s a new year and time for garnering new facilities knowledge for charter school leaders. Join us for our upcoming facilities webinar chock full of information useful to help charter schools make decisions about their facilities needs.
Register today!
Access to adequate facilities remains one of the biggest challenges charter leaders face today. We will touch on options charter leaders have and walk through the information needed to make informed facilities decisions.
WHEN: Thursday, February 16 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific / 12:00 p.m. Eastern.
SPEAKERS:
Larry Rieder, President, Charter School Property Solutions. He has over 30 years of experience in commercial real estate and has negotiated over $900 million of aggregate lease and equity transactions on behalf of major corporations. He founded CSPS to develop new, long-term academic facilities for charter school institutions. CSPS helps schools by managing the overwhelming tasks of locating, purchasing, financing, constructing and renovating academic facilities throughout the United States. The company has completed projects in Florida, New Mexico, Ohio, Nevada, Texas, and South Carolina.
Stuart Ellis, President & CEO, Charter School Capital. Stuart is one of the founders of Charter School Capital, the nation’s leading provider of growth capital and facilities financing to charter schools nationwide. The company has provided more than $1.2 billion in support of more than 550 charter schools educating 600,000 students.
Register today!
Let us know questions before the webinar and we’ll be sure to cover answers during the presentation.
Charter School Capital is proud to support National School Choice Week this week (and every week) by providing working and growth capital, charter school facilities financing and other resources to help charter leaders be successful. But don’t take our word for it! Hear from the charter leaders about how we’ve provided funding to help educate students.
To join the conversation with Charter School Capital, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Have a great #schoolchoice week!
National School Choice Week (NSCW) is here! Held every January, NSCW shines a spotlight on effective education options for every child across the United States.
Last year, the week boasted the largest series of education-related events in US history, including more than 16,000 events and 227 governors, mayors and county leaders with the goal of raising public awareness of all types of education options for children – including, of course, charter schools. NSCW is also hosting live broadcasts throughout the week, where you can keep up with activities across the country.
Join the conversation with Charter School Capital, as we share stories and quotes about school choice on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Follow all the school choice week festivities, events and conversation using the #schoolchoice and #SCW hashtags.
We would also love to hear what you’re doing to celebrate the week. Leave us a comment below. Have a great #schoolchoice week!
Join us on Facebook Live for Growth Strategy and Facilities Financing knowledge with:
- Dr. Darlene Chambers, Senior Vice President for Programs and Services at the National Charter Schools Institute
- Mike Morley, President and CEO American Charter Development
- Clint Satow, Vice President of Operations Performance Academies
- Stuart Ellis, President and CEO Charter School Capital
Still time to register!
Finding and securing state-of-the-art facilities and financing is one of the biggest challenges facing charter school leaders this year. Learn about the various options and how to evaluate what is best for your school.
Join our President and CEO, Stuart Ellis, and the Senior Vice President of Dougherty & Company, Dick Ward, on Wednesday, November 30th from 9-10 a.m. PDT / 12-1 p.m. EDT for an exclusive webinar:
How Should Charter Leaders Approach Facilities Financing Options?
Attendees will learn:
- Funding structures and options available
- Pros and cons to various financing options
- Balancing needs versus wants for your facility
- Facing budget realities
- Facilities planning best practices
Featured Speakers:
Dick Ward, Senior Vice President, Dougherty & Company
Dick Ward has 27 years experience in bond issuance and finance as an investment banker and financial advisor to schools, governments, non-profits, and developers. His experience includes tax supported and revenue based financings for education, housing, municipal utilities, and specialized project financing. In the last 15+ years, he has helped pioneer access to the bond market for the national public charter school sector. His underwriting of the Community of Peace Academy is considered one of the first tax-exempt bonds in the country. He is regarded as a national leader in this arena and has presented on the topic to the National Federation of Municipal Analysts, Bond Buyer Seminars as well as several state and local trade associations.
Stuart Ellis, President and CEO, Charter School Capital
Stuart is the Co-founder and CEO of Charter School Capital, the nation’s leading provider of growth capital and facilities financing to charter schools nationwide. The company has provided in excess of $1.2 billion in support of 500+ charter schools educating more than 550,000 students across the country. Stuart has presented around the country on growth strategies for charter schools and facilities options to aid charters in their growth.