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.

The Dewey Awards are a tradition at Charter School Capital. This annual essay contest about one’s favorite teacher was created in 2017 by Stuart Ellis, our Founder and CEO.

Who Was Richard Dewey?

Stuart met his favorite teacher at eight years old. By eight, Stuart had already caught on that people would scold him whenever he did anything differently — whenever he “painted outside the lines.” Math — always a passion for Stuart — was an example. Apparently, there was ONE way to solve a math problem, and if eight-yr-old Stuart solved the problem, arriving at the correct answer, using unconventional processes, that was to be discouraged. Mr. Richard Dewey was different.

Mr. Dewey celebrated Stuart’s ability to do the arithmetic in his head — while also coaching him on the processes, for the time when the process would become more complicated.

“This is a treasure that you should hold forever!” wrote Mr. Dewey on Stuart’s first research paper (on California’s gray whales).

Richard Dewey made his students feel they had limitless potential. He took qualities Stuart had internalized as ‘bad’ and suggested they were great. Mr. Dewey made each kid feel ‘more than’ without making anyone feel ‘less than.’ He made them all feel they had limitless potential.

Fundamentally, Mr. Dewey made his students feel loved.

In a class of thirty-plus children, every child was seen. Mr. Dewey was a talented musician, and had managed to install a grand piano in his class. He would compose little rhyming songs about each kid – songs that Stuart remembers to this day.

Learn more about the Dewey Awards here.

A Class Reunion

In 2004, more than 30 members of Mr. Dewey’s class showed up for a thirty-year reunion. Sadly, Stuart arrived fifteen minutes after his former teacher had left, and the opportunity for a reconnection was missed. This prompted Stuart to write a Holiday card along with a letter, with details about his adult life and his family. In a heartwarming surprise, Mr. Dewey’s response included vivid recollections of Stuart as an eight-year-old, and all the things the teacher had noticed as potential in the student — things that had come to fruition in Stuart’s adult life.

Mr. Dewey’s letter was so uplifting it made Stuart cry. He was surprised how, at forty years of age, he could be so moved by this man’s words as he was as a child.

A Long-Awaited Reconnection

In 2017 Stuart got his chance to reconnect with his favorite teacher — who now asked Stuart to call him Rich. They met for three-and-a-half hours, and even that felt too short. Stuart tried to convey the deep impact his teacher had had in his life. They both cried.

Afterwards, Rich wrote Stuart expressing his own thoughts — how he had been reflecting, asking himself if he had had a significant positive impact on others throughout his life.

As the frequency of notes and calls grew, Rich and Stuart became good friends. The calls became a daily routine, and they were a joy for both men.

Mt. Dewey’s superpower was his vulnerability. He shared openly about his fears and challenges. He was courageous; he always put others ahead of himself.

Lessons in Life & Death

As Rich grew ill and faced his own mortality, his lesson to Stuart took on a deeper meaning — covering matters spiritual and philosophical.

In June 2019 Richard Dewey passed away. Stuart feels his presence still, and he is happy to see the Dewey Awards honor Rich’s memory.

A Passion to Help Educators

It was the influence of Mr. Dewey — along with other mentors – that led Stuart to devote his energies to the founding of Charter School Capital, with a mission to bolster and empower maverick educators, leaders in education. The whole purpose of our company is to support charter schools, help their growth and guarantee their survival.

Our Favorite Teachers

Most of us have had mentors, teachers in our lives who have inspired us to greatness. Teachers who saw in us potential we may not have even seen in ourselves. Teachers who push us to be the best we can be, to achieve all we can achieve.

The Dewey Awards are meant to celebrate such teachers.

We invite all charter school students to write in to our contest and tell us about your favorite teacher. We will select three winners, and each of these will receive a $1,000 charter school grant in the name of the school of your choice.

Learn more about the Dewey Awards here.

This year’s school reopening has been – and continues to be – an unprecedented challenge for all schools. Reimagining school facilities to create safe spaces for presence learning, setting up cleaning stations, barriers and markers, temperature measuring protocols has added heavy burdens to already-overextended administration bodies. In setting up remote learning, so many schools had to consider, perhaps for the first time, the hardware and connectivity limitations of their students. Social inequalities bubbled up to the surface. And on top of all that, there’s been the challenge of organically preparing the students themselves to conduct themselves within social-distancing protocols.

It’s no wonder so many schools fell short.

Charter schools have performed well, and in many cases have been ahead of the curve – according to two new studies. These studies, one from the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools and the other one from Fordham Institute, found that many charter schools achieved remarkable success – pivoting quickly and efficiently to remote learning.

The schools in the Fordham report distributed tens of thousands of Chromebooks, set up internet hotspots, and were quick to offer a robust mix of live and recorded instruction, causing student engagement and morale to stay high in the face of this transition and the health crisis facing all of us.

The common denominators all center around caring for the student as a full human being.

The Five Keys To School Reopening Success

These five factors rose to the top as contributors to school success:

Meeting students’ nutritional, social and emotional needs;
Proactively distributing the needed technology to the students;
Quickly creating structure that approximates their old normal routines and maintaining grading practices;
Reaching out to families, and listening to families, on a frequent and ongoing basis;
Being team-oriented in all aspects of instruction, grounded on a common curriculum.

The studies also highlight areas for improvement – such as increased communication with families and parents of students with disabilities to discuss and clarify how the school can best fit their child’s needs. In some schools, the effort to integrate students with disabilities was well-executed, but parents and families were just not aware enough to fully take advantage of this.

It’s also worth mentioning that these studies are limited in their scope.

That said, both studies show that charter schools across the nation are rising to the challenge, and have been nimble and effective in creating a new paradigm where the students continue to blossom.

We are proud to serve charter schools and help them grow.

If your school is growing, or is facing funding challenges, we urge you to reach out to our team of advisors. We’re here to help.

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

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

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

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

Additionally, guidance includes aspects of social equity and inclusiveness.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Learn more at our upcoming Webinar on August 26!

As the Fall approaches, charter schools around the nation are scrambling to meet the recommendations set forth by the CDC and other bodies for a safe reopening. As we heard at NCSCv on July 23rd, some schools are deep in the middle of this effort, some schools are finding the process overwhelming.

While many entities have assembled resources to provide guidance to public schools in general and public charter schools specifically, we found the documentation provided by the National Alliance of Charter Schools and the California Department of Education to be most immediately helpful in navigating the many aspects of a safe reopening of our schools.

Over the course of the next few weeks, you will notice in our Instagram, Facebook and Twitter channels a series of infographics providing helpful tips. While these are not meant to be comprehensive, we hope you’ll find them useful in dispelling some of the confusion and overwhelm that such a massive undertaking can generate. These helpful tips for school reopening all stem from the following documents:

We strongly encourage charter school leaders to review the above two documents in detail

Below we list additional resources we’ve found helpful in defining steps to take in ensuring readiness for students to returns to class – either as in-class learners or remote learners – are listed below. (We expect this to be an expanding list. Bookmark this page and come back to it regularly – we’ll be adding resources as we review them.)

Stakeholder Concerns

Gathering input from stakeholders accomplishes two important goals: It gives school leaders valuable data which will empower them to do better, AND it communicates to stakeholders that their concerns are being considered. While the first goal is widely understood, the importance of this second one cannot be overstated.

The compendium of resources gathered by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools – skillfully assembled by Lisa S. Grover, PhD and Peri Lynn Turnbull, APR – lists surveys that have been conducted by national organizations. TNTP has a bank of survey questions, as well as a COVID-19 School Response Toolkit that may help charter school leaders collect ongoing feedback. Learning Heroes assembled a poll. EdChoice and the American Federation for Children have published survey results as well. Charter school leaders can dive into all of these resources to get steering data as they engage in the daunting task of reopening their schools.

Survey Template

Following the Charter Alliance’s lead, we’re making a set of survey questions available here for download. These stem from the National Parent Poll which Echelon Insights carried out for the National Parents Union (NPU). (You can see their survey results here)

We’re providing this survey template in MS Word. This enables charter school leadership to add their logos and contact info prior to sending these out. Simply download the MS Word template, replace with your own logo, branding and contact info and distribute to your stakeholders.

Financial Readiness

While the process of making schools safe for our students is of paramount importance, the survival and growth of your school in these uncertain times is just as vital for the uninterrupted educational experience of young minds.

With that in mind, we urge you to develop a strong strategic plan to weather state deferrals, as well as the added financial burden of providing a COVID-safe campus for your student body, teachers and support staff. Reach out to our financial experts if you need assistance with this. We’ve been through the Great Recession and have helped many charter schools survive and thrive in difficult financial climates. We’re here for you now. Call us at 503-227-2910.

COVID-19: Case Study in Great School District Communications – A Parent’s Perspective

In late February, a Lake Oswego, Oregon school staff member tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. It was very early in the initial days of the outbreak, and the Lake Oswego School District (LOSD) was suddenly thrust into the front lines of crisis communications.

One of our team members has two kids in the district, and in her own words, she describes some essentials for keeping parents and caregivers calm and a good model for handling communications during a crisis.

Regular School District Communications

Messages, Multiple Channels – Liz Overson’s Perspective

As a Lake Oswego parent, I feel the district has done a very good job of keeping the people informed when the first Coronavirus case was found/presumptive and later tested positive. I feel aligned with the updates with each move since.

6:00 pm Friday, February 28 – first robocall came explaining a staffer at Forest Hills elementary has tested positive for the coronavirus and is in isolation in the hospital. Text message and emails also came communicating the same message.

7:00 pm Friday, February 28 – second robocall saying all LOSD schools and campuses were closed for the weekend for deep cleaning. Text message and emails also came communicating the same message.

12:00 pm Saturday, Feb 29 – a press conference with the district Superintendent, Communications Director and County/ Health Authority was held. This press conference timing and link were communicated via text, email and robocall as well.

1:00 pm Sunday, March 1 – a health alert update was posted reiterating the safety measures being taken.

On the LOSD home page there is a Health Alert box now. From there, parents can click through to find a timeline of everything that has been shared and done since 2/28:

As a parent, I appreciate:
• Regular communications of fluid info – LOSD is acting as a resource and all LOSD families have the same info.
• LOSD has links to Clackamas County and Oregon Health Authority – making it easy for me to research more if I so choose.
• LOSD communicated in simple and straightforward language.

We can look at this as a model to prepare for the potential that your school will need a similar plan.

Join us for our upcoming webinar:
COVID-19: Six Essential Guidelines for Contingency & Communications Planning
Friday, March 20th | 10:00 a.m. PT

REGISTER HERE

27th Annual California Charter Schools Conference

As one of this year’s proud sponsors, we are eager to celebrate to honor charter school success at the 27th annual California Charter Schools Conference in Long Beach, CA at the Long Beach Convention Center.

Be sure to stop by booth #1012 to say hello and grab your free pair of our exclusive 2020 #WeLoveCharterSchools socks, while supplies last!

As always, we look forward to meeting, learning from, and connecting with charter leaders who come from all over The Golden State to help forward the charter school movement.

If you’re attending, we sincerely hope you’ll take a minute to swing by our booth and say hello and let us know how we can support your school and students!
Additionally, we will be hosting a session that you won’t want to miss:

Enrollment Marketing 101: How to Attract and Engage Prospective Students
Wednesday, March 18th | 8:30a.m. – 9:30a.m.

Extra Credit: Use the hashtag #WeLoveCharterSchools hashtag onsite, and we’ll share your special conference moments on our social channels!

Find more information on our session and get other conference details here: https://charterschoolp.wpengine.com/event/ccsa2020/

Since the company’s inception in 2007, Charter School Capital has been committed to the success of charter schools. We help schools access, leverage, and sustain the resources charter schools need to thrive, allowing them to focus on what matters most – educating students. 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 $2 billion in support of 600 charter schools that have educated over 1,027,000 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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2020 California Legislative Prospectus

With the year ending, it is time to focus on where the 2020 California Legislature may go on charter schools next year. This year, we saw the passage of AB 1505 and AB 1507 which changed the way that charter schools will be approved and renewed. The bills also put major restrictions on non-classroom based charter schools including a two-year moratorium on their authorization. Finally, AB 1507 placed new limits on where these charters can locate and where they can have resource centers.

During the two year moratorium, we should expect to see a further examination and crackdown on non-classroom based charters. Some members of the State Assembly have made it clear that they view AB 1505 and AB 1507 as just the start of chaining the laws that govern charter schools. We also anticipate that there will be both Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Teeam (FCMAT) and Joint Legislative Audit Committee (JLAC) audits on several of these type of charter schools, which will give the Legislature several different ways to put these charter schools under a microscope. The FCMAT audits would be requested by local education agencies (LEAs) while the JLAC audits would be requested by the Legislature.

Additionally, the administration has expressed a clear concern about two different aspects of non-classroom based charters:
1. How they generate Average Daily Attendance (ADA)
2. How many charter schools should small school districts be allowed to authorize?

The ADA questions is much broader than charter schools and would focus on how independent study programs generate ADA since charters generate ADA the same way. The focus on small school districts is much more concerning because a lot of small districts use non-classroom based charter schools to supplement programs that they cannot manage themselves, thus serving a student population that may be difficult to serve.

As the new year begins and new California legislative measures are introduced, we will keep you updated as to the impact they will have on charter schools.

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Announcing the Winners for our 2019 Dewey Awards!

This year, for our 3rd annual Richard Dewey Awards, we were so honored to have received such amazing, touching, inspirational submissions. Close to 75 stories about how teachers have made a difference were shared with us. The caliber of submissions made selecting our three winners a very challenging task for our panel of judges.

And the 2019 Dewey Awards go to…

In no particular order, here are the winning stories that will receive the $1000 grants that will be given to a charter school of their choosing! Read these three heartwarming stories about teachers who have truly impacted the lives of their students.

Teacher: Joshua Curry
Subject: History and Social Studies
School: Options Charter School Noblesville,
State: Indiana
Submission from: Conner Reiff

“How has Joshua Curry impacted my life?

Prologue

To answer this question, allow me to review the two previous years of my life. I had been told that I had ADHD, but in 6th grade, I had actually become seriously ill with Narcolepsy with Cataplexy. I was put on homebound restrictions through my previous school for almost two years. Having to do online work was not fun and sometimes I fell asleep halfway through my work! Sometimes I fell asleep for weeks at a time! I was put into a clinical trial for a medication where I had to frequently fly to California. Then I had to be seen by the top research doctor at Stanford University because I was still sleeping so much. It was there that I was also diagnosed with Klein-Levin Syndrome, a very rare sleep disorder. I have no idea how, but I somehow survived through those painful two years on an online school and traveling. After successful medical interventions, my homebound instructor suggested Options Charter School in Noblesville, Indiana. Today I am a successful student at Noblesville Options Charter School. Let me tell you about one of my teachers, who has made it his mission to ensure my success in school.
—————————————————————————
Actual Story

The school I am at now, Options Charter School, has put me on a brighter path by inspiring the student in me to wake up (no pun intended) and to be free. Regardless of my disorders, I am able to function at school and complete my work every day, sometimes with no homework at all!

The one teacher who helped me through a lot of this was my social studies teacher, Joshua Curry. He had some secondhand experience with Narcolepsy and it came from a surprising source! My family and I attended the Center for Courageous Kids in Scottsville, Kentucky. There I met other children who have narcolepsy including one of Josh’s school friends named Nick who had a daughter with the same type of narcolepsy as me! Nick tutored Josh on every possible important thing for a narcoleptic like me. He taught him the wants, needs, and level of care needed to help. Josh then suggested extended time for assignments, minimal homework, and that the goal was to help me succeed with whatever it took. Over a short period of time, Josh became not just a teacher, but my best friend and someone who cared for me. He came to my awards ceremony for the community project I had done. He even spoke at the ceremony despite his nervousness toward the thought of public speaking! He even drove me back to school afterward and bought me a giant-sized Dr. Pepper when we stopped at Speedway! We laughed all the way back! It was the best day of my life!

Josh has always had my back and he gives me somewhat ridiculous deadlines for school assignments. When I bring this up, he would say, “Just take the two weeks, Connor. Besides, it’s only just in case you fall asleep.” We would both laugh for a while after that and then I would go on to my next class. Every day at school I wish one thing for myself, “I wish to be in Josh’s classroom all day, every day!”

The reason that I like his classroom so much is because when I was undergoing treatment, I read a lot of historical articles, books, and movies. In the classroom, he makes history relevant and interactive. He uses constant hilarious dark humor that keeps my mind engaged. He engages the students by demonstrating that he is an authority about each topic. It makes me ask questions about the sequence of history.“History is not wrong unless you record it wrong” is one of his favorite quotes. He has many books in his classroom for different perspectives and time periods. This allows me to gain historical knowledge and draw my own conclusions.
There isn’t a teacher more deserving of being recognized than Josh Curry. Often times, charter school teachers are not recognized for helping individual students and for the good that they do in the world. Thank you for the opportunity to nominate Josh Curry. He is most deserving of this national honor!”

Teacher: Betty Williams
Subject: Academic, 2nd Grade
School: Frostproof Elementary School
State: Florida
Submission by: Mary Milton

“In loving memory of Mrs. Betty Williams:

As a first grade student, I hated school. I couldn’t read in first grade and everyone knew it. My first-grade teacher told me that I wouldn’t amount to anything because I couldn’t read and she wasn’t very pleasant or patient with me. I didn’t want to go to school. That all changed when I started second grade and had Mrs. Betty Williams as a teacher. Mrs. Williams was an older woman that had taught for years. She had a sense of calm that every student should encounter in a classroom. Mrs. Williams genuinely cared for her students and took the time to know each of us.

I remember the day I cried to her about not being able to read. She told me that I may not be able to read today, but she promised I would be able to read. Mrs. Williams patiently worked with me, she met with my mom and tried different strategies to help me read. One day, she moved my seat closer to the front of the room. I was able to see the board a little more clearly, but still not perfectly. I had never told anyone that things were blurry to me, but Mrs. Williams noticed that I was squinting and trying to figure out words on the board, that is why she moved me closer. When she requested a meeting with my mom I thought she was going to tell my mom the same thing my first-grade teacher told me. Instead, she told my mom that she thought I should have my eyes checked. We were a very low-income family and my mom told her she didn’t know if she could afford to take me to the eye doctor, but would try to get me in as soon as possible.

Mrs. Williams gave my mom her eye doctor’s name and told my mom to take me there and she would take care of the bill. I remember the doctor telling my mom that I needed glasses, I was far-sighted and had astigmatism. I was so proud when my glasses came in and begged my mom to take me by Mrs. Williams’s house so I could show her my glasses and tell her that trees had leaves now, not just blurry blobs. She didn’t mind that we stopped by her home after work and was so happy to see me smiling with my glasses on. Mrs. Williams continued to work with me on reading and I stayed in contact with her after her retirement. Her caring personality, her patience, and her observant eyes helped me believe in myself, taught me how to read, allowed me to see, and inspired me to become a teacher.”

Teacher: Chantal Haskell
Subject: Drama, Strings, Choir
School: Greenville Technical Charter High School
State: South Carolina
Submission by: Savannah Cannon

On my first day of freshman year, I was scared out of my mind. I didn’t really want to go to Drama Class, because I knew I would be the only freshman in Drama 2. I came inside and sat down on the third row. I was encouraged to come sit on the front row with my six other classmates and reluctantly agreed. We instantly started introductions, but Ms. Haskell didn’t do it like any of my other freshmen teachers would. We were asked about our summers, and Haskell showed us pictures from her wedding. We started improv, and I quickly became very aware of the energy in the room. My upperclassman classmates were performing scenes about babies in blenders and crazy things I had no idea how to react to. But Haskell quickly showed me that we were a family and that our family liked to have a lot of laughs.
Within only a couple weeks, I became more and more comfortable in Drama 2 class. With Haskell leading us, it wasn’t only about learning or getting the grade. It was about teaching us things that we would never forget. It was about making friends and gaining relationships I could treasure forever. Every project had a different twist and turn that scared me at first, but always came back, in the end, to teach me a bigger lesson.

Ms. Haskell wasn’t only teaching us inside of her classroom either. Haskell is the only teacher I have ever met that was brave enough to open up her own home to her students. Over Christmas break, when she should have been thanking God that she didn’t have to deal with us hooligans, she invited us to come bake cookies and spend time together. Haskell was not just a teacher that we sometimes talked to because we felt like we needed to, Haskell was someone I knew I could always come to for advice about anyone or anything.

Only about a month into the school year, auditions were held for Alice in Wonderland. I performed some little monologue about a school play and I loved every little second of my two minutes, but I was scared out of my mind. Only a couple of days later, I received callbacks for the show. I ended up playing the Red Queen, but what Haskell told me just a short 12 hours later would change everything I thought about myself. Before class, she pulled me to the side and told me that she believed I had really good talent and that if I kept working, she knew I would do big things. That statement has stuck with me for over two years now, and I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.

Haskell has continued to teach me things throughout my high school experience. She has worked harder than any teacher I have ever seen. She has given up her after school time four, if not all five days of the week. She has Musical Theatre class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, holds an acapella club for her students on Wednesdays, and stays after school on Mondays so that I can have meetings for our annual Murder Mystery Dinner, and so other kids can rehearse lines. She puts in more commitment inside and outside of the classroom than any teacher. She might leave our building with hours of work to do, but you can always count on her to have it done the next day when we return.

When I was having a tough time handling school, sports, friends, and family, Haskell was the only adult I knew I could come to. She never judged me, never looked down upon me. She only gave me the greatest advice and endless support. But most importantly, she just kept on telling me she loved me.

In my opinion, being a teacher is about sacrifice. Sacrificing your time, your effort, and probably sometimes your sanity. Only the best teachers truly care about their students the way that Haskell does. She is always there for a laugh, but she is also always there for a hug and to be a shoulder to cry on. Haskell is the kind of teacher that you cry about on graduation day because you’re not really sure what you’re going to do without their smile, support, and advice every day when you’re gone. Someday, when I become a teacher, I hope to have just as much passion for my kids as Haskell does for hers.

Thank you again to all of those who shared your amazing submissions, we were so very inspired reading (watching) them all!

Our Esteemed Submission Review Panel:

Darlene Chambers – A national leader in education reform, Dr. Darlene Chambers is the Senior Vice President for Programs & Services at the National Charter Schools Institute, and a review alum from both 2017 and 2018.

Janet Johnson – Chief Growth Officer at Charter School Capital and internal teacher/ inspiration officer herself (though she’s too humble to admit it), Janet is a review alum since 2017.

Amanda List – Amanda is a principal of AList Consulting and served as Texas Charter School Association’s first director of advocacy. Amanda has extensive state government affairs and public charter school experience including strong ties to the Texas Capitol and the Texas Education Agency. We welcome Amanda as a first time review panelist for the 2019 Dewey Awards.

Juana Garcia – With more than 25 years of experience in education, Juana is the Founder of three Montessori Charter Schools and has served as a Magnet Lead Teacher, the Educational Excellence School Advisory Council Chair and United Way Ambassador. We welcome Juana as a first time review panelist for the 2019 Dewey Awards.

If you missed this year’s submission window, but still want to share your story and honor a special teacher outside the awards program, post it on social and tag @GrowCharters and use hashtags #WeLoveCharter Schools and #DeweyAwards and we’ll share it on our social platforms.

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Ballot Initiatives

What’s Next

Who Was Richard Dewey?

A Class Reunion

A Long-Awaited Reconnection

Lessons in Life & Death

A Passion to Help Educators

Our Favorite Teachers

The Five Keys To School Reopening Success

Stakeholder Concerns

Survey Template

Financial Readiness

COVID-19: Case Study in Great School District Communications – A Parent’s Perspective

Regular School District Communications

Messages, Multiple Channels – Liz Overson’s Perspective

Join us for our upcoming webinar: COVID-19: Six Essential Guidelines for Contingency & Communications Planning Friday, March 20th | 10:00 a.m. PT

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27th Annual California Charter Schools Conference

2020 California Legislative Prospectus

Announcing the Winners for our 2019 Dewey Awards!

And the 2019 Dewey Awards go to…

In no particular order, here are the winning stories that will receive the $1000 grants that will be given to a charter school of their choosing! Read these three heartwarming stories about teachers who have truly impacted the lives of their students.

Teacher: Joshua Curry Subject: History and Social Studies School: Options Charter School Noblesville, State: Indiana Submission from: Conner Reiff

“How has Joshua Curry impacted my life?

Teacher: Betty Williams Subject: Academic, 2nd Grade School: Frostproof Elementary School State: Florida Submission by: Mary Milton

Teacher: Chantal Haskell Subject: Drama, Strings, Choir School: Greenville Technical Charter High School State: South Carolina Submission by: Savannah Cannon

Thank you again to all of those who shared your amazing submissions, we were so very inspired reading (watching) them all!

Our Esteemed Submission Review Panel:

If you missed this year’s submission window, but still want to share your story and honor a special teacher outside the awards program, post it on social and tag @GrowCharters and use hashtags #WeLoveCharter Schools and #DeweyAwards and we’ll share it on our social platforms.

Join us for our upcoming webinar:
COVID-19: Six Essential Guidelines for Contingency & Communications Planning
Friday, March 20th | 10:00 a.m. PT

Teacher: Joshua Curry
Subject: History and Social Studies
School: Options Charter School Noblesville,
State: Indiana
Submission from: Conner Reiff

Teacher: Betty Williams
Subject: Academic, 2nd Grade
School: Frostproof Elementary School
State: Florida
Submission by: Mary Milton

Teacher: Chantal Haskell
Subject: Drama, Strings, Choir
School: Greenville Technical Charter High School
State: South Carolina
Submission by: Savannah Cannon