Snapshot of the Indiana Public Charter School

Movement

A CONTRACT between

• Organizer—nonprofit for educational purposes

• Authorizer—one of the three entities who have been given the power by the legislature to operate a charter

WHAT IS A CHARTER?

WHO CAN AUTHORIZE?

1. Board of an LEA (school corporation) Who? Lafayette and 2 in Evansville2. Public university that offers a 4-year bachelor’s degree program Who? BSU took risk3. Mayor’s office of a consolidated city Who? Mayor of Indianapolis

WHY CHARTERS? Less than one in five of the black males who start high

school in IPS will leave with a diploma.

That's low enough to rank IPS 63 out of the 63 largest urban areas in the U.S.

PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS Our small rural schools do a good job Smaller is better for students and for teachers Accountability--if a charter school does not meet

testing requirements for 4 years, they are closed

WHAT ARE CHARTER SCHOOLS?

Law• Tuition-Free Public Schools

operating under a contract for high achievement

Schools • 62 Charter Schools in Indiana

Students

• 70% Minority (state average is 24.9%)

• 61% F & R Lunch (state average is 39%)

Charter Schools Offer Choice: Increased parent options in choosing a

school. Innovation: Freedom to try new approaches to

increase student achievement.

Flexibility: Power to make timely decisions about curriculum, operations, and

staff. Accountability: To authorizer, state DOE and

SBOA, elected officials, and parents. Partnerships: Charters actively develop

relationships with parents/community to support student success.

STATE LAWS THAT APPLY TO CHARTERSI.C. 20-24-8-5

Limitations on employment of children Firearms and deadly weapons Health and safety measures Reporting of student violations of law Patriotic—student due process & judicial

review Standardized testing (assessment programs, including remediation under assessment program) Parental access to education records Accountability for school performance and improvement Personal financial responsibility instruction

Required audits by the state Board of accounts Unified accounting system Special education Criminal history Subject to laws requiring Regulation by state agencies Void teacher contract when Two (2) contracts are signed Nondiscrimination for teacher marital status Teacher freedom of association School counselor immunity Compulsory school attendance Commemorative observances

STATE LAWS THAT DO NOT APPLY TO CHARTERSI.C. 20-24-8-4

Exempt from rules or guidelines adopted by the Indiana state board of education

Exempt from rules or guidelines adopted by the professional standards

board with the exception of teacher licensure

Exempt from Indiana statutes applicable to a governing body or school corporation

Exempt from local regulations or policies adopted by a school

corporation unless specifically incorporated in the charter

Indianapolis (22)

8,131 students1,700+ on waiting lists

Lake County (10)

4,895 students2,000+ on waiting lists

Fort Wayne (3)

1,453 students200+ on waiting lists

Others (21)

3,347 students300+ on waiting lists

Ball State Schools (33)

Indy Mayor Schools (17)

LEA (3)

CHARTER MYTHS

Myth: Charter schools can deny enrollment to a student based on special needs or academic reasons.

Fact: As public schools, charter schools must comply with all state and federal laws concerning open enrollment. A charter school may not establish admission policies or limit student admissions in any way in which a traditional public school is not permitted to establish admission policies or limit student admissions. --

CHARTER MYTHSMyth: We can’t afford more charter schools in this economic climate.

Fact: Since state funding (General Fund) follows the pupil, charter schools have ZERO additional fiscal impact on the state. If a school corporation get $5835 per student to educate a student, then the money follows the child and the charter would get the same $5835 per student.For county taxpayers, each student attending a charter school saves money, as no local tax dollars (which fund capital projects, debt service, bus replacement and transportation for districts) go to charter schools. Charters do not have a tax base.

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CHARTER MYTHSMyth: Charter schools drain resources from traditional public school districts.

Fact: The numbers don’t bear this out: 16 percent of students who leave Indianapolis Public Schools enroll in a charter school.

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Recipients of Migration from Indianapolis Public Schools by %Source: Indiana Department of Education Data (2006/07 to 2007/08)

CHARTER MYTHSMyth: Charter schools drain resources from traditional public school districts.

Fact: A 2008 survey of parents with students attending Indianapolis charter schools found that if their charter school ceased to exist, less than one third of the parents would send their student back to a traditional public school.

Other charter school (28%) Magnet school (15%)

Private school (18%) Home school (4%)

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CHARTER MYTHS

RURAL COMMUNITY SCHOOLS, INC.dba RURAL COMMUNITY ACADEMY

Sullivan County, Indiana’s3rd Public School Corporation

Why did we start RC—first school in Indiana to beat consolidation by default◦ 5 people on local school board decided to “turn off

utilities, put plywood on the windows, and abandon the premises”

◦ Abandoning a school who had just received a Four-Star Award for academic excellence to send their 150 kids to a “failing school” with 5 times the enrollment

◦ Leaving another old school building to set and fall down around itself

◦ Leading to the deterioration of the small rural community it served for 100 years

WHY—Rural Community

Who started RC—parents and a proud local community who care about education◦ Who begged the school board to reconsider◦ Who did not need an Adult and Continuing Education

program◦ Who started an entire nonprofit corporation, then an

entire school corporation from scratch with hiring personnel, creating a unique curriculum, creating policies

◦ Who obtained the decommissioned school building when the community started a nonprofit and got the building as a community center who leases the space to the school

WHO—Rural Community

When did RC start—charter law started in 2003 and RC started in 2004◦ When we knew we had something was when we had an

impact upon how education in Sullivan County has evolved with the other schools becoming better with the increased competition

◦ When parents have a choice in their child’s education

WHEN—Rural Community

Where is RC—Sullivan County, Southwestern Indiana, between Terre Haute and Vincennes on the Illinois border◦ Where athletic prowlness—or lack thereof—is not the

important part but teaching self-confidence is◦ Where people gather as a community for all kinds of

events involving community and school◦ Where our rural life is preserved◦ Where all staff is equal and part of the same team◦ Where these kids will grow up and become our friends,

our peers, our co-workers, our neighbors—our relatives

WHERE—Rural Community

What is our Philosophy of Education◦ Limiting class size to 19—smaller is better◦ Involving parents with 20 hours per year per family◦ Developing partnerships with agencies, for profits, non-

profits, veterans, fraternal, and educational organizations supplement learning, allowing kids to learn about their community

◦ Utilizing people, places, and things in the community to supplement the curriculum inside and outside the four walls of the classroom (example, Riverwatch)

◦ Giving back to the community in the form of time, talent and treasury

WHAT—Rural Community

WHAT—People, Places, Things

Learning science with community-built ecosystem and now wetland bog

WHAT—People, Places, Things

Preserving rural heritage bylearning scienceat the farm with a local farmer

WHAT—People, Places, Things

Learning math,science andhistory in a local cemetery

WHAT—People, Places, Things

Using a neighboringfield to catch, mark, tag and release butterflies

WHAT—People, Places, Things

Partnershipswith profitand nonprofit organizations

WHAT—People, Places, Things

At the creek, gathering watersamples to turn into Hoosier Riverwatch

How are we doing at RC◦ Have met the federal AYP (No Child Left Behind) every

year we have been eligible—PASSED◦ For the last two years have met the state PL221 with the

highest rating for academic excellence of “EXCEEDING STATUS”

◦ Have been recognized by BSU for financial planning, strategic planning, and accountability planning

◦ How we are accountable—if we do not meet testing requirements for four years, we are closed

HOW—Rural Community

Is the school you, your children and your parents and grandparents went to still viable?

Is that important to you or are new buildings and consolidation in the county seat better for education?

If you could design a school from scratch, what would it look like?

Maintaining small rural schools helps the economic development of small rural communities

ALL RURAL SCHOOLS

Russ Simnick, President• 407 Fulton St., Suite 301.Indianapolis, IN 46202• 317-452-0075 (cell)• russ@incharters.org

RURAL COMMUNITY

INDIANA PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS ASSOCIATION

Susie Pierce, Rural Community Schools• PO Box 85, Graysville, IN 47852• 812-382-4500• susiep@rcsi.k12.in.us