DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS
DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS RENAISSANCE PLAN RFP
ATTACHMENT A - APPLICATION
APPLICATION IN RESPONSE TO REQUEST
FOR CHARTER SCHOOL PROPOSALS:
DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS
RENAISSANCE PLAN
DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS
(AUTHORIZING BODY)
DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS
DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS RENAISSANCE PLAN RFP
ATTACHMENT A – APPLICATION
DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS
I.
APPLICATION FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL AUTHORIZATION
This application form constitutes the required form for an application to the Detroit Public Schools for authorization
to organize and administer a public school pursuant to Part 6A of the Revised School Code and the District’s
Detroit Public Schools Renaissance Plan. By accepting this application from a proposer the Detroit Public
Schools is not required to issue a contract to any person or entity. The Detroit Public Schools retains the right
to approve some or none of the applications submitted to it. Proposers are directed to the District’s RFP:
Detroit Public Schools Renaissance Plan for further information necessary to complete this application.
Throughout this document, the term “proposer” and “applicant” are used interchangeably to denote the
individual or entity proposing to provide management services to one or more District schools identified for
Turnaround as described in the RFP.
All inquiries should be directed to the Detroit Public Schools Office of Charter Schools Monitoring. Efforts to
contact anyone else are strictly prohibited and may result in disqualification of your proposal.
II.
INSTRUCTIONS
The application must follow the format beginning with Section III (Contact Information). Additional information
may be included if the applicant believes it would help the Detroit Public Schools evaluate the proposed
charter school.
Applications should be formatted using Times New Roman, with font size 12, and margins should be kept as
they are in the application. The application should be saved as a single PDF document, including attachments
and addenda. Budgets should be submitted as a single excel file. The naming convention for the files shall be
“NameofSchool.Application.pdf” and “NameofSchool.Budget.”
If a complete application is submitted, but is improperly formatted, the application shall be returned to the
proposer, who shall have two days to resubmit the properly formatted application. The proposer shall not
submit new documentation or information for their application after the deadline for submission has been
reached.
If an application is found to be incomplete, the Office of Charter Schools Monitoring shall notify the proposer
and give the proposer the opportunity to indicate where the missing information can be found in the submitted
application. The proposer shall not submit new documentation or information for their application after the
submission deadline.
The narrative document shall be no longer than 100 pages. The pages including the requests and guidance as
well as the tables at the beginning of each section shall count towards the 100 pages. Attachments,
appendices, and the cover page shall not count towards the 100 pages. If an application is submitted that has a
narrative over 100 pages, DPS staff shall notify the proposer, and the proposer shall have two days to resubmit
an application that complies with the guidelines contained in this Request for Proposals (RFP). The
opportunity to revise for length shall be provided one time only to proposers and shall not be provided at all
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ATTACHMENT A – APPLICATION
during the resubmission process. Note that 100 pages is the upper limit for applications, not a minimum.
Successful applications are concise, address the requests directly, and do not include extraneous details.
Information
has
been
made
available
on
the
Detroit
Public
Schools
website
(http://detroitk12.org/renaissance2012) for each of the schools which are being considered for turnaround (the
“Binder”). The binder contains a site plan, floor plan, and last reported count of pupil membership, extra-and
co-curricular activities, staff census and a description of relevant academic and other indicators for the school.
Additionally, the Binder will contain information of general applicability to the District regarding
transportation, attendance areas, and support and related services available to operators who choose to engage
in the turnaround plan.
Following the evaluation, recommendation of application approvals, and selection of providers, Detroit Public
Schools will enter into a facility matching process. DPS will make facilities decisions independent of and
subsequent to all selection decisions. Approved providers are not required to lease any of the buildings which
are described in the Binder. If a proposer wishes, they may design their proposal based on the body of students
likely to attend a specific school which is referenced in the Binder. In these instances, the proposer should
include in each portion of their response a reference to the Binder by school name. Please note this does not
require DPS to match the proposer to the identified school.
III.
COVER SHEET
The proposer should include a cover sheet providing all of the information outlined below including the name
of the person who will serve as the primary point of contact for this Application. One person should serve
as the contact for follow-up, interviews, and notices regarding this Application.
NAME OF PROPOSED CHARTER SCHOOL:
NAME OF PROPOSER’S CORPORATION:
MAILING ADDRESS:
NAME OF CONTACT PERSON DESIGNATED BY PROPOSING BODY:
TITLE/RELATIONSHIP TO THE PROPOSING BODY:
MAILING ADDRESS:
TELEPHONE (day):
CELL PHONE:
EMAIL ADDRESS:
ARE YOU APPLYING TO
OPERATE MORE THAN
ONE SCHOOL?
YES: IF YES, HOW MANY?
PRINCIPAL’S NAME (if selected):
TELEPHONE (day):
CELL PHONE:
EMAIL ADDRESS:
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ATTACHMENT A – APPLICATION
Year 1 Grade Levels:
Year 1 Projected Enrollment:
Grade Levels at Full Capacity:
Projected Enrollment at Full Capacity:
Anticipated First-Year Operating Budget.
Revenue $
Expenses $
I certify that I have the authority to submit this application and that all information contained herein is
complete and accurate, realizing that any misrepresentation could result in disqualification from the
application process or revocations after award. I understand that incomplete applications and those submitted
after the published deadline will not be considered. The person named as the contact person for the
application is so authorized to serve as the primary contact for this application on behalf of the organization.
Contact Information
Please identify the proposer for contract and provide title, address, fax and email.
Type of proposer: (check one)
Individual: [ ]
Government Entity: [ ]
Non Profit Corporation: [ ]
For-Profit Corporation, LLC, [ ]etc.
Authorized to do Business in Michigan
___yes
___no
School Design and Educational Program
An important component of the Plan is the creation of a transition path for each building which assures continuity
of service for all children to be enrolled in the new charter school.
The proposed school must have a clear mission and an overall purpose for the educational program that meets the
need of students primarily from the City of Detroit as described in the Binder.
Please respond to the requests below.
1. State the schools’ mission and briefly present your vision for how the school will operate including
how the proposed turnaround furthers the mission and goal of providing a high quality education to
the children choosing to enroll in the new school.
2. Describe the school’s educational foundation and the culture or ethos. Include an overview of the
instructional methods and any research or experience that have been successful in your current
schools and indicate why you have chosen to use this approach with your anticipated student
population.
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3. Provide the school calendar and school day schedule showing the number of days the school will be
in session and sample daily class schedules showing daily hours of operation and allocation of time
for core instruction, supplemental instruction, extra-curriculars, and after-school activities, as
applicable. The school’s calendar shall comply with MCL Sections 380.1175 and 380.1284, 1284a and
1284b of the Revised School Code. The school’s calendar shall also comply with the minimum
requirements set forth in Section 101 of the School Aid Act of 1979, as amended (MCL 388.1701).
The school’s day schedule must be structured to meet the required number of instructional hours.
4. Describe the strategies the school will employ to develop and sustain a safe and orderly school
climate that supports fulfillment of the educational goals. Explain the school’s student behavior
philosophy and discipline policy or code of conduct for both the general student population and for
students with special needs. The full discipline policy should be included as an attachment if
already developed. Such procedures must comply with all applicable state and federal law,
including IDEA.
5. Describe the strategies to be employed with the turnaround process of an existing public school.
Include strategies detailing the transformation of the school’s climate and what specifically would
be done to achieve a successful turnaround.
6. Please list below the number of serious incidents at each of your Michigan schools over the last five
years. If the school listed is a “turnaround” please provide the number of serious incidents for the two
years prior to the turnaround if you have that data. For the purpose of this response a “serious
incident” is defined as one of the following: assault, drugs, moral offenses, weapons, and theft.
7. Please list below the number of suspensions at each of your schools for the last five years.
8. Please list student retention rates at each of your Michigan schools for the last five years. Student
retention rates should be calculated as a “cohort.” That is, the retention rate should reflect the number
of students who stay through to complete the final year offered at the school.
C u r r ic u lu m
Effective schools have an integrated model of curriculum and instruction. The curriculum is the basis
around which all educational institutions are organized. In brief, the curriculum must describe for each grade
or level the outcomes for each subject to be taught. The school’s curriculum must explicitly indicate alignment
to the Michigan Curriculum Framework (standards, benchmarks, grade level content expectations, high school
content expectations), Detroit Public Schools Academic Plan and Common Core State Standards and be
appropriate in relation to the school’s educational goals.
Detroit Public Schools is a large urban district that serves a high-poverty population. The District is seeking
experienced charter operators whose current schools demonstrate the following:
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ATTACHMENT A – APPLICATION
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
A recognized model for academic quality;
Student graduation rate of 90 percent or higher;
At least 75 percent of students demonstrate proficiency on state math exams;
At least 75 percent proficiency on state reading exams;
Experience in urban educational settings with more than 500 students; and
Willingness to hold conversations with the communities surrounding each school.
Please respond to the requests below.
1. Provide the planned curriculum for the charter school. Be certain to include all subjects to be offered,
including all non-core curriculum such as physical education, art and music. Submit separate
documents for each course identified by grade level. List the performance objectives to be met and the
Michigan Curriculum Framework benchmarks and grade level content expectations to which the
performance objectives correspond. Align the curriculum with Detroit Public Schools Academic Plan
and Common Core State Standards as well as the school’s mission and ensure the curriculum is
appropriate for the students to be served. Describe any research that supports this approach to
educating children.
2. For core subjects, include sample lessons from two different grade levels that illustrate strategies
for implementation of the curriculum consistent with the mission and educational philosophy.
3. If your curriculum does not currently meet the stated alignment requirements, or if you are
uncertain, please explain how you will complete the process of aligning the curriculum.
4. Discuss specific instructional strategies that have been successful in your current schools and will
be relevant or necessary to successful implementation of the curriculum. Discuss how curriculum
and instruction needs have been addressed in your current schools and are reflected in plans for
professional development.
5. Describe how the proposed school will either expand and improve upon existing DPS
programs/services, or create programs/services not currently offered by DPS?
6. Beyond classroom teaching and the core curriculum, what other innovative services or programs
will be offered (e.g. pre-K, head start, latchkey, extra-curricular activities, dual enrollment,
internships, tutoring, computer training)? What other extracurricular and co-curricular services
would the school offer? What resources are needed in order to offer these services?
7. DPS expects operators to offer enrichment experiences for students. Please list the extracurricular
and co-curricular services that you propose to offer
8. Like all public schools, academies are subject to state accountability requirements. For all
approved academies, the charter contract will include a set of core educational performance
expectations that reflect state accountability requirements and DPS’s performance expectations. In
addition to those standard requirements, most schools have goals that are particular to the school’s
educational philosophy and organizational priorities.
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If you intend to include additional school specific goals, what are the proposed educational goals
and how will they be measured? Identify two key academic goals and one non-academic goal for
which the school plans to hold itself accountable.
9. Please list all of the schools currently and previously operated in Michigan by your organization and
for each school include the name of the authorizer. Please provide school name, grade configuration,
location, and number of years under your management. Please indicate if the schools listed are new
schools or “turnarounds” (e.g. turnarounds of existing public schools or takeovers of charters under
prior management with a different provider).
10. Please provide AYP history and NCLB test data (percent proficient and above for reading and math) in
the grid below for each school currently or previously operated by your organization in Michigan. If
the school listed is a “turnaround”, please highlight this school and provide the AYP status for the two
years prior to your organization commencing the turnaround utilizing the following format:
Year
2005-2006
2006-2007
2007-2008
2008-2009
2009-2010
AYP
Status
Provision
NCLB Test Data
Percent Proficient or
Percent Proficient or
Above- Reading
Above- Math
Assessment
Assessments are a vital part of the educational process and provide valuable information on student learning and
achievement. Multiple assessments should be used to truly understand the strengths and weaknesses of
students and plan instruction accordingly. Each assessment has its strengths and weaknesses and is created for a
specific purpose. By using a variety of assessments and understanding their various benefits and liabilities
educators are able to gain a clearer picture of a student’s actual abilities. At a minimum, students shall be assessed
using at least a Michigan Education Assessment Program (MEAP) test or the Michigan merit examination under
1279g.
Please respond to the requests below.
1. Describe how multiple assessment measures are utilized in your current schools, detail the approach
to multiple assessments in the proposed school and how results are and will be used to improve
teaching and learning. Explain how you have and will evaluate progress of individual students,
cohorts over time, and the school as a whole toward meeting the statewide requirements. In
particular describe how you have and will determine proficiency (by grade, achievement level, or
grouping level) for mathematics, communication arts and one other subject area on an interim
basis.
2. What are the school’s policies and criteria for promoting students?
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3. Describe how you have utilized assessment information to modify educational programs and
improve instruction, student learning and staff development?
Special Student Populations
DPS expects that the turnaround schools, functioning as their own LEAs, will provide continuity of appropriate
services to special education students and will retain and service special needs children during and after turnaround.
Please respond to the requests below.
1. Describe the school’s plan for educating children with special needs, particularly those with limited
English proficiency and those identified with disabilities. Explain specifically the range of special
education services provided; how in your current schools these students have been identified; how
the school develops plans for their education; how their progress is monitored; and how the school
has budgeted and staffed to meet those responsibilities. In addition, explain how the school’s
curriculum and approach to instruction has been designed or adapted to serve those students.
2. Provide data over the past two academic years that reflects the number and percentage of students with
disabilities entering the Michigan charter schools under your management (i.e., enrolled as a student
with disabilities within an academic year, or identified as a student with a disability within an academic
year) and remaining in the charter schools under your management (i.e., still enrolled at the conclusion
of an academic year and scheduled to enroll in the fall), compared to students without disabilities.
3. Provide data over the past two academic years that reflects the number and percentage of students in
your Michigan charter schools with disabilities (a) suspended for 10 days or fewer, (b) suspended for
more than 10 days, and (c) expelled from the charter schools under your management, compared to
students without disabilities.
4. Provide data over the past two academic years that reflects the number and percentage of students in
your Michigan charter schools with disabilities who graduated with a diploma from the charter schools
under your management, compared to students without disabilities.
Governance and Leadership
For each of the turnaround schools, a board of directors will be established which will undertake a contractual
obligation to perform under a contract with DPS. A copy of that contract (the “Charter”) is attached. As
public officials, board members set policy, are responsible for compliance with the charter contract and
applicable laws, and help guide the ongoing vitality of the school, its staff and its students. Prior to executing
an agreement with an educational service provider, the charter school board must perform sufficient due diligence
to establish that the educational service provider has the appropriate financial resources, educational services, and
managerial experience to provide the contracted services.
The board’s primary responsibility is to ensure adherence to the vision and mission of the school, its charter
contract and applicable law. The proposer, to be engaged by the charter school board to operate the school,
will execute the policy initiatives of the charter. As part of the turnaround process, the charter school board in
each turnaround school will be required to assess and vote their confidence in each operator by way of entering
into a negotiated management agreement. Compliance aspects of the School’s relationship with its authorizing
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body are typically contractually delegated to a School’s operator. It is therefore important to assess any
operator’s competence in the compliance aspects of administering a charter school contract.
Please respond to the requests below.
1. If established, describe the entity that is a candidate to hold the charter and to be responsible for
governing the school. Upon establishing a charter contract all charter holders will be required to
provide documentation of the entity’s legal status, including Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws and
documentation of legal not-for-profit status.
2. To the extent that the organization exists and has functions independent of the operation of the
proposed school, provide a brief description of the organization, its history, its current operation,
and the relationship between its existing operations and the proposed school.
3. List any identified candidates for membership on the proposed governing board including their
names, current employment, and relevant experience or qualifications for serving on the board..
4. For each proposed governing board member candidate, the application should include, as an
attachment, a resume or CV.
5. Describe any specific plans for recruitment of governing board members, including, but not limited
to, experience and qualifications you are seeking and plans that would involve parental,
professional educator or community involvement in the governance of the school.
Operations
Please respond to the requests below.
1. Please provide an organizational chart, with level of detail down to the proposed school and its staff,
and resumes of the organization’s management team.
2. Describe the organizational structure of the school and its day-to-day operation. Explain the
management roles and responsibilities of key administrators with respect to instructional leadership,
curriculum development and implementation, personnel decisions, budgeting, financial
management, legal compliance, and any special staffing needs.
3. Describe the methodology for maintaining pupil records and ensuring accurate record keeping in regard
to student attendance, achievement, health, activities and emergency contacts.
4. Pursuant to MCL 380.502(3)(h), please confirm that the school will comply with Part 6A of the
Revised School Code, and all other state laws that apply to public bodies and with federal laws
applicable to public bodies or school districts. Please provide assurances that the school (corporation)
is not now, nor will be, organized by a church or other religious organization of any kind or nature, nor
that it has any affiliation either organizationally or contractually with a church or religious
organization or that it would constitute a church or other religious organization now or in the future.
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5. Describe your plans for providing transportation for those students who qualify.
6. Describe how food services will be provided for students.
7. If you plan to subcontract with a third party for load-bearing or critical services such as special
education, business management, or instructional support, please identify the service(s) which you
intend to subcontract, the entities which you would recommend subcontracting to, and a complete
description of why you are subcontracting the work, include statements indicating your organization is
comfortable retaining responsibility for the subcontracted work. Please refer to the menu of available
services which is included in the electronic Binder.
Compliance
Please respond to the requests below.
1. Indicate whether you have ever been notified of a late report or failure to comply with an Authorizer’s
(whether in Michigan or otherwise) requested/required reports. If so, what reports were at issue and
how quickly was the issue remedied?
2. Indicate whether you have ever filed a late audit on behalf of a Charter School, in Michigan or
otherwise or filed late financial reports to an Authorizing Body, whether in Michigan or otherwise.
For each affirmative response, please indicate the reason for the late submission.
3. Please indicate how you handle teaching vacancies for which there is a certification difficulty and what
steps you have taken to have properly certified teachers. Please include your communication with the
Authorizer as well as the Board.
4. Please describe in detail how you will manage the conduct of criminal background checks and
unprofessional conduct checks mandated by Michigan law.
5. Please indicate that your response to this RFP indicates your certification of the Curriculum’s
compliance with Michigan curriculum standards, Detroit Public Schools Academic Plan and
Common Core State Standards.
6. Please indicate whether the Authorizing Body for any of the Academies to which you furnish services,
whether in Michigan or otherwise, has ever notified you of noncompliance with criminal background
and/or unprofessional conduct check procedures and detail the circumstances surrounding same.
7. Please provide the name and contact information for your legal counsel.
Educational Service Providers
Please respond to the requests below.
1. Describe the educational service provider’s experience in providing educational and management
services specifically focused on schools going through the turnaround process. Include the types of
educational and management services to be provided to the charter school, the educational service
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provider’s educational and management philosophy, and the capacity and plan to provide regional
support to their Michigan charter schools.
2. Provide a list of any contracts with academies which have been terminated by either the proposer or
the School, including the reason(s) for such termination and whether the termination was for “material
breach.”
3. Provide a list of any contracts for academies to which the proposer does or has provided services
whose charters have been revoked or non-renewed by the school’s authorizing body.
4. Provide a copy of any formal evaluation of the educational service provider conducted by the board of
an academy in the last year.
5. Provide a list of any litigation, including arbitration proceedings, by school, which the proposer has
initiated against any of its client academies for the last seven years.
6. List any litigation, including arbitration proceedings, that has involved the proposer and any of its
academies, and provide as an attachment (1) the demand for arbitration, (2) any response to the
demand for arbitration and (3) any award rendered by the arbitrator.
7. Provide a description of any “turnaround” initiatives that the proposer has participated in,
whether for large urban school districts, or for individual districts or schools over the past ten
years. Provide documented results of the initiative(s). This question is to be given the broadest
possible construction by proposers in responding hereto.
8. Provide a copy of the proposer’s independent certified audit for the last three years.
9. Provide a copy of the proposer’s preferred management contract.
Community and Parental Involvement
For the school to maintain long term viability it must have community involvement, be responsive to the
community, and be in partnership with community entities.
Please respond to the requests below.
1. Describe your methods of assessing the community that your Michigan schools serve. How will you
approach the assessment of communities as part of a transformation process? You may refer to the
information in the Binder and any additional relevant information in responding to this question,
however, we request that you provide a source for any additional information.
2. Describe how the community has been engaged and involved in the development, governance, and
operation of your current Michigan schools. Discuss your plans for community involvement in the
development, governance and operation of the proposed school and how the community will
become engaged once the facility match process is completed. Describe the nature of potential
partnerships including examples of how community partners will play an integral part in the life of
the school and identify specific organizations with which the school is already working, or likely to
partner.
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3. Discuss plans or methods of involving parents in the education of enrolled students that you use with
your current Michigan schools?
Recruiting, Admissions, Marketing
Each school will be required to accept students who live within the school’s neighborhood boundary as described
in the Binder. Additional students may be recruited from outside the school’s boundaries once the school is fully
enrolled by students from within its boundary. Section 169 of the State School Aid Act of 1979, as amended
(MCL 388.1769) requires, for a public school academy to receive state school aid, that the academy make a good
faith effort to advertise throughout the entire area of the intermediate school district in which it is located. For the
school to recruit students it must have a viable marketing and recruitment plan. Although the turnaround school
will already have a pupil base, it will be important to keep this base energized through the transition process and
reach out to the communities from which these students originate. Additionally, charter schools are public schools
open to all students.
Please respond to the requests below.
1. Describe the plan for recruitment, application and enrollment of students. Explain how the school
will be publicized and marketed throughout the local and greater community to a broad crosssection of families and prospective students. What strategies will you use to reach families that are
traditionally less informed about educational options?
2. Please provide samples of any and all publications, brochures, advertisements, or other promotional
literature that may be used to recruit students, raise money, or otherwise represent the proposed
charter school to the public.
3. Each operator will be responsible for preparing informational materials about their organizational
capacity, mission, educational plan, and past results for distribution to the general community. The full
response to each RFP will likewise be a public document, subject to Michigan’s Freedom of
Information Act. Please attach samples of such informational materials to the Application submittal.
Faculty and Staff
Please respond to the requests below.
1. Discuss the staffing plan for the term of the charter including anticipated staffing needs and
recruitment strategies.
Discuss how the plan supports sound operation and successful
implementation of the school’s educational program.
2. Provide a job description for each senior leadership position, including the title of the position, reporting
relationships within the School and support from your organization, the scope of responsibilities, and the
qualifications required. If a principal has been identified for the school describe why he/she has been
selected for this role, and attach his/her resume.
3. How will the school determine appropriate experience, training and skills of non-certified
instructional personnel?
4. Describe the operator’s plan for initial and on-going staff development and evaluation.
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5. Detroit Public Schools expects that its chartered schools will have the autonomy to operate, with staff
buy-in, in a manner that permits flexible solutions to providing student achievement and high quality
teaching staff. Please provide a narrative of how your organization has achieved buy-in from staff in
implementing its flexible and autonomous approach to teaching excellence.
Business and Financial Operations
Securing financing for the first few years of the school’s existence is a significant challenge. That is why
budgeting and developing a business plan is essential. Charter schools need solid fiscal plans and management
strategies to be successful.
Complete items 1 thru 4 listed below for the proposed school. Budget forms are included in Microsoft Excel
format at the Detroit Public Schools website (http://www.detroitk12.org ). Detailed assumptions of the
calculations used to estimate revenues and expenditures must be included for each line item. A budget without
a full set of stated assumptions is not meaningful. Personnel, equipment, and construction costs that are
identified in other sections of this application should be included in the budget forms. Per earlier instruction,
the budgets should be submitted at the time of application submission as a single separate Excel
document and the file naming convention will be “Budget.NameofProposerxls.”
1. Provide a budget narrative that provides a high-level summary of the budget and describes how the
budget reflects the school plan. In addition, provide supplemental assumptions and/or explanations for
budget line items as necessary.
2. Provide documentation for any resources in the school budget that are provided by an outside source;
indicate the amount and source of the funds, property, or other resources expected to be available
through banks, lending institutions, corporations, foundations, grants, etc. Note which are secured and
which are anticipated. Include a letter of commitment detailing the amount and uses for the funding if
possible.
1)
2)
3)
4)
Budget Form 1: Start-up Budget with Assumptions
Budget Form 2: First Year Budget with Assumptions
Budget Form 3: First Year Monthly Cash Flow Projection with Assumptions for
monthly changes
Budget Form 4: Five Year Budget Plan with Assumptions for yearly changes
3. Describe the systems and procedures for managing the school’s finances and identify the staff
position(s) and the level of expertise necessary to be responsible for financial oversight and
management. Your response should address, among other things, the school’s plans in the following
areas:

Provisions for an annual audit;

Development and dissemination of an annual financial report; and

Providing recommended liability insurance to indemnify the school, its board, staff and
teachers against tort claims.
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If applying for multiple schools include a multi-year financial plan including revenue and expenditure
projections that reflect the proposed growth and development needs associated with the total proposed
number of schools. This plan should include a back-office budget, per pupil management fees, and
clearly-stated assumptions.
4. Please indicate if any school for which you provide services has ever been unable, following timely
application, to achieve “qualified status” under the Michigan Revised Municipal Finance Act and
explain why.
5. Please indicate to what extent and at what level (by reference to the Organizational Chart you are
providing with this Application) the proposer’s corporation will be involved in, and provide copies of
sample reports related to, the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Preparing budget information for Board review,
Preparing monthly financial reports,
Paying all invoices and within what period of time,
Preparing and handling payroll for employees, submitting payroll taxes, providing fringe
benefits for your employees, providing a retirement plan for employees,
5. Handling insurances for the School not related to employment, and
6. Preparing budgetary and monthly information in the format required by the Authorizer.
6. Explain the role of the proposer’s corporation in:
1. Working with Board appointed auditors in preparing the annual audit,
2. Working with bond counsel in securing state aid anticipation notes for cash flow purposes
and preparation of cash flow information and in securing capital financing, and
3. Preparing the documentation required by the State of Michigan, Department of Education,
Department of Treasury, and Authorizer.
7. Please describe the person who will be preparing the budgets and his/her background in Michigan
school finance. Also include his/her familiarity with school budgeting and the required State coding of
accounts.
8. Please explain the experience of your company/firm in preparing records and working with
independent school or public school auditors.
Pre-Opening
Please respond to the request below.
1. Provide a Pre-Opening Plan documenting key tasks to be completed between the approval of the application and
opening of the school. Include a schedule for initiation, development, and completion of those tasks, identify
which individual or position is primarily responsible, and document anticipated resource needs.
Conclusion
Present any other information you believe to be relevant or compelling in support of your application.
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DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS
DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS RENAISSANCE PLAN RFP
ATTACHMENT A – APPLICATION
CERTIFICATIONS
The undersigned certifies that the information provided in or attached to this application is correct and
complete. The undersigned further agrees to the obligations and representations on behalf of the proposer.
Proposer
Upon completion, applications and materials should be submitted to the following:
Office of Charter Schools Monitoring
Detroit Public Schools
3011 W. Grand Boulevard, Suite 1800, Fisher Building
Detroit, Michigan 48202
(313) 873-7927
(313) 873-4564 fax
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Detroit Public Schools
Office of Charter Schools Monitoring
Agreement to Comply with Applicable Laws
Although the School Board is yet to be established for each Turnaround School, as promoters of the anticipated
Turnaround School, pursuant to MCL 380.502(3)(h), the following Agreement is required for this Application
and must be executed by the Proposer on behalf of the proposed charter school and maintained until a Board
of Directors is seated.
In accordance with MCL 380.502(3)(h), I/we hereby certify and agree that a public school authorized
pursuant to Part 6A of the Michigan School Code, will comply with the provisions of Part 6A and, subject to the
provisions of Part 6A with all other state law applicable to public bodies and with federal law applicable to
public bodies or school districts.
Signature of Proposer
Note: A public school shall be organized as a public, non-profit corporation (with by-laws) as directed in
Section 380.502 of the Michigan School Code (revised).
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