2013 New School Application Process
Informational Session #3
For Prospective New School Applicants
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AGENDA - 900 Grant Rm. 703, 4:00-4:45 & 4:45-5:30
Session #2 Goals:
1. To provide relevant information to prospective new school applicants
regarding the new school application process.
2. To ensure that parents/guardians and community members are
involved in the school development process.
3. District Run: Discuss the district-run school oversight structure
including the role of the Instructional Superintendents and the School
Accountability Committee
4. Charter: Discuss the role of a charter school board in overseeing a
charter school
Process:
4:00-4:45
1. Review Agenda & Introductions
2. Summary of Needs in the Call for
New Quality Schools
3. School Oversight (Statutory
Requirement, Application Rubric,
Application Guide)
4. Instructional Superintendents, &
CSCs Conversations
5. Future Sessions & Feedback
Process:
4:45-5:30
1. Review Agenda & Introductions
2. Summary of Needs in the Call for
New Quality Schools
3. School Oversight (Statutory
Requirement, Application Rubric,
Application Guide)
4. Charter School Board Conversations
5. Future Sessions & Feedback
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2013 Call for New Quality Schools – Summary of Needs
FNE
NNE
500 Student
Elem. (E-5) in
GVR at Dunkirk
Mid-sized Elem. None currently
at Conservatory identified
Green Facility
in N. Stapleton
200 Student
Intensive
Pathways High
School location
TBD
300-500
Student middle
school location
TBD
SW
NW
SE
None currently
identified
None currently
identified,
district is
evaluating
capacity needs
in the far-SE.
400-600
Student middle
school at
Smiley*
Future need
(2015-16) for a
9-12 or 6-12 at
Northfield
Facility
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Instructional Superintendents
• The Instructional Superintendents support, manage, and lead
schools in a region, representing the district’s mission, values, and
goals. The regions organize the district geographically; however, the
vision of the Instructional Superintendent’s is to develop collective
capacity with focused time and detailed attention to instructional
matters within the region and across the district.
• Instructional Superintendents are supported by a wide range of
District partners including assessment, instruction, special
education, teacher effectiveness, human resources, instructional
technology, and budget. More specific instructional support for
schools is provided by a School Improvement Partner and a
Data/Assessment Partner guided by the Instructional
Superintendents.
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Instructional Superintendents
Region-Assignment
Instructional Superintendent
Elementary Region 1 NW
Patricia Paredes
Elementary Region 2 SW
Ivan Duran
Elementary Region 3 NNE
Jan Box
Elementary Region 4 FNE
James Scott
Elementary Region 5 SE
Diane Smith
Secondary Middle Schools
Dori Claunch
Secondary Schools
Greta Martinez
Intensive Pathway Schools (IP)
Randy Johnson
Denver Summit Schools
Allen Smith/Tanya Carter
West Denver Network Schools
Antonio Esquibel/ Laura Brinkman
Innovation Schools
Alyssa Whitehead-Bust*
Year- Zero Schools
Brenna Copeland*
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Policy BDFH- Collaborative School Committees
There shall be at each school a collaborative school committee with representation from parents, community, faculty, administrators and classified
staff.
Purposes and Scope: The purposes and scope of the collaborative school committee shall be:
• to enhance student achievement and school climate by engaging the school community in collaborative efforts supporting the school and District's
goals.
• to provide strategic direction in support of the school's mission and vision as stated in the School Improvement Plan (SIP). The SIP, with the school's
program design, should serve as the strategic plan for the school.
•
to be in compliance with state and federal law, regulations of the Colorado Department of Education, applicable U.S. District Court orders, the
District Affirmative Action plan, the DPS/DCTA Agreement, other contracts and District mandates.
•
Meetings of the collaborative school committees will be open to the public. Notice of these meetings will be posted in appropriate public places. A
copy of the agenda will be publicly posted and made available one working day before the meeting and the minutes from the meeting will also be
publicly posted and made available.
The collaborative school committee will:
• work collaboratively with the school community that includes the building principal, teachers, staff, students, parents, civic and business leaders,
service and neighborhood representatives, and other community members;
• focus on the SIP as its primary responsibility at the school;
• use Multiple Measures and align resources to support the SIP and the school's program design;
• provide guidance, evaluation and approval for the SIP;
• provide guidance, evaluation, and approval for the annual school budget to insure its alignment with the SIP and the school's program design;
• act as the School Improvement and Accountability Council (SIAC) for the building;
• establish relationships with parents, community members, civic, service and neighborhood organizations to increase involvement in the school and
provide a forum for community input;
• provide guidance, evaluation, and approval for the use of the staffing allocations provided by the District as it relates to the SIP, school budget, and
school program design, including consultation regarding adjustments that may be made due to pupil-count issues;
• participate in the principal-selection process by interviewing candidates and recommending candidates to the superintendent;
• participate in the principal's annual evaluation by giving input on the principal's involvement in and support of the collaborative committee process;
• review, and when appropriate, approve discipline and safety procedures;
• review, and when appropriate, revise the school calendar and/or schedule;
• make recommendations regarding any changes to the school design to the District Board of Education through the building principal.
The collaborative school committee will not:
• participate in the day-to-day operations of the school;
• be involved in issues relating to individuals (staff, students, or parents) within the school;
• be involved in personnel issues (School Personnel Committee will stand alone in the current DPS/DCTA contract).
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Collaborative
School
Committee
(CSC)
The Collaborative School Committee (CSC) is a committee formed by all of a school’s community
stakeholders i.e. educators, parents, students and community that serves as a leadership body
for school accountability. The CSC collaborates with senior staff, various departments, schools
and the school community to support the implementation of Policy BDFH-Collaborative School
Committees (Policy BDFH-Collaborative School Committees) as required by State Law 22-7-106
on School Accountability Committees (State Law 22-7-106 on School Accountability Committees).
Suggested composition includes:
• Principal
• 4 Teachers
• 4 Parents
• 4 Students in high school (2 in middle school)
• 1 Classified staff
• 1 Community/ business
The Office of Community Engagement will assist in recruiting and training parents /students to
participate on CSCs to strengthen parent and student participation on the CSC as called for in the
Denver Plan.
Purpose
• The purpose of the Collaborative School Committee is to enhance student achievement,
parent engagement and school climate through collaboration. The work of the CSC includes
providing guidance, evaluation and approval for the Unified Improvement Plan (UIP).
Unified Improvement Plan (UIP)
• The Unified Improvement Plan is a blue print to improve teaching and learning that prepares
students for postsecondary and workforce opportunities. This plan also includes parent
engagement strategies that provide direction in support of students reaching proficiency in
English language arts, reading and mathematics.
Meetings
• CSC members are schedule to meet at least once a month.
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Denver Public Schools
Collaborative School Committee (CSC)
Parent
Student
MS/HS
Principal
Classified
Employee
Teacher
Student
Teacher
HS
Unified
Improvement
Plan
Business/
Community
Rep
Parent
Student
Parent
HS
Teacher
Teacher
Student
HS/MS
Parent
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Relevant Questions in New District-run Performance
School Application Guide
• District-run Performance School Governance
• How will you ensure that parents/guardians, teachers, and community
members are active participants in the school’s governance structure?
How will you ensure that the School Accountability Committee (SAC)
and/or Collaborative School Committee (CSC) provides meaningful
accountability and support to the school?
• How often will the SAC meet? What will be the essential duties of the
SAC? How will they be regularly updated and given opportunities to
provide input into important school governance decisions? How will
the SAC be empowered to provide input and oversight to the school
leader?
• How will you ensure that the SAC provides adequate input into a
transparent budgeting process, and progress monitoring against the
school’s academic goals?
• Provide a detailed leadership succession plan which engages the
school’s parents and teachers to ensure consistency and stability in
implementing the school’s mission.
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Charter School Oversight – Charter Boards
Examples of the work of a charter school board (from CLCS):
• Committees (work, structure and board oversight), board
recruitment, public relations and marketing, measuring
constituent satisfaction, evaluating the board and
administration, developing essential operating documents,
legal roles and responsibilities of board members, running
effective meetings, school bylaws (and other foundation
documents) and compliance, essential policies as they relate
to items such as board meeting/operations protocol, conflict
of interest, employment, school operations, accountability,
SPED, ESL, and basic contract provisions (especially at the time
of charter renewal) and waivers.
• Training modules for governing board members of Colorado
charter schools can be found at:
www.boardtrainingmodules.org
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Charter Schools: School Accountability Committee (SAC)
School Accountability Committees: How they fit in the charter school structure (FROM CDE)
A. Background
Originally created to provide parents a meaningful role in their child’s education
Grandfather clause for charter school boards created before Jan. 1, 2000 and serving as SAC
eliminated in 2009. Education Accountability Act (SB09-163 or Article 11) is different than
Educational Accountability Act (Article 7). SAC was previously in Article 7, but is now in Article 11
within the context of all state accountability.
B Statutory purpose of the SAC
Recommend school priorities for spending school moneys; Advise on the preparation of the UIP;
and Meet at least quarterly to discuss whether school leadership, personnel and infrastructure
are advancing or impeding school performance.
C. Philosophy and Structure
In many ways, a charter school governing board meets the legislative intent of the SAC statutory
responsibilities. Charter school boards have the SAC established as a committee that reports to
the governing board. Board policy should define membership guidelines, expected reporting
schedule and a job description. Governing boards can expand the responsibilities of the SAC, for
instance ask them to review a particular content area each year. Consulting the priorities in
the strategic plan help to identify the work that the SAC should focus on. Most charter school
SACs conduct the parent survey with the final draft going to the board for approval before the
survey is disseminated and the results provided to the board after it’s completed. UIPs
developed by administration and staff with the SAC supporting data collection (i.e., parent
survey results). The governing board must approve the UIP before it’s submitted to the
authorizer. Working with the administrator to understand the timeline around the submission of
the UIP to the authorizer is important.
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Relevant Questions in New Charter School
Application Guide
Governance Philosophy
•
Explain the general philosophy of governance that will guide the proposed school. What is the primary role of the school’s board in
regards to the school operation? Please make sure that within your answer you distinguish management versus governance
responsibilities.
•
How will the board interact with the Principal or Head of School?
Board Capacity & Structure
•
Describe the governance structure of the proposed board. What committees will exist and how will membership be determined? Will
there be an advisory group that is different in form and function than the governing board? If so, describe the function of that group.
What are the attendance and committee service requirements for Board members?
•
How will board members be held accountable? Outline the key expectations for board members. What actions would trigger removal
from the board and under what process?
•
Describe the size and composition of the governing board, both currently and as desired going forward. Identify key skills, areas of
expertise, and constituencies that will be represented on the governing board, as well as their involvement with the school’s target
population. List all current board members and their roles, and summarize their interests in and qualifications for serving on the
school’s board. How will the proposed composition ensure that: (a) the school is an educational and operational success and (b) that
key stakeholders and community members will be active in the governance of the school?
•
Explain the criteria and procedure by which board members have been and will be selected.
•
Explain the board development plan for increasing the capacity of the governing board. How will the board expand and develop over
time? How and on what timeline will new members be recruited and added, and how will vacancies be filled?
•
What kinds of orientation or training will new board members receive, and what kinds of ongoing development or training will
existing board members receive? When will this training occur and what topics will be addressed?
•
How frequently will the board meet?
•
Have you filled your board as of submitting this application? If not, identify your timeline to recruit additional members and the skill
sets you plan to add to the board.
(Appendix O – Resumes of all Board Members – 12 page limit)
All board members are required to fill out the “Charter School Board Member Questionnaire,” found in Appendix B. These completed
questionnaires should be included in the application as Appendix B.
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Relevant Questions in New Charter School Application
Guides (cont.)
School Oversight & Stakeholder Engagement
• How will the board approach its oversight role? Describe the metrics or progress indicators that
the board will consider in its analysis of the school, as well as how the board will receive this
information (i.e., dashboard.) Be sure to include both the academic and financial metrics, and the
frequency with which the board will review these metrics.
• How will the board and leadership utilize the school’s mission in everyday practice and decisionmaking?
• Describe the school leader contract. Will there be performance targets in that contract? What
key indicators would trigger board action in regards to the leadership of the school?
• How will the board oversee and implement the school’s grievance process and policy? What is
the role of the board when a staff member or a parent has a grievance? What are the goals of
the board in terms of monitoring and resolving staff and parent complaints?
• Describe your solvency-related financial goals, as demonstrated in the submitted budget form,
including specific metrics which will be monitored.
Board Status & Compliance
• Describe the proposed school’s legal status, including whether you have filed Articles of
Incorporation and whether you have obtained or plan to seek federal tax-exempt status. If the
school will be incorporated, will it be a member or nonmember corporation? Who will the
members be?
• How did you (or will you) draft your Articles of Incorporation & Bylaws? With whom did you
consult? How did you ensure compliance with state and federal laws?
(Appendix P – Articles of Incorporation & Bylaws – no page limit)
• Please describe the procedures for identifying and addressing conflicts of interest.
(Appendix Q – Conflict of Interest Policy – 4 page limit)
• Describe how the school and governing board will comply with Open Meetings and Open
Records laws.
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Tentative Schedule of Prospective New School Applicant
Informational Sessions
Date & Time
Topic
SCHOOL TYPE: Examining the similarities and differences between district-run performance schools and charter
schools
Feb.
12th
4:30-5:30
900 Grant St. Rm. 108A
Feb.
14th
4:00-5:00
900 Grant St. Rm. 108A
COMMUNITY INPUT IN APPLICATION PROCESS: Ensuring that parents/guardians and community members are
involved in the school development process. Aligning new school applications with regional needs identified in the
Call for New Quality Schools. Connecting with families and community groups to gather letters of support and intent to
enroll forms.
4:00-4:45
900 Grant St. Rm. 703
PERFORMANCE SCHOOL OVERSIGHT: Performance-School Accountability Committees (SAC), Instructional
Superintendents and DPS Organizational Structure
4:45-5:30
900 Grant St. Rm. 703
CHARTER SCHOOL OVERSIGHT: Charter- board recruitment and development, articles of incorporation, bylaws
4:00-4:45
900 Grant St. Rm. 703
CHARTER SCHOOL BUDGETS: Aligning mission, program type, educational plan, staffing to the school’s budget.
Charter- Per Pupil Revenue (PPR), audit, board oversight, start up grants
4:45-5:30
900 Grant St. Rm. 703
PERFORMANCE SCHOOL BUDGETS: Aligning mission, program type, educational plan, staffing to the school’s budget.
School Based Budgeting (SBB), start-up funds
4:00-4:45
900 Grant St. Rm. 108A
PERFORMANCE SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM: Examine approaches to serving the school’s targeted student
population in the following areas: English Language Learners, Special Education, Multicultural and culturally
responsive educational program
4:45-5:30
900 Grant St. Rm. 108A
CHARTER SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM Examine approaches to serving the school’s targeted student
population in the following areas: English Language Learners, Special Education, Multicultural and culturally
responsive educational program
4:00-4:45
900 Grant St. Rm. 108A
SCHOOL PERFORMANCE FRAMEWORK (SPF): Developing clear expectations and goals that align with the DPS SPF.
Clearly Student Academic Performance Goals
March 14th 4:45-5:30
900 Grant St. Rm. 108A
INNOVATION STATUS & WAIVERS: Review district policies, DCTA collective bargaining agreements, and state
statutes
Feb.
21st
Feb.
28th
Mar.
7th
Mar.
14th
NEW SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT & START UP: Analyzing the scope of the work involved with planning and opening a
new school (both district-run and charter).
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