Governance Board
New Members Training
10.29.12
1.
Chartering in Fulton County Schools
2.
Governance Theory
3.
Charter Law
4.
Performance Assessments
5.
Financial Practices
6.
Personnel Obligations
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Five Types of Contracts: System, State Special,
Conversion, Start Up, and Career Academy
HB1162 – to add Commission Charters
FCS serves 10% of students thru charters
Adding additional authorization alternatives
To Learn More:
◦ Georgia Charter Schools Annual Report
◦ FCS State of the Charter Sector
◦ Information Sheet on HB 1162
System
State
Charter
Public
1. Administrative Responsibilities – Pre-Existing
 Process charter school petitions
 Ensure School Safety
2. Financial Responsibilities – 2008-09
 Review charter budgets;
 Fund Charters “no less favorably”
 Ensure that funds are spent according to applicable laws
FCS has the obligation to
“Control
and
Manage”
3. Enforcement Responsibilities – 2009-10
Enforce clear expectations
thewithcharter
Ensure compliance
federal laws schools
Ensure compliance with Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA)
the system has authorized.
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4. Evaluative Responsibilities – 2010-11
 Evaluate performance goals
 Take appropriate action based on this evaluation
• Based on the law, FCS identifies departments
as “In-Kind”, “Optional” or “Autonomy”
• Publishes expectations for both parties; See
Compliance Checklist SY12/13
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Governance: FCBOE, Superintendent
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Central Office Administration: Assessment (testing),
Accountability, Student Information Systems (eSchool Plus), Grant
Development, Budget and Audit Services, Certification Services
(partial)
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Support Services: Exceptional Children (SEC), Counseling, Charter
Department, SST/504/RTI, GED/Homeless, Title I, ESOL, Talented
and Gifted, Early Childhood Special Programs, Communications,
Mandated Professional Development
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Facilities: Building Safety, Planning and Student Forecasting
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Health and Safety: Student Safety, Health Services
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Transportation
Nutrition
Intramurals
Media Services
Teaching Museums
Virtual School/Night School
Non-Mandated Professional Development
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Operations - FCS Foundation, Financial Services, Payroll, Inventory
Control, Accounting (except for federal grants)
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Support Services - Student Discipline, Extended Learning, Summer
School, Social Work, Counseling
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Curriculum- All Departments, Textbooks
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Human Resources - Personnel Services, Certification Services,
Placement Office
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Instructional Technology – provides access to Warehouse
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Facilities – provides services related to safety
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Articulate the expectations and enforcement
process in advance by department via emails and
the system portal
Document significant events and deadlines
Establish regular, planned periods for feedback
and adjustment throughout the year (Compliance
Reports, Audits)
Include charter staff, governance and families in
feedback (SIP, State of the School Addresses)
Letter of Assurance articulates “probation” in
addition to “termination”.
Break Out:
What are the Roles and
Responsibilities of my
Governing Board?
“The management and control of public schools shall
be the responsibility of local boards of education,
and the school leader shall be the principal. School
councils shall provide advice, recommendations,
and assistance and represent the community of
parents and businesses.”
(O.C.G.A. 20-2-85)(b)
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The board is almost always forced to rely on
others to carry out the work.
The board should have a single point of delegation
and hold this position accountable for meeting all
the board's expectations for organizational
performance.
This is usually the principal or the executive
director.
"School level governance" means decision-making
authority in:
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personnel decisions,
financial decisions,
curriculum and instruction,
resource allocation,
establishing and monitoring the achievement of
school improvement goals, and
school operations.”
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To be definite about its goals
(What is “success” for our school?)
To be strategic and selective about the actions
undertaken to move toward the goals
(How do we achieve success?)
To assign clearly the responsibility for those actions
(Who/what should manage
the steps toward success?)
To check for adequate progress on the actions
(What is the measure of success?)
To adjust goals and performance expectations
(Based on the measured data,
what is working and what needs
to be adjusted/added/removed?)
Charter School’s Value Statements
Vision/Mission
Beliefs
What is Success?
How will we
achieve it?
Charter Petition
Who does
the work?
How well are
we doing?
Monitoring and Oversight
School Performance Measures
Academic School
Improvement Plans
Governance Board
Improvement Plans
How do we
improve?
Environmental Factors Impact Charter Operations
Factors That Influence the Governance Process
Governance Board
Goals & Objectives
Inputs
Technology
Outputs
School Leadership
Educational Design
Parents
Culture & Values
Clientele
Interest Groups
Skill Mix of
Staff
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The GB needs to agree on a philosophy of
governance in order to be effective.
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The GB is not a group of individuals; it is a single
unit.
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Principals will come and go; the GB remains.
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The GB works for two bosses: The GB spends
the monies of the taxpayer to educate the children
of the community.
THE GB IS HELD ACCOUNTABLE.
Break Out:
What Does My Governance
Board Do To Ensure All
Members
“Speak With One Voice”?
1.
O.C.G.A. TITLE 20 EDUCATION, Chapter 2.
Elementary and Secondary Education, Article 31,
Charter Schools Act of 1998
2.
GADOE Rule 160-4-9-.04 Charter Schools
3.
Guidance to Accompany Charter Schools Rule
4.
FCS Policy and Letter of Assurances
A charter school is a public school that operates
according to the terms of a charter, or contract, that:
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has been approved by a local board of education
(FCS) and the State Board of Education, and
is held accountable for meeting the performancebased objectives specified in the charter.
PURPOSE – to improve student achievement
through educational and organizational innovation
Avenue – specific waivers of Title 20 ONLY
By Federal Law
 Accountability provisions of NCLB, IDEA, and any civil
rights laws
By State Law
 Charter Schools Act of 1998
 State Board of Education Charter Schools Rule
 Shall Not Charge Tuition
 Unlawful Conduct in or near a Public School
 Reporting Requirements
 Brief Period of Quiet Reflection
 Open and Public Meetings
 Inspection of Public Records
By FCS
 See the Letter of Assurances
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Georgia was granted a waiver from NCLB.
New accountability measures are being designed
right now.
Highlights:
◦ A more comprehensive CCRPI “report card” will be used
to assess school performance
◦ All schools must evaluate teachers and principals using
the state assessment tool
◦ All charter contracts will be amended to reflect the new
accountability tools
Achievement Score = All Indicators
Progress Score = State Assessments (Student Growth Percentile application)
Achievement Gap Closure = State Assessments (Student Growth Percentile
application)
Exceeding the Bar = Additional Points Added to Overall CCRPI Score
Financial Efficiency and School Climate = No Points – Star Rating Only
Started in 1975 as PL 94-142 and was expanded in 2004.
Public agencies must provide early intervention, special
education, and related services to children with disabilities.
It addresses the educational needs of children with
disabilities from birth to age 21 in 13 specified categories of
disability.
Charters must provide Free, Appropriate Public Education
(FAPE) and the same continuum of services provided in the
local school.
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Privacy of Students and Parents (FERPA)
Privacy of Teachers and Administrators
Personnel Laws – wrongful termination
Discrimination
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"Meeting" any gathering of a quorum of an agency’s
governing body or a committee created by the governing
body at which any official business, policy, or public
matter of the agency is formulated, presented,
discussed, or voted upon
Meeting is NOT a gathering where no official business is
discussed such as
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State-wide, multijurisdictional or regional meetings
Meetings with legislative/executive officials
Social/civic/religious events
Emails between Board members
All meetings shall be open to the public.
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Notice of the time, place, and dates of regular
meetings shall be available to the general public.
(FCS prefers use of the school’s website.)
If the meeting details are changed, the public
must be notified at least 24 hours in advance.
Agendas should be made available no more
than two weeks in advance of the meeting.
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A summary of the meeting should be posted within two
business days of adjournment.
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Records and/or minutes should be immediately open to public
inspection once approved at the next regular meeting.
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Visual and sound recordings during open meetings are
allowed.
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Minutes shall include:
◦ The names of the members present
◦ A description of each motion made and who made it
◦ Identification of person who seconds motions
◦ A record of all votes
◦ Identification of persons voting for/against proposals
(except when unanimous)
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Executive Session permitted to:
◦ Authorize settlement
◦ Authorize negotiations, enter into contract, or enter into
option to purchase / dispose of / lease property
◦ Authorize ordering of an appraisal relating to real estate
◦ Discuss personnel decisions
◦ Interview applicants for the position of executive head
(principal)
 Conduct attorney-client discussion (Minutes must identify
the subject of the discussion.)
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Executive Session minutes are not open to the
public
Must have final vote in open meeting
The following should be handled in Executive Session and
maintained as confidential:
 Anything required by the federal government to be kept
confidential
 Medical records
 Records compiled for law enforcement or prosecution
purposes
 Records that consist of confidential evaluations, hiring or
firing of an employee
 Records relative to the acquisition of real property
 Any individual's private information such as social security
number, birth date, etc.
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$1,000 for first violation
$2,500 for subsequent violations within 12 month
period
Civil penalties allowed for negligent noncompliance with the law
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Shall Not Charge Tuition (different than cost
reimbursement fees)
Unlawful Conduct in or near a Public School
Reporting Requirements (eSchools)
Brief Period of Quiet Reflection (Prayer is allowed as
long as it isn’t led by the school and doesn’t interrupt
core classes.)
Inspection of Public Records
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Roberts Rules of Order
http://www.robertsrules.com/
Special Education Primer for Petitioners,
Authorizers, and Districts
http://gadoe.org/pea_charter.aspx
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Have access to a lawyer.
Post your Meetings and Minutes on line.
Establish a “policy book” that contains the
agendas, minutes and an organized set of your
board’s policies.
Follow ALL of FCS directions, especially as we
learn more about CCRPI
TRANSPARENCY
Break Out:
What challenges does your GB face
in light of all these rules and how
can you address them?
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Collect data using tools in use for typical schools,
adapted for charters
Include charters in evaluation and assessment
practices and information streams
Establish regular, planned periods for adjustment
throughout the year (Interim and Final Reports)
Implement collaborative School Improvement Plans
(combined with Title I plans, if needed)
Require “State of the School” addresses for public
information
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Federal – Ongoing Compliance Department
Checklists as previously discussed
Financial - Annual Audit, Monthly Financial
Statements, Annual Report
Academic and Operational Performance –
School Performance Report (aligned to CCRPI)
General - Any other communications to FCS
(parent calls, police reports, etc.)
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Liquidity Ratio indicates the charter’s ability to meet
short term obligations.
Sustainability Ratio compares the amount of resources
that aren’t already assigned such as to a loan payment
(unrestricted assets) to the average monthly expenses.
Occupancy Expenses indicate the percentage of the
charter schools’ total revenue that goes toward facility
costs.
Debt to Assets Ratio* indicates the extent the charter is
reliant on debt.
*This measure was not included in the May 2009 NASCA “National
Consensus Panel on Charter School Operational Quality”.
Charters are compared to benchmark schools to establish “achievement” and to
their own past performance to establish a rate of “progress”
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Achievement
◦ Performance at a single
point in time
◦ Correlates to the
organizational
environment
◦ Compares performance
to a standard
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Progress
◦ Measurement of a
progress between two
points in time
◦ Not related to the
organizational
environment
◦ Compares current
performance to the past
performance
3
2
Gain = 0.4
1
0
-2.0
-1
-2.4
FCS
Student A
-2
-3
2007
2008
Allows us to determine a consistent measure of the student’s
gain over time across non-aligned tools.
Fifth Grade 2008-09
CRCT ELA
Meets/Exceeds %
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
-
20.0
40.0
60.0
Free Reduced %
80.0
100.0
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Data from financial, academic, department
and episodic reports
Comparisons against other charters
Comparison against national expectations
(NACSA)
Comparison against FCS acceptable
standards of behavior and performance
Transparency – Accurate local
communications to parents and
stakeholders
State of the Charter Report and School
Performance and/or Compliance Reports
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You don’t have to crunch your own numbers.
You have free access to school, county, state, and
national comparators.
Start ups can compare financial assessments to
other Alliance Members.
You should have access to the information you
need to make a wise policy decision.
TRANSPARENCY
Break Out:
Review last year’s standardized test
scores.
What does it tell you and what
further information would help you
make decisions about changes that
need to be made at your school?
Quality Basic Education (QBE) funds (~30%)
Local Tax Revenues (~66%)
Other Sources (~2%)
Federal Grants (~2%)
Title I (poverty), Title II (PD), Title III (ESOL), IDEA
(Special Needs), etc.
Implementation Grants
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Source: State Taxes
Based on the number and characteristics of
students requiring full time equivalent teachers
(FTE)
FTE levels are set in October and March
Systems are funded one year behind current
numbers
State funding formula does not reflect state
mandates
Systems are not fully funded by QBE
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Source: Property Taxes
Enhanced QBE categories reflect local priorities
Schools are allocated positions to implement the OBE
and local priorities
Allocation levels will vary based on the characteristics of
the students at each individual school.
A school’s budget will vary based on staff’s position in
the salary schedule
Allocations and anticipated system income levels are
balanced after Ten Day Count.
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Run independently of the FCS Budget thru the
“consolidated federal application”
Based on the characteristics of students and/or
community
◦ Title I - % of students in community that qualify for
Free/Reduced Lunch (FRL)
◦ Title II – Pay for Professional Development
◦ Title III – % of ESOL students
◦ Title IIb – Services for Exceptional Children (SEC)
a.k.a. Special Education (SPED)
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Implementation Grants
NO FLEXIBILITY
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All other sources of income must be indicated in
your school accounting system and your audit
Corporate grants, community grants, in-kind
services, fund raisers, etc.
Be careful from whom you take cash and services
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March – projections are made as to the student
numbers and funding levels and personnel
allocations are tentatively made
April/May – contracts offered
July – preliminary budgets are issued
10 Day Count – projections are confirmed
11 Day Count – allocations are adjusted
October – funding levels adjusted
June – funding cycle ends
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Conversions follow the same funding formula as
typical schools
Start Ups –
◦ Plus - Allocated the county average for teacher
experience levels (12 years experience) although most
charter teachers are less experienced (2 years)
◦ Plus - Given a cash allowance per federal indirect cost
rate formula for Central Office departments
◦ Plus – Given a cash option for Transportation services
(conversions have never asked)
◦ Plus – Given “seed monies” to compensate for smaller
schools sizes during the first term
◦ Minus - 3% of their funding is withheld to pay for
Charter programming
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Must run admissions before March
July is minimally funded
August and September are funded based on the
projections
Governing boards need to adjust budgets in
October
Audits following FCS guidelines due on October 1
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Almost complete freedom
No teacher contracts, state salary schedules, or
deep pockets
Complete responsibility on the GB to include loan
repayments, SPED costs, and bankruptcy
Building costs are the start up’s responsibility (7 to
18% off the top)
Educational Management Corporations are
sometimes another cost (15 to 20%)
Our suggestions:
 Budget needs to be a line item at every meeting
and included in the public minutes.
 The proposed budget, the actual and the year to
date are good top liners.
 Run Capital on separate books.
 TRANSPARENCY
Break Out:
Review your budget. What is
your largest expenditure? Why?
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Start up charter employees are NOT FCS
employees.
The system will not interfere in personnel matters
unless there is a federal or safety issue.
The governing board must hire qualified,
competent individuals and is responsible for their
actions.
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Must pass a background and fingerprint check.
Must be “highly qualified” under NCLB
Must be registered with the Professional
Standards Commission (certified or cleared)
Must meet federal/state standards in specialty
programs (ESOL)
Must understand mandatory reporting
requirements
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Safe working environment
Civil rights protection (fair dismissal)
Teachers Retirement System (TRS)
Teacher Keys Evaluation and Leader Keys
Evaluation
To hire the best qualified individuals and to
remediate or fire those who do not best serve our
children
A clear, transparent human resources policy
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October, March and July CPI database checks
(PSC)
Alignment in eSchool Plus between teacher
qualifications and teacher schedules (NCLB)
Learning Walks
Teacher complaints
Department Reports
Break Out:
If you were an employee,
what would be the most
important thing the charter
school could give you?