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Matters of Principal, November 29, 2015 

 

 

2016 North Carolina Charter Schools Conference

 

 

Complete the 4-question survey and tell us where you prefer our 2016 conference to be held! One school drawn from the responses will receive a FREE registration and 2 night paid hotel stay!

Watch this short video about the 2015 conference!

 


 

 

Association & Member News

 

NC Program Supporting Beginning Teacher Is Making a Difference

County commissioners to hear CMS, Veritas dispute on Dec. 1

Troutman OK’s plan for charter school – Will be built before 2016-17 school year

Is CMS playing dirty in its battle against charter schools?

Court of Appeals upholds TJCA v. Cleveland Co.

Millennium Charter Academy hosts 7th-annual blood drive with American Red Cross

 

 

Education News

 

Engaged Teaching: In-Depth Strategies for Classroom Management, Ed-Tech Effectiveness (NEW), and Common Core Success

Do Your Volunteers Love You?

Survey Explores Why People Go Into Teaching in the First Place

 

 

Legislative & Regulatory News

 

2015 State Legislative Highlights

CSAB agenda Dec. 16-17

Leeway for struggling charter schools proposed

 

 

Other Charter News

 

Hillary Clinton: Most charter schools don’t take the hardest-to-teach kids

Charter Weekly Nov 20, 2015

Hillary Clinton’s bought-and-paid-for betrayal of charter schools

Response to Secretary Clinton’s Comments About Charter Schools

Did a teachers union pay for a report slamming charter schools?

 

 

Business Member News

 

 

Business members: send us your stories and we'll tell our schools about you

 

 

 

 

 

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2014-15 NC Charter Accountability Rankings

 

Full chart here

 

Top 10

Growth

 

  1. American Renaissance
  2. Henderson Collegiate
  3. Maureen Joy
  4. Research Triangle Charter
  5. Greensboro Academy
  6. Columbus Charter
  7. Summerfield Charter
  8. CIS Academy
  9. Raleigh Charter High
  10. Roxboro Community

 

Top 10

Proficiency

  1. Gray Stone
  2. Magellan
  3. Metrolina Regional Scholars
  4. Raleigh Charter High
  5. Quest Academy
  6. Endeavor
  7. Woods Charter
  8. Envision Science
  9. Triangle Math & Science
  10. Sterling Montessori

 

 

 

Subscriber,

 

I hope Thursday was a day you enjoyed family, food, football, and maybe even an afternoon "forty winks." So much to be thankful for!

 

Welcome Joshua Hoke to our charter family! Josh is our new Operations Assistant and will assume some of the duties formerly and ably performed by Aletha Buck. He holds a Masters of Public Administration from UNCC and a BA in Economics. His email address is Josh@ncpubliccharters.org so please say hello to him.

 

Looking for a challenge? This may be for you...or not.

 

Many of us recently watched a presentation by Alexis Schauss, the Director of School Business for DPI. Her topic, “Dissecting Charter Funding” was important enough for us to share with you. The audio is here at the Business & Financial Services home page and also see the “workbook” she included for us.

 

Last month I introduced three of our new officers of the NCPCSA board but since then we have added a fourth, Treasurer Rudy Swofford (Summerfield Charter). Thank you Rudy for your willingness to help with our finances.

 

December will bring about the fourth anniversary of the Association and the sixth anniversary of my good fortune leading a charter group. While we all have lists of people and things we are thankful for this time of year, I have to include all the absolutely wonderful people who not only work tirelessly at your schools, but also take the time and effort to show your love of the whole charter movement, by your support of your organization. Our member schools are listed at the bottom of this newsletter.

 

Many, indeed most, of us could never do what you educators and administrators do inside and outside the walls of your schools. Luckily however, there are opportunities like I have been blessed with, in which I can work at least on the periphery, and to some small degree, add to our collective and essential task of preparing for life our most precious assets. So, to you I say...

 

 

 

In quality education, I remain

 

 

 

Very truly yours,               

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Mission:

"Wake Forest Charter Academy students will learn to become powerful, critical and independent thinkers, successful collaborators, and enthusiastic contributors to their learning processes in preparation for success in a vibrant, symbiotic world as they and our teachers, parents and community prepare them for college and career readiness."

 

 Zacary D. Perfitt, Principal

 

 

 

Instruction Matters

 

“We are not products of our environment, we are products of our expectations.” - Wes Moore Oct. 10 2013

 

 

 

Maria Marsella Leahy is an Intern for the Association and  is a doctoral student in the Educational Leadership College of Education at the University of North Carolina  Charlotte

NC Program Supporting Beginning Teacher Is Making a Difference

"As a doctoral student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC), I decided to look more deeply into the program and how it may be a resource for our Charter School members. I met with Amanda Macon, UNC Charlotte Regional Project Director. She is passionate about the program and its results for beginning teacher. She went on to add how the program positively affects student achievement, “the one number reason we are educators.” UNCC is one of six centers that support regions around North Carolina."

 

Read more here...

 

Legislative Matters

 

"Just because you don't have an interest in politics doesn't mean politics doesn't  have an interest in you"  - Pericles

 

 

 

The Charter Schools Advisory Board met November 16-17 and here is a summary of what was covered:

 

  • The LFI Committee of the SBE is now the Education Innovation, and Charter Schools Committee.
  • Deanna Smith disclosed that of the 28 applications submitted for schools opening in 2017, 13 were considered to have incomplete information and were sent the mandated 5- business day notice. She indicated all 13  provided the data to make the applications complete. (Note: in the past, before House Bill 334,  the 13 would have likely gone to the OCS shredder!)
  • A policy on the Evaluation of Charter School Educators was presented.
  • Policy Committee Chair Steven Walker led a discussion of his committee's progress.
  • OCS presented its report on charters requesting charter renewals for the 2016-17 year. Schools granted 10 year renewals were:  Roxboro Community, KIPP Gaston, Pine Lake, Clover Garden, and Cross Creek. Schools asked to come before the CSAB for an interview were: Kennedy Charter, Crossroads Charter, Queens Grant, Haliwa Saponi, Hope Leadership, and New Dimensions.
  • On the second day Joe Maimone, Chair of the Performance Committee, made a presentation regarding the Performance Framework, among other issues.
  • Completing the second day, North East Carolina Prep, Oxford Prep, Rocky Mount, and Phoenix Academy made presentations as requested under their "Academic Notice" status.

 

 

Find your legislator here

 

 

 

The State Board of Education met November 4-5.

 

Session law 2015-248 , Section 1.(a)(b)(2), directs the State Board of Education to appoint one member to the Charter School Advisory Board who is not a current member of the State Board of Education and who is a charter school advocate in North Carolina.

The provision above, also from HB 334, removes the dual roles of Becky Taylor, who was representing both the SBE and the CSAB at the same time, as well as chairing the LFI Committee (now the Education Innovation and Charter Schools Committee).

 

The SBE replaced Taylor with Cheryl Turner (Sugar Creek Charter), who was earlier on  the CSAB as well as the Advisory Council.

 

The SBE also:

 

  • Heard proposed changes to TCS-U-010 regarding Revocation and the SBE defining " Criteria for Adequate Performance" under statute changes this year. The policy change will be an Action Item for the December 2-3 SBE meetings.
  • Heard several school charter amendment requests.
  • Heard from Alexis Schauss on charter student funding.
  • Heard updates from the two virtual pilot schools, NC Virtual Academy and NC Connections Academy.

 

The federal front...

 

The ESEA reauthorization conferees delivered some good news for America’s high-achieving students last week. Absent further amending, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) will include a necessary and long-overdue section provision that allows states to use computer-adaptive tests to assess students on content above their current grade level. That’s truly excellent news for kids who are “above grade level”—and for their parents, teachers, and schools.

 

Read more here...

 

 

 

   

 

There are 23 charter schools in North Carolina with over 1,000 students enrolled. The average charter has 517 students.

(OCS report at Nov. CSAB meeting)

 

 

Newsletter

 

Services

 

NCPCSA Board of Directors

 

Carroll Reed (Southern Wake), Rhonda Dillingham (Uwharrie), Rudy Swofford (Summerfield), Simon Johnson (Quality Education), Natalie Brozy (Roxboro Community), Dave Machado (Lincoln Charter), Kirby McCrary (Millennium), Cynthia McQueen (Torchlight), Antoinette Ellison (INVEST Collegiate), Melanie Williams (PreEminent), Ivonne Reed (Langtree Charter), Stephen Hester (Bethel Hill Charter), and Jennifer Lucas (Voyager Academy).

 

 

Workshops & other meetings

 

Lee Teague met with the Arizona Charter Association leaders in Phoenix this month to see how an association in a state with over 600 public charter schools operates!

 

October 21 the NCPCSA Board of Directors met at Uwharrie Charter Academy in Asheboro. The Board also met November 18 via GoToMeeting.

 

The CSAB met  Nov. 16 and 17 and its meetings were attended by Lee Teague and Eddie Goodall. See comments in Legislative Matters above.

 

Lee Teague joined well wishers Nov. 2 at Southern Wake's "Ribbon Cutting" for its new and beautiful facility.

 

The new Board officers of the Association met with SBE Chair Bil Cobey Nov. 6th to discuss communications and how we can be more helpful to the State Board.

 

National School Choice Week will see the Association and others host a Capital Celebration in January at the capitol building in Raleigh. It will focus on promoting all forms of educational choice: private schools, public schools, charter schools, virtual schools, magnet schools, and home schooling families! Lee Teague met with the planning group Nov. 13 in Raleigh.

partnering with

 

 

Be sure to ask us about our retirement plan option for those of you not in the state plan. Let us show you what an easy to adopt and use, yet comprehensive plan we've developed for you. We already have our first member school enrolled!

 

Contact Clint Biesinger at clint@verapathglobal.com  Option 2: call me and I'll explain the plan!

 

 

Success by Association

 

Schools, prospective schools, and businesses may join Association here!

 

 

Value    Voice   Vision

 

 

 

Your voice

 

 

To:  Marianne, Kimberly, and Shannon at LBA Haynes Strand

 

I just wanted to tell you guys how THANKFUL I am to work with you (in charter accounting).   You make my life easier in so many ways and you forgive my (many) mistakes!!   Just wanted to let you know before the 'official' Thanksgiving day.

 

Chris Zeigler, Southeastern Academy

 

 

NC Public Charter Schools Association school members

 

 

 

 

 A.C.E. Academy Academy of Moore County Anderson Creek Club Charter School Arapahoe Charter School Aristotle Preparatory Academy CFA Arts Based Elementary Bethel Hill Charter School Brevard Academy CFA Cabarrus Charter Academy Cape Fear Center for Inquiry Capitol Encore Academy Cardinal Charter Cardinal Charter Academy Knightdale Carolina International School Carter G. Woodson School of Challenge Charlotte Choice Charter Charlotte Learning Academy Chatham Charter School College Preparatory and Leadership Academ Community Charter School Connections Education LLC/ NCCA Cornerstone Charter Academy CFA Corvian Community School Crosscreek Charter Crossroads Charter High Endeavor Charter School Excelsior Classical Academy - CFA Expedition School Falls Lake Academy FernLeaf Community Charter School Forsyth Academies NHA Francine Delany New School for Children Gateway Charter Academy-NHA Greensboro Academy NHA Hawbridge School Institute Development of Young Leaders INVEST Collegiate Imagine INVEST Collegiate Transform K12, Inc. LBA Haynes Strand Kannapolis Charter Academy Lake Lure Classical Academy CFA Langtree Charter Academy Leadership Academy for Young Women Learning Center Lincoln Charter School-Denver K-12 Matthews-Mint Hill Charter Academy-NHA Metrolina Regional Scholars' Academy Millennium Charter Academy Mooresville Charter Academy Mountain Island Charter School Neuse Charter School New Dimensions School CFA North Carolina Virtual Academy North East Carolina Prep Oxford Preparatory Paul R. Brown Leadership Academy Peak Charter Academy-  NHA Piedmont Classical High School Piedmont Community School CFA PreEminent Charter School NHA Quality Education Academy Queen's Grant Community Schools Queen's Grant NHA Raleigh Charter High School Reaching All Minds Academy Research Triangle Charter Academy Research Triangle High School Roxboro Community School Sallie B. Howard School Shining Rock Classical Academy - CFA Southeastern Academy Southern Wake Academy Success Institute Summerfield The Institute for the Development of Youn Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy CFA Torchlight Academy Triangle Math and Science Academy Union Day United Community School Uwharrie Charter Academy Vance Charter School Veritas Community School Voyager Academy Wake Forest Charter Academy NHA Water’s Edge Village School Wayne Preparatory Willow Oak Montessori Charter School Wilmington Preparatory Academy Wilson Preparatory Academy Winterville Charter Academy NHA ZECA School of Arts and Technology

 

 


 

 Lee Teague and Eddie Goodall, along with NCPCSA Board members, Simon Johnson, Antoinette Ellison, and Dr. Cynthia McQueen, join charter leaders at October 29 meeting in Raleigh

 

 

 

 

 

 

Retired Major General Tom Braaten Speaks to Arapahoe Charter School Students in Veterans Day Assembly

 

An estimated crowd of 500 students, parents, veterans, and community members gathered Tuesday to hear retired USMC Major General Tom Braaten who was the keynote speaker for Tuesday’s Arapahoe Charter School Veteran’s Day assembly. Also present were NC Senator Norman Sanderson, NC House Representative, Michael Speciale. Pamlico County Commissioners Ken Heath and Chris Mele, Pamlico County Sheriff, Chris Davis, and Pamlico Planning Board member Chris Murray.

 

NC Public Charter Schools Association

13850 Ballantyne Corporate Place, Ste. 500  

         PO Box 78528                

Charlotte, North Carolina 28271

 

704.887.3464   office

704.236.1234 mobile

 

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