Fulton Charter System Presentation 2013
- 2. Conversion to Fulton Charter System COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: • 1,000+ teachers, administrators, & parents attended 7 Community Forums. • 80+ students participated in Focus Groups. • Convened Principal, Teacher, Parent, Community, & Student Superintendent’s Councils • System-wide LSAC & Cluster meetings Fall 2010 Winter 2010 Spring 2011 RESEARCH & PLANNING: • District staff analyzed feedback from Fall engagement phase • Report submitted to Board Fulton was approved as the state’s largest Charter System on July 1, 2012 Fall 2011 Spring – Summer 2012 BOARD ACTION: voted to Board • Board voted to pursuesubmit pursue and & submit Charter System Application to Charter System GaDOE Application 2
- 3. Why Implement a Charter System? • Breakthrough results require innovative strategies • At MBES we expect the charter system to improve our: – – – – Students exceeding expectations on the CRCT Performance on national achievement measures Opportunities for students to engage in STEM Education Opportunities for increased technology use among all students 3
- 4. Fulton Charter System Basics What it IS… What it IS NOT… • One unified system where Superintendent is accountable for student achievement • A collection of individual charter schools with dissimilar accountabilities • Existing attendance boundaries policy • New attendance lotteries or special enrollment requirements • A systemwide, consistent curriculum with potential flexibility based on community interest • A set of “theme” oriented schools with very different curricula or standards • Existing funding formula per school with potential flexibilities within each school • Different funding formulas for individual schools • All employees hired and managed by the system with a system salary schedule. • Employees hired by the charter school with salaries set by the school. 4
- 5. Charter System Governance Framework School Governance Councils Roles and Responsibilities System Resources and Support Roles and Responsibilities Long-term Strategy • School & Community Stakeholders Local School Flexibility School Community Engagement • Central Administration System Governance Team • Fulton County Board of Education • Superintendent of Schools System-wide Planning Data Systems Instructional Support Equitable Resources and Infrastructure Federal Program Management Roles and Responsibilities System Policy Required District Best Practices Curriculum Hiring Ultimate Accountability for Results 5
- 7. SGC Responsibilities Approve the school strategic plan Approve the annual budget recommendations Request flexibility from District for innovation Participate in hiring of the Principal, when vacant Provide annual feedback on Principal performance 7
- 8. Members of the SGC 1 – Principal (non-voting) 3 – Parents/Guardians (elected) 2 – Teachers (elected) 2 – School Employees (appointed) 2 – Community Members (nominated) + 2 – Students (HS only; non-voting) 10 Member Council (ES, MS) 12 Member Council (HS) 8
- 9. SGC Member Commitments • Attend the SGC meetings (at least 75% - resignation may be requested for lack of attendance) • Serve on a SGC committee (attend 75% of committee meetings) • Interact with school community • Participate in mandatory trainings and SGC assessment processes
- 10. SGC Elections Management • Central administration will coordinate and administer SGC elections Guidelines for Candidacy and Voting Aug./Sept. Community Information Sessions Sept./Oct. Candidate Declaration Sept./Oct. • Elections for all Cohort 2 schools will occur at the same time 1 week in mid-to-late November
- 11. SGC Elections - Voting All votes will be cast electronically through an online election system within the FCS portal and tallied by an external vendor. Elections results are submitted to principals within 10 days of the close of the voting window. • All votes are anonymous • Parent/Guardian voters use Home Access Codes to vote • 1 vote per parent for each school for which they have a child • School employees use employee login to vote
- 12. SGC Cohort 2 Start-Up Timeline July-September 2013 October-December 2013 January-February 2014 March - June 2014 Planning Year Cohort 2 principal orientation Cohort 2 Community Information Sessions School Governance Council elections for parents and teachers School Governance Council school employee and community member appointments Training of School Governance Council members 2014-2015 School Year Year 1 Certified School Governance Councils in place Approve school Strategic Plan Initiate strategic planning process Approve school budget recommendations Submit requests for “universal” flexibility options Submit requests for “earned” flexibility options Feedback on principal performance 12
- 13. Immediate Next Steps • Candidate guidelines and information sessions for potential SGC members available in September • Candidates indicate interest in September/October • Election dates set for mid-late November – Get Home Access Codes now!! • Training for principals in innovative practices throughout the school year 13
- 14. More Information Questions For more information visit the Charter System Implementation page on the FCS website at: www.fultonschools.org/Charter System. 14