Charter System Advisory Committee February 23, 2015 The Work of the - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Charter System Advisory Committee

February 23, 2015

The Work of the LSGT

Tonight's Agenda

• Welcome
• Charter System Application Timeline
• Local School Governance Charter System

Overview

• Composition of LSGTs Recap
• Scope of Decision‐Making Power for LSGTs
• LSGT Integration into Cluster Planning
• Q & A

2

CSAC Members Community Attendees LSC Members District Staff School Staff

Welcome!

APS Charter System Application Timeline and Activities

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Date Activity

November 2014

• Board Vote on Submitting Letter of Intent (LOI) for

Charter System December 2014

• Submit LOI to Georgia Department of Education with

request for FY16 waivers needed for operation January 2015 – May 2015

• Application Development

January 2015 – June 2015

• Stakeholder Engagement

February 2015 – April 2015

• Community Meetings

January 2015 – June 2015

• Charter System Advisory Committee Monthly Meetings

May 2015

• Conduct Public Hearings

June 2015

• Board Approval of Charter System Petition

June 2015

• Submit Charter System Petition to Georgia Department
• f Education

After Submittal

• Georgia Department of Education makes approval/denial

to State Board of Education If Approved

• Execution of Contract between the district and State

Board of Education

Charter System — Basic Components

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Charter System

Commit to Innovation and Changing District Culture To innovate, Require Freedom from State Law, Policy and District Policy Freedom in Exchange for Increased Accountability Goals Distribution of substantial autonomy to school (LSGT)

What exactly is an LSGT?

• An LSGT is a school‐level body that has delegated power from

the Superintendent in:

• Personnel Decisions, including recommending the

principal or school leader for selection by the local board of education;

• Financial Decisions and Resource Allocations, school

budget and the number and type of personnel, curriculum costs, supply costs, equipment costs and maintenance and operations costs;

• Curriculum and accompanying instructional materials;
• Establishment/monitoring of School Improvement

Goals, including approval of the school improvement plan and oversight of its implementation; and

• Any School Operations that are consistent with school

improvement goals.

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Local School Governance Teams

LSGT Composition

• Our first topic: What

should these school level bodies look like?

• How many and what

kinds of members? Should the principal vote?

LSGT Authority

• Our current topic: What

specific kinds of governance tasks will

• ur LSGTs be

responsible for?

• How do we empower
• ur LSGTs to create

innovative solutions to their school's problems?

LSGTs & Clusters

• Our next topic: How will

LSGTs coordinate with each other at the cluster level?

• Should we design a

cluster level governance team? Should we empower our clusters to make decisions as a group that affect all the schools in that cluster?

LSGT Composition

What are our LSGTs required to look like?

LSGTs must have a majority of parents/community members. LSGTs must be composed of parents, community members, and teachers. The rest is up to us to determine.

Stakeholder Input on LSGT Member Structure

LSGT Composition 9 voting members* (size may vary to 7 or 11) Principal is a non‐voting member 4 Parents elected by parents 3 Teachers elected by staff 2 Community members nominated by the principal 1 HS/MS student is a nonvoting member Principal and LSGT Chair collaborate on agenda setting 2 year terms with a maximum of 2 terms(following initial staggered terms of 1 and 2 yrs.)

Our Current Topic:

The Scope of the LSGT's Work Our Questions:

What kinds of specific governance tasks will our LSGTs have in those areas?

How will we empower our LSGTs to create school‐based solutions to meet their school's needs? How will we vet those solutions at the district level?

What does the law require?

A charter system must maximize school‐level governance through creating an LSGT.

= Decision‐making authority in personnel decisions, budget/resource allocations, curriculum & instruction, school improvement, and school operations.

The Work of the LSGT

Specific Governance Tasks

• Creation of a strategic plan
• Input into School improvement

plan

• Input into hiring of principal
• Approve budget allocations

Ability to Craft Solutions

• Beyond specific tasks, the ability

to create solutions to school problems

• Solutions can require use of

waiver from law/policy or not.

• Gives LSGT power to solve

problems outside of specific governance tasks

Comprised

• f:

Now that we've got the juices flowing…

Please break into groups (smaller 2‐4). First, look at the sample page and note which governance tasks you would keep, change, or delete for each section. If you have any extras you'd like to add, put those on the blank page. LSC Members, please fill out the same and also consider/note which governance tasks would have helped you to better improve your school if you'd had that power.

Personnel Decisions

Req'd: Input into Principal Selection Sug'd: Feedback on Principal Sug'd: Types of Positions and Qualifications desired Ex: Input into Professional development

• pportunities

Ex: receive information

• n staffing patterns

and assignments Ex: Approve local staffing decisions to best meet local student achievement goals Ex: Endorses principal's selection of all instructional staff Ideas?

Budget Decisions/Resource Allocations

Req'd: Input into final recommendations for school's budget Req'd: Input into #/type

• f personnel, curriculum

costs, supply, equipment, maintenance, operations costs Sug'd: School budget approval Sug'd: budget priorities aligned with school improvement plan Sug'd: Use of charter system funds Sug'd: Vendors for school resources Ex: Make decisions regarding resource allocations for school budget Ex: Approval of the use

• f unrestricted,

undesignated funds within the school budget Ideas?

Curriculum & Instruction

Req'd: Input into selection of a curriculum and accompanying instructional materials Sug'd: approval of instructional programs and materials consistent with innovations Sug'd: graduation requirements Sug'd: new course offerings Sug'd: opportunities for student acceleration/remediation Ex: Determine appropriate dropout prevention strategies Ex: Input into early intervention services or other appropriate services for underachieving students Ex: Approve and recommend: Curriculum assessments and the need for additional and/or alternative assessment tools pertinent to school goals and objectives Ideas?

School Operations

School Operations

Instructional Minutes School Climate Dress Code & Parent Engagement Stakeholder Communication

Probably the area that concerns Principals the most… Very broad category— less about carpool lane issues and more about those tasks that can aid improve a school that don't fall under C&I directly.

School Improvement

• Key question for APS under school

improvement: Should APS replace school improvement plans with school strategic plans, or keep the SIP model?

• What other kinds of autonomy can we give
• ur LSGTs around school improvement?

Ability to Create Solutions

LSGTs should be able to create solutions to meet the individual needs of their schools. Should this process be limited to certain areas? For example, should we require solutions be aligned to a strategic plan or school improvement plan? Vetting: How/who should vet these solutions? Should clusters have say over LSGT solutions? Should there be a CGT, a cluster level governance team? What should we call the solutions? Nifty idea, anyone?

Sample: The Innovation's Path to Approval

LSGT elected, appointed, trained. LSGT creates strategic plan. LSGT considers innovations aligned to strategic plan. LSGT refines innovations with aid

• f district facilitator.

LSGT submits innovation for public comment. LSGT submits vetted innovation to its CGT for advice/approval. LSGT further refines innovation based on public comment and CGT feedback. District considers fully vetted LSGT innovation and approves/denies. LSGT implements approved innovation.

Clusters in the APS Charter System Model

DISTRIBUTE APS must distribute meaningful autonomy and decision‐making power to local school governance teams (LSGTs). BALANCE APS must consider the role, responsibilities, and grant of authority to LSGTs within its new cluster planning framework. MAINTAIN APS must maintain its ability to effectively manage and oversee the work of its schools and clusters. TASK: How should APS structure its charter system to maintain an emphasis on cluster

• rganization while distributing autonomy to the school level?

Options for Cluster Involvement in the APS Charter System:

Option A:

Cluster‐level body with voting & advisory power

Voting power could include: 1) Ability to vote up/down LSGT proposals that affect the cluster as a whole 2) Ability to create and vote on cluster‐wide innovations that would apply to all schools in cluster.

Option B:

Cluster‐level body with advisory power

1) Cluster body would consider LSGT proposals that affect cluster as a whole and provide advice/recommendations for district's consideration. 2) Cluster body would provide input to district on district‐level issues (RIFs, reorganization, zoning, etc.)

Option A: Roles and Responsibilities

Local School Governance Team (LSGT): 9 school‐level members

Create: Reforms/Innovations that align to school strategic improvement plan and cluster plan Vet: CGT innovations

Cluster Governance Team (CGT): 1 principal and 1 LSGT rep from each cluster school

Create: Reforms/Innovations that align to cluster plan and affect cluster as a whole Vet: LSGT Innovations Advise: District on District‐wide initiatives (RIFs, rezoning, etc.)

District Governance Team (DGT): Board of Ed, Superintendent, District Staff

Create: District‐wide reforms and innovations Vet and Approve: LSGT innovations, CGT innovations

Option B: Roles and Responsibilities

Local School Governance Team (LSGT): 9 school‐level members

Create: Reforms/Innovations that align to school strategic improvement plan and cluster plan

Cluster Governance Team (CGT): 1 principal and 1 LSGT rep from each cluster school

Vet and Advise: LSGT Innovations Advise: District on District‐wide initiatives (RIFs, rezoning, etc.)

District Governance Team (DGT): Board of Ed, Superintendent, District Staff

Create: District‐wide reforms and innovations Vet and Approve: LSGT innovations

Questions for You

CGTs

• Should CGTs have the power to vote on LSGT innovations

that affect the cluster as a whole, or should they only provide feedback/advice on them?

• Who should sit on the CGT? Principal + LSGT representative

from each school (DeKalb model). Associate superintendents as well? Community Partnership leaders? Would Principals be able to vote on CGT?

• Should the CGT be able to propose CGT‐level innovations?
• Should the LSGT chair be the CGT representative, or should

it be filled by a different LSGT representative?

Cluster Community Meetings

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Tuesday, February 10, 2015 Douglass Cluster Wednesday, February 11, 2015 Jackson Cluster Tuesday, February 24, 2015 Carver Cluster Tuesday, February 24, 2015 Washington Cluster Wednesday, February 25, 2015 North Atlanta Cluster Thursday, February 26, 2015 B.E.S.T./C.S.K.Y.W.L.A Tuesday, March 3, 2015 Therrell Cluster Wednesday, March 4, 2015 Mays Cluster

Charter System Advisory Committee Meetings

Monday, February 23, 2015 Thursday, March 19, 2015 Thursday, April 16, 2015 Thursday, May 21, 2015 Thursday, June 18, 2015 Center for Learning and Leadership (CLL Auditorium) 130 Trinity Avenue, SW, Atlanta, GA 30303 6:00 p.m. ‐ 8:30 p.m. (All meetings are open to the public)

* Additional Cluster Community Meetings to be held in April 2015

Monday, March 9, 2015 Grady Cluster Wednesday, March 11, 2015 South Atlanta Cluster

Questions? Comments? Concerns?

Thanks for attending!