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Member Meetings

Meeting Schedule, 2024-2025

Our Member Meetings will be held virtually at 11am the 2nd Monday of each month (some adjustments for holidays). 

2024-5: August 12, September 9, October 7, November 12, No December meeting, January 13, February 10, March 10, April 14, May 12, June-come to conference!, No July meeting

Meetings are held via Zoom. If you are not receiving Member Meeting reminder and agenda emails, please email gina@utahcharters.org.

Minutes below: click "+" below for meeting recap

Member Meeting Recap 4/14/25

SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT-Spectrum Academy

Spectrum Academy leadership: Executive Director Liz Banner, Assistant Director Joe Brown, and Development Coordinator Amy Baker, and a few family members went on a self-funded service trip to Ghana, Africa to work with Albert’s Haven, an autism respite and resource center led by Dr. Ato Brown. They held multiple trainings for therapists, teachers, caregivers, parents, and school directors. They also helped repair the facility and donated sensory tools.

 CONFERENCE

  • Breakout sessions now listed on our Schedule
  • Re-licensure credit through MIDAS OR Graduate credit through Southern Utah University
  • USBE is offering AI for Teachers class (both days) which includes follow-up assignments and the opportunity to receive $200 toward classroom supplies from Donors Choose.

APPEL

  • APPEL Candidate teacher observations were due April 1st. Please let your teachers know to turn their two teacher observations in asap if they haven’t yet.
  • APPEL Candidates supervisor evaluations are due May 1st. Each candidate should be observed and evaluated twice.
  • For new hires or teachers that intend to be in the APPEL program, it is better to register and have them receive their plans this summer. The APPEL elementary teacher requirements will be changing for next year and it is best to have them in the existing program.

 TRAINING

  • April 30: Charter School Board Training, Director and Board Evaluations, 5:30-6:30pm via Zoom.
  • Summer ACES (Aspiring Charter Executive Seminar) June 10-11 (during conference) and June 16 and 23 (via Zoom). See flyer.
  • Summer Book Study: Building Thinking Classrooms for Math by Peter Liljedahl. See flyer for more information. This practice doesn’t apply only to math teachers, but can be applied for all subjects.
  • Charter School Incubator Fellow Application due by 5pm on April 21, 2025 For information about the program, please visit our webpage or email shannon@utahcharters.org

CSP

  • The CSP Grant Program has launched with a first overview webinar on Monday, April 14th. The video can be accessed on our CSP Grant page.
  • Other important dates:
  • Letter of Intent/Eligibility Check Deadline: April 16, 2025 by 5pm
  • RFA Published & Application Window Opens: April 16, 2025 (after eligibility check)
  • Training: Budget Support Webinar: April 21, 2025 @ 5:30pm
  • RFA Submission Deadline: June 2, 2025 by 5pm

 

ELISE NEWEY, DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICY, USBE

  • USBE seeks the input of educators: What bills or funding decisions are at the top of your mind? Survey here.
  •  
  • Review of Legislative Action:
  • WPU value $4674 (up 4%)-this was just inflationary increase
  • Total Minimum School Program $7.4 billion (up 6%)
  • Catalyst Center Grants $65 M, one time
  • $16.4M NESS/Small Schools
  • $25M School Safety needs support grant, one time
  • $77M Teacher Professional hours

 

  • School Safety grant funding ($25M) can go for some of the things mandated in 2024 session, including bleed kits. Questions about compliance: Jurisdiction for school safety is moving to the Dept. of Public Safety so rules written there have a different process than when written at the USBE. Compliance needs to be supported-so DPS and USBE working together to determine how to meet compliance requirements. USBE will come out to help with compliance plan and consequences. After school safety assessments turned in were reviewed to determine what schools needed; went to low-hanging fruit, which are the bleed kits funded by School Safety Task force. Unsure when delivery to the schools will be. Protective film on exterior windows surrounding entry ways and interior windows or classroom entrance or instructional areas by July 1, 2035 or 2040.
    • Schools can provide public comment during board meeting according to the rules. Locking doors inside schools is an issue that needs discussion to correct.
    • Assessment for school safety required changed to once every three years, not annually.


  • Food security amendments: Meals provided to K-12 not other students, allows for reimbursing meals, not al a cart items. LEAs cannot speak to students about lunch debt-questions about what that means on the specifics.
  • Would this group prefer a rule that outlines the requirements of this bill. Answer survey here.
  • 281: Mental health: Restricted service does not include: basic stress-management strategies (friendship circles, pre-test stress relieving circles) that teachers often use.
  • SB223: Public Education Bullying: clarifies the definition of bullying. USBE only collecting information on student bullying, not adult bullying.
  • We did not have time to go over all the new laws. Please see the USBE Billbook for more details.

ERIC PAISNER, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS

  • Supreme Court Case regarding Oklahoma case:
  • The NAPCS is trying to position the charter school sector well by being involved in the Supreme Court case regarding the Oklahoma case being presented which is challenging the constitutionality of allowing a religious public charter school.
  • History: In 2023, Oklahoma City charter the catholic virtual school St. Isadore. Since charters are public schools they cannot be fully religious. The school was approved by the authorizer, but the state attorney general appealed the decision. The case went to the OK Supreme Court-June 2024-court said the school was not allowed. Advocates for allowing religious public education appealed to US Supreme Court. The Supreme Court decided to take the case in this term. The term ends in June/early July. The court will be hearing case in person April 30th.
  • The question for the court is: Can there be a religious charter school? There are two parts of law: St. Isadore saying OK law is constitutional because of individual rights (freedom of religion) belonging to those starting the school. The second part in question is the First Amendment Establishment Clause which prohibits government from establishing religion. This begs the question is the government establishing religion by approving a religious public school? Critical question: Are charter schools truly public schools? Is it more like a contract-like toll roads- for a government entity, but not “fully” public?
  • Concerns about ruling: If Supreme Court says they are more private than public, then the way they are funding (per pupil mechanism) may not exist. If public funding is the issue, then there could be decisions about funding that need to be addressed by state legislatures.
  • Briefs to the Supreme Court have been submitted. Oral arguments are April 30th. After hearing the arguments, the court votes internally, then will write their briefs. We want the court to understand: how and why charter schools are public, AND if they are not public the implications if they are not found public schools. There could be legal (funding streams) and political (states that are opposed to having charter schools may not continue to allow them) issues. NAPCS has submitted briefs from 23 charter associations from across the country, including UAPCS, a variety of operators, including Wallace Stegner Academy, parents, and other supporting groups. They have done a lot of work to make sure the court knows what is relevant. Now they are working publicly to share the same message.
  • Eight justices (Amy Coney Barrett recused herself) are involved. 4-4 ruling makes it like the case doesn’t not exist. We think Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Kavanaugh are the most persuadable. We are working with each state to analyze how the decision could affect them.  
  • Legal work, public communications work, scenario planning. UAPCS has been working closely with NAPCS to follow, influence, and determine the impact.
  • What could the impact be? Royce met with Senate President and Speaker of the House. The greatest risk is whether or not we continue to be eligible for the Minimum School Program. We have asked an attorney to evaluate our state constitution and state law. If charter schools for US Constitutional purposes are not a public entity, would we still be eligible for the Minimum School Program? We expect a draft of decision. We believe the risk in Utah is a little lower because of the phrase in our state constitution that the legislature can determine what kind of education can exist in the public school system. This statement justifies charter schools and Utah Fits All scholarship. We will share the legal opinion when we receive it.
  • There are a variety of ways the Supreme Court could rule that could affect us. We received indications from state leaders that we will work to fix things to allow charters to be eligible for the Minimum School Program. However, there is a risk and a lot of unknowns.
  •  Eric says that we are fortunate to have the relationships to get ahead of it. Also, it is important to note that this has nothing to do with being against religious schools, but is only about charter schools being public schools. UAPCS in participating in the amicus brief is not expressing any opinion about religious education. We are concerned with charter schools continuing to be eligible for the Minimum School Program.

Next meeting, Monday, May 12th at 11am.

 

Legislative Recap and Member Meeting

 

Cole Kelley, District 12, Utah State Board of Education

  • Mr. Kelley teaches at American Fork High School. He is a “kid-centered teacher” and hopes to bring that focus to the board; kids over systems. He seeks to eliminate red tape for teacher licensing. If there are regulations and other things that bog teachers down, he wants to eliminate them. He is not afraid of change and wants to make things easier for teachers and focused on students. If you have any suggestions, please contact him: (801) 830-4191, cole.kelley@schools.utah.gov

 

Announcements


  • UAPCS Charter School Conference, A Legacy of Learning: 25 Years of Charter Schools in Utah
  • June 10-11, 2025 @ Davis Conference Center in Layton, UT
  • Early Bird Registration Ends March 16th
  • Call for Presenters
  • Circle of Excellence Awards-We know there are great things happening at your school! Please consider nominating someone today-it’s a quick and easy application!

 

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Links for Zoom meetings on our Event Calendar

 

Legislative Update-Royce Van Tassell


 Download Slides


Discussion

  • Potential Supreme Court Case re: Oklahoma Catholic Charter School

The question for this case is if a state has a charter school law, and a religious entity applies to open a charter school, is the state required to accept the application? The court is accepting amicus briefs (statements of support, opposition, or information for the court) until April 7th. Utah is working with the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools to submit an amicus brief in opposition to the court ruling in favor of religious public charter schools.

 

Why does it matter? In the case of Utah, if the court rules in favor of religious public charter schools, the specific implications are unclear. For many states, if the Supreme Court rules that charter schools are not public schools, then the funding formula is not valid. The per student funding to charter schools wouldn’t apply to charter schools which could mean that charter schools would have to fight year after year over general funds, since they would be excluded from public education funding.

We are skeptical that won’t happen in Utah because our state constitution says that public education is what the legislature states it is. The legislation states that charter schools are part of the public education system in Utah. A court ruling in 2001 said that vouchers can be used to pay for private religious schools because parents, not the state, make that choice. For charter schools, the state is making that decision (to allow the school) and not parents.

 

What do we forsee as the outcome? It is hard to determine. The ruling would need to be a 4/4 or a 3/5 ruling since Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself from accepting the case and so is assumed would recuse herself from hearing the case (see article below for reasoning). Oral arguments would be heard the last 3 days in April with a ruling made the last 2-3 days in June.

 

You will be hearing a lot more about the case in the general media after April 7th and all the amicus briefs have been received.

 

Royce referenced a New York Times Article further explaining the legal case:

The Urgent Supreme Court Case That’s Not Getting Enough Attention

By Linda Greenhouse

 

Final funding


Download Slides 

 

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  • The LRF is the local replacement fund. It is roughly a state-wide average of what school districts receive from property tax. There was discussion about the increase in the LRF. The Utah Taxpayers Association publishes a School Budget report that helps explain the tax funding sources of public education. See the 2024 Report HERE.
  • The qualifying teachers or “educators” as defined in HB 2 Public Education Budget Amendments include the following:

53F-2-405

Effective 07/01/25. Educator salary adjustments.

(1)As used in this section, "educator" means a person employed by a school district,

charter school, regional education service agency, or the Utah Schools for the Deaf and

the Blind who holds:

(a)(i)a license issued by the state board; and

(ii)a position as a:

(A)classroom teacher;

(B)speech pathologist;

(C)librarian or media specialist;

(D)preschool teacher;

(E)mentor teacher;

(F)teacher specialist or teacher leader;

(G)guidance counselor;

(H)audiologist;

(I)psychologist; or

(J)social worker; or

(b)(i)a license issued by the Division of Professional Licensing; and

(ii)a position as a social worker.

 

 

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  • Educator Support Professionals are defined in the same bill as the following:

(a)(i)"Education support professional" means an individual:

(A)whom an LEA or RESA employs and directly pays; and

(B)who is assigned to work in a school setting.

(ii)"Education support professional" includes the following categories that an LEA

reports to the state board:

(A)instructional paraprofessionals;

(B)library paraprofessionals;

(C)student support; and

(D)school and other support, including employees like janitors, bus drivers, and

food service.

(iii)"Education support professional" also includes an individual in LEA or RESA

administration or administration support if the individual works exclusively in a

school setting supporting students.

(b)(i)"Qualifying employee" means an education support professional who was

employed by an LEA or RESA as of September 1, 2025.

(ii)"Qualifying employee" does not include:

(A)a licensed school-level educator;

(B)school district employees who are assigned to work in the central

administration of the school district, including superintendents, deputy and

assistant superintendents, area and regional directors, curriculum specialists,

and support staff; or

(C)individuals with whom an LEA contracts but does not directly pay the

individual or report the individual to the state board in annual employment

reports.


  • For the final legislative BUDGET SUMMARY (Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst) : https://le.utah.gov/interim/2025/pdf/00001971.pdf
    • Public Education summary is on page 8.
  • Career and Technical Education Catalyst grant is designed to help existing schools expand CTE programs, encourage schools without CTE programs to develop one, and make it easier for schools to have a CTE program. The Davis County Catalyst center serves as a model for robust CTE programs. 


  • This bill changes requirements for window treatments. It also sets dates for compliance with window treatments (see lines 233-242).
  • We checked with Shauntelle Cota, USBE Director of School Safety and Student Services. Schools will need to have another school safety assessment by October 15, 2027. (New requirement is once every three years and all schools had an assessment by December 31, 2024.)
  • We anticipate USBE will update the school safety book with updated amendments from the bill mid-April.
  • We discussed the change in window treatments from film to glazing. HERE is the Wall Street Journal article that speaks to the efficacy of window treatments.



Thank you for joining us. If you would like a recording of the meeting (we did not get to all the bills), please email gina@utahcharters.org.





 Welcome 

 

Announcements and Upcoming Events 

  •   School Spotlight, charter school winners at the All-State Art Show
  • Conference: June 10-11, 2025, Registration is open, Call for Presenters is open, Circle of Excellence Awards nominations are open.
  • Appel Update: New requirements to be released 2026-27. Will be running a pilot of new program this year. The currently enrolled teachers should work on getting their 5 pedological courses done in the next year, as those classes will be more difficult to find.
  • Training Update: 
    • CSP in a holding pattern with US Dept of Education. Looking to help 1 new school, 1 replicating (satellite), and 1 high quality expanding school. Awarding three incubator fellow awards as well. More details to come. 
    • Will be offering a summer ACES class during conference and right after conference in June.
    • Book study in June. Dates and topic TBD. Will offer credit for the book study.

 

Utah State Representative, Candice Pierucci, House Education Committee member

Policy priorities for K-12. 

  • Neil Walter’s bill supportive to get it passed.
  • Looking to get more resources to teachers-bill for ELL increases in school system.
  • Discussion around engaging parents HB 281-parent permission for counseling services.
  • HB 303 should be in committee next week. There are members of the committee on a sub to make sure privacy/specific information is considered.
  • How do first credential program mesh with campus catalyst program? Should be a sub coming on first credential to make sure that they work together. Catalyst bill (HB 447) is a grant to help schools level up with CTE and other professional learning. Catalyst center bill is a grant to help students have the opportunity for a different type of education (like CTE) that gets them job skills right out of high school. The first credential bill has to do with making sure kids are strategic to move forward in higher ed or certificate programs. 
  • What about funding or school safety? School safety appropriations proposal going through the ed committee. Priority is panic buttons, bleed kits. Discussion ongoing about what is nice to have and what is a necessity. They understand that funding is necessary for school safety.

 

 

Hub – Meeting Sponsor, Ryan Bingham

  • Partner with UAPCS for employee benefits.
  • They look at each school individually to determine if some or all of their options; health plans, dental plan, compliance, etc.
  • FLYER

 

Policy Project, Focused Student Project, Lindsay Butrum

  • SB 178 Devices in Public Schools: Impact use of smart phones in school. Want to remove distractions in school. Data supports limiting cell phones in school. Maintains local control for schools but establishes no devices in schools as default. 

 

State Charter School Board, Susan Pulsipher

  •  Susan has an educational background. She was a teacher aide at Summit Academy and served on Jordan School Board for 6 years. Jordan authorized charter school under her term. She served on the legislature on education appropriations committee. She was just appointed to the State Charter School Board.
  • She will continue to evaluate reporting requirements. Looking at code requirements vs. board rule requirements. Need all groups to work together to remove reporting requirements.
  • Want to drive innovation with charter schools. She wants to make it easier for teachers to be able to do what they love to do.
  • HB 43: Extending a couple of dates to make sure there was an opportunity for those programs to have time.
  • Comment: For innovation, you need to have different measures of accountability. 

 

Legislative Update, Royce Van Tassell

  • HB 43 and SB 102: Going to create extensions for programs that currently exist. Both bills say legislature is going to look on a regular basis at given programs to see if the program is continuing to be useful in our schools. Discussion about school fees and evaluating classes to adjust fees. 

 

Next Meeting

  • Monday, March 10th, 2025 at 11am

Announcements and Upcoming Events 

  • School Spotlight- Esperanza Elementary performed at Governor’s Inauguration last week.
  • Charter Day on the Hill- Tuesday, January 21, 2025, NSCW January 26-February 1
  • Alumni Stories: We are seeking stories to promote Utah charter Schools. Please reach out to Gina (gina@utahcharters.org) to tell a story about the way your school specifically helped a student.
    • Training:
      • Spring 2025 ACES Classes:  February 4th, 13th, 18th, and 25th from  4:30-6 pm via Zoom

Building Your Dream Team: Hiring and Empowering Exceptional Educators

Mastering the Clock: Time Management Strategies for School Leaders

Cultivating Community: Fostering a Thriving School Culture

Leading with Vision: Crafting a Clear Path for School Success

  • CSP Webinar:  January 21st, 28th and February 5th at 5:30 pm
  • Administrative Lunch Seminar:  January 22nd from 12-1pm, Building Resilient Classrooms: Trauma-Informed Teaching Strategies
  • Spring Book Study: January 22nd from  4:30-5:30 pm Via Zoom99% Human, 1% Amazing: Empowering Educators to Overcome Stress, Avoid Burnout, and Create Impactful Change" by Daryl Williams. We would really like to  encourage teachers in their first 5 years to join us, we do have a few spots open still. 
  • Winter Administrative Retreat:  February 7th, 2025.  8:30 am-4 pm
  • See our Training Page for details, including registration links and Zoom links.


Utah State Senator, Rules Chair, Lincoln Fillmore

  • 4% WPU increase for inflation in base budget.
  • There will be an effort to move beyond the 4% but because a lot of competition for money (1% increase is about $42M), anything beyond adjustment will need to be traded for something else such as roads funding or tax cuts. One option to increase is to reallocate money from restricted programs to general funds.
  • Legislative perspective will be determined when the legislature is in session. Leadership is prioritizing some tax reduction. 
  • School Fees: A version passed last year, but is incomplete. He hasn’t seen the new bill adjustments. Arts organizations have done a good job letting legislators know that many arts programs would die without being able to charge fees for it.
  • Q: What are the “big bills” to watch for? A: Restrict cell phones in classes and school. Big bill on education governance that will empower LEAs and takes power from USBE. Decisions need to be made locally. USBE should pass rules based on statute but doesn’t come in to second guess LEA decisions-run by Millner and Peterson. 
  • Q: Do we anticipate increase in Utah Fits All? A: Unknown. There is no set-aside funding for Utah Fits All. Remains to be seen.
  • Q: Reducing programs, moving to WPU. Is it possible to decouple revenue source from requirements? A: This is a possibility. Lincoln is running a bill like that. Legislature is into empowering schools vs USBE. Financial incentives should be placed on what is best for students.
  • Q: Funding for education based on economic growth-what is legislature doing to help strengthen economic growth? A: Income tax cut and social security tax cut helpful. Legislature wants to get out of the way of small businesses. 


 Utah State Board of Education, District 9, Amanda Bollinger

  • Priorities: student safety, collaboration for best decisions, high quality education (supporting and retaining teachers)
  • Please reach out, would love to tour school and be invited to events.
  • Contact information: amanda.bollinger@schools.utah.gov, (385) 463-7239
  • Q: What are your throughts of Lincoln’s bill limiting USBE power? A: The school board role is to take statute and help with developing rule. It is concerning if we can’t help schools. I believe in local control and local rule. Good to set a basic threshold, but schools should make decisions on what is best for the school and community. USBE could set best practices. 
  • Q: Thoughts on adjustments needed regarding student safety? A: Need to be adjusted according to school needs. Physical safety may not be the best way, including evidence based items that will help school safety.

Governor’s Office - Budget, Kate Bradford, Governor's Office of Planning and Budget

  • Overarching goal of budget to build a brighter future, people, place, and prosperity.
  • Education and preparing $800M for public ed
    • Reserves from Minimum school program and economic stabilization account.
    • Meets statutory requirements for enrollment growth and inflation.
    • Details:
      1. $139M student well-being (full-stomachs/cell phones)
      2. $1.9M for SNAP summer EBT (3 years)
      3. $3.7M for student cell phones (storage solutions)
      4. $133M school safety (based on needs assessment findings) and $500 for school guardian for 5 years.
      5. $75M Paid Professional hours
      6. $8.7 M elementary teachers supplies reimbursement 
      7. $8.4M for student teachers
      8. $7.3M for scholarships for paraprofessionals through grow your own
      9. Career/Technical education
        1. $137M for competitive grants for LEAS for new programs
        2. $3M for students attaining recognized skills while in HS
  • View full governor’s budget here: https://gopb.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/FY26-Budget-Book-1.pdf (Education table 16, page 94)
  • Q: How much of $136M for schools and for state security office: A: All $130M for needs identified by LEAs. Entire amount for needs assessment. A greater idea of cost going forward after evaluating the needs assessments.
  • Q:4% WPU increase as statutory increase or on top of that? A: 4% includes the the statuatory increase and not is an addition.

 HS2C – Meeting Sponsor, Sean Henrie

  • Seeking schools to become pilots for proof of concept. 
  • Technology is a collaboration between student, parents, and counselors to enhance college preparation.
  • Student dashboard includes more information to show easily how students work through preparing for graduation, meeting requirements, paying for college, etc. Seeks to engage parents on college selection. Primary objective is for students to take ownership of their own education. Helps to prepare for FAFSA application.
  • Program allows for school customization of graduation requirements. 
  • Looking for schools for pilot. Objective for cost $15-20/student/year.
  • SLIDES

Next Meeting

  • Monday, February 10th, 2025 at 11am 

 

Monday, December 9th, 2024 – 11 a.m.

 

  • Announcements and Upcoming Events 
  • School Spotlight
    • UAA See KSL Story HERE
    • CCID, See USBE News Release HERE
  • Charter Day on the Hill
    • January 21, 2024
    • Tables and performances are full. Schools can attend.
    • Register HERE
  • UAPCS Utah Charter School Conference: 
    • June 11-12 registration open
    • Call for presenters, Submit HERE
    • Register HERE
    • Please be sure to turn in your teacher evaluations. If a teacher hasn’t been evaluated, but it has been scheduled, please send us the date. appel@utahcharters.org
  • Training Update
    • 12/9: Board Training: Succession Planning, Zoom, 4:30-5:30pm
    • 12/10: Pre-Operational School Training: School Safety, Zoom, 7-8pm
    • 12/17: Administrative Lunch Seminar: Succession Planning, Zoom, 12-1pm
    • All Zoom links can be accessed on our Event Calendar
    • See our WEBSITE for upcoming training opportunities details:
      •  Retreat, February 7th in St. George
      • Spring ACES, starting in February, for those wanting to move into charter school leadership 
      • Spring Book Study: 99% Human, 1% Amazing by Daryl Williams (He's our conference keynote!)
  • CSP Grant
    • If interested in applying for a CSP Grant (for new or expanding school), you will be required to participate in Grant Webinar, January 21, 2025, 5:30pm

 

  • Senate Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee Chair, Heidi Balderee
    • Heidi Balderee, Senate District 22, Background: Former educator, taught in private and public school, Spanish, Japanese, 4-8th grades. Works at Western Governors University.
    • Proponent of school choice and innovation in education. She likes the idea of competition to progress. 
    • Look forward to feedback from everyone. Grateful for work of public charter school directors. 
    • Questions: How does the legislature expect LEAs to pay for armed guards? She recognizes that the bill turned into an unfunded mandate that needs financial support. 
    • Q: What is the biggest focus of the year in terms of education? A: As just received the assignment, not sure of the specific direction this year. Would like to see more funding for Utah Fits All Scholarship, address HB 84, and flexibility in the financial spending is wanted.

 

 

  • Beverly Taylor Sorenson (BTS) Arts Program – Meeting Sponsor 
    • Lisa Cluff, Art Works for Kids & Friends of BTS
    • Laurie Baefsky, USBE Fine Arts Coordinator
    • https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1STd2hirbSP68FWSC7NSol0QN4LVmlj-l/edit#slide=id.p1
    • K-6 program for arts integration (dance, drama, music, visual arts)
    • BTS Arts Educators are licensed and work the elementary classroom teachers to integrate arts into the classroom.
    • Program funding is stable. 
    • If interested in joining the program, deadline is January. Also, ongoing funding requests also due in January. Reach out with questions:

 

  • Utah State Board of Education, Rod Hall
    • Rod Hall, District 3, Caucus leader for USBE, District is Davis County (Kaysville to South Odgen, 223K constituents). Kids attended two charter schools.
    • Wants to empower parents and teachers to support students. He works with 13-30 yrs olds for last 25 yrs as a youth pastor. Works with young people to transistion to adulthood and find direction, build skills, and give alternatives for those who don’t go to college.
    • What do you expect your priorities over first couple of years? Would like to be boots on the ground and find out what the needs are with the community.
    • He welcomes input.

 

  • Utah State Board of Education- Statewide SIS, Jim Moss  
    • Jim Moss, Outgoing Chair, USBE
    • Think charters are critical part of the education process.
    • Not currently a board position of a single SIS. Discussion on the board has been how do we move toward better data uniformity and reliability in the system.
    • Legislature appropriations fund the education system and are responsible that everything is running and money is put in the right place. The LEAs are the ones to get it done. USBE role is to understand what is working-under the legislature and superved LEAs. 
    • Three areas of information:
      • Oversight and compliance (involves going into data for financial and program compliance, student counts, etc.)
      • Best practices (ULEAD-ROI look at for programs for student success, data uniformity is needed to see success)
      • Choice and portability (when students move, UFA & USOEP-can’t be double-enrolled, need uniformity in data to stay qualified for what parents choose)
    • Can LEAs through local providers reach data uniformity or is a single SIS required? Will there still be local customization available with a single system? Can best practices be expanded if a single system is adopted? What could one vendor do-would money be available to mitigate the difficulty of switching systems?
    • What other concerns and thoughts should be considered?
      • Cost, funded if required?
      • Upgrades: attendance system school uses, in-house programs that can work with Aspire
      • Program that school uses, plays out well because of the way they have adopted their system, took 4-5 years for everyone to understand the system. Needs significant customization for clubs, school focus programs, etc.
      • Greater ability to customize to make greater availability for everyone if a single system.
      • Service support.
      • Ability to turn around requests and innovations quicker and cheaper for in-house systems than a single SIS that has so many needed adaptations.
    • Discussion around data and quality SIS will be ongoing at USBE level. Ongoing input-concerns/questions/suggestions are appreciated.
    • Contact information: (949)836-1700, james.moss@schools.utah.gov


  • Next Meeting
    • Monday, January 13, 2025 at 11am

Announcements and Upcoming Events 

  • Barbie Faust, joined UAPCS as Grant Controller
  • School SpotlightExcelsior Academy Ballroom Team won 1st Place in Jr. Latin Showcase at 2024 PG






  • Training Update

Zoom links available on our EVENT CALENDAR

Please share SPRING BOOK STUDY FLYER with your teachers, especially teachers in their first 5 years!

Job Board Update

  • Member schools can post available jobs for FREE!
  • Go to https://www.utahcharters.org/jobs and click on "+Post a Job" tab
  • Sign up to Post a Job (you will be able to post upon approval from UAPCS) or login
  • Enter job details

SB-173 Teacher Merit Awards

Utah State Board of Education

  • Emily Green, District 14-She lives in Cedar City.
  • Emily has support for charter schools and options for families. 
  • USBE priorities include reading focus, revisiting math standards, and be intentional and thorough with data privacy. 
  • She believes in innovation through accountability and said we can apply lessons learned during the pandemic about what education can look like.
  • She welcomes your input: (435) 938-2652, emily.green@schools.utah.gov

Delphi M.E., Meeting Sponsor

UAPCS Incubator Program

  • Taylor Smith, first participant
  • Taylor is part of the Incubator program which provides paid hands-on experience to future charter school leaders in multiple schools. This mentorship provides real-life experience to prepare leaders to hit the ground running with full knowledge of all the requirements of running a charter school.
  • Taylor will head up ThrivePoint, a hybrid on-line and in person school to support alternative education. The school will be located in the 90th South and Redwood area of Salt Lake Valley.
  • Taylor's first assignment was with Dr. DeLaina Tonks at Mountain Heights Academy. Taylor learned effective hiring practices, how to set clear job descriptions, and the importance of school culture. He looks forward to his other site trainings.

Governor's Senior Advisor of Education 

  • Rich Nye
  • Rich has experience as a Superintendent at the Odgen City and Granite School districts and as a Deputy Superintendent with the USBE. He supports all public education and recognizes that charter schools and districts have at times worked at arms length and other times shoulder to shoulder. He recognizes and respects the family's right to choice in education.
  • Governor Cox prioritizes education and they are working to set those second term priorities now. To have success across all public sectors, a strong public education foundation is essential.
  • When the governor's budget is released, you will see what resources are allocated which indicate priorities.
  • He welcomes your feedback on those things that he and the governor need to know about your experiences or how they can support you: rnye@utah.gov
  • Royce commented that while he is from the district world, he has always been a partner of charter schools.
  • Royce asked about the WPU funding. Rich stated that forecasts in budget do seem to indicate a cooling in economic growth. The revenue coming is most likely not able to support a 5-6% WPU increase as in past years. Shifts to funding will be prioritized according to recommendations from stakeholders. Governor's budget always tries to give priority to the WPU and education stabilization fund, including some one-time funding, including possibly for HB84 (School Safety Bill). The governor recognizes that there is a significant amount of money to support following this legislation. 

Stryker, School Safety Communications Equipment

 

  • Senior Advisor of Education/Governor Spencer Cox
    • Dr. Rich Nye-Dr. Nye was unable to join us due a scheduled event running longer than anticipated. We will reach out to have him join us at a future member meeting.

 

  • Unified Fleet – Meeting Sponsor
    • Mike Scott, Owner & Bodie Taylor, Sales
    • United Fleet provides non-profits and government agencies vehicle leases to keep transportation costs low. 
    • Please contact bodie@unifiedfleetservices.com, (801) 592-8194.

 

  • Utah State Board of Education, District 4
    • LeAnn Wood
    • LeAnn has 26 years experience in schools and policy through her work as a parent volunteer with PTA. She compiled best practices for a PTA publication that has guided her decision making on the USBE: Quality Teachers, Family Engagement, Rigorous Standards, Strong Leadership, and Positive School Culture. All five components need to exist to build a quality school.
    • The board is working on math standards and requests feedback when opened. The preparatory programs for Special Education standards were passed. If national standards for Special Education teachers are changed, they have a process where those standards will come to the board for review. 
    • The board is supporting a pilot program to help student behavior. Each school can receive a stipend for a day of behavior training for a staff member. $1.2 M has been set aside for this.
    • The board is working on the strategic plan. Funding priorities are for students and teachers, including the WPU, grow your own educator pipeline, paid professional hours, and national board-certified teachers.
    • She acknowledges sometimes the board processes cause heartburn but the board has to go through that to be able to help get to a solution.
    • LeAnn welcomes feedback and information from schools on issues that matter to you. She also would be willing to come to your school, just reach out! 
    • leann.wood@schools.utah.gov, (801) 661-2247

 

  • UAPCS Board Election
    • Debby Llewelyn 
    • Two incumbent candidates: Stacee Phillips and Stephanie Schmidt have submitted applications to be elected again. Time was given to each candidate to share thoughts on serving with the board. Since there are only two candidates, the Board By-laws we can have votes within the Member Meeting. Debby solicited votes during the meeting.

 

  • Legislative Update
    • Royce Van Tassell
    • Next Year Budget: Financial reports show that it is unlikely that there will be large increases in ongoing public education funding.
    • Since 2016, there has been a 50% increase in legislative funding for public education, which is about a 7% increase.
    • The projection shows that there will likely be a 3.9% increase in the WPU. This is due to a statute adopted by legislature that funding would cover enrollment growth and inflation for each year. It is expected that this would be in the base budget and adopted early in the legislative session.
    • Discussion on Apple watches vs. other watches that can receive messages (Garmin, fitness trackers, etc.)

      • Legislators are looking at distinction between cell phones, smart watches, and other electronic devices that have communication capabilities.
      • Some schools do not allow in school at all
      • Some schools do not allow in class (put in backpacks)
      • Some schools do not restrict watches
      • Some schools restrict use if distracting (3xs warning, then taken to office)
      • Depends on grade level-not allowed in elementary, allowed in high school unless distraction
      • If you have any comments, please send to Royce, royce@utahcharters.org.

 

  • Next Meeting
    • Tuesday, November 12th, 2024 at 11am

MEMBER MEETING RECAP
Thanks for joining us! You can see all this information (and past member meetings) on our website: https://www.utahcharters.org/member-meetings. Click on the + on the website to show all the notes.

TRAINING UPDATES:
Information about all training opportunities can be found on our website HERE and on our EVENT CALENDAR

  • Fall Book Study: Dare to Lead by Brene Brown, CLASS is FULL! Watch for future book study groups to be announced later in the school year.
  • Charter School Leader Retreat: September 19th, 8:30am-2:30pm, Adobe Building, Lehi, UT. Class topics/details and link to register: https://forms.gle/GRtTwwZMV82M5WfH7
  • ACES (Aspiring Charter Executive Seminars): Begins September 10th via Zoom, Link to register for the Fall 2024 ACES course: https://forms.gle/1GzVRd3F7MXfs641A
  • Charter School Board Training: Begins September 16th, 4:30-5:30pm via Zoom, Link to register for the 4 part series: https://forms.gle/BKYZ9pvA4QTLFirq9

    SCHOOL SPOTLIGHTS: Rockwell High School explored the self and encouraged students to discover the things that made them unique. They created posters highlighting these things to appeal to employers by asking, "Why Hire Me?"
    Edith Bowen Laboratory School has had a ten-year project partnership at the Hardware Wildlife Management Area to improve the quality of hay for wintering elk and improve the habitat for deer and elk the rest of the year. They have worked with professionals from the Cache County Weed Department to collect data and reduce invasive plants. Over the project they have decreased one invasive species coverage from 31% to 17%!

APPEL INFORMATION: 

We are offering classes that your APPEL teachers need at a cost LESS THAN local college classes. Our format allows you to get the course work in on a Saturday and complete the homework assignments independently after the course. Credit for our courses is awarded in MIDAS so the course will be permanently attached to your records with USBE. This eliminates the need to constantly send transcripts. We really have a great program to offer. 

Mark your calendars for these dates: 

  • September 14, 2024 - Creating and Managing a Learning Environment 
  • October 12, 2024 - Scope & Sequence, Technology, Assessment, Planning
  • January 11, 2025 - Strategies for Teaching Diverse Learners 
  • February 8, 2025 - Introduction to Special Education 
  • March 15, 2025 - Literacy in the Content Area 
  • April 12, 2025 - Foundations of Literacy Bootcamp

Link to register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf5iegYchkQw7fFs719GjNIewJYsGFNpkGEq4yy2KUuIlNNMQ/viewform

Licenses: Please be sure that all teachers in your building have either an LEA-specific, associate, or professional license. For teachers working through the APPEL program, often they will have a LEA-specific license while working toward their professional license. To get funding for a "highly qualified educator" license information must be submitted in CACTUS by October 13, 2024. Please be aware of board public meeting approval requirement for LEA specific licenses and teacher requirement to complete pedagogical modules in Canvas (can take a half a day to complete).

See the updated procedures for LEA-specific licenses found here: https://schools.utah.gov/licensing/licensingfiles/LEA-Specific%20License%20Endorsement%20Procedures%20Updated%20for%20SY24-25.pdf

There is also a helpful infographic of requirements: https://schools.utah.gov/licensing/licensingfiles/LEA-Specific%20Licensing%20Responsibilities%20SY25.pdf

If your teacher is in the UAPCS APPEL program, we prepare the PLP (personalized learning plan) for the teacher after application approval. To have a teacher apply, please send this form to them: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc-Z8i5x-X3TjDaxrwSLMiE-dM27ACZaux5ujkbfznABrYHWw/viewform



STATE CHARTER SCHOOL BOARD, Clint Biesinger:

  • Member Biesinger is newly appointed to the State Charter School Board by Governor Cox and confirmed by the Utah Senate. His background is in public finance. He has 7 children and welcomes the opportunity to volunteer on the SCSB to help all charter school students thrive. He appreciates the supportive culture of the staff at the SCSB. His goal is to make education dollars effective by helping to keep it in the classroom. He is on the SCSB Finance committee.
  • He was asked about how to balance school safety and the costs associated with it. He recognizes the challenges of budget restraints and will work to help schools manage finances to be able to provide for what students' needs are. He wants to be a listening ear and learn from schools.

    UTAH STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION, Joe Kerry: 
  • Member Kerry represents District 2 (Weber/Ogden area) and also sits on the SCSB. He serves on the Law and Licensing committee and is on the legislative task force for school security.
  • He is a fan of charter schools and how they can help students flourish. He understands that the school safety requirements hit charter schools harder than many districts, especially financially. He indicated that new charter-friendly USBE members will be joining the board. He is interested in looking at the impact of Utah Fits All funding and examining the differences of funding the student vs. funding a system.
  • He said it is important to let your USBE representative know how a policy will impact you-for SIS systems, school safety, etc.

    UTAH HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, District 13, Karen Peterson: 
  • Representative Peterson discussed Amendment A of the Utah Constitution. She explained the adjustment to distribution of funds from income tax in the amendment. Currently, income tax revenue is earmarked for public education, high education, and people with disabilities only.
  • Amendment A will give the following funding priorities to income tax: 1) education spending for inflationary costs 2) student growth 3) education stabilization fund 4) other state prioritized needs. This allows the legislature the flexibility to use state funds for purposes beyond education once the requirements for public education funding are fulfilled. It allows the possibility remove the sales tax on food because more funding from income tax is available to cover other state expenses.
  • UEA has come out in opposition to this amendment, but Rep. Peterson assured that education funding needs will still be covered. She indicated that the money goes into the universal education fund for public education, so it is not available for vouchers.
  • Rep. Peterson referenced a Kem Gardner Institute Policy brief on Amendment A. It can be found here: https://d36oiwf74r1rap.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ConstAmend-Aug2024.pdf

    Janice Weirich, Frogtummy, demonstrated their new Lottery platform and family communication tools.
    Please see https://www.frogtummy.com/, or contact Janice at janice@frogtummy.com for more information

    DISCUSSION ON SIS SYSTEMS, Royce Van Tassell
  • The USBE has considered the development of a statewide SIS (student information system) and data standards. There were data quality issues in 80% of audited systems.Molly Hart, USBE board member, said the intent of the motion to explore a unified SIS system was to improve data and ease the use, including family access to student data. The motion gave staff direction to look at what a quality system would need.
  • UAPCS Membership expressed concerns over funding a quality SIS system and determining how one system can fit the varied needs of different types of charter schools should the state require one system.

    Next Member Meeting: October 7th, 11am

 Announcements and Upcoming Events 

  • Training Updates
  • School Spotlight

  • Pocket Constitutions: UAPCS will NOT be delivering pocket constitutions this year. Schools may order for free from the following sources:
    1. Hillsdale College: (517) 437-7341
    2. Bill of Rights Institute: https://mybri.my.site.com/forms/s/standard?formId=a0UJw00000DRVQ1MAP
  • Free UEN Resources: 
    • Be sure to sign up for SORA libraries: Exciting updates to Utah’s Online School Library means UEN is offering a free collection of over 4,000 simultaneous use Sora eBooks.  To access this library, Sora needs a signed participation form.  If you haven’t signed a participation form, please email Noel Zickefoose (nzickefoose@overdrive.com) to get started.     
    • Note about Adobe products: 
      • Hello Adobe LEAs!

         We are excited to start a new school year and another year of our statewide Adobe Contract.  There are a lot of upgrades to the Adobe Creative Cloud Console as well as our new pilot with Adobe SIGN. The best thing is that we will have the ability to track actual usage of the Adobe products.  In order to roll this out, we need you to list a MAIN contact for your Adobe Creative Cloud Console and a MAIN contact if you applied to be part of the pilot for Adobe SIGN.
        We need each LEA to complete this FORM so we have the most up-to-date information.  
        You will also need to send one or more representatives from your LEA to a specific training at the Adobe Lehi building, lunch is included:

      • Adobe Creative Cloud training is September 16, 2024 (9:00 am – 4:00 pm)
      • Pilot Adobe SIGN training is September 17, 2024 (9:00 am – 4:00 pm)
        If you have any questions, please contact Kristina Yamada (Kristina.Yamada@schools.utah.gov).
  • AI Summit LINK for information letter including dates/times/locations!
    • The purpose for these summits is to:
      • Connect educational communities together to have conversations about AI in our schools
      • Collaborate on conversations about AI in education and building structures towards best practices
      • Engage with community members, industry partners, and education leaders about next steps with AI in our communities

 

Center for the School of the Future, Utah State University, David Forbush

  • Discussion on SB 173 “Teacher Merit Awards” 
  • USU Center for School of the Future is administering the program, which awards teachers based on merit. CSF is seeking input on the development of the teacher evaluation.
  • 75 minute informational sessions are coming up to discuss in greater detail the plan. Please register to attend one of these Zoom sessions: https://cehs.usu.edu/csf/sb173/infosessionSB173
    • Session 1: August 22, 2024 3:30 – 4:45 PM
    • Schools need to opt-in to participation by December 31, 2024 for a 5 year pilot program. Intent to participate registration form: https://cehs.usu.edu/csf/sb173/sb173-form
    • Teachers in the top 25% from each participating LEA will be combined in a pool for review. Financial bonuses for teachers will be determined from submitted teachers according to the evaluation.
    • Q: How will the award affect school culture? A: If merit-based competitions are limited to a single school, a competitive culture can be developed. If the pool is larger than a single school, then teachers within a school become supportive of their teachers vying for the award.
    • Q: What are the measures used for teacher evaluation? A: Typically, student achievement, student growth, teacher evaluations, and parent satisfaction have been used. There is room for “other” category. There are suggestions to use a collaboration measure. CSF seeking input from LEAs on “other” measures.
    • Q: How are the funds distributed? A: Law prescribes the set amounts for the top 5%, 6-10%, and 11-25%. Amounts differ for teachers in high poverty schools. After the teachers have been chosen from the pool, USBE distributes funds to the schools to be passed onto teachers according to stated merit award levels.
    • For more information on the program, including the Audit’s report and SB 173, visit https://cehs.usu.edu/csf/images/SB173


Lewis Young Robertson – Meeting Sponsor

  • David Robertson, LRB Public Finance Advisors
  • LRB as a public and municipal advisor helps with budgeting a new building or expansion. They help to analyze funding opportunities, debt planning, bond preparation and execution, and after bonding support. They are not a source of funding, but help you tap into the opportunities that are available.

    Click here for an informational flyer.


    Legislative Update, Royce Van Tassell

    • School Safety: Please let us know if you have any issues with implementation. It is understandably a significant process to be in full compliance with the law, but a sign of working towards compliance is reasonable, while total compliance in the first year is not. The most important thing is to complete a School Safety Assessment.
    • School Safety Assessment Tool-https://www.cisa.gov/school-security-assessment-tool
    • More USBE School Safety information: https://schools.utah.gov/schoolsafety/resources/index
    • Submit reimbursement request for safety equipment by December.
    • Comments from Molly Hart, USBE: The safety bill set up a state agency, which is still being organized. Schools should be sincere in compliance while recognizing the governing agency is still making adjustments. It is important to perform a safety assessment and make contacts with the local law enforcement agencies to begin communication.
    • Moral Obligation Program: Rep. Neil Walters is working to expand the reach of the program to allow additional schools to access. The bill will allow schools to use ¼ of the debt for projects out of the revolving loan fund. We hope to build the fund to $50M. This would be for new schools and expansions. Using the moral obligation fund schools save $1-3M in interest over the course of the bond.
    • Expansion by Right: Rep. Lisonbee is working to set a threshold by which charter schools can expand without having to receive approval by the authorizer.
    • Charter Pupil Unit: Senator Fillmore is working to cut more strings between funding and obligation. The plan is to combine 10-12 funding streams into a charter pupil unit (similar to LRF) based on state averages for similar district funding. We hope to include transportation costs into this, but that piece may take a couple of years.
    • Directory Sharing-Rep. Acton will address. An LEA that receives a request for directory information from another LEA will be required to share.


    Next Meeting: Monday, September 9th, 2024 at 11am

Member Meeting Archives

Meeting Schedule, 2023-2024

Archived minutes below

 Announcements and Upcoming Events 

  • Training Updates-

Preoperational School Training:

  • May 14th from 7-8 pm  “Charter School Financial Overview”, with Matt Throckmorton via Zoom.

 

Administrative Lunch Seminar:

  • May 8, 2024  from 12-1 pm “Developing a Shared Culture of Accountability” with Dr. John Hawk & Dr. Wendy Hawk via Zoom.

            

Spring 2024 School Board Training

  • May 15, 2024, 5:30-6:30 pm “Ensuring Excellence: Designing Director Evaluation Processes for Charter School Boards” with Kim Dohrer via Zoom.
  • June 6, 2024, 5:30-6:30 pm “Empowering Governance: Navigating the Dynamics of Board Oversight and Operational Management in Charter Schools” with Shannon Greer via Zoom.

 

Summer 2024 School Board Training Course:  This will be held on June 11th at the Davis Convention Center

  • Foundations of Effective School Board Leadership: Navigating the Journey from Onboarding to Strategic Planning.

 

2024 Summer ACES Course: This course will kick-off with the UAPCS Summer Conference, June 11 & 12th.

  • June 11th, Navigating Utah's Teacher Licensing Landscape: A Director's Guide to Charter School Compliance, with Malia Hite
  • June 11th, Governance vs Management:  Clarifying the Dynamics Between Charter School Directors and the School Board, with DeLaina Tonks  
  • June 11th, Developing Investigative Interviewing Skills for School Administrators, with Ammon Campbell
  • June 11th, Effective Time Management Strategies for New Charter School Directors, with Blake Clark  
  • June 12th, Financial Stewardship in Charter Schools: Mastering Funding and Budgeting for Directors, with Jeff Besinger 
  • June 18th, Analyzing Administrative Challenges: Case Studies for Charter School Directors
  • June 25th, Charter School Governance: Navigating Ethics and Legalities, with Erin Preston 

 

Links for Zoom are found on our Event Calendar

 

School Land Trust

  • Stacee Phillips, Academica West, sits on the School Land Trust Advisory board representing charter schools. She discussed a proposed policy change that would have School Trust Lands plans submission dates change from April 1st to May 1st. The plans were previously approved by the State Charter School Board, but legislation changed in the 2024 session to have each LEA business manager review plans instead. The business administrator will turn in the reviewed plan to the Trust Lands administration by May 15th. This aligns more closely with the district school deadline of May 15th. 
  • The Trust Land administration wanted to get feedback on this policy and date change. Our discussion showed support from school leaders.
  • If you have any comments regarding this date change, please contact Stacee at stacee@academicawest.com.

 

Higher Education – Roundtable Discussion

  • Royce Van Tassell asked about the relationship between charter schools and institutions of higher education in regards to placing student teachers, academic programs, etc. We had a good discussion and identified some schools that freely participate and other schools that are reluctant to participate with charter schools and possible reasons why. Thank you for your input.
  • If you have any information to add, please contact Royce at Royce@utahcharters.org.

 

Utah Fits All & Charter Schools

  • Some schools may want to offer classes/activities to those families that are using the Utah Fits All scholarship to build their child’s education.
  • UAPCS understands that each school’s educational program is different and this may not be a fit for them. We are not promoting all schools to use this, but offering information if your school is interested. 
  • Kim Goates shared steps schools need to take to participate: create a policy regarding which classes to offer, set class prices, set up payment system for classes. She recommended looking at the education provider handbook on the Utah Fits All website: https://ufascholarship.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/UFA_Provider-Handbook.pdf

 

Able & Strong – Meeting Sponsor

  • Greg Misener introduced the new name of Able & Strong Advisors, formerly named Verapath Global Investing. Able & Strong provides investment solutions for teachers and staff and now also offers estate planning. 
  • Contact Greg at https://ableandstrongadvisors.com/, (385) 212-4560.
  • Please listen to Charter School Conversations with Able & Strong HERE.

 

Public Notice Website   

  • We have noticed that some schools are posting their board meetings as “Emergency” meetings when they are scheduled outside of their regularly scheduled board meetings. This is not necessary unless you have given less than 24 hours notice for the meeting-when it is an actual emergency. Please see our flyer for clarification.

 

 Proposed Legislation

  • Senator Fillmore is considering legislation regarding cell phone use in 6-12 grades in school. The current presumption is that cell phones are permitted in schools unless school policy limits use. He is proposing a bill to presume there is no cell phone use in schools unless the school policy allows it. 
  • If you have opinions to share with Royce, please do so asap at royce@utahcharters.org. He will be meeting with Senator Fillmore and charter school representatives on Wednesday, May 15th.

Next Meeting

  • Please join us at the UAPCS Charter School Conference June 11-12. No member meeting in July. We will resume in August.

Announcements: 

UAPCS Utah Charter Schools Conference-REGISTER TODAY! Early Bird registration extended to Friday, March 22, 2024.

Legislative Summary:

HB 84 School Safety Amendments Discussion:

Utah House of Representatives, Ryan Wilcox, District 7

State Security Chief Matt Pennington

Chief Pennington introduced himself and discussed that all decisions about HB 84 implementations will be done in collaboration with stakeholders, including local law enforcement and LEAs. He works closely with Shauntelle Cota, Safe and Healthy Schools Coordinator, at USBE. Their primary objective is to identify a needs assessment matrix that all schools can use. They hope to have something finalized soon. There are a couple of existing assessments that they are considering. Funding for school safety improvements will be available beginning in July, but the needs assessment needs to be completed before qualifying for grant funding. All schools will need to have a completed needs assessment by the end of 2024.

There were many questions regarding panic alerts, shatterproof glass film, USBE vendors and using economies of scale for safety improvements, requirements for staffing a School Safety Director, a School Safety Specialist, and School Guardian/SRO. Royce prepared a summary of the bill that will capture some of the questions and points of the discussion. 

HB 84 SUMMARY DOCUMENT (download here)


If you would like to read the full bill, HB 84 can be found here: https://le.utah.gov/~2024/bills/static/HB0084.html


Constitution Live Information, Catherine Findlay, American Preparatory Academy

Member Meeting Recap

Please take our Charter School Salary and Benefits Survey. We will share the results without individual schools listed. If you have a salary schedule or other explanation of benefits, you can send to debby@utahcharters.org.

Thank you for your time!

Survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe_UuMbIjs0zv3c-9hI8II92IxG6VVb_2ExHMruihRsYmDLDw/viewform?usp=sf_link


TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES


ANNOUNCEMENTS

APPEL

  • If you are hiring a teacher that is currently participating in our APPEL program, please reach out to Joylin Lincoln to determine eligibility to transfer to your school.
  • Email appel@utahcharters.org

UAPCS Utah Charter School Conference

NEW Charter School Conversations Podcast

  • https://www.utahcharters.org/podcasts
  • Get to know the new State Charter School Board Leadership Team: Marie Steffenson and Dr. Paul Kremer
  • Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, and Amazon Music

MEETING SPONSOR
https://www.hubinternational.com/

Ryan Bingham,  ryan.bingham@hubinternational.com, (801) 727-6004

Ryan shared the 401K, health insurance, dental, and compliance benefits that HUB offers. They would love to have a discussion with you about keeping your budgets in check and offering great options for your employees. They can help you come up with a competitive package of benefits or offer a comparison to what you currently offer.

HUB Flyer PDF (click to view)

UTAH HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES-Representative Candice Pierucci, District 49, Co-Chair House Education Committee

Rep. Pierucci reported that the Education Committee priorities are teacher retention and teacher recruitment. They are looking at the student teacher stipends bill by Rep. Peterson and she believes that will pass. Rep. Thurston's teacher licensing bill adjusts some of the requirements for teachers. She is sponsoring a bill with paid maternity leave requirements and would create a master teacher program to keep teachers in the classroom and from moving to administration.

Hot button issues of the DEI bill and political neutrality bill are in the news, but she is focusing on what will help the teachers on the ground.

The leave bills of Ballard and Pierucci have a different approach for maternity bill. A leave "bank" in Ballard's bill may be difficult to administer. She suggests that schools reach out to their legislators about the impact that the bills will have on their schools.

She welcomes all to come to education committee hearings for public comment, or text/call her.

cpierucci@le.utah.gov, 385-414-1488


UTAH STATE SENATE-Senator Lincoln Fillmore, District 17, Co-Chair Public Educations Appropriations Subcommittee, Senate Rules Vice Chair

Senator Fillmore shared recommendations from the PEA which include "big rocks" of 5% WPU increase (3.8% already in place), at-risk student enhancement of $27M, and school district equalization funding that flows to charter schools. They put as much as they could to put in flexible allocation. He is sponsoring a pilot program to reward high-performing teachers with large bonuses. For schools classified as "high poverty" the bonuses would be larger. They are still working out the details of determining the top teachers. He is not sure if the recommendations will be accepted.

He mentioned that the demand for the Utah Fits All scholarship is about 4xs what funding has been set aside initially but that they won't give the funding for that without also increasing the WPU. The committee priortized $360M for public ed and $50M for Utah Fits All program.

Comments included suggesting extra funding for Special Education teacher bonuses to aid in retention.

Contact Senator Fillmore: lfillmore@le.utah.gov, 385-831-8902

  • NEXT MEETING: Monday, March 11, 2024 via Zoom

Royce will address legislative updates in detail in Legislative Updates meeting on February 13, 2024

Member Meeting Recap

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES


ANNOUNCEMENTS

Charter Day on the Hill

  • Tuesday, January 23, 2024, 11am-2pm
  • We'll hear from Lt. Gov. Henderson. If you're interested in attending email gina@utahcharters.org.

For schools registered, final details will be emailed early next week.

National School Choice Week

UAPCS Utah Charter School Conference

Call for presenters will be sent out soon! Don't be shy in sharing your good practices with your peers!

NEW Charter School Conversations Podcast

  • https://www.utahcharters.org/podcasts
  • Watch out on Friday for the latest podcast!
  • What to Watch for in the Legislative Session with Royce Van Tassell
  • Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio, and Amazon Music

MEETING SPONSOR
https://www.american-ins.com/

Jeff Hirst, jeff.hirst@american-ins.com, (801) 364-3434

USBE TOPICS TO WATCH-Royce Van Tassell

  • Rule R277-406 Amendments (Draft 2): This addresses early literacy and reading curriculum in K-3 grades. LEAs have been frustrated by board staff requiring certain curriculum to be used for all schools, even those with proficient reading scores (i.e. don't need to change curriculum because what they have is working). The proposed amendments may be more frustrating and most likely will not pass. The expectation is that future amendments will be more favorable and will be brought back in the February meeting.
  • Finance Committee: A proposal that requires all LEAs to share student directory information when requested by another LEA will be discussed. It is expected that it will pass and USBE staff will be directed to draft a rule. Historically, schools have shared information but lately there has been less sharing, thereby mandating the rule.

UTAH HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES-Representative Jeff Stenquist-District 46

  • Rep. Stenquist is proposing a bill called Classroom Neutrality that directs classroom discussion be focused on curriculum and not contain teacher opinions or advocacy, including symbols in the school.
  • The request for these parameters came from a situation in his district where a first grade teacher presented a discussion in class that parents believed were not age-appropriate, expressed advocacy on the teacher's part, and were not addressed by the administration when parents expressed concern.
  • Rep. Stenquist through discussion with educators, parents, and lawmakers is seeking the best language to provide guidelines around personal beliefs, world views, and advocacy in the classroom.
  • While ethics standards exist in USBE Rule 277-217 Educator Standards and LEA Reporting, Rep. Stenquist did not believe it addresses the issue completely.
  • There was a robust discussion in person and in the chat about defining neutrality and the practical applications within a classroom discussion.

Royce will schedule and in-person follow-up meeting, hopefully the first week of the session, to address these issues with Rep. Stenquist further.

School LAND Trust-Winter Training-Holly Korous

  • Here is the link to the powerpoint she presented.
  • There was a recent rule change where business administrators will approve the Lands Trust program after the school's governing board has approved it. If your business administrator hasn't registered with the reporting website they will need to do so.
  • Final reports for 2022-23 plans need to be submitted (with governing board and business administrator approvals) by March 1st.
  • Plans for 2024-25 need to be submitted by April 1st.
  • LEA Assurances should be checked for personal student information. They are public records and should not contain any identifying student information.
  • Q & A Drop-in times are on the slides-if you have questions, please contact the School LAND Trust group.

schoollandtrust@schools.utah.gov

UTAH HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES-Representative Susan Pulsipher, District 45

  • Rep Pulsipher is on the House Education Committee. She shared education appropriations will provide for the items that are needed (account for growth, current programs) but due to lower budget projections, will not provide for many new items. 
  • The USBE submitted their budget priorities and the legislature returned asking them to limit it to 1 or 2 items.
  • She is looking to further allow for flexible allocations in funding allowing for more unrestricted funding.
  • She said the good news is that schools will be covered. The bad news is that there are not a lot of new things....which can be a good thing.
  • Rep. Pulsipher will be retiring after her term. We are thankful for her service to all Utah's public schools.

NEXT MEETING: Monday, February 12, 2024 via Zoom

Monday, December 11, 2023 – 11am

  • Announcements and Upcoming Events 
    • School Spotlights-Listen to Charter School Conversations podcast latest episode with Uintah River High School. This public charter school is located on the Ute Tribe reservation and incorporates Native American culture in their curriculum.
    • Training Updates
      • SCSB Director Meeting follow up: If you are interested in participating in a book study, REGISTER HERE 
      • New Board Chair Training December 11th from 5:30-6:30 pm, “Director and Board Evaluations” with Kim Dohrer and Shannon Greer via Zoom
      • Administrative Lunch Seminar: December 13th from 12-1pm, “"A Pound of Prevention: Behavior Management without Managing Behavior." with Nathan Cureton via Zoom
      • Fall ACES Course: December  13 from 4:30-6 pm, “Administrative Case Studies,” with Kim Dohrer via Zoom
      • New Director Meeting: December 14th at 4:30 pm, “Principals in Balance, New Director Discussion” with Nathan Justis via Zoom.
      • Crucial Conversations 2 Day Training: January 16th-17th,  This class is full, we do have a wait list if you are interested. WAIT LIST HERE
      • Administrative Winter Conference: February 2nd 2024 in St George at the Courtyard Marriott, registration is now open. REGISTER HERE
    • APPEL Updates
      1. There is surplus funding available from USBE for APPEL teachers to pay for some of the classes required for their license. Teachers in UAPCS Appel program have been notified to contact their director to let them know what their expenses are. This grant is found in Utah Grants and due on Friday, December 15th. We suggest getting in your application by Thursday, December 14th. Section D refers to joining an accreditation team; leave section D blank. 
      2. Fall teacher evaluations should have been completed. If they are not completed yet, please do so asap and email Joylin the date of the evaluation appel@utahcharters.org.
      3. Questions? Call/text Joylin @ (801) 367-8191.
    • SAVE THE DATE: UAPCS Utah Charter School Conference, June 11-12, 2024


  • Utah State Board of Education-Matt Hymas and Molly Hart
    • Member Hymas shared that the Board has been looking at R277-114 USBE Oversight Framework to bring more clarity to LEAs and individuals. USBE will support LEAs in compliance to having action plans for certain situations. 
    • Member Hart stated that there are themes in meetings around navigating public opinion, legislative concerns, and the needs of schools within the responsibility of using public funds. She is making sure the Board is not swept away with theoretical challenges and is working to make things more efficient. She believes the Board should be pointed toward schools and away from ideology to streamline reports and requirements for schools.
    • Royce asked, “How do we balance compliance and creativity in charters?”
    • Member Hymas: Rules do a good job squashing innovation. We need to ask if a rule is needed, and what is it going to do? How do we measure “best practices” because they can vary school to school. There needs to be flexibility to serve the charter school community.
    • Member Hart: “Best practices” shift and are variable and may not apply to each school. Speaking personally, she believes there are too many rules. However, standing on statute alone is difficult because it is usually more philosophical than operational. She hopes that every charter director would send her an example of an unnecessary task in a rule. What are the biggest challenges to you?
    • matt.hymas@schools.utah.gov
    • molly.hart@schools.utah.gov


  • Reading Horizons- Meeting Sponsor 


  • Utah House of Representative, District 46
    • Jeff Stenquist did not attend our meeting.

 

  • Senior Advisor of Education to Governors Cox
    • Brittney Cummins
      • See Education Budget HERE
      • Governor’s Budget Recommendations
      • 5% WPU increase-1.2% discretionary increase in addition to inflation growth of WPU
      • $40M into economic stabilization account
      • While not substantial growth of students, there will be an budget increase for growth in specific programs
      • They are working to understand how to serve small schools, working to solve through a rural student WPU add-on. There are additional conversations to address the same issues in charter schools.
      • $250,000 School Safety Budget is not for Rep. Wilcox bill, but for state-level salaries for support services.
      • Section D is recommended use of $400M of economic stabilization account.
      • $200M set aside as an Innovation Grant. Looking to support schools with good programs they have, or try something new.
      • Paid Professional Hours for Educators-continuation of program to pay teachers for additional hours.
      • Student Teacher Stipends-Rep. Karen Peterson running a bill to pay student teachers.
      • UServe High School-Governor is interested in encouraging service projects for students. $3M set aside for a pilot program.
      • Royce asked how budget balancing tension between compliance and flexibility in public education?
      • Ms. Cummins indicated there are few new programs in the budget. The Rural WPU add-on is flexible and doesn’t add paperwork. This budget doesn’t eliminate appropriation line items, but the governor is not opposed to looking into recommendations from LEAs to move dollars into more flexible allocations.
      • Question about innovation fund examples. Ms. Cummins indicated some schools have used funds for after school programs or wrap around services. One RISA program  identified ESSER funds which are going away, and may be able to apply for grant to continue paying for reading coaches.
      • Question about School Safety bills coming up. Ms. Cummins also has concern about cost of implementing bill. As the bill is introduced, there will be more ongoing discussions about the real costs. Governor philosophically supportive of school safety, but it is important that LEAs be open and public about what the real cost of implementing this law, including having a SRO, security guard, etc.
      • bcummins@utah.gov

 

 

  • Utah State Charter School Board 
    • Dr. Paul Kremer, Executive Director
      • Dr. Kremer has recently moved to Utah from Arizona where he was a charter school operator. He understands the challenges of running a charter school. As the new Executive Director, Dr. Kremer is working closely with Associate Director, Marie Steffenson, to support schools. Their goal is to visit all the charter schools in the next year. If a school needs help with compliance, the SCSB team is there to help. He has enjoyed visiting many schools and hopes to be able to meet more of you in person.

 

  • Next Meeting
    • Monday, January 8th, 2024 at 11am

Announcements

  • School Spotlights:
    1. Thank you to all the schools that honor veterans with assemblies, programs, and other activities for Veteran’s Day.
    2. School tip: Bridge Elementary holds a fundraiser for a dress down day on Halloween. Parents can pay $5 for their student to dress out of uniform for the day (and into their Halloween costume). Bridge limits fundraisers to two dress down days a year.
  • Training Updates:

Preoperational School Training:

  • November 14th,  6-7 pm “Understanding Utah Procurement and Contract law” with Erin Preston, via Zoom 

New Board Chair Training

  • November 13th, 5:30-6:30 pm, “Understanding the Relationship with Stakeholders and How to Engage Non-participatory Board Members” with Kim Dohrer via Zoom

Administrative Lunch Seminar:

  • November 15th, 12-1pm, “Overview of Utah laws, LGBTQIA+ Policies and Practices”, with Holly Bell via Zoom

Fall ACES Course:

  • November 15th, 4:30-6 pm, “The Director’s Role in Developing New Teachers”, with Blake Clark via Zoom.
  • November 29th, 4:30-6 pm, “Understanding Your Funding Sources; Budgeting for Sustainability” with Steve Finley via Zoom
  • December  6th, 4:30-6 pm. “Creating Policy and Procedures, What New Director’s Need to Know” with Dr Doug Stump via Zoom

             New Director Meeting

  • November 16th, 4:30 pm, “Principals in Balance, New Director Discussion” with Nathan Justis via Zoom

            SCSB Director Meeting Training:  

  • Actionable Feedback to the PK-12 Teachers. In conjunction with that training there will be a book study in January for those interested.   
  • Please fill out THIS LINK if interested in the book study.

Crucial Conversations 2 Day Training:

  • January 16th-17th,  This class is full, we do have a wait list if you are interested.  LINK TO WAITLIST

Administrative Winter Conference

  • February 2nd 2024 in St George, more information will be forthcoming.   

 

  • APPEL Updates: Directors with teachers in the program: Please submit the first teacher evaluation by 11/30/23. If you haven’t evaluated the teacher yet, or won’t be able to until December, please send an email to appel@utahcharters.org notifying us. Thanks!
  • UAPCS Board Election Results: Chris Bleak, Doug Keefe, and Amy Gibson were elected to begin their 3 year term in January 2024. Amy Gibson, Gateway Academy, provided an introduction.

 

Utah State Charter School Board

  • Due to a scheduling mishap, Dr. Paul Kremer, newly appointed Executive Director, SCSB, was unable to join us at the last minute. We look forward to having Dr. Kremer join us in December.

 

Legislative Updates-Royce Van Tassell

  • Royce discussed the sensitive materials legislation that will be reviewed by the Utah House this week. The House is leading the discussion now, but the Senate has not yet engaged the issue.
  • The proposed bill differentiates objective sensitive materials (defined as pornographic or indecent materials that violate the “bright line” and subjective sensitive materials (defined as material deemed pornographic or indecent under any of the four standards outlined in statute that do not violate the “bright line” but, when taken as a whole, are deemed to have no serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value).
  • The bill also describes the review process, an appeals process, and role of State Board of Education in collecting information about materials challenges.
  • If two school districts or five charter schools remove objectively sensitive materials, then a state-wide removal of the same material would be required by all LEAs.
  • Discussion included protections against abuse of request by individuals of materials for review to receive political or personal notoriety. Royce responded that two checks are in place: 1) person requesting review must have meaningful connection to LEA (as defined in the statute) and 2) if 3 complaints are submitted and denied by a person, then that person cannot submit a material for review again that year.
  • Discussion about appeal process from an LEA when material has been subjected to a state-wide ban. If the ban threshold has been met (2 districts, 5 charter schools), then there is no appeal process.
  • There was a question about concurrent enrollment and application of sensitive materials rules. Royce will follow up when he receives complete information.
  • Contact royce@utahcharters.org when any additional comments or questions regarding this bill.
  • Royce also welcomes more to join the Rules Reading committee he has convened to address bills and USBE rules. Email Gina or Royce if interested.

 

Meeting Sponsor-Grow Schools (formerly Charter School Capital)

  • Tony Solorzano joined us to explain Grow Schools and their role in providing funding to allow charter schools to purchase their building. Grow Schools also offers enrollment marketing in Utah. Contact Tony at tsolorzano@growschools.com.

 

Utah House of Representatives-Mike Schultz, District 12

  • Representative Schultz is from Hooper, UT. It is anticipated that he will be the next Speaker of the House. He is a small business owner and farmer/rancher. He appreciates giving education options to families. His own daughter is currently a teacher at Quest Academy, which she attended as a student. He acknowledged the historic funding the Legislature provided last year including teacher salary increases, state-wide full day kindergarten, teacher collaboration pay, Utah Fits All scholarship, and various school safety initiatives. He heard from our group the importance of continuing to untangle funding restrictions while providing money that goes directly to teacher salaries.

Welcome 

Utah State Board of Education

  • Patty Norman, Deputy Superintendent of Student Achievement, patty.norman@schools.utah.gov
  • Shauntelle Cota, Safe and Healthy Schools Coordinator, shauntelle.cota@schools.utah.gov
    •  Dr. Norman shared a slide deck, School Safety Updates. Coming off a meeting with Parkland Elementary survivors, she shared the importance of learning lessons from past tragedies. The USBE is willing to support further training and field any questions about any of the topics addressed.
    • They are also looking for those willing to participate in quarterly school safety meetings-contact Gina (gina@utahcharters.org) or Royce (royce@utahcharters.org) if you are interested.
      1. School Safety Updates: HB 140-Requires public secondary and elementary schools to use a standard response protocol as a response to threats in schools. 
      2. School Safety Grant Updates HB 61: 
        1. The School Safety and Support Grant closed September 15, 2023.
        2. The School Safety Specialist Stipend Grant is open until November 12, 2023. This person participates in threat assessment and safety planning. USBE will have webinars to support training. They anticipate about $2,000 stipend/school. The money is one-time, but USBE is working with the legislature to see if it can be ongoing.
      3. School Threat Updates-“Swatting” is the action or practice of making a prank call to emergency services in an attempt to bring about the dispatch of a large number of armed police officers to a particular address. Rep. Wilcox is looking into legislating harsher punishment for swatting as a deterrent.
      4. Key Themes of School Safety
        1. Communication: Who needs to be contacted after an incident and when? Parents? Who gets what information?
        2. Accountability: Who is accountable for what part? Parents? SRO? Law enforcement? Students? What role does the community have?
        3. Transparency: What is available online about your school? Map? Evacuation plan?
      5. Best Practices-See slide. Highlighted that you have an Emergency Response Plan in place. It is also important to debrief after every threat and share information with colleagues. 
      6. Reframing Language-Use victim first language.

Don’t Say:

Say:

Anniversary

One month, six month mark, Commemorate their life, remember who they are, etc.

Trigger

Activate

Execute

Facilitate, organize

Lost (for victims)

Killed, murdered

Event, incident

Tragedy

 

Announcements and Upcoming Events 

  • School Spotlights
    1. Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15) highlights the great contributions of Hispanic people. We have several charter schools that support Hispanic Heritage. Several are highlighted on our podcast Charter School Conversations including Dual Immersion Academy, Esperanza Elementary, and Guadalupe School. We have many great schools that support Hispanic students and families!
  • Training Updates (See Event Calendar for links to Zoom and registration)
    1. Preoperational School Training: October 10th from 7-8 pm “Creating a Sustainable Budget; Understanding the Funding Sources” via Zoom 
    2. New Board Chair Training: October 16th from 5:30-6:30 pm, “Understanding the Relationship with your Director: Governance vs. Management” via Zoom
    3. Administrative Lunch Seminar: October 18th from 12-1 pm, “School LAND Trust Crash Course with Focus on Fall and Winter Requirements” with Holly Korous via Zoom
    4. Fall ACES Course: Oct 18th from 4-5:30 pm, “SpEd Law; What you Need to Know as You Begin Your Administrative Journey”, via Zoom
    5. Fall ACES Course: Oct 25th from 4-5:30pm, “Human Resources 101” via Zoom
    6. New Director Meeting: Oct 19th at 4:30 pm, “Principals in Balance” with Diane Sallee via Zoom
    7. SAVE THE DATE:
      • Crucial Conversations, January 16-17, 2024, In-person, Salt Lake area, Details forthcoming.
      • Administrative Winter Conference, February 2, 2024, In-person, St. George, Details forthcoming.

Meeting Sponsor-Board Works

  • Erin Murphy and Matt Arent, Educational Consultants, (409) 929-1903
  • Benefits of Boardworks:
    • Empower teachers with content mapped to UT standards across math, science, ELA, and history
    • Save teachers time with ready-made lessons and an easy-to-use platform
    • Differentiate on the fly to meet all students' needs
    • Enhance student engagement with highly interactive and visual presentations
    • Utilize within Nearpod or in our legacy platform--whichever is the best fit for your team
    • Flexible pricing options to meet unique school needs, additional discounts for UAPCS members
    • Boardworks Intro Video- 2 mins
    • Boardworks Website
    • My Calendar-Find 15 minutes to chat when it's convenient for you. 

Legislative Updates

  • Royce Van Tassell
    • State Board Rules Group: Royce receives proposed changes to board rule regularly and would like to have interested people join him to discuss proposed rules. Rules are sent about 1 ½ weeks before the state board meets to discuss. There are 10-20 rules per month, depending on when rules need to be made after legislative session. Group would meet via Zoom about Monday before USBE meeting meets. If interested in participating, please contact Gina or Royce.
    • Succession Planning: Reminder to schools that a succession plan is helpful when a new director is needed. UAPCS provides ACES (Aspiring Charter Executive Seminars) that give an overview of what a charter school director needs to do. ACES training is for anyone in your building interested in becoming part of the leadership team.

Next Meeting

  • Monday, November 13th, 11am

Monday, September 11, 2023 – 11am

 

October 14, 2023

Creating and Managing a Learning Environment

January 20, 2024

PPAT Bootcamp

February 10, 2024

Strategies for Teaching Diverse Learners

March 9, 2024

Introduction to Special Education

April 13, 2024

Math Methods

May 11, 2024

Foundations of Literacy Bootcamp

 

  • Training Updates
    1. Preoperational School Training: Sept 12th from 7-8 pm “Building a Strong Governing Board” via Zoom 
    2. New Board Chair Training: Sept 18th from 5:30-6:30 pm, “Understanding the Relationship with your Authorizer and Conducting Efficient Board Meetings” via Zoom
    3. Administrative Lunch Seminar: Sept 20th from 12-1 pm, “Leading with Integrity: The Ethics of School Leadership” with Dr Doug Stump via Zoom
    4. Northern Utah Administrator Retreat: Sept 25th from 9am -1pm, “Social and Emotional Leading” with J.Lynn Jones held at the Hyatt Place Farmington/Station Park
    5. Southern Utah Administrator Retreat: Sept 27th from 11:00-2:30 pm, “Social and Emotional Leading” with J.Lynn Jones held at St George Academy
    6. Fall ACES Course: Sept 28th from 4-5 pm, “Kick-Off and Q&A”, via Zoom
    7. New Director Meeting: Oct 19th at 4:30 pm, “Principals in Balance” with Diane Sallee via Zoom
    8. More information (Zoom links and registration) on our website HERE
  • UAPCS Board Member Elections
    1. Three board positions are up for elections: Andrew Larson, Chris Bleak, and Doug Keefe. Interested parties should fill out the Candidacy Declaration application. Applications are due October 5th. UAPCS membership must be current to vote.
  • 401K Announcements
    1. Thank you for participating in UAPCS benefits. For all employees at schools who participate in the UAPCS 401K plan, 401K contributions need to be deposited into the plan within 5 days of payroll being processed. Late deposit earnings are calculated and need to be paid back into the plan, along with the IRS penalty fee for the plan. Each year the audit for the plan lets us know which schools this affects. Affected schools will receive an invoice from UAPCS, who covered the late deposit amounts and IRS penalty up front. We normally see this happen with employees who leave and their last paycheck is processed on a different date than your usual payroll schedule. Please work with your business managers to ensure funds are deposited within 5 days of payroll. 
  • Meeting Sponsor-Frogtummy
    • Janice McReaken, janice@frogtummy.com, (801) 309-0069 
      • Frogtummy websites creates websites for charter schools, and other products and services!
        1. School Brand
        2. School Website
        3. Content Management System (CMS)
        4. Multi-Campus
        5. Online Carpool
        6. Store / eCommerce
        7. Photo / Video
        8. Enrollment / Lottery launching Fall 2023
  • Policy Discussion
    • Royce Van Tassell
      1. State Board Rules Group: Royce receives proposed changes to board rule regularly and would like to have interested people join him to discuss proposed rules. Rules are sent about 1 ½ weeks before the state board meets to discuss. There are 10-20 rules per month, depending on when rules need to be made after legislative session. Group would meet via Zoom about Monday before USBE meeting meets. If interested in participating, please contact Gina or Royce.
      2. State Board Business Case for Transportation: Board meeting October 5th to review business case to provide for about $3.6M for transportation funding (roughly what charter schools currently spend on transportation funding). Please contact your State Board of Education district representative to encourage their support of this business case for the legislative session. See here to find out who your USBE representative. Always available on our website under Advocacy-Who Represents Me.
      3. Sensitive Materials: Follow up discussion on sensitive materials we discussed with Rep. Ken Ivory last month. A few comments from the group indicated that issues with materials are best handled at the school level. When legislation is involved, it may have unintended consequences (extra policies and procedures) that make things more difficult for charter schools. Legislation on such matters seems like micromanagement. It was brought up that advocacy directly from students, parents, and the school community to legislators regarding these issues is preferable to having it come from the legislators first. 
  • State Charter School Board
    • Cindy Phillips
      • State Charter School Board (SCSB) is seeking a new executive director that will be out-facing and associate well with schools and legislators. They are looking for a person that will support the board’s revised priorities. Several candidates have been interviewed and the board expects to fill the position soon. 
      • The board is looking to ensure three areas of responsibility receive attention: governance, financial health, and good operations. The strategic plan is looking to support innovative schools/programs and helping to find good performance measures specific to the school’s mission (may not be academic). Wins for the SCSB include streamlining small expansions. They look forward to building deeper partnerships with schools and looking for changes in legislative code to help charter schools. She wants charter schools to share the unique things they bring to the education sector and continue to provide the kind of education the parents value.
  • Next Meeting
    • Tuesday, October 10th, 11am
  • Contact us:

 

Announcements and Upcoming Events

School Spotlights: 

  • We welcome 17 new directors this year!
  • UAPCS will be visiting your schools more this year and look forward including you in podcasts, social media, and more. Please reach out to gina@utahcharters.org if you are interested in being on the Charter School Conversations podcast!

Training Updates

APPEL Updates

  • Please be sure all new teachers are in CACTUS with a license: LEA, Associate or Professional.
  • If you have an APPEL candidate, please fill out the APPEL Application form. Joylin will email this out to all directors.
  • UAPCS if offering APPEL classes the second Saturday of each month. Check the APPEL webpage for details, topics, and pricing information.

Utah State Governor’s Office--Brittney Cummins, Senior Advisor of Education

  • Proposal diagram and description
  • Ms. Cummins discussed education governance and would like feedback on a proposal that she shared. The proposal focuses on the relationships within a school to create opportunity for students, strengthen LEAs and policy within the state, and adjust how “business” is done by reducing the focus on the state level and bringing it back to the LEA level. The most recent legislative audit found that clarification of how the USBE and legislature work together would be helpful.
  • The proposal includes the following:
    1. Creates an overall purpose and vision for public education at the legislative level-the WHY.
    2. Each LEA would adopt the purpose/vision within their strategic plan-the HOW.
    3. General control and supervision would be defined at the state level.
    4. The process and “doer” of public education would be defined at the LEA level.
  • Questions for educators:
    1. What would be beneficial to you as an LEA? 
    2. What feedback do you have on the proposal?
  • Brittney Cummins, bcummins@utah.gov, 801.538.1525

Meeting Sponsor: Association of American Educators—Candace Inghram

  • The Association supports teachers with $2M liability insurance, a job bank, scholarships and grants, and a 1-800 number for legal support. This non-union organization is affordable for teachers and offers school-wide and UAPCS-member discounts. Candace is in Utah Wednesday-Friday this week (8/14/23) if you would like to meet her in person.
  • Candance Inghram, candace@aaeteachers.org, 832.640.0111 

Utah House of Representatives—Ken Ivory, District 39

  • Representative Ivory discussed HB374 Sensitive Materials in Schools. He worked with parents diligently to protect children when objectionable materials were found in schools. He stated the many of the problems were found in district public schools and he did not receive complaints from charter schools.
  • He reported that this legislative session, he will work to clarify what is of no “serious value” for minors. There is current code that defines the standard for students bringing materials into the school (76-10-1227) but there needs to be uniform clarification. The Utah codes involved also include 76-10-1235 and 76-10-1203. He stated that 1227 code is the “bright line” that educators can use for discerning indecent materials, but there has been push back on removing the materials from some districts, so further work needs to be done by the legislature, in his opinion, to protect children.
  • He stated there is a safety valve in the bill that USBE could exclude materials from the definition of sensitive materials if needed for educational purpose.
  • He discussed the Davis District parent complaint of the Bible as sensitive material. An anonymous committee was assigned to look at the Bible and after review determined it had no “serious value” for elementary and junior high students. The committee did not submit the standards or criteria by which they evaluated the material.
  • There was a discussion about the time spent in the legislative session on this as opposed to other issues in education. Rep. Ivory stated that the material he’s seen in schools is so offensive and schools were not protecting children sufficiently from it that it needed to be addressed at this level. He stated that the educational establishment could take care of this immediately by listening to parental concerns and removing materials right away, but they haven’t all responded to do so.
  • Rep. Ivory suggested the website www.ratedbooks.org to review some problematic materials and see where they are found in public schools.
  • Ken Ivory, kivory@le.utah.gov, 801-694-8380

Meeting Schedule, 2022-2023

Archived minutes below

 Thanks for coming to our Member Meeting!

Announcements and Upcoming Events 

  • School Spotlights-
    • National Charter Schools Week, May 8-13
      • Sunday, May 7: Begin the week with gratitude and use #ThankATeacher on social media to share how teachers make a positive impact on our lives.
      • Monday, May 8: The official announcement of the federal 2023 Champions for Charter Schools.
      • Tuesday, May 9: The release of the 2023 Charter Schools Program Impact Report with the latest data and stories of the program’s effectiveness.
      • Wednesday, May 10: An event in Washington, D.C. with the seven teachers honored with the 2023 Changemaker award and our eight federal Champions for Charter Schools
      • Thursday, May 11: A recap of the teacher Changemakers panel.
      • Friday, May 12: Share your favorite moments on social media with #CharterLove.
      • Saturday, May 13: Keep the celebration going by finding ways to get involved. 

National Alliance Toolkit: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ci4KYHy07xHJN50elaUvK2xT3L2EbRZujsgC8kXtjn8/edit

Share the following:

  • Charter schools are always public, always free, and always open to all students.
  • Charter schools are student-centered and can serve the unique needs of each of their communities in ways that traditional public schools cannot.
  • Public charter schools are an important part of the public education community. These unique public schools serve 3.7 million learners—nearly 70% students of color—and the teaching staff reflects this diversity.
  • Since the pandemic began, public charter school enrollment has increased while traditional public school enrollment has decreased.

Social Media Graphics: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/y8vdu9i4b4lki5h/AADbrVwPI5fRIbRgqv8aF0vza?dl=0

 UAPCS Charter School Conference June 6-7, 2023

  • Keynote Address: Hamish Brewer, the Relentless, Tattooed, Skateboarding Principal
  • REGISTER HERE

Training Updates

  • Administrative Lunch Seminar:
    • May 17th from 12:00-1:00 pm  “How Establishing an MTSS School Counseling Program Can Help Reduce Student Behaviors” via Zoom
  • Preoperational School Training:
    • May 16th from 7-8 pm “Creating Measurable Learning Outcomes” via Zoom 
  • Southern Utah Business Administrator:
    • May 15th at 1pm,  FIS Discussion via Zoom
  • ACES Summer Course: (click on title for flyer)
    • May 16th from 4:00-4:30 pm Kick-Off and Q&A  
    • Begins on June 6th, classes will include:  Administrative Ethics, Charter Fidelity and Organizational Structure, Collaboration as a Leadership Style, Effective Evaluations and Engaging with Your Faculty and Staff, Governance vs Management:  Working with your Board, SpEd Law: What You Need to Know to Begin, and Understanding Your Funding Sources:  Budgeting for Sustainability. 

Utah State Board of Education, District 2

  • Joe Kerry
    • Mr. Kerry believes that charter schools are powerful and empower each student to love where they are at. He feel that charter schools can be a lifeboat to students because one size doesn’t fit all. He would like to see more social media representation by USBE of charter school successes.
    • Charter schools have an opportunity for growth. The USBE just approved Utah Tech to be an authorizer. 
    • He believes that the message from the bills passed in the last legislative session are to stop micromanaging. Teachers are leaving the profession because they don’t feel like they’re making a difference because they are bogged down with administration. We have to do a better job retaining teachers.
    • School safety is a big issue. He in concerned that a school safety task force doesn’t force the same approach to school safety on all schools, but allows for each school to innovate appropriate to their building and size. This will help make sure resources are spent to fit the individual LEA’s needs.

 Utah House of Representative – District 14

  • Karianne Lisonbee
    • Rep. Lisonbee stated that in the legislative landscape there is the sentiment that there are a lot of problems, and the legislature has to fix them all. She said that legislation can remove barriers, and Royce has been thoughtful in presenting key issues to key legislators to remove barriers to good education. 
    • She assured schools that the funding for teacher salary increases will be ongoing money.
    • Rep. Lisonbee can be reached on her cell phone at 801-589-2934.

 Utah House of Representative – District 43:  Mental Health Screener

  • Steve Eliason 
    • Rep.Eliason spoke about HB 403 Student Mental Health Amendments. Schools may opt in to provide the screening so that students can be identified for issues early to help the student and protect the safety of the school. Participation among charter schools is lower than district schools, and Rep. Eliason encourages schools to use the screening.

Updates 

  • Royce Van Tassell
    • Royce discussed FIS (Financial Information Systems) financing of $4M available to support transitions for those with systems currently incompatible with the state system. As UAPCS finds out more about program specifics, we will be in touch with directors/business managers to share information from the USBE.
      • USIMS financial systems far enough along that the 2024 deadline for compatible FIS is reasonable. Schools should continue to evaluate their FIS and seek compatible systems if necessary.
      • Hope of America program was under criticism by the Freedom from Religion Foundation. American’s Freedom Festival that hosts Hope of American program has responded. Schools affected by this issue have been notified and sent a copy of the legal response. If you haven’t received this and would like a copy, please email gina@utahcharters.org.

 Next Meeting

  • Come to conference in June
  • No July meeting
  • Tentatively scheduled for August 7, 2023

Monday, April 10th, 2023 – 11 a.m. 

  • Utah State Board of Education 
    • Kristan Norton
    • Member Norton has served on the Board since 2021 in Washington, San Juan, Piute, Garfield, and Wayne counties. She is an elementary public school teacher. 
    • Finance committee passed an amendment to the rule regarding charter schools and Special Education that outlines how SpEd money is allocated to new and existing charter schools. Money is based on ADM or estimated ADM, trued up on October 1st actual accounts.
    • New preK, K-12 ELA standards were passed last Friday. They will be out soon so that you can select curriculum that lines up with standards.
    • Message about funding: ESSER and ARP money is ending and the economy is slowing. Please plan your budgets to reflect tightening budgets due to inflation, etc. 
    • Teacher salaries are not affected this year since they are written in code. Going forward, the WPU may not be as robust as it was this year. Teacher salaries are always priority of the Board and the legislature. They want to get things right for teachers.
    • HB 215: Who is eligible for teacher salary increase?
      • HB 215 Lines 156-172: a person employed with a license issued by the state board in a position as a classroom teacher, speech pathologist, librarian or media specialist, preschool teacher, teacher specialist or teacher leader, guidance counselor, audiologist, psychologist, social worker, or licensed by Division of Professional Licensing as a social worker.
      • Administrators are not included in the salary adjustments.

 Announcements and Upcoming Events 

  • School Spotlights
    • Congratulations to NUAMES and Channing Hall for receiving Platinum STEM school designation from the USBE.
  • Conference June 6-7, 2023. Registration is open HERE. 
    • Scholarship applications are open to administrators, board members, business administrators, pre-operational schools and those who have completed the ACES course.  Applications are due April 20, 2023 by 5:00pm. Scholarship decisions will be announced on May 3rd, 2023.
    • Scholarship application: https://forms.gle/P1abFF7tNDsRnLeS8
  • Training Updates
    • Administrative Lunch Seminar
    • Pre-Operational School Training (open to all)
    • ACES Training
      • April 18, 2023, 4:30-5:30pm via Zoom: Governance & Board Management: How to Work with Your Board with Sam Gibbs
      • April 25, 2023, 4:30-5:30pm via Zoom: Administrative Case Studies via Zoom and IN-PERSON at Ascent Academy Farmington
    • BOARD TRAINING:
      • May 3rd, from 5-6 pm via Zoom: Board Evaluation. Summertime is a great time for boards to evaluate their effectiveness. The training will be taught by Kim Dohrer, formerly with Academica West, who has had years of experience working with charter school boards assisting them through this process. 
      • Zoom Meeting  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82232737324?pwd=Qjlvc1JSWWRJem4vbERMWHRMQ2d6dz09
      • Meeting ID: 822 3273 7324
      • Passcode: 041173
    • ADMINISTRATOR RETREAT: 
      • IN-PERSON only, Monday, April 24th from 9am-1pm at the Staybridge Suites in Lehi. All in your administrative team are welcome to attend. J.Lynn Jones will be our keynote speaker discussing the topic of "Social Emotional Leading", lunch will be provided. To assist us in planning please click on the link to register for the retreat: https://forms.gle/YtBnvFWpftN4CWvk7
    • SUMMER ACES PROGRAM: 
      • This course will provide training targeted to individuals interested in becoming charter school administrators. Topics include Administrative Ethics, Charter Fidelity and Organizational Structure, Collaboration as a Leadership Style, Effective Evaluations and Engaging Your Faculty and Staff, Governance vs. Management: Working with Your Board, SpEd Law: What You Need to Know to Begin, and Understanding Your Funding Sources: Budgeting for Sustainability.
      • ACES Kick-Off and Question and Answer session on May 16th. 
      • UAPCS Conference on June 6th, with additional on-line classes from 4:30-5:30 through the month of June
      • https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81962239111?pwd=dGJGNUNTNVNrVFhaMlUzY1VCVXVQdz09
      • Meeting ID: 819 6223 9111
      • Passcode: 470206
  • APPEL Updates
    • If you hire someone who needs to be in the APPEL program, please sign them up ASAP so they can begin coursework this summer.
    • If you are considering hiring someone from another charter school CURRENTLY in the APPEL program, please contact Joylin and April at appel@utahcharters.org to determine eligibility to continue in the APPEL program. If they are not re-hireable at their current (or former) school, then they cannot continue at a new school in the APPEL program.
      Meeting Sponsor – Utah Building Care
    • Kristi Cundiff
    • Utah Building Care has been in business for 8 years and provides janitorial services for charter schools, offices, car dealerships, and apartment buildings. They will provide a free bid on services and offer 20% off the first month of services to our members. 
    • Contact Kristi at (801) 618-0601 or kristi@utahbuildingcare.com
  • Transition for Financial Information Systems (FIS)
    • Royce Van Tassell
    • All schools will be required to have compatible FIS by July 1, 2024. The state has some recommended systems, but we know that QuickBooks is not compatible. $4M was promised by the legislature to put toward systems. Royce is requesting feedback on the best way to use the $4M. We have 2-3 months to decide the best way to spend.
    • Questions of student data safety were addressed. Royce has talked with the data security officer at USBE and reported that student data safety is a top priority.
    • A question about USIMS still being built and if the FIS component will be completed. Royce reported that the FIS portion of USIMS is further along in competition than other systems and the state has identified software that will have compatible modules.
    • The USBE has approved 4 vendors that are deemed compatible. Schools are not required to use these systems, but these systems have been vetted for compatibility and may have opportunity for cost savings. Please see the following Award Justification Statements for comparisons:
  • Utah State Representative – District 49 (11:45 am)
    • Candice Pierucci
    • Representative Pierucci is the House Education Committee Chair from the Herriman/Riverton area. She stated her focus during the interim is bundling bills with the same priorities (i.e. curriculum transparency). She discussed this year’s historic education funding and shared that she and Senator Fillmore are like-minded and looking at how the state board of education operates and enforces/implements policies. They are also looking at balancing local control with those things that need to be state-wide policies.
    • She discussed what education legislation some legislators had brought up during the session and how some of those topics may come up again in the interim, such as curriculum transparency & implementation timeframe, school assembly topics, content rating system, library book checkouts, school safety, etc. They will be looking at being more uniform in legislation.
    • The interim agenda should be out shortly.
    • Focus should be on student learning and opportunities. 
    • Rep. Pierucci sponsored HB 215, and she discussed who qualifies for the teacher salary adjustment. The general rule (from 2008) is the salary adjustment is for those in direct contact with students. (See notes from above re: HB 215).
    • She discussed school safety and a two pronged approach which is to harden the schools physically with safe entrances and resource officers and providing mental health supports through Safe UT app and school counselors. A school safety task force is determining the best interventions. There is a charter school representative on the task force.
  • Legislative Updates 
    • Royce Van Tassell
    • Student sharing legislation. Senator Anderegg is looking to run legislation so that schools are able to get potential student information (in your area) through the USBE.
  • Next Meeting
    • Monday, May 8th at 11am - Online

Meeting hosted by Chris Bleak, UAPCS Board Member because Royce Van Tassell was out of town.

Karen Peterson, Utah House of Representatives - District 13

Ms. Peterson reported on the great year for public education in the Legislature. Highlights include an increase in the WPU at 6%, teacher pay raises, full-day kindergarten fully funded, school safety issues address, and increase in the permanent school fund.

Constitutional Earmark. Ms. Peterson explained the conversation around school funding sources should be around getting money to schools, and not what the source of the money is. An amendment to the constitution (SJR10) changes the funding source of public education and creates priorities to make sure that education is adequately funded. It frees up income tax to be used to fund other programs in addition to education and serving those with disabilities. These priorities include:

  1. To fund new student growth 
  2. To fund inflation
  3. Budget stabilization. This holds education harmless by funding it first before other income tax funds can be used for something else.

Student growth is expected to be flat, and possibly decline, in the next 10 years. This amendment, if passed, will make sure that the WPU spending does not decline, and that increased costs will hold up for 5 years. If passed, WPU base funding will increase by 2% to get on top of inflationary growth.

Constraints on the general fund also demand tying in removal of the food tax to this amendment as well. Funding issues must be combined to allow moving funds to cover all the expenses of the government appropriately using all revenue sources (property tax, income tax, etc.)

Ms. Peterson also discussed HB 249 about education records. It addresses school safety and parental involvement by doing the following:

  1. USIMS-Utah school management software will add a record to which the parent can add notes about the student which will help school personnel.
  2. Parent Portal- USBE will have a webpage for parents with state-wide school information and links to schools and resources for public education.
  3. Parent Navigator-USBE will have a webpage with information for parents about where to address complaints/issues.
  4. Provide support to build capacity for employees at individual LEAs to help with parent engagement at the local level.

 

Sarah Reale, Utah State School Board - District 5 

Ms. Reale has been in education for 20 years. She is the Director of Digital Marketing and an adjunct professor of political science at Salt Lake Community College. Her priorities on the USBE include the following:

  1. Teachers-She wants to be sure we focus on retention and recruitment of good teachers. We need to make sure they have space to innovate. We need to trust our teachers.
  2. P20 Pipeline-We need to be sure that students are aware of all their educational options. With so many school choices, we need to help students be aware of all the post-secondary degree options and the paths to those choices.
  3. Students-Ms. Reale’s school board district is the most diverse and low-income in Utah. She recognizes students are different and that learning has changed. Education must address these changes in learning styles and support mental health issues that many students face as well.
  4. Local Control-Ms. Reale believes that decisions should be made as close to the student as possible.

When asked about working with the range of opinions on the current board, Ms. Reale stated that collaboration and willingness to get work done are key elements to unify the board. She has found heading down rabbit holes in meetings is ineffective. Ms. Reale believes that her purpose is to represent the will of her constituents.

sarah.reale@schools.utah.gov cell: 435-757-4660 (call or text are great!)

Legislative Updates-See 2023 Legislative Summary HERE

Chris Bleak-UAPCS Board Member-Chris shared the UAPCS 2023 Legislative Summary. Some highlights include the following: 

  • Salary increase for teachers is included in HB 215. This is the bill that also allows education vouchers for $8000. Funding for teachers and vouchers is separate. $196 million for teacher salary and benefits adjustments. $42.5 million for 5,000 vouchers. 
  • Chris also pointed out that the flexibility in 35% of state restricted funds will be ongoing. It was set to expire in 2024. 
  • Sensitive materials is a topic that will continue to be discussed over the interim. Many bills were brought up in the session, but only Senator Fillmore’s SB 55 passed. 
  • The charter school base funding had a flaw that eliminated the funding to LEAs with over 2000 students (5-6 schools). Chris explained that Royce was able to restore that funding for the larger LEAs and will work over the interim to make sure administrative costs are managed. Generally, the legislature wants to put funding into the WPU for greater flexibility for schools and eliminate specific line item funding. 
  • HB 308 eliminated school letter grades. State board spent time on their accountability and assessment system and that discussion should continue in the interim.
  • Chris mentioned that while there is much to celebrate this year, we can see the historical changes in the WPU and acknowledge there may be leaner years ahead. 

Meeting Sponsor – HUB

Ryan Bingham explained that HUB offers a health insurance plan through the association. His team is willing to help you evaluate your health insurance plan for competitiveness in rates and benefits for your employees. He can be reached at ryan.bingham@hubinternational.com.

Announcements and Upcoming Events 

  • School Spotlights-Mana Academy recently announced that all their seniors who applied to a university was accepted. Congratulations!
  • Job Fair March 18th 9:00am – 11:30am 
  • Conference June 6-7, 2023
  • Training Updates on UAPCS calendar

Next Meeting

Monday, April 10th at 11am - Online

Announcements and Upcoming Events

  • School Spotlights-Vista School opened new performing arts center on Saturday, January 7, 2023. Congratulations on your new space!
  • Charter Day on the Hill, January 23, 2023
  • Training Updates: ACES (Aspiring Charter Executive Seminars) begins January 10, 2023. REGISTER HERE

American Insurance & Investment Corp. – Meeting Sponsor      

  • Jeff Hirst Appreciates partnership with charter schools and sees a shared vision of independence. Contact him at 801-364-3434. American Insurance is a private insurance option for charter schools. See their ad in Charterology which explains why charter schools prefer private insurance.

 Legislative Updates --Royce Van Tassell

  • FINANCE: Plenty of money is available for public education. Teachers will have about $6K pay increase (¾ as direct pay increase and ¼ to cover increased benefits). Appropriated across the state for district/charter schools. This will be ongoing money. In addition, there will be a healthy increase in WPU value. Legislature passed Amend. G which implemented HB357 that built into budget automatic increases in WPU designed to cover inflation. This increase is roughly 3.5%. Governor’s budget proposed another 1.5% for total of 5% increase. Note: Governor's budget contains important recommendations, but the final decision is made by legislature. Base budgets will be adopted first half next week. Amount is typically last year’s budget plus statutory-required changes (including K-12 funding for enrollment), with the value of LRF built in. If disagreement w/budget occur later, there will at least be a base budget. Stalemate over budget at end has only happened once, so there are good . We are confident that budget education amounts will go up further. Revenue looks healthy. $2,981 LRF last year, increases in past years have been in the 7-9% range. Increases are statutorily-driven based on bonding capacity. Legislative Fiscal Analyst estimates LRF $3,074 per student (up from $175 last year).


  • BILLS: There are about 20 bills that touch on education. We will watch for bills and provide a watchlist on our website. 
    • FILLMORE: This bill will deal with curriculum choices. Hasn’t been numbered.
    • HB61 School safety amendments, Ryan Wilcox: This bill addresses how well-prepared schools are. This seeks to establish minimum safety standards for schools. Older schools will want to pay attention for language, etc. Requires school resource officer for every secondary school, which may not be feasible for smaller schools. We know it is important for schools to have a plan, but there are individual differences in schools that will need to be worked through. Funding note not included, so need to see what passes as far as cost requirements. Bill punts everything to task force—USBE/Public safety—to work through issues and determine what needs to be done.
    • Adam Robertson, School Fees, HB175: Rep. Robertson wasn’t wrong saying we shouldn’t have school fees, but is very costly to determine. Adam is resigning, Mark Strong will be carrying same legislation to address school fee issues. 
    • SB127 Senator Millner: There were unintentional technical language issues in original bill last year that if you were using software in reading that didn’t meet that bill’s requirements that you couldn’t use that software. SB44 intended to correct that problem.
    • SJR3 Fillmore: Seeking exemptions from property tax--property used to support education or support people with a disability. This affects some charter schools leasing or having a portable that pay property tax, so releases that burden.
    • SB170: This addresses science of reading panel and curriculum choices. Decisions of specific curriculum allowed hasn’t been made. Senator Millner’s bill doesn’t touch on that. Royce suspects that authority of Science of Reading panel may be clipped-USBE may exercise authority to recommend, but not require. Royce will research if specific curriculum will be required by the USBE and return to discuss in February Member Meeting.
    • Senator Anderegg: Running a bill to make sure directory information about students will be available. Implementation side-you as a school will be send email to state board and they would send directory information for students so you do not need to go through the district.
    • School Choice Legislation: Royce has been a supporter of school choice in all forms. Royce will maintain credibility and be a supporter personally. UAPCS is officially neutral
    • Royce recommends reaching out to your board members and let them know how important it is for small schools to have the base funding they need. Ask them to support the charter-based funding including reasons why there are challenges to comply with everything.

Utah State Board of Education-Jim Moss

  • Jim Moss, Chair, Molly Hart, Vice Chair, and Jennie Earl, Second Vice Chair
  • Randy Boothe, Chair Standards and Assessment
  • Matt Hymas, Chair Law and Licensing
  • Kristen Norton, Chair Finance
  • Board-voted priortities:
    • WPU increase 6% on top of inflation ($265M) Market-rate adjustment for talent retention. 
    • All-day kindergarten expansion (by choice) half-day and full-day options for choice. Equalize those with already have a program. 
    • Reports and Requirements task force to weed through pain points of burdens of reporting. Some progress for systemic relief, but looking at consolidating grant apps and necessity of every year requirements. 
    • Expand Beverly Taylor Sorensen Arts program
    • School safety
    • Student at-risk add-on (voted to accelerate)
    • Pupil transportation
    • USBE internal needs to make sure staffing appropriate 
    • Small district and Charter school base funding-WestEd study-not relevant to charters—still in discussion mode for long-term adjustment, need to achieve parity while working for that ($8M-$5 charter/$3M small district)-need to add $150/student for charter schools. Vote on that on Thursday. 
    • Two pieces important overall: Relieve reporting and continuing paid professional preparation hours funding, recommending again for allocating $64M in budget.
  • Broader themes: Strategic plan includes early learning, effective educators and leaders, safe and healthy schools, and personal and competency-based learning. Look at what is successful since Covid. In early learning/LETRS they will be watching for results. Effective ed/leaders they want to know what worked and who did a good job. 
  • Chair Moss wants to know what can districts and charters do to work together? Central theme to encourage collaboration. 
  • He has interest and in parent engagement. How we can proactively engage parents for student success? Proactive communication best way to proceed on controversial topics. How do we innovate and have flexibility to drive innovation? (Welton, Fillmore bills last year)
  • Survey from SCSB-how do you use flexibility and innovation? Appreciated responses from charter schools and would like to explore that question and how we can share that around the state. How do we empower people closest to the kids to encourage academic success?
  • JLC-Joint Legislative Council-made up of districts-Utah School Boards Association and Utah Superintendents Association They represent the field of schools and have their own set of priorities. USBE has different recommendations from their constituents and staff. USBE has some internal priorities to support staff. Base funding important to help achieve parity between districts and charters. 
  • It is helpful to contact your USBE representative, let them know that funding would help you.
  • Jim's home base is Wasatch County but he sees good things happening anywhere. Anything you have of good things happening, reach out to Royce or Jim. Would welcome hearing from any of us.

Next Meeting

  • Monday, February 13th at 11am - Online

Member Meeting Highlights

Announcements

  • Congratulations to Joylin Lincoln, UAPCS Director of Teacher Licensing (APPEL Program)! She was elected to the Alpine School District Board. We appreciate the "cross-pollination" between district and charter schools. (She's one of 4 local district board members across the state that also serve on charter school boards!)
  • UAPCS Board Elections: Rabecca Cisneros and Chris Helvey have been elected for 3 year terms. Rabecca works at Itineris High School and Chris works at Freedom Preparatory Academy.

Dan Johnson, Utah House of Representatives, District 4 & Vice Chair House Education Committee

  • Rep. Johnson has 40 years of education experience, including as a charter school director. He supports the proposed increase in teacher salaries and benefits from the governor's budget recommendations. He supports funding for mental health services ($52M).
  • He recognizes that charter schools need to be funded well. He also received the message from voters for Proposition G that legislators need to fund education well from various sources.
  • All day kindergarten funding? The governor's budget has money to fund about 95% of operational all day kindergarten costs ($41M). The USBE has recommended $53M to cover costs.
  • There was a recommended increase in the WPU of 5-6% (3.5-4% cost of living, 1.6% above cost of living adjustment). Teacher compensation increase of $6000 ($4600 pay, $1400 benefits) across the board. Funding for this is a separate line item (not in WPU) of $200M of ongoing funds, not just a one-time allotment.
  • Rep. Johnson is also working to improve teacher working conditions by looking at ways to provide more compensated time for teacher professional development, especially given additional requirements for LETRS training by K-3 teachers.

Bryan Bowles, State Charter School Board, Chair

  • Chair Bowles shared SCSB priorities:
  • Supporting schools: What can we do to help you meet your goals?
  • Working with legislators
  • Evaluating/approving new schools: Will the school be successful? Is it helping to grow choice? Is it located where there is a need?
  • School Accountability? The SCSB makes sure that schools follow laws and recommends that schools are familiar with laws and statutes. The SCSB is reticent to close schools. They recognized that all schools have issues and we need to learn from them and move on.
  • Stakeholder Survey? Jennifer Lambert, Executive Director, SCSB, will report on the results of their stakeholder survey in an upcoming director's meeting.
  • Overall charter school growth? Charter LEAs grew more last year than district LEAs. Projections used to look at new homes being built, but with housing costs on the rise, that is not as accurate a predictor since many family live in rentals. There is growth in diverse populations, including economically disadvantaged. Royce commented that K-12 growth over the next decade is predicted to be flat.
  • Chair Bowles stated that we need to do better than district schools at operating schools and identify new areas for charter schools.
  • He welcomes your emails: bryan.bowles@schools.utah.gov

Lisa Cluff, Executive Director Artworks for Kids/Friends of BTS Arts, shared a video about the Beverly Taylor Sorensen Arts Learning Program. As a public/private partnership with USBE, they support arts integrated education. They would love more charter schools to participate. Grants cover up to 80% FTE licensed arts education teacher. Many charter schools have 0.5 FTE. Program applications accepted in late January.

Please see the following handouts for more information, including the benefits of arts education:

Contact lisa@thesorensongroup.com with any questions.

Please evaluate your APPEL candidate teachers twice this year (also, all new teachers need 2 evaluations in their first year, APPEL program or not). The PPAT begins in January. We recommend candidates takes PPAT this year because remediation is available if they don't pass the 36 cut score.

Questions? Email Joylin and April at appel@utahcharters.org.


Pre-Operational Training: Construction 101

Lunchtime Administrator Training: Developing Loyalty with Parents and Students

  • Wednesday, Dec. 14th, 12 noon on Zoom
  • Zoom Link

ACES (Aspiring Charter Executive Seminars) begins January 10, 2023.   ACES Registration

Free Registration Open!  Monday, January 23, 2023

Come listen to Governor Cox!

11am-2pm

  • Capital Tours
  • Student Performances
  • Talk with Legislators
  • Pizza Lunch!

Travel stipends will be available $100-$300/school depending on number of schools participating.

Please register before Winter Break (to help us with planning)!  Register Here


Tuesday, October 11th, 2022 – 10:30 a.m. 

  • Announcements and Upcoming Events
  • School Spotlights
    • Guadalupe Charter School. As a non-profit organization, they have three programs, the largest is the elementary charter school. They also have an early education and adult education program. Listen Thursday to Charter School Conversations with Katina Santamaria, Principal of the Guadalupe School.
  • Charter Day on the Hill
    • Monday, January 23, 2023. 
    • Registration for schools and school performances will open on November 1, 2022.
  • School Board Debates
  • APPEL PPAT Bootcamp
    • Register Here, Dates: November 15, 22, 29 & December 6, 4:30-6:30pm. Cost is $150. 
  • Training Updates
    • October 19, 12pm, Administrator Training, Effective Teacher Evaluations
    • October 25, 7pm, Pre-Operation School Training, Establishing a Governing Board


  • Utah State Senate
  • Senator Ann Millner
    • Senator Millner discussed the reasoning behind SB 127. She saw that Utah’s 3rd grade reading proficiency in 2019 was 49%, last year dropped to 44%. In a desire to set up the foundational skill of reading, SB 127 was passed. This bill has set a 5 year goal to have all Utah students well above proficiency. She sought to get the funding in place for professional development of teachers and open source materials as resources for parents and caretakers.
    • There are some unintended consequences of burdens in implementation, which she will seek to correct. This includes reading software options. She is working with the interim public education chair and committee to pass a bill to clarify the use/choice of reading software.
    • Engaging parents is a component of the bill. The bill provides for the creation of resources that will be available to parents to use for specific aspects of teaching reading. It is the intention that teachers and parents will work closely together to meet the needs of the student.
    • In response to a question as to why the LETRS program, and the significant amount of money spent on professional development of the one program, Senator Millner replied that they chose a program that met stated criteria. The main parameters included using science of reading methods that had shown effectiveness. LETRS qualified, had worked in other states, and so the program was chosen. The program used will be evaluated after the 5 year period. They chose one program so there wouldn’t be something new to train teachers on every year.  


  • Verapath & NWPS – Meeting Sponsor 
    • Greg Misener and Grant Prokop, Verapath is the financial advisor for UAPCS 401K program and Northwest Plan Services (NWPS) is the 3rd party administrator. NWPS as a multi-employer plan has a lot of flexibility in investment options and can keep costs down. NWPS is the record-keeper of the plan, working with schools and clients to make sure they can get online, make transfers, etc. They have a responsive call-center and website.
    • To contact Greg, https://verapathglobal.com/, (385) 212-4560, greg@verapathglobal.com
    • To contact Grant, https://www.nwpsbenefits.com/, (206) 933-1500, gprokop@nwpsbenefits.com 


  • UAPCS Board Candidates Candidates introduced themselves and explained why they would like to be on the UAPCS board and what skills and experience they brought to the board. Schools will be given one vote per campus cast by the chosen representative (typically the school leader or board chair). Ballots will be sent via email and open until October 31st. 
  • Rabecca Cisneros
  • Robyn Ellis
  • Jason Hall
  • Chris Helvey 
  • Gichin Marsden
  • Natalie Smith
  • Dr. Drew Williams
  • Charles Wood 


  • Next Meeting
    • Monday, November 14th at 11am - Online
  • Announcements and Upcoming Events
    1. School Spotlights
      1. April Thompson, Lakeview Academy Science Teacher, see the amazing post on IG here or Facebook here-scroll to September 7th post. Ms. Thompson participated in the Pathmaker Bridge program doing research at the Huntsman Cancer Institute over the summer.  
    2. Library Policy & LEA Specific Licenses – Deadline 10/1
    3. State Board of Education Debates online-all details are on our website here.
    4. UAPCS Board Elections. We have two open positions; please fill out an Intent to Run form if you are interested. We will hear from candidates at our October Member Meeting. UAPCS membership must be current to vote.
  • Role of Mentors 
    • Shannon Greer, Director of Training, presented on training opportunities and availability and purpose of mentors. See her powerpoint. If you would like a mentor, or have suggestions for mentors, please contact her at shannon@utahcharters.org.
  • Ratify Bylaws
    • Stephanie Schmidt, UAPCS Board Member, discussed updating the UAPCS Bylaws. To approve changes, a majority of UAPCS members schools present need to ratify the approved UAPCS board changes. A voting link was provided. Final votes will be reported on in next month’s member meeting.
  • Legislative Updates/Parent Outreach
    • Royce Van Tassell discussed including our parents in the discussions with lawmakers. UAPCS has created a page on our website (to go live soon!) so that parents can find who their Utah state legislators are and send an email to them. At times, UAPCS may have a pre-drafted statement regarding a particular issue that parents can send, or edit to personalize. UAPCS does not endorse any candidate, but does at times identifies issues that affect charter school students that need attention. As we thoughtfully use this tool, we ask that administrators and boards reach out to parents with the link so we can make sure that decisions favorable to charter schools are made.
  • Charter School Capital– Meeting Sponsor
    • Tony Soloranzo is willing to discuss any questions you may have about owning your school building, or any other finance needs. He can be reached at (971) 348-8992 or tsolorzano@charterschoolcapital.org.
  • Utah State Board of Education District 9
    • Cindy Davis appreciated the opportunity to participate and shared the following:
    • Reporting Task Force: Chair Huntsman has set up a task force to evaluate reporting requirements of LEAs with the intent to diminish those requirements. They have met once already and are meeting through December. 
    • The Law & Licensing Committee is evaluating AP and Honors courses, bullying policy, and business cases.
      • Discussion included AP/Honors question about whether a statute is driving the discussion-there is not specifically but there are funding stipulations surrounding honors and concurrent enrollment in code. AP and Concurrent enrollment classes have open enrollment, however, some of the courses leading up to those are closed enrollment, so they looking to change the rule to have continuity on those pipeline courses. The rule has more guidance than hard rule.
      • Royce brought up that at a particular university graduate program, charter schools were not approved for student teaching experiences. Cindy stated that the USBE is getting away from prescriptive requirements and moving toward competency-based certification. She was not aware of any statute or rule that would exclude charter school teaching experience.
      • Discussion on reporting requirements. The following reports were mentioned as onerous: AP/concurrent enrollment, TSSA, Grants (particularly supplemental applications), early college/gifted grants, DTL, and reports where the state has collected information and just tells you what to write. Cindy welcomes all input on specific reporting requirements.
      • Email: cindy.davis@schools.utah.gov
      • Phone: (801) 319-4117
    • Utah State Senate
      • Senator Ann Millner was not able to meet with us today after all. We will reach out to have her at our next Member Meeting.
  • Next Meeting
    • Tuesday, October 11th at 11am - Online

 

  • Welcome Back to School! We can't wait to see the great things you have planned for this school year!


  • Utah House of Representatives District 74 (replacing Lowry Snow) 
  • Neil Walter         
    1. Mr. Walter has a professional background in real estate, rural issues (including water rights), and energy-related issues. 
    2. He has been involved in politics for the last 10 years, running for congress and state treasurer.
    3. He is the board chair at St. George Academy (6 years) and Vista School (6 years on board, 4 years as chair).
    4. His wife is on the board at Vista School and he has children homeschooling, in charter school, in district school, and in higher education.
    5. Mr. Walter shared that in Washington County there are issues surrounding race and CRT that surround much of the political discussion. He supports inclusion and diversity but does not support divisiveness or labeling children by historic events of which they did not participate.
    6. Mr. Walter also would like to look at the 2019 restructuring of sales/income tax around the education fund. He believes that education funding should remain as defined in the Utah constitution.
    7. Mr. Walter is interested in investigating the possibility of an intermediate maturity fund through the public treasurer’s fund that will allow schools to get a higher rate of return on money held in reserve.
    8. Mr. Walter is also interested in determining the actual value of SITLA (school land trust) lands, including oil, gas, natural resources on the land. This will aid in understanding if the fund is performing well and money allotted to schools is appropriate.
    9. Mr. Walter doesn’t plan on entering the legislature in January with a set agenda, but is interested to listen and focus on the most pertinent topics that need to be addressed.


 

  • Legislative Updates – Royce Van Tassell
    • Paid Professional Development Funding (HB 396)
      • Educators need to put together a plan for professional development up to 32 hours outside contract hours before your school year begins.
        1. Flexibility built in to program. No set format to use for plan. Plan definitions on Lines 77-96.
        2. Must be approved by principal.
        3. Educators need plan to use paid professional hours at beginning of year and written statement at end of year to the principal how they used paid professional hours. (lines 97-103 in bill)
        4. Summer PD should be in the fiscal year: July 1, 2022 forward.
      • Staff that is included in the paid professional hours (from the bill):
        1.  (1) Subject to legislative appropriations, the state board shall provide funding to each
           62     LEA to provide additional paid professional hours to the following educators in accordance
           63     with this section:
           64          (a) general education and special education teachers;
           65          (b) counselors;
           66          (c) school administration;
           67          (d) school specialists;
           68          (e) student support;
           69          (f) school psychologists;
           70          (g) speech language pathologists; and
           71          (h) audiologists. 
      • Funding: 80% money that has been sent to the school is based on estimates. The remaining 20% will be sent to schools after final November 15 educator counts. Money can be distributed to employees based on hourly rate for up to 32 hours outside their normal contract hours.
      • Funding may be available in next fiscal year; we will watch for legislation.
    • Library Policy update


  • ETS – Meeting Sponsor  
    • Curtis Barrett, CEO, The mission of ETS is to solve the problems technology creates to reap the benefits that technology offers.
    • ETS has been a business partner to charter schools offering the following services: IT management, software development, web design, push notifications, security, classroom projectors, and electrical work (low and high voltage).


  • Next Meeting
    • Monday, September 12th at 11am - Online
  • Announcements and Upcoming Events
    • School Spotlights-
      1. Valerie Loredo, kindergarten teacher, Athlos Academy, was awarded Teacher of the Year by the Southwest Valley Chamber of Commerce.
      2. Top 6/10 schools named by US News & World Report are Utah charter schools:
        • #1- Beehive Science and Technology Academy
        • #2 InTech Collegiate High School
        • #3 Northern Utah Academy for Math Engineering and Science (NUAMES)
        • #4 Academy for Math Engineering and Science (AMES)
        • #5 Itineris Early College High School
        • #6 Karl G Maeser Preparatory Academy
    • National Charter Schools Week – May 8th – 14th
      • Celebrate with Toolkit from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
    • Trainings
      • May 25th, How to Plan a Board Retreat, Zoom meeting
      • New Administrator BootCamp, June 7th, 9am-12pm, Davis Conference Center, Layton, UT
    • UAPCS Conference – June 7th – 8th
    • National Conference – June 19th – 22nd
      • State Night! We’ll be heading to Camden Yards for a baseball game. 
      • Watch for email for RSVP or contact debby@utahcharters.org if your school is attending.
  • Busy Bee Therapy Services – Meeting Sponsor
    • Stormy Hill-Stormy shared the services offered by Busy Bee. The offer direct and indirect Occupational Therapy services depending on your school’s service delivery model and the needs of your students. They offer on-site and Zoom consultations to discuss your school’s needs. Call (801) BUSY-BEE. You can contact Stormy at stormy@busybeetherapy.org or Emily Colby, Outreach Specialist & Account Manager at emily@busybeetherapy.org. 
  • Utah State Board of Education District 12, james.moss@schools.utah.gov
    1. Jim Moss- Jim discussed the happenings of the Board of Education and his philosophy of the relationship between the USBE and local schools.
    2. Funding WPU: WPU increased 6%
    3. ULEAD: This is a legislatively established clearinghouse that identifies innovative, effective, and efficient programs to improve practices in public schools across the state. Schools are encouraged to share programs with ULEAD director, MiKell Withers at mckell.withers@schools.utah.gov. Jim is the USBE liaison with ULEAD, so please cc him at  james.moss@schools.utah.gov.
    4. Parent Engagement: This has been a hot button topic for the USBE. Jim believes that as parents engage at the local level the better. The USBE can help parents understand this and how to be involved on community councils, local school boards, etc.
    5. Funding: Priorities for USBE funding include getting money to the field for fees, transportation, etc. USBE is looking at the best use of staff to support LEAs.
    6. Licensing: It is the best interest to stop the constant change in licensing requirement and make the process predictable to teachers. With the teacher shortage, it is important to open the teaching profession to qualified talent and help them through alternate pathways of licensure.
    7. Strategic Plan Update: The strategic plan is 5 years old and needs to be reviewed. The pandemic provided opportunities to identify innovative ways to approach education.
    8. District Community Councils: Jim spoke about his experience on his local community council. When parents and school representatives can speak face to face about issues directly relating to their schools, discourse is productive because misunderstandings are resolved. The “lowest level”-the level closest to the classroom-is where discussions can be specific, detailed, and produce results. 

Utah House of Representatives District 2, jeffersonmoss@le.utah.gov

  1. Jefferson Moss: Jefferson appreciates the role that charter schools play in education. His wife is a teacher and he acknowledged the additional work that educators have dealt with through the pandemic. At the legislative session, while there were some bills to deal with “bad apples” in the profession that were overstepping bounds of classroom instruction. The bills did not pass but did convey a message that there needs to be oversight.
  2. ULEAD: This program can help reduce criticism of school choice/charter schools by showing the results from innovative programs. When we identify and share the things we’ve learned, we strengthen all schools.
  3. Education Funding and Education Innovation: Always a priority. With Education Innovation the intention is to provide autonomy to LEAs. He sponsored many education bills including innovation, paid professional hours and funding.
  4. Licensing: Licensing is not the same as employment. There needs to be baseline criteria. Talented people can be brought into the teaching profession through alternate pathways.
  5. Accountability Framework: A task force is being set up to be sure that accountability is student-based rather than aggregate-based, and is competency-focused. Chair Huntsman and Senator Ann Millner are part of this task force.
  • Discussion:
    • A director shared concern about how the “general supervision” role of the USBE/legislature has not seemed “general” but more prescriptive and “in the weeds” in schools. Rep. Jefferson Moss said that his philosophy is that educational vision, standards, and access are responsibilities of the USBE and legislature, while curriculum and pedagogy are at the local level. Implementation is local and the state supports these efforts. Rep. Moss stated that legislators need to hear directly from constituents. He suggested meeting with and building a relationship with your local legislator so they can understand your specific issues.  FIND MY LEGISLATOR
    • Board Member Jim Moss stated that the finance committee is working on consolidating legal and financial reporting to increase efficiency. He is advocating for autonomy at the local level. Member Moss requests specific examples from school leaders about what autonomy they would like to see. He would like to hear examples of what works in your schools. 
  •  Next Meeting- Monday, June 13th at 11:00am - Online