Member Meetings

Meeting Schedule, 2021-2022

Our 2021-2022 schedule will be held virtually at 11am until further notice on the following dates (click "+" below for meeting details)    

Announcements

  • Administrator Training, August 25th, Effective Time Management taught by J. Lynn Jones. Location TBD
  • APPEL Meeting, August 31st, Zoom, 10-11am for all administrators over APPEL candidates. 11am-12pm for all mentors of APPEL candidates. Zoom details will be sent out.
  • Book Group-would love any suggestions of academics-focused books for discussion this year. Book groups are held over the lunch hour .

Meeting Sponsor

  • Red Apple Finance. Jeff Beisinger spoke about the financial services that Red Apple provides. 

Utah Board of Education

  • Jim Moss, District 12, introduced himself and his background. He understands the value of charter schools as part of a larger educational system to show flexibility and innovation. He has been on the USBE for 6 months and the board discussions have focused primarily on Covid-19 related issues and racial issues.  He shared that what is needed is to empower the people closest to students to decide what's best to support students. He welcomes input.

Utah Department of Health


Announcements

  • Training Opportunities register here
    • Administrative Training: September 21st, 11am-1pm, School Culture: Teacher Student Relationships, Staybridge Suites, 3038 South Decker Drive, West Valley City
    • Board Training: September 21st, 7-9pm, Successful Governance Seminar: Governance & Management, Location TBD, Zoom will be available
    • Board Lunchtime Seminar, 12pm, Board Calendar & Structure, Zoom link here
    • Administrative Training: October 4th, 11am-1pm, Collaboration to Support Teachers-PLCs, George Washington Academy, St. George, Zoom will be available
    • Board Training: October 4th, 7-9pm, Board Committees, St. George, Zoom will be available
    • Fall Convening, October 20th, 9am-1pm, Gathering for administration, board members, business managers, and counselors for training, meaningful discussion, and networking.

Utah State Charter School Board

  • Vice-Chair Bryan Bowles shared his background and educational experience with us. He was the Davis School District superintendent for 14 years following work as a high school teacher, principal, and Vice-President at the Polynesian Cultural Center at BYU-Hawaii. He is currently an associate clinical professor at BYU-Provo in the McKay School of Education. He would like to duplicate the great things happening in charters. He believes the State Charter School Board (SCSB) needs to promote innovation and provide communication of the good things happening in charter schools and the variety of opportunities they provide to students. He sees the SCSB portfolio managers as intending to be helpful to schools and communicate well to help them do more.

Meeting Sponsor

  • Academica West- Kim Dohrer shared that Academica West provides management services so that charter school administrators can focus on the academics of the school. They have a staff to provide service in the following areas: accounting, legal, human resources, education specialties, reporting & compliance, board support, and facilities. They have worked with many of their schools since opening, but also work with existing schools. They seek to provide services that administrators and boards request. Contact Kim for more information.

Utah State Board of Education

  • Janet Cannon shared with us her background and discussed current issues before the Board. Member Cannon has been on the state school board since 1995 minus a 4 year hiatus. She was a speech language pathologist and has been involved in schools at all levels. She was a liaison between the State Board and the Charter School Board when charter schools were established in the state and read many applications for new charter schools. She promoted that every charter school be accredited. She is the president-elect of the National State Boards of Education. Current issues facing the State Board include being sure to provide equity of resources to the lowest performing students including low income, minority, disabled, and English language learners. She hopes the rule R277-328 addressing Educational Equality will do that while not overstepping bounds. She stated that the Board is asking the Legislature for a 4% increase in the WPU for 2022. The Board builds its budget around the Strategic Plan which includes the following priorities: 1) Early Learning 2) Personalized Teaching & Learning 3) Safe & Healthy Schools and 4) Effective Educators & Leaders. When asked an issue of concern, Member Cannon responded that the Standards & Assessments committee is looking at state and federal laws in regards to gender identity. The intent is support students and to check the rights of parents, students, and FERPA requirements to provide a guidance document for teachers when a gender identity issue arises. She shared the the US Department of Education is looking at Utah about making sure the rights of disabled children are being met when attending school while there is no masking mandate in the state. The Board takes the recommendations of local health departments and districts when determining masking in schools. This, and vaccinations, are ongoing issues. She said that we all have the goal of doing what's best for kids and keeping them safe and healthy.



Thanks for joining us!

Annoucements:

  • Teachers need to be updated in CACTUS by October 15, 2021
  • Training: Fall Convening will be held on October 20, 2021 from 9am to 1pm at the Fairfield Inn & Suites, 7141 FLSmidth Drive (yes, that's the real street!), Midvale, UT 84047.  We will have two presentations: Creating a Trauma Sensitive School Community with Tyler Bastian and A Radical Idea: Developing Teachers on a Daily Basis with Anthony Sudweeks. A discussion and networking lunch will round out the day. Please register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSccK-T_3sWK8Xy3Q3YuLqVMkNhyOnhKN4fl2z6H51XsQZcoEw/viewform?usp=sf_link

UAPCS Board Elections:

  • A link to election ballots will be emailed 10/12/21 to directors. Member schools will have one vote.
  • There are 2 open positions.
  • The four candidates are: Lynne Herring (incumbent), Stacee Phillips, Stephanie Schmidt (incumbent), and David Sharette. Candidate information was sent in previous emails.

Meeting Sponsor: American Insurance & Investment: Jeff Hirst

  • Jeff shared information about American Insurance & Investment and how they help schools identify, manage, and control risk through their products and services. Please reach out to Jeff for more information at 801-364-3434.

Legislative Update: Royce Van Tassell

  • The WPU will be increased a minimum of 2.5% in the base budget for the upcoming legislative session. The State Board recommended to the Governor's office an additional 4% increase. The Governor's office is expected to recommend a total increase in the WPU of 6.5%. (The 2.5% base budget increase is a result of the response of the legislature to the passage of Amendment G, and HB 357 passage to adjust the WPU annually for cost of living.)
  • Recommendations for equity of funding from the West Ed study.
    • The study just looked at small districts, but we are confident that the final solutions will include charter schools. The structure of funding equity to reduce burden on smaller LEAs is unknown at this time.
    • Local replacement funds (LRF) still have a 2 year lag. We anticipate that an additional $50-100/student will work to close this gap, but are not sure if that will be the final amount allocated.
  • We are not sure how grants will work into school budgets, but there will still be below the line funding.
  • Last year (FY 2021) schools were allowed to take up to 35% restricted state funding to use in an unrestricted way. Some LEAs used this flexibility and some did not. On Tuesday, October 19th, LEAs will meet with the education appropriations committee to discuss the use of this flexibility and seek to have a similar flexibility request for this financial year. We are hoping to demonstrate to the legislature that funding flexibility works to meet students' needs.

Juul Class Action Lawsuit

Utah State Representative: Lowry Snow

  • Representative Snow spoke about upcoming legislation. He is aware of legislation aimed to increase the WPU for full-day kindergarten to 1.0 from 0.55. Currently, extended day kindergarten funding is a band-aid. As more kindergarten programs move to full-day, clearing up funding for that is needed.
  • Critical Race Theory has been a current topic. There may or may not be specific legislation on CRT, but he appreciates the State Board putting out a policy.
  • There will be a bill regarding educational transparency, sponsored by Lincoln Fillmore. Rep. Snow has taken a deep look into civics education and has identified that it is important to parents, teachers, and students that there is transparency in what is being taught in the schools. Communication of classroom discussions and topics to parents is important given Utah's law stating that parents have the primary responsibility in educating their children. A bill defining and encouraging transparency will bridge the gap from classroom to home to be sure that current issues/topics are discussed at home.

Next Month

  • Join us In-person (with Zoom component too!) at the USBE Office Basement West on Monday, November 8th at 11am.

 

1. Welcome from Royce Van Tassell

2.  State Board of Education – District 1 Jennie Earl

Ms. Earl updated the group on the following items:

  • Funding
    1. The board will vote in December about making ESSER funding for digital teaching and learning more accessible, especially for charter school that may not have taken advantage of this funding.
    2. The board is considering how to make full funding for economies of scale (formerly the administrative funding) viable. Funding will continue for at least one more year until permanent solution can be found.
    3. If you have ideas to implement regarding funding, please pass along to her.
  • Social Emotional Learning: Ms. Earl believes the value of some aspect of SEL, but has issues with topics that address personal beliefs, dispositions, and attitudes. Watch for further discussion.
  • Davis School District has had additional attention due to the Department of Justice finding regarding racism. Not all people in DSD are culprits. We need to be careful not to overcompensate with rule/legislation for issues that arise. The board does have an Equity Rule R277-328.
  • Civics Standards: Up for review. There are many opportunities for public comment throughout the state.
  • Ms. Earl wants to be sure that charter schools have the things they need to meet their purpose. She asked for input on any policy or issue that is crowding out the uniqueness of charters.

3. Legislative Update – District 25 House of Representatives Joel Briscoe

After an introductions, including his experience as a teacher for 33 years, Representative Briscoe addressed the following items:

  • Public Education Appropriations report of the State Charter School Board expenditures:
    1. $206K carry forward to provide national/state training
    2. $3.8M startup grants carry forward to increase grantees $400K for new schools and $300K for satellite schools
    3. $138K regional seminars carry forward to use for targeted mentoring
    4. $1.3M carry forward to use on fiscal monitors and temporary hires to carry out monitoring
    5. SCSB will also provide targeted campaigns with money to help schools with Open Public Meetings Act compliance, trainings support, and marketing
  • WPU Add-on for Students at Risk (see supporting proposal & Full Implementation Estimates)
    1. 2 new WPU add-ons replace 4-5 add-ons (not specified). These add-ons are for English Language Learners (ELL) and Low Income Students (qualified for free or reduced lunches).
    2. There will be a “hold harmless” period until 2024 so schools can adjust for funding differences, some school will get more, some less.
    3. There will be a 10 year phase in period to pay for the program as tax revenues increase.
    4. It is proposed add-on 0.05 WPU for Low Income and 0.025 for ELL. 
    5. It is expected that both add-ons could be used for a single student.
  • CRT Legislation: Not sure, but anticipates someone will run a bill about this.
  • Public School Curriculum: Senator Fillmore proposing curriculum reviews and approval legislation. 

4. Verapath – Meeting Sponsor Greg Misener

Mr. Misener said that Verapath values what teachers and charter schools do to take care of children, so Verapath works to take care of them. Through 401K services of a multiple employer plan Verapath is able to 1) save money 2) improve service offering and 3) reduce fiduciary risk. They provide customer service through a fall enrollment meeting and a spring investors meeting. They regularly share videos to update enrollees on the plan success. The annual required audit of the plan is an added benefit of belonging to a multiple employer plan. UAPCS member schools are eligible to participate.

5. Announcements and Upcoming Events

  • Charter Day on the Hill – January 18th   (Gina James)      
    1. First day of legislative session
    2. Watch for email with sign-up Google form coming soon!
    3. Student performances, school tours, etc.
    4. Email gina@utahcharters.org with questions
  • APPEL Program & Teacher Licenses (Joylin Lincoln)
    1. Use email appel@utahcharters.org for any questions about the APPEL program.
    2. Teachers with LEA-specific licenses or associates license seeking professional licensure MUST take the PPAT (Pedagogical Practice Assessment Test). 
    3. THIS YEAR ONLY-there is a ZERO cut score! Next year, teachers will need to make a certain score to pass.
    4. Teachers need to sign up by JANUARY!! This test takes 4 months to complete. There are four “tasks” to submit. Test is administered by ETS. Find more information here.
    5. UAPCS offers a 4 week preparation course. Salt Lake Community College also offers a preparation course.
    6. IF YOU HAVE A TEACHER IN THIS CATEGORY AND THEY NEED A PROFESSIONAL LICENSE YOU MUST START THIS PROCESS NOW!
    7. If your teachers have a professional license or are not seeking a professional license (will remain with LEA-specific license, etc.) then they do not need to take the PPAT. This includes teachers going from elementary to secondary license-if they already have a professional license.
    8. Contact appel@utahcharters.org for additional information and training course schedule.
  • Book Club (Joylin Lincoln)
    1. Our book club will run January-April with 1 book/month and 1-2/discussions about the book.
    2. Book suggestions (we'll pick from these and let you know!):
      • Why Kids Don’t Like School by Daniel Willingham
      •  Uncommon Sense Teaching: Practical Insights in Brain Science to Help Students Learn by Barbara Oakley, Beth Rogowsky, and Terrance Sejnowski
      • The Together Leader: Get Organized for Your Success – and Sanity by Maia Heyck-Merlin
      • How to Talk so Kids can Learn by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
      • Equity-Centered Trauma-Informed Education (Equity and Social Justice in Education) by Alex Shevrin Venet
      • Language at the Speed of Sight: How We Read, Why So Many Can’t, and What Can Be Done About It by Mark Seidenberg
      • Heart! Fully Forming Your Professional Life as a Teacher and Leader by Timothy D. Kanold
      • Smart Moves: Why Learning Is Not All in Your Head by Carla Hannaford
  • We’ll choose 4 books. Those that sign-up will need to purchase their own books. If you participate in the discussions, we will reimburse you with a gift card for the purchase price on Amazon of the book.
  • We will send out notices in the UAPCS email and will book book discussion dates on our event calendar.

6.  Legislative Updates Royce Van Tassell

  • Due to Covid-19, the legislature unrestricted 35% of state restricted funding last year. One quarter of the $5 billion dollars in public education funding has restrictions, so this opportunity to use 35% of that money how you choose is significant.
  • That 35% of restricted state funding is available to you again this year! Please discuss with your local board and business administrator how you can use 35% on focused programs, curriculum, and other identified needs to move the goals of your charter forward. 
  • The long-term goal is to reduce restricted line items significantly by indicating that unrestricted use of funds serves students best.

7. Next Meeting ONLINE Only

  • Monday, December 13th at 11:00am - Online

 

 Announcements and Upcoming Events

  • School Highlights: Career Path High and Beehive Academy of Science & Technology
  • Charter Day on the Hill – January 18th-sign up HERE
  • APPEL Program & Teacher Licenses-Teachers seeking licensure this year (and beyond) need to take the PPAT (Praxis Performance Assessment for Teachers). This is a several month long assessment that begins in January. This year only there is a zero cut score, so encourage your candidate teachers to get this done this year. For more information, contact Joylin Lincoln at appel@utahcharters.org
  • Upcoming Training:
    • 12/15/21, 9am, Administrators Supporting New Teachers taking PPAT, Zoom
    • 1/4/22, 11am-1pm, Administrator Training: Student Recruitment, Retention and Growth, Zoom and In Person
    • 1/5/22, 8am-4pm, Crucial Conversations, George Washington Academy, St. George, UT, In person only
    • 1/8/22, 9am-2pm, PPAT Boot Camp for Teachers, Zoom
    • 1/19/22, Noon, Wednesdays, 10 Week Policy Series, For board members and administration, Zoom
    • 1/27/22, 7pm, New Board Member Boot Camp, Endeavor Hall, In person and Zoom
    • Register HERE for all training options
  • Job Fair – February 26, 2022, Summit Academy High School in Bluffdale. Partnered with Frontline Education. Registration Opens in January
  • UAPCS Board Election Results: Congratulations to Lynne Herring and Stacee Phillips! We look forward to working with you! Thank you to all board members for your service! 
  • SAVE THE DATE: Utah Charter School Conference, June 7-8, 2022 at the Davis Conference Center in Layton, UT. Gerry Brooks will be our keynote speaker.  
    • If you are interested in presenting, Application to Present is open on our website HERE.

Reading Horizons – Meeting Sponsor 

  • Based in Utah, the Reading Horizons account manager, Steffani Clark, spoke about the success and “science of reading” based Reading Horizons program. Find out more about Reading Horizons HERE. Steffani can be reached at 801-232-7809, steff.clark@readinghorizons.com.

Legislative Update – District 45 House of Representatives

  • Steve Eliason
    • Representative Eliason has been in the legislature for 11 years representing Sandy, Cottonwood Heights and White City area. He is the Co-Chair of the House Education Appropriations Committee with Lincoln Fillmore. His work in the legislature includes the following:
      • Student Support Amendments: Funding to schools to pay for a student support position (nurse, counselor, etc.) of their choice.
      • Suicide Prevention Program: Funding for schools to run the suicide prevention program of their choice. Suicide is the leading cause of death among 10-24 year olds in Utah. Schools are putting the money into good use with HOPE squads and other support services.
      • SafeUT App: He was a sponsor of this program. He encourages all charter schools to participate.
      • Mental Health Screening Bill: A program to allow parents to opt-in to mental health screening for their student. Most mental illness is diagnosed during the teenage years. There are better outcomes for people with this early detection and treatment.
    • The Executive Appropriations Committee (EAC) met last week and took most of the Governor’s recommendations. There will be about a 5% total increase to the overall education budget. They will fund growth, increase the WPU and give special attention to certain components of the WPU, including extra funding for at-risk students.
    • As new money comes to the state this year, the legislature typically puts 40% away for Rainy Day funding to cover the peaks and valleys in the economy over several years. 
    • Discussion about how the legislature determines budget request priorities from the USBE and other entities: The committee meetings are “fast and furious” so it is challenging to develop detailed proposals like the ones submitted. The legislators will look at the line item requests as well as the overall budget requests from the USBE. They also compare to the expected budget amounts and then speak to constituents, partners (USBE, etc.), and other interested parties (associations, lobbyists, etc.) to determine the greatest priorities. Legislators appreciate a realistic budget. Legislators seek input from the governor’s proposal. Aligning all the groups’ requests to see the common denominators is the most helpful to what is best for students. They can simplify the budget by funding growth and the WPU up front.

State Board of Education-District 5

  • Laura Belnap
    • USBE priorities include working to resolve issues addressed by the Performance Audit of the Utah’s Charter School Governance Structure. The USBE and SCSB are working together to determine best policies and procedures. They are working to make sure training of governing boards is clear.
    • USBE also has their top 10 priorities for legislative funding out: USBE FY 2023 Financial Priorities. 
    • Laura appreciates the charter school voices that contribute in the meetings, namely Royce, but also encourages you to reach out directly to her to share your opinions as well. 
    • She can be reached at (801) 699-7588 or lbelnap@utahonline.org.

  Legislative Notes

  • Royce Van Tassell
    • The Executive Appropriations Committee took many of the recommendations of the governor. (We sent out his budget in a previous email: One Utah FY 2023 Recommended Budget. There will be about $400M new education spending, which may result in a 4% WPU increase. 
    • It is notable that the budgets are being discussed and resolved early in the legislative season, typically the budget is not resolved until February.

Next Meeting- Monday, January 10th at 11:00am - Online


Announcements and Upcoming Events

  • School Highlights: Edith Bowen Charter School and Soldier Hollow Charter School
  • Charter Day on the Hill – Due to high covid-19 transmission, we have reluctantly decided to cancel the January 18th event.
  • Charter School Expo-In conjunction with National School Choice Week, there will be an Expo at the Utah Valley Convention Center on Saturday, January 22, 2022 from 10:30am-1:30pm. The event is free to schools and free to the public. Please see https://utahschoolexpo.weebly.com/ for more information.
  • APPEL Program & Teacher Licenses-Teachers seeking licensure this year (and beyond) need to take the PPAT (Praxis Performance Assessment for Teachers). This is a several month long assessment that begins in January. This year only there is a zero cut score, so encourage your candidate teachers to get this done this year. For more information, contact Joylin Lincoln at appel@utahcharters.org
  • Upcoming Training:
    • 1/18/22, 11am-1pm, Administrator Training, Student Recruitment, Zoom
    • 1/19/22, Noon, Policy Series, General Policy Overview, Zoom
    • 1/26/22, Noon, Policy Series, Results/Goal Policies, Zoom
    • 1/27/22, 7pm, New Board Member Boot Camp, Endeavor Hall, In person and Zoom
    • Register HERE for all training options and to receive the Zoom links
  • Job Fair – February 26, 2022, Summit Academy High School in Bluffdale. Partnered with Frontline Education. Registration Open-HERE for schools and HERE for job seekers. 
  • SAVE THE DATE: Utah Charter School Conference, June 7-8, 2022 at the Davis Conference Center in Layton, UT. Gerry Brooks will be our keynote speaker.  
    • If you are interested in presenting, Application to Present is open on our website HERE.

 

HUB International Benefits - Meeting Sponsor


State Attorney General’s Office

  • Ciara Gregovich
    • Ciara shared slides about the Child ID program. The AG’s office has purchased 750,000 ID kits so that every Utah child can have them. Distribution will be through local Sheriff’s departments.
    • If you are interested in more information, receiving kits for your students, please contact cgregovich@agutah.gov.
    • Ciara also works closely with substance abuse issues in the state and can be a resource if you have any questions about substance abuse.

 

Legislative Update – District 8 House of Representatives

  • Steve Waldrip
    • Rep. Waldrip believes the job of legislators are to make sure those in education have the resources they need to do their job in educating students.
    • This session look for the following:
      • Healthy increase in the WPU
      • Legislation moving forward:
        • Senator Milner seeking funding for early learning initiative (K-3 reading) and all-day kindergarten
        • Senator Pulsipher-streamlining reporting
    • Rep. Waldrip supports charter schools as labs for achievement. Charter schools can be used to model new pathways for better academic performance. Charter schools can do this by pivoting faster than large school districts to address teacher and student needs.
    • Rep. Waldrip recognized there are systemic issues that need to be addressed in education, including with the number of strings attached to funding. He believes that we should look at the results and not the inputs; “don’t pull up the flower to see how the roots are growing.”
    • He believes that decisions should be collaborative and is happy to engage with educators. He and other legislators receive summary information with which to make decisions, but he would like to meet with educators directly and get their input about how decisions impact them.

Legislative Notes

  • Royce Van Tassell
    • The base budget to be passed next week should include an 7% increase in the LRF for a value of $199/student more. The Executive Appropriations Committee also approved a 3.5% increase in the WPU. Both these funds are unrestricted.
    • We are working to determine how well restricted funding moves the needle for the student recipients of the funding. Most research says that it does not. Research from 2013 identified 1-64 different funding line items across the country. Utah has 60 line item funding streams currently. The amount of time spent to justify each line item is burdensome and we hope to change that. We will be working on the Hill and in media to make sure that money spent in specific programs accomplishes what is intended, and to request unrestricting that money if it doesn’t.
    • It is anticipated the legislature will continue the use of up to 35% of state restricted funds in an unrestricted way to meet student needs, as it did last year. Please identify the best way to use that funding.

 

Next Meeting- Monday, Feburary 14th at 11:00am - Online

Zoom Details

 Meeting details will be send via Campaigner email prior to each meeting. 

Please provide your email to gina@utahcharters.org if you are not receiving updates from UAPCS.