2017 OPSB Charter School RFA Update: Part 2 Submissions & Superintendent’s Recommendation OPSB Accountability Committee Presentation Tuesday, March 14th, 2017 1 3.3: OPSB Charter School RFA Process Update 2017 OPSB Charter RFA: OPSB Authorizes Three Types of Charter Schools Type 1 New Start-up May only establish programspecific or geographic enrollment preferences, in accordance with state law and OPSB Policy HA Not entitled to a district public school building Type 3 Type 3B Conversion of an existing district operated public school Return of a former RSD Type 5 charter school (not included in RFA) Must provide first priority in enrollment to students currently enrolled at the school May not establish any admissions preferences, in accordance with BESE Bulletin 129 and Policy HA May only establish programspecific or geographic enrollment preferences, per state law and OPSB Policy HA Must have earned an SPS of 54.0 or above for two consecutive years, with additional requirements for HS Entitled to retain current district facility upon conversion Entitled to retain current (or SFMP-assigned) district facility upon conversion, or receive comparable assignment 3 2017 OPSB Charter RFA: OPSB Will Consider 3 Application Types During This Cycle New Start Schools (Type 1): May Recommendations • OPSB has received complete applications from 8 organizations, for Type 1 charter schools to open not earlier than Fall 2018 • OPSB will present recommendations for these applications during the School Board’s May 2017 meeting cycle Transformation of McDonogh #42 (Type 1 – Transformation): March Recommendations (today) • RSD has included OPSB in the process to replace the operator of McDonogh #42. • While RSD will select the new operator of the school site, two applicants applied with OPSB for a Type 1 charter – one applicant subsequently withdrew from this process • In an effort to provide Mc42 families with as much clarity as possible, OPSB has accelerated the review process for the remaining transformation applicant, and is presenting Superintendent’s Recommendations during today’s meeting. Network School Conversions (Type 3): April Decisions, including replication requests • In December 2017, OPSB received interest from district-operated school principals in converting each of the 5 network schools into charter schools for the 2017-18 school year. • Two applicants applied with OPSB for charters to convert these schools, and an additional operator eligible for automatic replication has requested permission to replicate as a Type 3 – one applicant subsequently withdrew from the process • In order to provide clarity to families and to allow sufficient time for orderly transition of any schools approved for conversion, OPSB will accelerate the review process for conversion applicants, and anticipates presenting recommendations during the School Board’s April 2017 meeting cycle. 4 2017 OPSB Charter RFA: Type 1 and Type 3 Applications Proceeding to Evaluation Stage Nonprofit Organization Name Charter Type ASHA Type 1 Number of Schools & Grades Served 1 school, grades 9-12 Center for Resilience Type 1 1 school, grades PK-8 Collegiate Academies Type 1 3 schools, each serving grades 9-12 ExCEED Network Schools Charter Management Organization French and Montessori Education Type 3 Type 1 3 schools, grades PK-8 2 schools, grades 9-12 1 school, grades PK-8 IDEA Public Schools Type 1 1 school, grades K-12 Lyceum Schools Type 1 1 school, grades K-12 New Harmony High Type 1 1 school, grades 9-12 United Scholars Type 1 2 schools, grades 9-12 NOTE – InspireNOLA Charter Schools also has two requests for new schools pending OPSB consideration: • Type 1 (Transformation) application for McDonogh #42 ES – Superintendent’s Recommendation presented today • Request for permission to automatically replicate as a Type 3, for either McMain or McDonogh #35 HS – no charter application is required per state law; recommendations to be presented in April 5 2017 OPSB Charter RFA: What Happens During the Evaluation Stage? Primary Application Reading, for both Independent Evaluation Team & OPSB District Staff Request for Clarification Presented by Independent Evaluation Team to Applicants Capacity Interview Conducted by Independent Evaluation Team Independent Evaluation Team Presents Recommendation to OPSB and Applicant OPSB Conducts Public Hearing Superintendent’s Recommendations Presented to School Board 6 2017 OPSB Charter RFA Process: Key Dates for Type 3 Conversions Week of March 6th March 14 – 16 By Friday, April 7 Tues, April 11 (6pm at McDonogh 35) April 18 – 20 • Complete Application Materials Posted to OPSB website • School Community Introductory Meetings (Meet & Greets) with applicants • March School Board meetings - Type 3 Process Update • No action will be taken regarding Type 3 conversion applicants • Independent Evaluation report for Type 3 conversion applicant issued • Reports & responses will be posted to OPSB website once completed • School Board Public Hearing on Type 3 Conversion Applications • Opportunity for public comments on Type 3 conversion requests • April School Board meetings – Superintendent’s Recommendations presented 7 Type 3 Conversions: Legal & Ethical Safeguards for 2017 Charter RFA Process  State law and BESE policies regarding Type 3 charter schools permit the participation of school-site staff and leadership in the charter application process.  Upon initial notification from district-operated school leaders of their interest in Type 3 charter conversions, and prior to receiving submissions from any organization, OPSB engaged internal and external legal counsel in conducting an analysis of all issues and restrictions related to the application process.  After careful review of the related law, policy and ethics rules, OPSB completely excluded certain employees (including all current or former OPSB employees named in any application) from all aspects of the charter RFA evaluation process.  In addition, OPSB employees were advised that, aside from providing otherwise publicly available information that would be shared with any other applicant group, they could not have any role in the development of the applications being submitted.  These restrictions remain in place through the evaluation phase in order to protect the integrity of the process and to insure impartial decision-making.  OPSB’s Charter RFA Code of Conduct further prohibits all individuals participating in any charter application from lobbying either the Superintendent or School Board members during the evaluation phase, outside of the public processes established for this purpose – applicants who fail to comply with this requirement may be disqualified from consideration 8 Type 3 Conversions: School Community Engagement  Over the past week, OPSB administration hosted introductory sessions, in which representatives from each applicant group met with faculty, families, and alumni from network school communities  Through the remainder of the Type 3 charter evaluation period, OPSB will continue to engage families and school communities regarding the potential conversion  Central Office Points of Contact for School Community Questions:   Faculty & Staff: Dr. Armand Devezin, armand_devezin@opsb.us, 504-304-4110 Families & Community: Jason Hughes, jason_hughes@opsb.us, 504-304-3917 9 Type 3 Conversions: FAQs from Community Meet & Greets  Admissions/Enrollment     By state law and district policy, Type 3 conversions must provide first preference in admissions to currently-enrolled students, above all other applicants seeking entry to the school State law and district policy also prohibits the (re-)establishment of academic admissions requirements for Type 3 charter schools No further determinations regarding admissions/enrollment policies or preferences have been made at this time, pending review of submitted application materials Facilities   State law and district policy provides that Type 3 conversions must retain the facility in which they operate at the time of conversion OPSB administration intends to request that any chartering organization honor existing partnerships relative to district-operated school facilities (e.g., Willie Hall) 10 Type 3 Conversions: FAQs from Community Meet & Greets  Status of Current Employees     As a part of the RFA process, applicants have provided information regarding proposed HR policies & processes OPSB administration has also begun the process of seeking guidance from appropriate parties relative to considerations (e.g., transfer of sick leave and retirement credit) in the event one or more schools is converted Additional information will be communicated directly to school staff, as it is available through the evaluation process Individuals with specific concerns may contact applicant organizations directly through their designated POCs; for OPSB-related questions, staff may contact Dr. Armand Devezin 11 3.1: Superintendent?s Recommendation: Type 1 Transformation McDonogh #42 Type 1 Transformation: McDonogh #42 Elementary School  In December 2016, BESE declined to renew the charter of the current operator of McDonogh #42 ES  RSD issued a turnaround RFA, to seek a new operator for this site - we anticipate a final announcement from the RSD this week   OPSB participated in this process, which included significant community input in the RSD Superintendent’s siting recommendation OPSB also worked in partnership with RSD and both applicants for the school, in order to accelerate its charter application review process   In late February, Better Choice Foundation withdrew its application One application remains under consideration, from InspireNOLA Charter Schools 13 Independent Evaluation Team Composition  Teams are composed of three members, which collectively have substantive areas of experience/expertise aligned to the elements of the application:     Educational program Organizational plan Financial/business plan The Evaluation Team utilizes the following process in reviewing all applications        Individual review Team debrief Request for clarification Capacity Interviews Recommendation Review applicant response Rebuttal 14 Independent Evaluation: Characteristics of a High-Quality School Plan  Mission alignment  Cohesion of elements & alignment between sections  Sufficiently detailed  Presentation of compelling evidence that the plan demonstrates potential to produce high-quality outcomes for students  Demonstration of track record and capacity to execute the plan and deliver outcomes for students 15 Education Plan: Evaluation Team Expectations & Critical Qs Expectations  Comprehensive  Internally aligned  Supported by budget expenditures and organizational model  Likely to succeed with the anticipated population  Viable plans for stakeholder engagement  Evidence based Critical Questions 1. Does the school structure support the execution of the curriculum and instructional strategies? 2. Are goals and expectations ambitious but realistic? 3. Does the applicant have sound plans for serving students with special needs? 4. Does the school leader demonstrate the experience, skills, and capabilities needed to manage the school? 16 Organizational Plan Evaluation Team Expectations & Critical Qs Expectations     Supports implementation of the educational program and achievement of vision Supports effective oversight, decisionmaking Reasonable assessment of operational needs Thoughtful plan for start-up, launch, ongoing operations Critical Questions 1. Does the governing board demonstrate the depth and breadth of experience required for effective school oversight? 2. Is the organization well-structured for effective decision making? 3. Is the staffing plan reasonable and supportive of programming and operations? 4. Does the staffing plan clearly reflects the school’s proposed growth model? 5. Does applicant have experience with nonacademic operations? 17 Financial Plan: Evaluation Team Expectations & Critical Qs Expectations      Realistic revenue/expense projections with clear assumptions – start up through year five Spending priorities align with the school’s mission, educational program, management structure, PD needs, and growth plan Realistic cash flow projections aligned with marketing and recruitment plan Sound financial controls to ensure proper use of public funds and long-term viability Demonstrates financial planning and management capacity Critical Questions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Does the budget accurately reflect the available funding sources? Are projections for private funds realistic? What contingencies are in place in the event that revenues are below expectations? Does the budget include all the major cost centers associated with the operation of a charter school? Does the budget reflect going market rates (e.g. salaries, contracted or interorganizational services and fees, facilities)? Are any potential financial conflicts of interest disclosed and explained? 18 Independent Evaluation Team Process: Results  Recommendation report presented to OPSB Superintendent, district staff, and School Board members  Analysis of strengths/concerns regarding the proposal   Final report is aligned to application plan elements The evaluation is not:   A rank ordering/preference for one quality application over another A final decision: Neither the Superintendent nor the School Board are bound by the results of the independent evaluation process 19 Independent Evaluation Team Results: InspireNOLA Charter Schools – McDonogh #42  Independent Evaluation Recommendation: APPROVE  Academic Plan: MEETS STANDARD  Organizational Plan: MEETS STANDARD  Financial Plan: MEETS STANDARD  Evidence of Capacity: MEETS STANDARD 20 Type 1 Transformation (McDonogh #42): Superintendent’s Recommendation - InspireNOLA  Superintendent’s Recommendation: APPROVE the Type 1 application submitted by InspireNOLA, for the transformation of McDonogh #42 Elementary School  The School Board is additionally requested to WAIVE its right to reject the Superintendent’s recommendation pursuant to R.S. 17:10.7.1(F)(1)(b), in order to finalize this decision and provide clarity to families and sufficient time for the new school operator to begin preparations 21