AURORA PUBLIC SCHOOLS Issued September 2012 Revised: January 2015 APS Code: LBD-E CHARTER SCHOOLS (Intent to Apply to Become a District Charter School) Page 1 of 6 Instructions: All district charter school applicants must file this intent to apply form with the district at least 30 days before submitting an application to the Board of Education. The intent to apply form may be returned to the Division of Accountability and Research, 15701 E. 1st Avenue, Suite 112, Aurora, CO 80011. The form should also be the first document included in the district charter school application. 02/09/18 Today’s Date: ___________________ 03/09/18 Date when you intend to submit your application:_____________________________ Friendship Aspire Academy Public Charter School Name of proposed district charter school: ___________________________________________ Friendship Education Foundation Name of education management provider (EMP), if applicable: __________________________ Joe Harris Contact person: ____________________________________________________ Mailing address: ______________________________________ City: ________________________ State: ____ Zip: __________ Daytime phone: ________________ Fax: _________________ Email: _____________________________________________ Please respond to the following; attach separate sheets as necessary. 1. Applicant(s) has/will file an application to charter this school or a substantially similar school with other authorizers:  Yes  No If yes, please list the other authorizer(s): ______________________________________________________________________ 2. Applicant(s) submitting this form: (Check appropriate statement)  is incorporated in Colorado as a nonprofit  has filed application to become a Colorado nonprofit  (state type of entity, if other than above): _____________________________ 3. If applicant intends to contract with an EMP, the corporate status of the EMP is:  incorporated in Colorado as a nonprofit  has filed application to become a Colorado nonprofit District of Columbia Incorporated nonprofit (CMO)  (state type of entity, if other than above): __________________________ 4. The proposed district charter school will be located within the boundaries of the school district in which this intent to apply form is submitted:  Yes  No If no, the proposed district charter school will be located in _______________________. AURORA PUBLIC SCHOOLS Issued September 2012 APS Code: LBD-E CHARTER SCHOOLS (Intent to Apply to Become a District Charter School) Page 2 of 6 5. Does the school expect to contract with a charter management organization or company for school management or operation?  Yes  No If yes, identify the charter management organization: Friendship Education Foundation ________________________________________________________________________ 6. Proposed principal or lead administrator information Name of proposed principal candidate: Dr. Jeffery Grant ________________________________________________________________________ Current employment: Friendship Public Charter School ________________________________________________________________________ _____________ Phone (day) ______________ Phone (evening) ___________________________________________________ Email address 7. Model or focus of proposed school: (ex. Arts, College Prep, Dual Language, etc.) The Friendship education model offers a liberal arts and college exploration education model. Friendship Aspire Academy PCS will provided k-5 students in Aurora with a rigorous curriculum, top-notch instruction, advanced leadership, cutting-edge resources and extensive parent support to ensure that every child succeeds. ________________________________________________________________________ 8. Grade levels to be served: K-5 ________________________________________________________________________ AURORA PUBLIC SCHOOLS Issued September 2012 APS Code: LBD-E CHARTER SCHOOLS (Intent to Apply to Become a District Charter School) Page 3 of 6 9. Projected enrollment and demographics chart K School Year 1 School Year 2 School Year 3 School Year 4 School Year 5 1 2 10. 4 80 80 80 80 80 80 80 80 80 80 80 80 80 80 80 80 80 80 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Total 160 % ELL School Year 1 School Year 2 School Year 3 School Year 4 School Year 5 3 80 240 320 % SPED 400 80 480 % FRL 30 12 95 30 12 95 30 12 95 30 12 95 30 12 95 Name of applicant team or founding entity: Friendship Education Foundation ________________________________________________________________________ A. Names, roles, and current employment of all persons on the applicant team: 1) Joe Harris, Lead Contact, Friendship Education Foundation 2) Dr. Jeffery Grant, School Leader, Friendship Public Charter School 3) Donald Hense, Founding Board Member, Friendship Education Foundation 4) Kristi Campbell, Academic and Compliance, Friendship Education Foundation AURORA PUBLIC SCHOOLS Issued September 2012 APS Code: LBD-E CHARTER SCHOOLS (Intent to Apply to Become a District Charter School) Page 4 of 6 B. Does the applicant team or any members of the team currently operate any other schools?  Yes  No C. Explain the individual and collective qualifications of the applicant team members to establish a high-quality charter school, in particular the capacity to assume responsibility for public funds, administration and governance. The Friendship Aspire Academy PCS (Friendship) applicant team members reflect a diverse and seasoned team made up of charter school founders, administrators, managers and academic professionals affiliated with the Friendship Public Charter School system, a 22 year old LEA charter school network of 15 schools serving over 5,000 with schools in Washington DC, Baltimore Maryland, Baton Rouge Louisiana, and Little Rock and Pine Bluff Arkansas. 1) Joe Harris, has 20+ years senior level experience in charter school and non profit management; leading charter application and charter approval processes in 6 states; budget and finance oversight; and leading charter school management teams. 2) Donald Hense, Founder and CEO of the Friendship Public Charter School (retired). Currently serves as the CEO of the Friendship Education Foundation, a CMO whose mission is to replicate and manage Friendship schools nationally. 3) Dr. Jeffery Grant, has 15 years experience as an elementary and middle school leader and principal in both district and charter schools. He currently leads a Tier I (highest performing) elementary/middle school with over 650 students. Upon charter approval in Aurora, Dr. Grant intends to relocate and serve as the school leader/Principal of the school. 4) Kristi Campbell, has 10 years experience with both state charter associations and charter management organizations in Texas and Arkansas. She has lead the work of academic, compliance and school performance teams. AURORA PUBLIC SCHOOLS Issued September 2012 APS Code: LBD-E CHARTER SCHOOLS (Intent to Apply to Become a District Charter School) Page 5 of 6 D. Include as attachments resumes for each individual on the applicant team. Have you included the attachments? E.  Yes  No Explain the circumstances and motivations that brought the applicant team together to propose this charter school. For more than 22 years, the Friendship Public Charter School system has been supported by and a partner in the charter movement with the Walton Family Foundation (WFF). It was suggested by WFF that we consider opening a Friendship school in the Denver area. As we researched the needs and student make up of the children in the APSD we found them to mirror the students we serve in terms of academic challenges, race/ethnicity and lower income. It is this population where we have had great success in producing higher than state averages in terms of academic gains and grade level advancements. Furthermore, we believe introducing a nationally recognized high performing charter school program, operated and managed by an experienced minority lead (African American) charter school team, would add to the diversity of charter school landscape in the city of Aurora. AURORA PUBLIC SCHOOLS Issued September 2012 APS Code: LBD-E CHARTER SCHOOLS (Intent to Apply to Become a District Charter School) Page 6 of 6 F. Which applicant team members will become founding board members? Donald Hense 11. Identify any organizations, agencies, consultants or institutions of higher education that are partners in planning and establishing this charter school, along with a brief description of their current and planned role and any resources they have contributed or plan to contribute to the school’s development. 4th Sector Solutions (Baton Rouge La) Founded by Joe Keeney, a former Edison School Project Executive, 4th Sector will provider charter application development, writing, and approval support. They will provide direct administrative, budgeting, finance, data management, HR and support services management services through the FEF EMP contract. Friendship Public Charter School (Washington DC) FPCS will support school design, curriculum development, school leader coaching, and instructional staff professional development support to the school. FPCS will have no direct role in the operation of the school.