CSAB Meeting: December 2018 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Title: HOPE CHARTER LEADERSHIP ACADEMY AND PAVE SE RALEIGH CHARTER SCHOOL’S REQUEST TO APPROVE AN ARTICULATION AGREEMENT Policy Implications: Constitution General Statute #115C-218.45(f) SBE Policy #CHTR-014 SBE Policy Amendment SBE Policy (New) Other Presenter(s): Ashley Baquero, Consultant with the Office of Charter Schools Description: The Board of Directors for Hope Charter Leadership Academy (“Hope”) and PAVE SE Raleigh Charter School (“PAVE”) have worked together to draft an articulation agreement between the two schools and are seeking a recommendation for approval by the Charter School Advisory Board. Hope and PAVE are charter schools operating in Wake County. Hope has decided to relinquish its charter at the conclusion of the 2018-19 school year. The decision was made based on the school’s inability to meet satisfactory student performance goals. As a result, Hope and PAVE have engaged in discussions regarding PAVE’s ability to offer seats to Hope students currently in grades Kindergarten through 4th grade who might apply for the 2019-20 school year. PAVE currently operates K-4th grade and will operate K-5th grade during the 2019-2020 school year. Hope and PAVE have drafted an articulation agreement that would provide a weighted preference to Hope students who apply to PAVE for the 2019-20 school year. The articulation agreement would be in effect for the 2019-20 lottery/application/enrollment process only. The missions of the two schools are aligned; both schools promote high expectations and character education. Further, many of Hope’s students reside in Southeast Raleigh, the community that PAVE seeks to serve and where the majority of PAVE’s students live. Attachments for Review: Letter of request; board meeting minutes approving the articulation agreement; the proposed Articulation Agreement; revised Charter Application for PAVE SE Raleigh Charter School. Input Process: The Office of Charter Schools and Board of Directors for Hope Charter Leadership Academy and PAVE SE Raleigh Charter School Board of Directors. Stakeholders: Parents and students of Hope Charter Leadership Academy; parents, students, and staff at PAVE SE Raleigh Charter School. 1 DocuSign Envelope ID: My SE RALEIGH, NC Euilding Cilizens and Scholars Bricls by Erich November 27, 2018 To Whom it May Concern: Over the past 2 months, board members from PAVE SE Raleigh Charter School (PAVE) and Hope Charter Leadership Academy (Hope) have engaged in several conversations that stem from Hope?s decision to relinquish its charter at the conclusion of the 2018-19 school year. The discussions have centered around PAVE's ability to offer seats to Hope students currently in grades Kindergarten through 4th who might apply for the 2019-20 school year. - After careful consideration and analysis by all parties, both boards voted at their respective November board meetings to pursue an Articulation Agreement. This agreement would provide weighted preference to Hope students who apply to PAVE for the 2019?20 school year (behind siblings of current students and the children of PAVE staff). While this agreement would not necessarily guarantee a seat to every Hope applicant (PAVE will preserve its class size of 21 students), both boards recognize the considerable benefits this arrangement would create. The missions of our two schools are aligned and complementary. Both of our schools promote high expectations for academic achievement and understand the importance of building students of robust character who are resilient leaders. Additionally, we have noted that many of Hope's students reside in southeast Raleigh, the community that PAVE SE seeks to serve and where the majority of PAVE's students live. We believe these combined factors will provide a relatively seamless transition for Hope students and that the PAVE charter option will provide comfort to Hope families as they look at school options for their children. Please find attached the minutes from our November board meetings that communicate this consensus agreement. Thank you very much for your support and consideration and do not hesitate to reach out with any questions. Sincerely, .. Q5 soot Ml SE Board Chair Walt Sherlin, Hope Board Chair CEO PAVE Schools Tucker Mann, Hope Board Member Articulation Agreement This Articulation Agreement (Agreement) between the signatory schools, PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School (PAVE SE) and Hope Charter Leadership Academy (Hope), is intended to utilize the provision in the charter law to allow: • • • PAVE SE to give first enrollment priority to applicants who are the siblings of current PAVE SE students; PAVE SE to give second enrollment priority to applicants who are the children of current PAVE SE faculty and staff; PAVE SE to give third enrollment priority to Hope students who apply to PAVE SE and are currently enrolled in grades Kindergarten through Fourth Grade. Purpose and Intent PAVE SE is a K-8th Grade public charter school. Hope is a K-5th Grade public charter school. Both schools are located in Raleigh and serve a similar student population—students of color, the majority of whom are from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. PAVE SE and Hope share similar missions that center around academic excellence and developing students of strong character. Hope will relinquish its charter at the conclusion of the 2018-19 school year. It is the desire of the PAVE SE and Hope Boards to enable: • • A simple path/option for Hope students to continue their education at PAVE’s campus; A way for current Hope students who apply to PAVE SE to receive a priority enrollment (behind the siblings of current PAVE SE students and the children of PAVE SE faculty/staff). The Agreement between the signatory schools, PAVE SE and Hope, is intended to advance the mission of each school and provide an opportunity for Hope students who wish to continue their education at a public charter school as contemplated by North Carolina General Statute 115C-218.45(f)(5) and 115C-218.45(f)(6). Eligibility To be eligible to receive priority enrollment at PAVE, a Hope student must meet the following requirements: • • Be currently enrolled at Hope as a Kindergarten through 4th Grade student; Complete and submit an application prior to PAVE SE’s spring lottery Process If a Hope student/applicant meets the requirements outlined in this Agreement, that student will be given priority enrollment at PAVE SE for the 2019-20 school year (pursuant to PAVE SE’s enrollment policies). However, nothing in this agreement guarantees that a Hope student will be admitted to PAVE SE. For students who are admitted and accept a seat at PAVE SE, representatives from each school will discuss the student to ensure the smoothest transition possible. Board Approval/Termination In accordance with North Carolina law, this agreement must be voted on and adopted by the Boards of PAVE SE and Hope. Once adopted, the Board Chairs of the respective schools will sign the agreement. This Agreement is for the lottery/application/enrollment process for the 201920 school year only. The end of this Agreement will not impact any students currently enrolled at PAVE SE. DocuSign Envelope ID: 7A0F1BCD-45AD-411D-8BC8-6846CAD3C582 MINUTES PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School, Inc. The Board of PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School, Inc. met September 24, 2018 from 4:45 – 6:00 pm for a regular board meeting. The meeting was held at 909 Glenwood Ave, Raleigh NC. ATTENDEES: Board Members: PRESENT NAME OF DIRECTOR J.B. Buxton Kwan Graham Andrew Lakis Dexter Herbert Jacqueline (Jackie) Jones Spencer Robertson Crawford Crenshaw Annette Corona Michelle Keaton-Barrow Mary “MeMe” McNairy TITLE (IF ANY) IN PERSON Board Chair Trustee Trustee Trustee Trustee Trustee/PAVE-CEO Trustee Trustee Trustee Trustee x PRESENT BY TELEPHONE/VIDEO UNABLE TO ATTEND x x x x x x x x x Staff and Other Attendees Present: NAME Mabel Lajes-Guiteras Lindsay Danon TITLE (IF ANY) PRESENT IN PERSON Executive Director Managing Director-NY PRESENT BY TELEPHONE/ VIDEO x x MEETING ITEMS: 1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL JB Buxton determined that the meeting was duly noticed, that a quorum was present and called the meeting to order. The PAVE SE Raleigh school mission was read. JB Buxton outlined the objective of the meeting and listed priorities. 1 DocuSign Envelope ID: 7A0F1BCD-45AD-411D-8BC8-6846CAD3C582 2. APPROVAL OF PRIOR BOARD MEETING MINUTES The Secretary submitted the minutes from the September 24, 2018 regular meetings for review, discussion, and approval of the Board. A motion was made by Annette Corona and seconded by Crawford Crenshaw minutes listed above be approved once revision to staff title is made. The motion was unanimously approved. 3. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEM(S) Public Comment: Opportunity was presented for public comment. No public comments requested or made. Executive Director update: Update and progress given on the three priorities around PAVE school culture and staff professional development and/or support. Parent teacher conferences will be held on Friday 11/16/18. There are two candidates that will be interviewed for the Director of K-1 position. The target date for hiring for this position is early January 2019. Our new office manager will start tomorrow, 11/13/18. This will allow Christina to move into her role as Operations Manager. Our 3rd graders have completed their BOG assessments. The data from these assessments will be analyzed and a plan for instructions and strategies for these students will be created. Our 3rd grade cohort doubled in size this 2018 – 2019 school year. Hope Articulation Agreement: Discussion about PAVE SE Raleigh and the Hope Charter Leadership Academy (Hope) entering into an Articulation Agreement. PAVE Board members met with the Office of Charter Schools to discuss logistics of this process. This agreement would enable Hope students in grades K-4 to have preference in the lottery after siblings of current PAVE SE Raleigh students. A PAVE SE Raleigh transition team will be created to assist in this process. The team will be made up of PAVE SE Raleigh board members, school administration, and parents from the Parent Advisory Board. A motion was made by Kwan Graham and seconded by Annette Corona to approve to amend the PAVE SE Raleigh charter to enter into an articulation agreement with Hope Charter Leadership Academy (Hope) which will include a onetime preference to Hope students in the lottery and formulate a PAVE SE Raleigh transition team. The motion was unanimously approved. 2 DocuSign Envelope ID: 7A0F1BCD-45AD-411D-8BC8-6846CAD3C582 CSAB Meeting re-cap/Next steps update: An update was given about the PAVE SE Raleigh presentation to the Charter School Advisory Board. The presentation outline strategies that the school will take to improve the end of grade testing results. The Advisory Board accepted the school’s plan of action to improve. At the request of the Advisory Board, PAVE SE Raleigh will submit a school improvement plan. PAVE SE Raleigh board will approve the school improvement plan before it is submitted. 4. CONVENE IN CLOSED SESSION A motion was made by Crawford Crenshaw and seconded by Annette Corona that the Board convene in Closed Session pursuant to: Update on a personnel issue. The motion was unanimously approved. 5. RECONVENE IN OPEN SESSION A motion was made by Annette Corona and seconded by Crawford Crenshaw that the Board reconvene in Open Session. The motion was unanimously approved. 6. MEETING ADJOURNMENT Closing and Commitments: The next PAVE SE Raleigh board meeting is 12/17/18. A motion was made by JB Buxton that the meeting be adjourned. Respectfully submitted: Kwan Graham ________________________________ ___________________________________ JB Buxton ___________________, President 3 WCSR 33177446v1 Hope Charter Leadership Academy (HCLA) Minutes of Board Meeting November 28, 2018 Media Center 7:45 a.m. Members Present: Allene Adams, Barbara Engram, Anna Dunn Fonville (by phone), Mike Gray, Pamela Jamison, Joel Kamya, Leonard King, Tom Mann, Tucker Mann, Willette Morman, Walt Sherlin and Robin Vincent Members Absent: Chip Anderson, Delores Fogg, Ken Mack, and Beth Burrus (non-voting member) Non-voting Members: Clarissa Fleming Staff: Cher Perry I. Welcome, Call to Order, Pledge of Allegiance: The fourth Board meeting of the 2018-19 school year held at Hope Charter Leadership Academy was called to order at 7:50 a.m. by Mr. Sherlin who asked Mrs. Vincent to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. II. Approval of Board Agenda: Action: Mr. Sherlin asked for any additions or changes to the agenda. There being none, he moved that the agenda be approved as it was presented. Mr. Tucker Mann provided the second for the motion. Motion carried unanimously (12 – 0). III. Approval of October 24, 2018 Board minutes: Action: Mrs. Jamison presented the minutes of the October 24, 2018 meeting with one correction of 2022-23 for PAVE to expand to K – 8 and asked for any other additions and corrections to the minutes. There being none, she moved that the minutes be approved with the noted correction. Mr. Kamya provided the second for the motion. Motion carried unanimously (12 – 0). IV. Principal’s Report: Mrs. Fleming highlighted several dates of school programs and other events in December and January. Some of the important dates are The Leader in Me Lighthouse Certification visit on December 4, the NWEA MAP testing on December 6 – 7 and the winter holiday and track out into January. She provided additional information in the following areas: a. Enrollment • • Remains approximately consistent with 120 students. Two students moved from the area—a 4th grader and a 3rd grader. b. Staffing • The Front Desk and Attendance duties have been handled by the school custodian, Ms. Reed-Smith, in the absence of Mr. Sutherland. This replacement is due to illness and hospitalization. • The 3rd grade Instructional Assistant, Ms. Korgar, had accepted a positon in her field and has given her notice to Hope. A potential replacement is a retired WCPSS teacher who substitutes at Hope or posting the position to ensure coverage in a timely manner. • The 4th grade Instructional Assistant, Mrs. Robinson, will be moving for a 3 month temporary residency out of state for family medical reasons. The plan for a substitute or posting for the position is in the works. • The cafeteria manager, Ms. Fogg-Collymore, has advised verbally of a potential resignation at the holiday break. c. Lighthouse Visit 1 • • • • This evaluation is extremely important and the culmination of years of work by students and staff. It takes place on Tuesday, December 4. The whole school is working hard to finalize all the details for the visit and presentations. Ms. Alexander and all teachers are engaged in visiting and observing in one another’s classrooms to share constructive leadership feedback and to share best practices. Two representatives from “The Leader In Me” will be present for the evaluation which will last all day. The results and certification decision will be communicated within 4 weeks of the visit. Mrs. Fleming shared the day’s agenda from 7:45 a.m. to the close of school. This will be a great achievement to receive this recognition for the students and the school. d. Y-Learning Program – Mrs. Fleming reported that all is going well with Y-Program. e. Academic/Testing Update – NWEA MAP will be administered on December 6 – 7 and mClass Assessments will be administered on January 28, 29, 30, and 31. f. V. Other - None Charter renewal application discussion • The conclusion of the discussion between Hope Charter Leadership Academy (Hope) and PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School (PAVE SE) has resulted in the following decisions being confirmed and voted on by the Hope Board of Directors: Action: Mr. Sherlin moved that the current charter for Hope Charter Leadership Academy will expire on June 30, 2019 and that the Board will not seek a charter renewal. Mr. King provided the second for the motion. Motion carried unanimously (12 – 0) Action: Mr. Sherlin further moved that the Board supports PAVE SE proposed amendment to its charter to provide a onetime preference to Hope students in next year’s lottery. If the amendment is approved, the Hope Board agrees to enter into an articulation agreement with PAVE SE. Ms. Morman provided the second for the motion. Motion carried unanimously (12 – 0). Action: Mr. Sherlin finally moved that the existing Hope transition team will work with PAVE SE on plans for successfully implementing the Articulation Agreement. Mrs. Jamison provided the second for the motion. Motion carried unanimously (12 – 0). • • • • • • The Articulation Agreement between Hope Charter Leadership Academy and PAVE Southeast Raleigh is attached to these Minutes. The timeline for effecting this transaction has begun with the two schools agreeing to the provisions of the agreement. The next step will include the Charter School Advisory Board and the State Board of Education as the state agencies that will approve and authorize this agreement with finalization hopefully in February. PAVE SE is requesting to amend its charter to provide preference to Hope students after siblings of current PAVE students and the children of PAVE staff in the PAVE SE application process for the 2019 – 20 school year. Hope recognizes the benefits of this agreement for its students as the missions of both schools are compatible in the value for academic achievement, strong character, and solid leaders. In addition, the schools share the same community in southeast Raleigh and can provide comfort for families as they consider school choice. Discussion is ongoing as recommendations and suggestions for support in the implementation of this transition plan. 2 VI. Education Committee Report—No report. VII. Personnel Committee Report—Ms. Morman reported the following: • 2018 – 19 Salary Adjustments were completed on November 6  2018WCPSSSalary Schedules utilized for professional staff adjustments  2% incentive increase for the entire staff retroactive to July 1, 2018  Had some minor hiccups that were resolved with the applicable staff • Interim Principal Plan December 10 – TBD  Mrs. Fleming’s knee surgery scheduled for December 10  Recovery period during Holiday Break (12/20/18 – 1/1/19 and Track out 1/2/19 – 1/11/19)  Mrs. Perry will serve as Interim Principal (12/10/18 – 1/11/19) • Suggest Board purchase flowers for Mr. Keith Sutherland who’s in the hospital. If approved, collection of donations will occur after meeting and all members notified of the idea. • Other personnel matters included with Principal’s Report. VIII. Finance Committee Report—Mr. Gray reported the following: • Must continue to be vigilant stewards in closely monitoring financial resources this year. • Through October 31, it is anticipated that development will raise $50K of which $37K is already on hand. • It is also anticipated that there will be post-transition expenses and lease liabilities to consider. IX. Development Committee Report— Mr. Tucker Mann reported: • Fund raising will continue with Board members and other donors to raise the $15K + to provide the necessary resources for students in this transition year. • Development committee reiterated the Finance committee’s heads-up in awareness of post transition and contract liabilities that have to be settled at year-end. X. Transportation/Building Committee Report –Mr. Sherlin reported that there are no concerns or issues and that all is going well. XI. Old Business— None XII. New Business—None XIII. Adjourn—No Executive Session was required. Action: There being no further business, Mr. Sherlin moved that the meeting be adjourned. Mrs. Jamison provided the second for the motion. Motion carried unanimously (12 – 0). Mr. Sherlin adjourned the meeting at 9:17 a.m. Upcoming Board meeting dates: January 23, February 27, March 27 (tentative), April 24, May 22, and June 26 Submitted by: Pamela Jamison 3 PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School NORTH CAROLINA CHARTER SCHOOL APPLICATION PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School Public charter schools opening the fall of 2015 Due by 5:00 pm, December 6, 2013 North Carolina Department of Public Instruction NCDPI/Office of Charter Schools 301 N. Wilmington Street Raleigh NC 27601-2825 919-807-3491 Mailing Address: 6303 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-6303 1 PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School OCS August 2012 CHARTER SCHOOL 2013 Application Process To open a charter school in the 2015-2016 school year APPLICATION DUE DATE/TIME September 6, 2013 A letter of intent to apply for the 2015-2016 school year must be received electronically to Deanna Townsend-Smith in the Office of Charter Schools no later than 12:00 noon at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. If the Letter of Intent is not submitted, an application from this group will not be accepted. You can find the Letter of Intent requirements on the NC Office of Charter School web site. December 6, 2013 A complete online application package, in the Office of Charter Schools by 5:00 pm. December 13, 2013 A copy of the application due to the Local Education Agency in which the proposed charter school will reside in. Applicant must provide an attached PDF version as evidence to the Office of Charter Schools (i.e. signed letter). APPLICATION SPECIFICATIONS Applicants can submit applications prior to the deadline December 6, 2013 at 5:00 pm. All applicants must be submitted using the online portal and applicants are to use the following specifications: 1. All required Appendices should be clearly titled, include page numbers (i.e. Appendix A and page numbers as- A1, A2, B1...), and submitted as a FULL PDF document. 2. Review all elements of your application for completeness before submitting. An incomplete application will result in the elimination of the application. 3. Late submissions will not be accepted. No exceptions. 4. Provide confirmation electronically to the Office of Charter Schools to deanna.townsend- smith@dpi.nc.gov that within seven (7) days the applicant has provided one full copy of the application to the LEA in which the proposed charter school will be located. 2 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School TABLE OF CONTENTS I. APPLICATION CONTACT INFORMATION 5 Grade Levels Served and Total Student Enrollment: 5 II. MISSION and PURPOSES Mission: Educational need and Targeted Student Population of the Proposed Charter School: Purposes of the Proposed Charter School: Goals for the Proposed Charter School: III. EDUCATION PLAN Instructional Program: C 7 7 7 10 11 14 14 K-5 Curriculum and Instructional Design: C 6-8 Curriculum and Instructional Design: C 15 Special Programs and "At-Risk" Students 21 Exceptional Children 25 Student Performance Standards 29 Student Conduct: 31 IV. GOVERNANCE, OPERATIONS and CAPACITY Governance: 18 34 34 Governance and Organizational Structure of Private Non-Profit Organization: 34 Proposed Management Organization (Educational Management Organization or Charter Management Organization) 41 Private School Conversions: complete 45 C Projected Staff: 47 Staffing Plans, Hiring, and Management 48 Staff Evaluation and Professional Development 52 Enrollment and Marketing: Marketing Plan Parent and Community Involvement Admissions Policy PROJECTED ENROLLMENT 2015-16 through 2019-2020 56 56 57 58 61 Transportation Plan: 62 School Lunch Plan: Civil Liability and Insurance Health and Safety Requirements: Facility: 62 63 63 Facility Contingency Plan: 64 V. FINANCIAL PLAN Budget: Revenue Projections from each LEA 2015-16 Total Budget: Revenue Projections 2015-16 through 2019-2020 Personnel Budget: Expenditure Projections 2015-16 through 2019-2020 Operations Budget: Expenditure Projections 2015-16 through 2019-2020 Overall Budget: Budget Narrative: Financial Audits: VI. AGREEMENT PAGE 66 67 68 70 71 71 74 3 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School LEA Impact Statement: 75 Applicant Signature: 75 4 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School I. APPLICATION CONTACT INFORMATION Name of proposed charter school: PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School Has the organization applied for 501(c)(3) non-profit status: Yes No X Name of non-profit organization under which charter will be organized or operated: PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School Provide the name of the person who will serve as the primary contact for this Application. The primary contact should serve as the contact for follow-up, interviews, and notices regarding this Application. Name of contact person: Cooper Westendarp Title/Relationship to nonprofit: Chief Operating and Financial Officer Mailing address: 732 Henry St. Brooklyn NY 11231 Primary telephone: 917-803-0380 Alternative telephone: 718-858-7813 E-Mail address: cwestendarp@paveacademy.org Name of county and local education agency (LEA) in which charter school will reside: County: WAKE LEA: 920-Wake County Schools Is this application a Conversion from a traditional public school or private school? No: X Yes: Is this application being submitted as a replication of a current charter school model? No: Yes: X If replication, please provide the name of the charter school and the state that charter school has been authorized to operate in. PAVE Academy Charter School NY What is the name of the nonprofit organization that governs this charter school? PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School Is this application for Virtual charter school: Yes: No: X Grade Levels Served and Total Student Enrollment: Projected School Opening: Year 2015 Month September Will this school operate on a year round schedule? No: Yes: X Proposed Grade Levels Served and Total Student Enrollment ( 10 5 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School Years) Academic School Year First Year Second Year Third Year Fourth Year Fifth Year Sixth Year Seventh Year Eight Year Ninth Year Tenth Year Grade Levels K,01 K,01,02 K,01,02,03 K,01,02,03,04 K,01,02,03,04,05 K,01,02,03,04,05,06 K,01,02,03,04,05,06,07 K,01,02,03,04,05,06,07,08 K,01,02,03,04,05,06,07,08 K,01,02,03,04,05,06,07,08 Total Projected Student Enrollment 120 180 240 300 360 420 477 531 531 531 The State Board of Education provides funds to charter schools, approves the original members of the boards of directors of the charter schools, has the authority to grant, supervise, and revoke charters, and demands full accountability from charter schools for school finances and student performance. I certify that I have the authority to submit this application and that the initial board members and I were regularly involved in the development of this application. All information contained herein is complete and accurate. I realize that any misrepresentation will result in disqualification from the application process or revocation after award. I understand that incomplete applications will not be considered. The person named as the contact person for the application is so authorized to serve as the primary contact for this application on behalf of the non-profit organization. pavenc________________________ Signature Board Member and Lead Contact Title pavenc________________________ Printed Name 12/06/2013 Date 6 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School II. MISSION and PURPOSES (No more than three total pages in this section) Mission: State the Mission of the proposed charter school in one hundred words or less. The mission statement defines the organization's purpose and primary objectives, describing why it exists. The mission statement provides the foundation for the entire proposal. The mission statement of the proposed charter school is as follows: PAVE Southeast Raleigh (PAVE SE) will prepare K-8 students to thrive in competitive high schools and colleges. PAVE SE provides its students with a rigorous academic program and a community built on the schools core values of Perseverance, Achievement, Vibrance and Excellent character. Educational need and Targeted Student Population of the Proposed Charter School: 1. Provide a description of Targeted Population in terms of demographics. In your description, include how this population will reflect the racial and ethnic composition of the school system in which it is located. Describe the rationale for selecting the location and student body. Across the nation, including in the Southeast Raleigh community of Wake County, Black and Hispanic students from low-income neighborhoods are performing significantly below White students from wealthier communities on K-12 reading and math assessments. Low performance on K-12 state tests translates to low high school and college graduation rates, which in turn limits the professional and life options available for citizens caught in this vicious cycle of poverty. PAVE Southeast Raleigh (PAVE SE) is founded upon the principle that an excellent K-8 school can break this cycle by preparing students from low income backgrounds to thrive in competitive high schools and colleges. PAVE SE's educational model is rooted in the same practices as PAVE Academy Charter School (PAVE's flagship school in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY), and the practices of like-minded peer organizations that also serve students from low-income backgrounds: KIPP, Uncommon Schools, and Achievement First in New York City. While still maturing, these non-profit organizations have repeatedly produced dramatic results. For example, only 15% of students from Red Hook schools and 17% of New York State Black and Hispanic students demonstrated proficiency on the 2013 New York State Common Core assessment. In comparison, PAVE Academy Charter School students averaged 40% proficiency in reading and math combined. Over time, PAVE expects its 8th grade graduates to follow in the footsteps of KIPP: 40% of all KIPP graduates have earned a 4-year college degree, in comparison to the U.S. college graduation rate of 33% and the 10% average for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. PAVE SE will offer the hope of college graduation to the Southeast Raleigh neighborhood in Wake County, where Black and Hispanic students from lowincome backgrounds are not performing at college-ready levels. 7 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School Specifically, PAVE SE's primary target population lives directly south and east of the city center, between downtown Raleigh and the I-40 beltway. Additional students from nearby Garner and East Raleigh may also be recruited. PAVE SE expects most students to be black and Hispanic . Please see "Appendix A-Market Analysis"; data originates from the 2010 Census and is obtained from City-Data.com's website. Data from the 2012-2013 Common Core State test reveals that students in PAVE SE's target population performed considerably lower on reading and math assessments than middle to high income students and White students. Of North Carolina's K-8 students who qualify for Free or Reduced Lunch (FRL) in Grades 3-8, only 29% were proficient in reading and only 27% were proficient in math, whereas 63% of non-FRL students were proficient in reading and 60% were proficient in math. Of Wake County's K-8 students who qualify for FRL, only 27% were proficient in reading and only 27% were proficient in math, whereas 69% of non-FRL students were proficient in reading and 70% were proficient in math. Among thirty Southeast Raleigh K12 public schools, 54% of Southeast Raleigh students qualified for FRL in 2012-2013, and state test results demonstrate that only 22% of these FRL students were proficient in reading and 23% were proficient in math. Similar contrasts can be seen when analyzing data by racial subgroup. In 2012-2013, only 25% of Black students and 24% of Hispanic students were proficient in reading in Southeast Raleigh schools. In contrast, 62% of white students and 65% of Asian students were considered proficient in Reading. In Math, 24% of Southeast Raleigh Black students and 29% of Hispanic students were proficient whereas 62% of white students and 68% of Asian students were proficient. Data for each of Southeast Raleigh's thirty schools can be seen in "Appendix A-20131126 SE Raleigh Schools Geo Batch Master" and in map form at the link below: http://batchgeo.com/map/35b65b2f99d40874abca698990e44814 2. What will be the total projected enrollment at the charter school and what percentage of the Average Daily Membership (ADM) does that reflect when compared to the Local Education Agency (LEA) of the same offered grade levels? (i.e. If the proposed school will be grades 9-12, only compare the total enrollment to the total enrollment of the LEA is grades 9-12). PAVE SE plans to enroll an ADM of 531 in grades K-8, which is equates to .5% of Wake County's K-8 enrollment and 3% of the Southeast Raleigh areas K-8 enrollment. PAVE SE expects to recruit 100% of its students from Wake County. 3. Explain how the charter school's education plan will compare to or differ from that of the local LEA(s). As further detailed in the education plan section of PAVE SE's application, PAVE SE will implement a rigorous, college preparatory education program that will provide economically disadvantaged students from the Southeast Raleigh community additional time on task, rigorous Data-Driven Instruction, high-quality teaching, and purposeful character education based on Core Values. PAVE SE has a specific program and culture that has been proven to outperform peer student school averages in low-income urban neighborhoods. Few other Southeast Raleigh schools can say they have achieved similar 8 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School success. TEACHER DEVELOPMENT: Developing effective teachers will be one of PAVE SE's strengths. Teachers will be held to a high standard and abundantly resourced with the nation's most effective, proven instructional techniques and curricular models. All PAVE SE staff will possess a "growth mindset", with a keen and selfless ability to receive and implement feedback. Teachers will work closely with instructional leaders to identify growth areas, set goals, and work tirelessly towards improvement, with PAVE SE's Rubric for Instructional Excellence as a foundation for all action. See Appendix-Rubric for Instructional Excellence. Teacher orientation before the start of school will include two weeks of intense training, with daily professional development provided throughout the remainder of the year. Through classroom observations and weekly one-on-one coaching meetings, teachers will work with their coach to implement feedback and hone instructional techniques. Instructional leaders will take a hands-on approach to the classrooms, including: demonstrating model lessons, co-teaching with teachers, and/or working with small groups of students. MORE TIME ON TASK: PAVE SE's school day will be approximately an hour longer and the school year will be approximately ten days longer than the traditional Wake County public school calendar. In addition, PAVE SE's teachers will urgently implement fine-tuned instructional systems and ensure that transitions (both in and out of the classroom) happen swiftly and efficiently: every second of learning counts. PAVE SE will also partner with local after school programs for additional enrichment above and beyond the school day, including the Wake County Boys and Girls Club. DATA-DRIVEN INSTRUCTION: All leaders and teachers are trained in "Data Driven Instruction" (Paul Bambrick-Santoya, Driven by Data). All formal data will be immediately processed and analyzed through Wireless Generation's online platform; data will be compared with other high performing PAVE schools taking the same exam. This data, and other data obtained from daily exit tickets, will be discussed weekly in coaching sessions and grade team meetings. Leaders will hold formal data meetings four times a year in which all instructors engage in deep standards/item based analysis and action planning. See Appendix BUse of Data. COLLEGE BOUND CULTURE BASED ON CORE VALUES: Everything at PAVE SE--from its mission statement to the minutes of the school day--reinforces the expectation to students that they will thrive in college and beyond. PAVE SE's Core Values of Perseverance, Achievement, Vibrance, and Excellent character (PAVE) are important keys to success and will be taught, modeled, and celebrated weekly during Community Meeting, where individual students are publicly acknowledged for demonstrating Core Values. COLLABORATION WITH WAKE COUNTY: While PAVE SE will offer students a distinct option, PAVE SE's mission is aligned to the Wake County's mission, which is focused on increasing student achievement "for all children, regardless of socio-economic 9 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School circumstances...academic achievement gaps can and will be eliminated." PAVE SE Raleigh will collaborate with the Wake County schools to ensure that it is contributing to and learning from the larger system, including intervisitations and best practice sharing. 4. In the appendices (Appendix A), you must provide evidence through a narrative or visual of this educational need through survey data, or times and locations of public meetings discussing this proposed charter school. (Please do not provide more than one sample survey form). Purposes of the Proposed Charter School: In one page or less, describe how the proposed charter school will achieve one or more of the six legislated purposes, as specifically addressed in the NC charter school statute GS 115C-238.29A, and the proposed school's operations. The Six Legislative Purposes of a Charter School are: 1. Create new professional opportunities for teachers, including the opportunities to be responsible for the learning program at the school site. 2. Hold schools accountable for meeting measurable student achievement results. 3. Provide parents and students with expanded choices in the types of educational opportunities that are available within the public school system. 4. Improving student learning. 5. Increasing learning opportunities for all students, with a special emphasis on at-risk or gifted students. 6. Encourage the use of different and innovative teaching methods. PAVE SE will provide parents and students with expanded choices (Purpose 3) and improve student learning for all students (Purpose 4). 3. EXPANDED CHOICE PAVE SE will be an attractive alternative to families who desire two things for their children: 1) a school with a commitment to seeing all of its scholars-- regardless of race or socioeconomic status-- succeed academically (as measured by proficiency on state tests); and 2) a school community where parents are expected to engage meaningfully in their child's education. As described above in PAVE SE's market analysis, students from low-income backgrounds in Southeast Raleigh have few, if any, nearby academically competitive options available to them. Research and meetings with members of the Southeast Raleigh community suggest that a notable percentage of elementary and middle school students do not attend schools in their immediate neighborhood. They attend schools in other parts of Wake County (up to 20 miles from their homes). This distance makes it difficult for families to feel connected to the school and be a partner in their child's education. Leaders of PAVE Academy Charter School in Brooklyn, NY, PAVE SE's sister school, have experienced that students who live in the school's neighborhood are more likely to have improved attendance, punctuality, and retention. Leaders have also experienced active participation among parents in Parent Report Card Nights, Literacy Nights, musical performances, and 10 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School other activities. PAVE SE, which will have a facility in the SE Raleigh area, will purposefully target and serve students who live nearby to maximize parent and student investment in PAVE SE and the community. 4. IMPROVING LEARNING FOR ALL STUDENTS PAVE SE will be a replication of PAVE Academy Charter School (PAVE RH) in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY, which has demonstrated that it is improving student learning for all students. Specifically, on the 2013 New York State Common Core Assessment, PAVE RH was one of the highest performing charter schools in New York State in math and was the highest performing school in Red Hook in reading (detailed results are included in the Proposed CMO section under Governance). This success is especially noteworthy because PAVE RH serves a population of students, similar to that of Southeast Raleigh, who have traditionally underperformed on standardized assessments. Over 87% of PAVE RH students qualify for Free or Reduced Lunch, nearly 100% of students are Black and Hispanic, over 70% of students live in Red Hook Public Housing (the second largest public housing complex in New York City), and most of the remaining 30% of students live in other public housing complexes and/or low-income neighborhoods in Brooklyn. Ironically, Red Hook is geographically situated directly across the river from Wall Street and less than a half-mile from some of New York's most prosperous residential neighborhoods. This is all worth mentioning because PAVE SE founders specifically identified the Southeast Raleigh neighborhood as a place where they could improve student learning in the same way that they founded PAVE RH and improved learning in Red Hook. Like Red Hook, Southeast Raleigh is a neighborhood located just blocks from the state government and the city center, yet the neighborhood's black and Hispanic residents continue to live in poverty and perform lower than other Wake County students from more affluent neighborhoods. At the heart of PAVE SE's mission is to offer Southeast Raleigh residents a tangible and proven better education option than they have received to date; all PAVE SE staff and families will be united around paving the road to high school and then college, brick by brick. Goals for the Proposed Charter School: 1. Provide specific and measurable student achievement performance goals for the school's educational program and the method of demonstrating that students have attained the skills and knowledge specified for those goals. Address how often and when the information will be communicated to the governing board and other stakeholders. These goals should include specific and measurable performance objectives over the first five years of the schools existence. PAVE SE Raleigh will set specific, measurable student achievement goals with the North Carolina State Testing (NC Accountability model), along with our schools Interim Assessments to measure success. Annual progress towards these goals will be monitored by the school's leadership team, who will in turn keep parents and the board abreast of progress. Quarterly Interim Assessments in ELA and Math (which assess content covered over to date in the school year) serve as ongoing barometers for staff and board members. These ELA and math assessments have proven to be well aligned with and predictive of performance New York State's Common Core Assessment; 11 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School assessments will be reviewed each year to ensure alignment between all North Carolina State Tests. Based on the 2012 2013 NC Accountability Model test results for Wake County, Black students proficiency composite score was 29.5%, Hispanic students proficiency composite score was 36.0, and economically disadvantaged students proficiency composite score was 29.0%. These are the underserved targeted populations that PAVE SE Raleigh will serve. PAVE SE Raleigh has used this data to create realistic and attainable goals. Student Achievement Goals: *YEAR ONE (2015-2016): 45% of students will be proficient. Proficiency for our K/1st Graders will be measured on our "Interim Assessment". *YEAR TWO (2016-2017): 60% of students will be proficient. Proficiency for K/1st/2nd Graders will be measured on our "Interim Assessment". *YEAR THREE (2017-2018): 70% of students will be proficient. Proficiency for our K/1st/2nd Graders will be measured on our "Interim Assessment". Proficiency for our 3rd Graders will be measured by the NC State EOGs. *YEAR FOUR (2018-2019): 80% of scholars will be proficient. (K-2nd Graders will be measured on "Interim Assessments", 3rd/4th Graders will be measured on NC State EOGs). *YEAR FIVE (2019-2020): 85% of scholars will be proficient. (K-2nd Graders will be measured on "Interim Assessments", 3rd-5th Graders will be measured on NC State EOGs). _____ Staff will use data daily to create action plans and drive instruction. In addition to detailed dashboards and reports that the operations team will generate for teachers from PAVE's Wireless Generation system (which is described in greater depth below), each teacher will have his/her own personal login to the system and will have the opportunity to further analyze data from multiple perspectives and groupings. This function is also available, on a less formal level, for all quizzes and tests. Monthly, the Board will receive a summary dashboard which provides relevant, detailed sub-reports that inform them of the percentage of students in each proficiency range/color (by grade). Over time, they will be able to observe the academic gains and progress of students. For example, if in October, 60% of scholars are in the green and in January the percentage in the green increases to 75%, then school administrators andthe board canfeel confident that school is making progress towards its year end goal. If, on the other hand, there is only a nominal gain, then the board is equipped to ask questions to school leadership as to their course of action to make progress towards the goals. See Appendix J. Similarly, parents will receive Progress Reports (3x per year) and Report Cards (3x per year) that clearly communicate their child's academic progress over time on Interim Assessments, in each subject, and in other important indicators (Fountas and Pinnell, etc.). The data that parents receive is very detailed, consistent, and easy to interpret. Examples of PAVE SE's dashboards and report cards are provided in the Appendix. 2. How will the governing board know that the proposed public charter school is working toward 12 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School attaining their mission statement? The PAVE SE Raleigh board will be kept apprised of the schools overall health (student progress/achievement, financial, student attendance, etc.) through the development of a dashboard. The dashboard will provide each Board member with a monthly snapshot of academic achievement and other important school-wide metrics. The dashboard will be simple and allow for the distillation of the most important information to be shared at each PAVE SE Raleigh board meeting. The dashboard will enable the board to use precious meeting time for problem solving and higher-level planning rather than spending time on administrative procedures or searching for information. At each board meeting, the Principal will give a detailed report of student progress. Also to be presented at each board meeting is an Educational Committee Report (ECR), a document that will show in-depth data from the most recent assessment period. The ECR will display this data in large, color-coded graphs, designed so that any board member, regardless of his or her profession, can quickly understand the information. The access to detailed, digestible data allows the board to easily discuss student progress and overall school health with PAVE SE Raleigh leadership. Although the dashboard and ECR will provide a comprehensive summary of PAVE SE Raleighs status, it is impossible to understand the work of a school without actually spending time in the building. Board members will be accessible at any time to visit the school on their own, as well as participate in formal Board visits throughout the year. During their visits, board members will have the opportunity to observe classes, speak with members of our team, and participate in the schools weekly Community Meetings. The first-hand experience our board members will gain when visiting the school and meeting with scholars, staff, and our community will be extremely valuable. At the same time, our teachers will feel valued and supported by a board that is present and involved in the school. Finally, board members will obtain independent analysis of the school's health via independent consultants, authorizer evaluations, and annual financial audit reports. This will provide a third party perspective on the school's health in comparison to its mission. 13 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School III.EDUCATION PLAN (No more than ten total pages in this section) NOTE: All sections of the Education Plan should align with all other sections of this application. The State Board of Education shall give priority consideration to the applicants who demonstrate potential for significant, meaningful innovation in education. Provide precise and clear explanations. Lack of response to any question or proper documentation will deem the application incomplete. Instructional Program: Provide a detailed description of the overall instructional program of the proposed charter school, including major instructional methods, assessment strategies, and explain how this instructional program and model meet the needs of the targeted student population. INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS: PAVE SE will staff will implement methods from other successful schools, including PAVE Academy Charter School (Brooklyn), KIPP, Uncommon Schools, and Achievement First, including the Lemov teaching techniques described in the book Teach Like a Champion, and the use of assessments outlined in Driven by Data by Paul Bambrick-Santoyo. PAVE SE Raleigh will implement these and other techniques across grades according to grade level appropriateness, to ensure instruction is consistent and appropriate. "HEAVY LIFTING" FROM STUDENTS: PAVE SE will teach with a great sense of urgency and purpose; PAVE SE's lessons are conducted at a steady pace and teachers craft a purposeful plan so that students (and not the teachers) do the "heavy-lifting". Instructional leaders measure each lesson plan by the amount of cognitive work required by students and observe lessons through the lens of "ratio". PAVE SE will ensure that students are doing the majority of critical thinking, reading, and talking. Teachers will stretch questions to build rigor and when a student gets the "right answer", that is just the beginning: students might be asked to provide text evidence, explain it again using a learned vocabulary word, or predict the counter-argument. PAVE SE's teachers do not waste time waiting for students to raise their hands, but quickly "cold call" on students to keep the conversation fast and engaging. Additionally students will ask questions of each other and participate in student-to-student academic discourse. USE OF TECHNOLOGY: PAVE SE leaders are well versed at integrating innovative technology into school culture. Teachers in each classroom will be outfitted with a SMARTBoard, a laptop computer, and access to online resources. More intricately, PAVE SE will use Better Lesson, a Facebook-like network where teachers from the highest performing charter schools across the country share lesson plans and curriculum, to source proven instructional material from PAVE Academy and others. Additionally, PAVE SE will use Wireless Generations K-12 MClass Beacon data analysis tool, which scans and displays data in color-coded, user friendly reports that allow for groups and subgroups of student results to be analyzed immediately upon test completion. Students will also use laptops and iPads as part of their reading and writing instruction. 14 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School CORE VALUES: PAVE SE students will exhibit Perseverance, Achievement, Vibrance, and Excellent character. Each Friday, students will participate in community meetings where these values are explored and deepened with the entire school via student and staff exemplars. ASSESSMENT: PAVE SE will use a variety of assessments that have been successfully implemented at PAVE Academy (Brooklyn) to inform instruction. The instructional team creates action plans and integrates data of all assessments into lesson plans, professional development, and coaching meetings. The following ELA and Math exams will be given at PAVE SE and other high performing PAVE schools for comparison in Wireless Generation's online platform: -Interim Assessments (IAs)will: be administered approximately every two months; be PAVE SE's primary internal assessments; measure content taught to date in the academic year; be aligned to Common Core State tests. -Unit Tests will: be administered approximately every month; measure content taught during core subject units in the unit; align with IAs and Common Core standards. -Quizzes will: be administered approximately every week; measure content taught during ELA and Math. PAVE will also administer Fountas and Pinnell assessments four times per year. This is an assessment whereby the teacher observes and simultaneously tracks student reading aloud, referencing a nationally normed rubric. The NC Common Core State ELA and Math Exams, the W-APT exam for identifying ELL students, and the ACCESS exam for evaluating learning of ELL students will also be administered. K-5 Curriculum and Instructional Design: Describe the basic learning environment (e.g., classroom-based, independent study), including class size and structure. PAVE SE Raleigh will utilize a classroom-based learning environment. Each grade in Kindergarten through 5th Grade will consist of 60 students and will be taught by 3 certified teachers. The student to teacher ratio will be 15:1 in all core (Reading, Writing, and Math) subjects, as the three teacher per grade model will allow teachers to divide learning into differentiated small groups for targeted instruction. During Guided Reading instruction, every instructional staff member will be reading with a small group of students. In early elementary (grades K-2), student swill sit at tables in groups of 4 to facilitate group work while also affording students the opportunity to work independently. Teachers in K-2 also selectively utilize the rug during times of whole-class instruction and reading, and in times when students are viewing the SMARTBoard but do not need to write at their desks. Teachers 15 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School carefully plan their lessons in order to provide variety of formats to each lesson. Because engagement can decrease when young students are in one arrangement for too long, one lesson might require students to sit on the rug, move to stations around the classroom, visit the classroom library, and work independently at their desks. In the grades 3-5, the seating arrangements are flexible; they could be arranged in rows, groups, horse-shoes, etc to reflect the objective of the particular lesson. Because the Speaking and Listening Common Core standards require students to engage in lively intellectual discourse, we provide multiple experiences for our students to interact with their teacher, and one another. The environment of PAVE SE classrooms will mirror the environment of PAVE Academy classrooms in Brooklyn. Our classrooms are highly structured and organized. In order to maximize instructional time, teachers are very purposeful about the small details. They have particular systems for how their students hang up their coats, how they organize their desks, how they distribute pencils, etc. Students take pride in keeping their materials well organized and know that everything in their classroom has a place. The structure and consistency in the classrooms builds a safe learning environment where scholars joyfully internalize the routines and make transitions quickly and efficiently. With our tight systems and routines, instructional time is maximized. Because we understand that it's the adults who create the culture, we ensure that we are constantly modeling the core values for our students. Observers will note a distinct blend of high expectations coupled with an authentic sense of humanity whereby teachers and students interact in kind, sincere, urgent, but joyful manner and unity around the common purpose of rigorous learning. One teacher at PAVE Academy coined the phrase "Generosity of Spirit", a term used to reference PAVE's culture of giving of oneself before it is even asked. PAVE SE students will be serious about work, love school, and embody PAVE's core values: Perseverance, Achievement, Vibrance, and Excellent character. Provide a synopsis of the planned curriculum, including: 1. One sample course scope and sequence (preferably in graph form) in the Appendices (Appendix B) for one core subject (specific to the school's purpose) for the elementary division the school would ultimately serve. 2. Identify how this curriculum aligns with the proposed charter school's mission, targeted student population, and North Carolina Accountability Model. PAVE SE's mission is to prepare its scholars to graduate from high school, matriculate, and ultimately graduate from 4-year colleges. As mentioned before, few students from PAVE SE's target population will live in neighborhoods where students have traditionally gone on to matriculate to and from college, so PAVE SE's college-prep curriculum, and the teachers who implement the curriculum, will serve as a catalyst in their lives. North Carolina's revamped end of grade assessments in English Language Arts and Math (taken in grades 3rd-8th) are aligned to The Common Core State Standards and the Essential Standards that comprise the state's new, more 16 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School rigorous Standard Course of Study. The Common Core State Standards were developed with the express intent of ensuring that students in grades K-12 who master/are proficient in these standards are prepared to excel in college and subsequent careers. PAVE Academy (RH) has spent three years developing Common-Core aligned curriculum; our ELA and Math Units are deeply rooted in Common Core and all of our assessment items are aligned to a particular standard. We ensure that every student has multiple "at-bats" with each standard and that the standards spiral throughout the year in a purposeful way. Because the proposed curriculum of PAVE SE is so tightly aligned to the Common Core, PAVE SE's leadership is confident that it is the optimal one to enable the school to accomplish its mission. 3. Describe the primary instructional strategies that the school will expect teachers to master and explain why these strategies will result in increased academic achievement for the targeted student population. PAVE SE teachers will be provided with extensive professional development so that they are able to master a balance of instructional strategies. The primary strategies include but will not be limited to: COLLABORATIVE LEARNING: PAVE SE will utilize collaborative instructional practices when teaching/learning involves the formation of groups of students to solve a problem, complete a task, or create a product. A meaningful portion of learning is social and requires students to interact and share ideas amongst themselves. PAVE SE believes that students need to learn how communicate effectively with their peers and we explicitly teach them the "habits of discussions" so they can ultimately have academic debates without the direct oversight of the teacher. In our classrooms, you can frequently hear a student saying, "I'd like to build on what Christian said" or, "I disagree with Kristina because". It is worth mentioning that through Collaborative Learning, teachers will be encouraged to drill down on teachable moments, especially as they relate to PAVE SE's Core Values. For example, if a typically hyper students restrains from blurting out an answer when another student is thinking, the teacher (or another student) might note the student's Excellent character by utilizing restraint. Or if a student fails to identify an answer after three attempts but continues to use thinking strategies (vs. just guessing) to get closer to the answer, the peer might raise his hand to acknowledge the student's Perseverance. It is in these small moments where PAVE SE's core values will embed themselves deeply into the culture. EXPLICIT INSTRUCTION: Standards-driven, teacher-led instruction will be utilized in conjunction with Collaborative Learning. In this model, students cultivate knowledge and skills in small, sequential steps. There is a clear structure of "I do", "we do", and "you do". After a clear model from the teacher, students practice the skill together before further honing the acquired skill independently. Teachers are coached into delivering clear and concise lessons and that allow ample time for a rigorous independent practice. While there is well planned and explicit instruction during the first 17 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School portion of the lesson, the teacher's role evolves throughout the lesson and teachers use various data points in order to release their students to independent practice. For example, before students leave the rug to write their sentences independently, the teachers will have a "Turn and Talk"; during this time, both teachers are actively circulating and recording misunderstandings. Depending on the data, the teacher will either quickly address a misunderstanding with the whole class or will pull a small a group and quickly reteach. During independent practice, which consumes a large part of each lesson, teachers are busy collecting data, pulling small groups, holding individual conferences, and providing extensions to scholars who have mastered the objective. PROJECT BASED INSTRUCTION: As PAVE SE Raleigh students matriculate to higher grades, the school will increasingly provide opportunities for project-based instruction, which exists within the context and scope of the curricula. Students will be able to select, plan, and implement projects that interest and inspire them. Project based instruction provides additional motivation/incentive to students since it is material/content that is of particular interest to them. It allows students to assume greater control and ownership of the material, which results in deeper learning, and acquisition of knowledge. *Worth noting, PAVE SE founders have attended, worked in, and visited the nation's top boarding, private, and public schools and universities--schools dense with collaborative academic discourse. This first hand knowledge of what it takes to excel at the most competitive levels of secondary and tertiary education is important experience leaders bring to the organization. 4. Provide a school academic calendar in Appendix C (minimum of 185 instructional days or 1,025 hours). Describe in a brief narrative below on how the calendar coincides with the tenets of the proposed mission and education plan. PAVE SE will implement an extended school day and year. Each day will begin at 7:50 a.m. and will conclude at 3:25 p.m. Monday - Friday. The extended school day will enable staff to focus on the mastery of the cornerstone disciplines--literacy and mathematics skills-- that serve as the bellwether of future academic success. To combat the devastating impact of "summer learning loss" that plagues students in under-resourced communities like southeast Raleigh, PAVE SE will utilize an extended school year (approximately 200 days). Additional time in school ensures that students are obtaining the attention and resources needed to achieve and maintain proficiency in the core subject areas. In total, a PAVE SE Raleigh student who is with the school throughout the K - 8th continuum will be in school over 1 full year more than they otherwise would be in a traditional public school setting. 5. *In addition to our longer school day, we will provide an array of after school programs that allow students to hone particular skills and develop their passions. Many of our students will stay at school from 7:20am-4:30pm. 6-8 Curriculum and Instructional Design: 18 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School Describe the basic learning environment (e.g., classroom-based, independent study), including class size and structure. PAVE SE's Middle School will utilize a traditional, classroom-based learning environment. Similar to the Elementary school, most Middle School grades will consist of 60 students (2 classes of 30 students), but the school will discontinue enrollment after grade six. In Middle School, instruction will be increasingly specialized and subject specific. There will be a Math teacher, an English Teacher, a Science Teacher, a Social Studies Teacher, etc. Having a departmentalized Middle School will allow teachers to become experts in their discipline. On average, each Grade will consist of 3 certified teachers (including instructional support staff) and teachers will teach across grades. A Middle School Learning Support Coordinator will serve the dual function of coordinating scholars with IEPs related services as well as providing targeted support within the classroom. PAVE SE Middle School will build upon the balanced curriculum established in the elementary school. Once the middle school has enrolled grades 6th-8th all middle school scholars will receive Art and Music at least once per week. Middle school classes will be similar to PAVE SE's grades 3-4 in that they will sit in a variety of formations and participate in a range of learning activities. Because peer-to-peer conversation/debate becomes even more critical during the Middle School years, you will often see chairs arranged in one large circle, several small circles, or in pairs. We believe that the Speaking and Listening standards are just as important as the Reading and Writing Common Core standards; in order to ensure that our scholars are able to participate in lively intellectual discourse, we provide multiple experiences for our students to interact with one another. While there is time for students to sit in rows for explicit instruction, the room environment is flexible and teachers are encouraged to build arrangements that match the objective of the lesson. *Additionally, in middle school PAVE SE will expand the breadth and depth of after school activities available to students (sports teams, drama, band, etc.) to further allow scholars to pursue a passion Provide a synopsis of the planned curriculum, including: 1. One sample course scope and sequence (preferably in graph form) in the Appendices (Appendix B1) for one core subject (specific to the school's purpose) for the middle school division the school would ultimately serve. 2. Identify how this curriculum aligns with the proposed charter school's mission, targeted student population, and North Carolina Accountability Model. PAVE SE's mission is to prepare its scholars to graduate from high school, matriculate, and ultimately graduate from 4-year colleges. As mentioned before, few of PAVE SE's target population will live in neighborhoods where students have traditionally gone on to matriculate to and from college, so PAVE SE's college-prep curriculum, and the teachers who implement the curriculum, will serve as a catalyst in their lives. North Carolina's revamped end of grade assessments in English Language Arts and Math (taken in grades 3rd-8th) are aligned to The Common Core State 19 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School Standards and the Essential Standards that comprise the state's new, more rigorous Standard Course of Study. The Common Core State Standards were developed with the express intent of ensuring that students in grades K-12 who master/are proficient in these standards are prepared to excel in college and subsequent careers. Because the proposed curriculum and assessment program of PAVE SE is tightly aligned to the Common Core, PAVE SE leadership is confident that it is the optimal one to enable the school to accomplish its mission. See Appendix B 3. Describe the primary instructional strategies that the school will expect teachers to master and explain why these strategies will result in increased academic achievement for the targeted student population. PAVE SE teachers will be provided with extensive professional development so that they are able to master a balance of instructional strategies. The primary strategies include but will not be limited to: COLLABORATIVE LEARNING: PAVE SE will utilize collaborative instructional practices when teaching/learning involves the formation of groups of students to solve a problem, complete a task, or create a product. A meaningful portion of learning is social and requires students to interact and share ideas amongst themselves. PAVE SE believes that students need to learn how communicate effectively with their peers and we explicitly teach them the "habits of discussions" so they can ultimately have academic debates without the direct oversight of the teacher. In our classrooms, you can frequently hear a student saying, "I would like to challenge you with that and I have the text evidence to prove it!". SOCRATIC SEMINAR: This strategy is a practical methods to help students investigate multiple perspectives in a text. The seminar is a formal discussion, based on a text, in which the teacher asks rigorous, open-ended questions of the students. Within the context of the discussion, students are required to listen closely to the thoughts of others, think critically for themselves, and articulate their own thoughts. During these seminars, students learn to work collaboratively and to question their peers respectfully and intelligently. This format of instruction not only academically rigorous, but socially rigorous as well; it forces students to navigate through disagreement and be reflective about their role in their classroom. PROJECT BASED INSTRUCTION: As PAVE SE Raleigh students matriculate to higher grades, the school will increasingly provide opportunities for project-based instruction, which exists within the context and scope of the curricula. Students will be able to select, plan, and implement projects that interest and inspire them. Project based instruction provides additional motivation/incentive to students since it is material/content that is of particular interest to them. It allows students to assume greater control and ownership of the material, which results in deeper learning, and acquisition of knowledge. 20 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School EXPLICIT INSTRUCTION: Standards-driven, teacher-led instruction will be utilized in the core classes (reading and mathematics). In this model, students cultivate knowledge and skills in small, sequential steps. There is a clear structure of "I do", "we do", and "you do". After a clear model from the teacher, students practice the skill together before further honing the acquired skill independently. Teachers are coached into delivering clear and concise lessons and that allow ample time for a rigorous independent practice. While there is well planned and explicit instruction during the first portion of the lesson, the teacher's role evolves throughout the lesson and teachers use various data points in order to release their students to independent practice. For example, before students leave the rug to write their sentences independently, the teachers will have a "Turn and Talk"; during this time, both teachers are actively circulating and recording misunderstandings; depending on the data, the teacher will either quickly address a misunderstanding with the whole class or will pull a small a group and quickly reteach. During independent practice, which consumes a large part of each lesson, teachers are busy collecting data, pulling small groups, holding individual conferences, and providing extensions to scholars that have mastered the objective. 4. Provide a school academic calendar in Appendix C (minimum of 185 instructional days or 1,025 hours). Describe in a brief narrative below on how the calendar coincides with the tenets of the proposed mission and education plan. PAVE SE's middle school will operate on the same academic calendar as the elementary school. See Appendix C. 5. PAVE SE will implement an extended school day and year. Each day will begin at 7:50 a.m. and will conclude at 3:25 p.m. Monday - Friday. The extended school day will enable staff to focus on the mastery of the cornerstone disciplines--literacy and mathematics skills-- that serve as the bellwether of future academic success. To combat the devastating impact of "summer learning loss" that plagues students in under-resourced communities like southeast Raleigh, PAVE SE will utilize an extended school year (approximately 200 days). Additional time in school ensures that students are obtaining the attention and resources needed to achieve and maintain proficiency in the core subject areas. In total, a PAVE SE Raleigh student who is with the school throughout the K - 8th continuum will be in school over 1 full year more than they otherwise would be in a traditional public school setting. Special Programs and "At-Risk" Students 1. Describe the methods and clear systems of prevention and intervention teachers will utilize to provide assistance to students that are not performing at expected levels: ensuring continued progress and academic student growth. PAVE SE will utilize the core elements of the Response to Intervention (RTI) model developed and customized at PAVE Academy Charter School (Brooklyn) in 21 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School conjunction with its curriculum and assessment programs. PAVE SE Raleigh will institute an RTI system based on three tiers of intervention: -Tier 1 (High-Quality Classroom Instruction): Classrooms use differentiated instructional strategies, learning activities and curriculum materials to address the needs of all students. The PAVE SE team teaching approach (during literacy blocks) will provide frequent opportunities for targeted support within the classroom. -Tier 2 (Targeted Interventions): For students who continue to struggle, PAVE SE will offer targeted, data-driven programs to meet individual student needs. PAVE SEs instructional support staff will provide push-in and pullout support in one-on-one and small group settings. Literacy intervention will be typically conducted through small group pull-out sessions, while math interventions will usually be in-class support. Some students may need more assistance than can be provided during regular instructional periods, thus the instructional support and leadership teams, in consultation with the teacher and parents, will determine if tutoring is necessary during the extended enrichment period of the day. -Tier 3 (Intensive Interventions): The goal of Tier 3 is remediation of severe problems that require intensive and sustained intervention. For example, PAVE SE anticipates that most Tier 3 students will require intensive one-on-one reading programs using the Fountas and Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI) program. Under the RTI framework, any student who does not meet certain benchmarks established in the curriculum and assessment program will be identified as needing extra attention: Entering Tier 1 Intervention: -Below 70% on Interim Assessment -Below benchmark on Fundations Unit test (below 80%) Typical Tier 1 Strategies: -Small group work during snack, guided reading, etc. -Breaking tasks down into smaller, manageable parts (i.e., focusing on one objective rather than several) -Previewing material/ Reviewing material -Extra Fundations review (i.e., reviewing letters/sounds or phonics rule learned earlier in the day) -Graphic organizers -Systematic sight-word instruction -Elkonin boxes for segmenting and blending Entering Tier 2 or 3 Intervention (after 6 weeks of tier 1 interventions or 6 weeks of tier 2 interventions): -Below 70% on Interim Assessment -Below benchmark on Fundations Unit test (below 80%) Typical Tier 2 and 3 Strategies: -Fundations Double-Dose (decoding and word fluency) -Leveled Literacy Intervention (K-2nd grade: comprehension, decoding) -Soar to Success (3rd and 4th grade: comprehension and fluency) 22 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School -Visualizing and Verbalizing (language and comprehension) -Other programs as selected based on specific student needs (i.e. Wilson, PAF, etc.) Students will be assigned to intervention as soon as they achieve below a 70% (or revised growth goal that year) on an Interim Assessment. The PAVE SE Learning Support Coordinator and Intervention Specialist(s) will then work with classroom teachers to devise strategies for these scholars. Students will continue to receive increasing levels of intervention until they score above a 75% on a subsequent IA. If a student continues to score below 70% on subsequent IAs, he or she would be referred to the schools Child Study Team (see special education section below). Progress Monitoring: As an organized method of tracking scholars within the program, PAVE SE will manage a shared Google Document, so teachers and RTI team members can monitor student progress and multiple users can simultaneously view and edit information about a scholar. With the use of the Google Document, school leadership will quickly access information about any scholar in the RTI program and determine which teachers are accountable for the childs intervention strategies. 2. Explain how the instructional plan and curriculum will meet the needs of English Language Learner (ELL) students, including the following: a) Methods for identifying ELL students. b) Specific instructional programs, practices, and strategies the school will employ to ensure academic success and equitable access to the core academic program for ELL students. c) Plans for monitoring and evaluating the progress and success of ELL students, including exiting students from ELL services. Following the annual enrollment period, PAVE SE will send the Home Language Questionnaire (HLQ) to every student's home. Upon receiving the HLQ from parents, PAVE SE staff will follow the NC legal guidance on identifying ELL students and administering related assessments. This guidance can be found at the following website: http://eldnces.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/file/view/WAPT%20Policy%20and%20Procedures%20Document%20Final%20August%2016%2C%202013.p df/445872632/WAPT%20Policy%20and%20Procedures%20Document%20Final%20August%2016%2C%202013.p df If the answers to the Home Language Questionnaire indicate that the student is of foreign birth and/or from a home where a language other than English is the primary language, an interview is conducted. If the interview team (consisting of the Principal and the Learning Support Coordinator) concludes that the student speaks no English at all, that student will be classified as ELL. If the interview team concludes that the child has limited English proficiency, the WIDA-ACCESS Placement Test (W-APT) will be administered. If the students W-APT score is below a point established by the State Department of Education, the student will be classified as ELL. In addition, PAVE SE staff will be trained to observe and assess all students so that they can quickly identify limited English proficient students, which is one way PAVE seeks to avoid inappropriately designating ELLs as students with disabilities. PAVE SE will make a meaningful effort to hire staff who speak 23 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School Spanish, especially the Principal and Office Manager. Students not previously identified as ELL but who indicate that they may have limited English proficiency will be tested to ascertain what levels of services might be necessary. PAVE SE will employ at least one staff member who is trained to serve as the school's part time ELL Coordinator, in addition to their teaching responsibilities. If the enrolling student population exceeds the level expected, however, PAVE SE will consider shifting resources to create a full time ELL Coordinator position. Because PAVE SE's budget does not rely on fundraising (despite PCS's strength in doing so), PAVE SE will have flexibility to make such a hire in addition to existing staff if fundraising allows for it. The ELL Coordinator will be charged with monitoring ELL student progress and ensuring ELL students receive equitable access to the core academic program. Through similar pull out and push in intervention strategies described above, teachers will implement strategies learned through professional development sessions with the ELL Coordinator. Teachers will use data and ELL materials, resourced by the ELL Coordinator, to perform these intervention strategies. ELL student progress will be tracked in Wireless Generation and other Google Drive trackers and referenced with each assessment administered. The student is required by state and federal law to be annually assessed on the state-identified English language proficiency test. The test currently used by North Carolina for annual assessment is the Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for English Language Learners, or the ACCESS for ELLs. Eligible students may participate in the Alternate ACCESS for ELLs in place of the ACCESS for ELLs. PAVE SE will administer this assessment nearthe end of the year in the time range required by NC state. 3. Explain how the school will identify and meet the needs of intellectually gifted students, including the following: a) Specific instructional programs, practices, strategies, and opportunities the school will employ or provide to enhance their abilities. b) Plans for monitoring and evaluating the progress and success of intellectually gifted students. PAVE SE students who achieve greater than a 95% on assessments will be deemed advanced proficient, and may be considered intellectually gifted students. Advanced students will be tracked in PAVE SE's data systems by a designated Gifted Student Coordinator, as to ensure ongoing high achievement with this population. Some specific ways that we ensure that we are meeting the needs of our most advanced students: Co-teaching: PAVE SE Raleigh is committed to differentiated instruction because it allows two teachers to personalize learning for individual students. While coteaching is effective in providing support for struggling students, it is also extremely effective in ensuring that our most advanced students are adequately challenged. The co-teaching model within literacy blocks, in particular, allows for small group instruction that is tailored to the skill levels of students based on ongoing assessment and observation of student performance. During the co-teaching periods, there is often one teacher who 24 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School is pulling students and extending the lesson. When students are "finished" with their work, they are never coloring or flipping through their books; we have exciting challenge questions and tasks prepared for every lesson. These challenges are effective in pushing the rigor for our advanced students and building incentive for the entire class to finish the assignment. Advanced Reading Groups: Thus Guided Reading is a good example of instruction that will use leveled materials to engage students, including advanced students. We have several Guided Reading Groups that are reading above Grade Level and responding to the text in creative and rigorous ways. For example, students in our highest reading groups are required to write journal entries from the perspective of the characters, debate the motivation of the characters amongst themselves, or use their laptops to create powerpoints about their favorite authors. In order to support our most advanced readers, PAVE SE Raleigh will invest in a range of texts that are appropriate for all students. Planned Rigorous Questioning: Teachers are also trained and expected to use differentiation techniques even within whole class instruction to benefit more advanced students. Differentiated instruction will be shown in daily lesson plans and curricula; teachers are expected to plan questions that inspire higher order thinking. Teachers have a deep understanding of the needs of their students and adjust the depth of questioning (and expectations for complexity of answers) based on a students assessed skills. Teachers may also provide differentiated materials, including alternative or stretch problems for more advanced students to grapple with while still studying the same objectives as their peers. *In addition, PAVE will seek partnerships with local organizations to ensure that all of our students are fully challenged. For example, PAVE will collaborate with the Duke Talent Identification Program. Beginning in the 4th grade, all students who meet the necessary requirements of the Duke TIP Program will be able to participate in their online lessons and TIP Book Club. Exceptional Children The public charter school cannot deny admission to any child eligible for special education services as identified under the federal legislation Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA), IDEA regulations, and Article 9 115C of the North Carolina General Statutes, North Carolina Policies Governing Services for Children with Disabilities. All public schools are responsible for hiring licensed and 'highly qualified' special educators pursuant to law. Public schools are required to provide a full continuum of services to meet the unique needs of ALL students with disabilities. Identification and Records 1. Explain how you will identify students who are enrolled within the charter school that have previously been found to be eligible for special education services or are protected under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. 2. Provide the process for identifying students who may be eligible for special education services as identified in the federal 'Child Find' mandate. Be sure to include how student evaluations and assessments will be completed. 25 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School 3. Provide a plan detailing how the records of students with disabilities and 504 Accommodation plans will be properly managed. a) Requesting Records from previous schools b) Record Confidentiality (on site) c) Record Compliance (on site) 1. In accordance with the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and in compliance with Child Find requirements (34 CFR 300.125), PAVE SE will identify, locate, and evaluate students with disabilities. Upon enrollment, and with the support of families and the school district, PAVE SE's licensed and highly qualified Learning Support Coordinator, in close conjunction with the Principal, will: -Work with Wake County Public Schools (WCPSS), previous schools, and parents to securely obtain IEP documentation as students with pre-existing IEPs transition to PAVE SE -Work with WCPSS, Psychologists, and related teachers to modify pre-existing IEPs, as needed -Cooperate with the WCPSS to ensure that all services identified on the IEP are provided -Advocate using PAVE SE's special education staff to provide specialized instruction but in certain instances opt to hire a service provider (i.e. speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy) 2. Since PAVE SE will start with K and 1st Grade in its first year, it is likely that many of the school's students will not have been previously diagnosed with a disability. It becomes incumbent upon PAVE SE staff to identify students who may have disabilities and prescribe the appropriate protocol to support the student. Students not meeting minimum levels of academic progress on IAs and other benchmarks will be identified and assigned to the RTI process. as described in the previous section. For students who move through all 3 Tiers of the RTI program without making academic progress, the school will recommend to the student's guardian that the student be formally evaluated to determine if there is an underlying disability. Evaluations, re-evaluations, and revisions are conducted, upon approval of parents, by WCPSS or certified Psychologists. Thus, in situations where PAVE SE has concluded that such an evaluation is warranted, the school will issue a request to WCPSS; a copy will be provided to parents. The request will: -Provide reason(s) for referral, including test results, reports, or records -Outline prior interventions under the Pre-Referral Process -Summarize parental input/involvement in the Pre-Referral Process From this point forward PAVE SE personnel will work with the evaluator to help write an IEP for new students identified as eligible for SPED services, and ensure that the services are provided. In support of students receiving Special Education services, the school will 26 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School ensure that: -Related teachers and the Learning Support Coordinator working with a student on an IEP will attend evaluation meetings to assist in the development and amendment of the IEP -School staff responsible for educating students will receive copies of IEPs and will receive training and support on their responsibility regarding the successful implementation of classroom accommodations, including: the referral process, development of IEPs, reviewof academic progress towards IEP goals, IEP revisions, reporting requirements, and disciplining students with disabilities. 3. Records of Exceptional Children will be kept in the Principals office in a locked filing cabinet that only the Principal, Learning Support Coordinator, and Office Manager will access directly. Records will also be maintained electronically in a password-protected database. In both instances a detailed 'Record of Access' log will be maintained by the Principal that chronicles who requested/gained access to the records and the reason for the request. Only individuals who meet need to know criteria will be able to view confidential records after signing a Request to Review Records form. Parents will sign a Consent for Release of Student Information Form' before releasing records to an external party. PAVE SE will send an Annual FERPA Notification to inform parents of their rights with regards to their childs records. Exceptional Children's Education Programming 1. Describe the educational programs, strategies, and additional supports the school will provide to ensure a full continuum of services for students with disabilities. 2. Describe the methods and support systems that will be in place to ensure students with disabilities receive a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). 3. Describe how implementation of the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) will be monitored and reported to the student, parents and relevant staff. 4. Describe the proposed plan for providing related services. 1. PAVE SE believes that many of the schools fundamental design elements support the academic growth of all scholars, particularly those who possess disabilities. The schools structured and disciplined environment, phonicsbased reading program, increased instructional time, and uniform and explicit discipline code, will ensure the success of every scholar. PAVE SE will have several layers of support for students with disabilities. The school will make extensive efforts to hire classroom teachers who possess dual certification in both general education and special education. These teachers will be attuned to the unique needs of students with special needs. Additionally, the Learning Support Coordinator (and in Year 3 an Interventionist) will frequently push in and/or pull out of classrooms (during non core academic periods) and serve as an additional layer of support for students with special needs. To develop a Special Education program that best meets the needs of PAVE SE students, PAVE SEs administrative team looks forward to working collaboratively with the WCCPS. Their guidance will enable PAVE to identify a qualified group (such as Schools Attuned or All Kinds of Minds) to provide professional development to PAVE SE educators both prior to and throughout 27 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School the school year. Further, as referenced, the school will have a Learning Support Coordinator (Special Education Certified) who will be responsible for overseeing the implementation of IEPs across classrooms and supporting teachers in their effort to do so. In its third year the school will hire an Intervention teacher who will act as an additional support for scholars and teachers. 2. PAVE SE believes that all students, regardless of ability, can achieve at high levels provided the right structures and supports are in place to promote their learning. The school is committed to enabling students with disabilities to learn in the least restrictive environment so that they can access the same curriculum as their peers. The school believes that the school design, with its structured and disciplined environment, phonicsbased reading program, increased instructional time, and a uniform and explicit discipline code, will support all students, including those with disabilities. PAVE SE will make certain that all students with disabilities receive a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment possible. To the greatest extent possible and in accordance with a students Individualized Education Plan (IEP), students with disabilities will be educated within the regular education classroom. PAVE SE will provide a variety of services both within and outside the general education classroom. During the co-taught ELA blocks, both teachers will work with all students using differentiated instructional techniques; in practice there is no visible distinction between students with and without disabilities. In addition, PAVE SEs Learning Support Coordinator (LSC) willmeet with classroom teachers at the beginning of the year to review IEPs and subjects are staggered in the daily schedule to enable the LSC to push-in to classrooms throughout the day. In this way SETTS is provided through pushin and pull-out as needed. Exceptional Children will be educated outside the regular education classroom only when the severity of the disability does not allow for adequate academic progress within the larger, traditional classroom. In order to ensure that all students with disabilities are able to reach the schools academic goals, PAVE SE will work with the local school district to make certain that all required services are provided under federal special education laws. Students with disabilities will be provided with the same services, notices, and access to school sponsored programs and activities as provided to general education students, including appropriate and timely progress reports. 3. Similar to the RTI program, PAVE SEs program for students with disabilities is built around continuous monitoring of student performance data through assessment and observation. The Wireless Generation system allows teachers and administrators to cut the data in a variety of ways to analyze progress of student subgroups, including students with disabilities. In addition, PAVE SEs special education personnel evaluate student progress towards the goals in their IEPs. Finally, implementation evaluation is a major component of collaborative planning between classroom teachers and intervention teachers, which provides the Learning Support Coordinator with feedback regarding the efficacy of intervention programs, curriculum, schedules and other aspects of the special education program. 28 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School 4. While PAVE SE will hire a fully certified special educator as its LSC, PAVE SE recognizes the critical importance of developing and sustaining a productive relationship with the the local school district and special education service providers. The school will work collaboratively with the district to identify the best possible providers of related services (Speech, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Counseling, etc.) with whom the school can contract to meet the needs of all students. Student Performance Standards 1. Describe the student performance standards for the school as a whole. 2. Explain the use of any evaluation tool or assessment that the proposed charter school will use in addition to any state or federally mandated tests. Describe how this data will be used to drive instruction and improve the curriculum over time for the benefit of students. 3. Explain the policies and standards for promoting students, including students with special needs, from one grade level to the next. Discuss how and when promotion criteria will be communicated to parents and students. 4. Provide the public charter school's exit standards for graduating ALL students. These standards should set forth what students in the last grade served will know and be able to do. Be sure to include plans for the "At-Risk" population. 1. As a school with a college-bound mission, PAVE SE maintains ambitious and attainable student performance standards across the school. The expectation is that all scholars reach or exceed proficiency as defined by the school across a series of academic benchmarks. This application has highlighted many of them. In the elementary grades the three biggest are: 1) Interim Assessment Performance in ELA and Math (all students meet/exceed 85%); 2) Fountas and Pinnell Reading Assessment (all students meet/exceed the End of Year benchmark for their grade); 3) North Carolina State Tests (all students meet/exceed the Proficiency threshold). 2. PAVE SE will use data derived from a myriad of assessments (IAs, Fountas and Pinnell Reading Assessment, Unit Tests, etc.) to drive instruction and inform the curriculum. The schools data system, Wireless Generation (WGEN), facilitates quick, robust and detailed student performance analysis, and empowers teachers and coaches to pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of individual students. Immediately following an assessment, thorough analysis will enable teachers to tailor and modify instruction to meet the needs of at-risk, accelerated, and special needs students. Following each IA, teachers and coaches will conduct in-depth data meetings to review students areas of collective weakness and strength. Teachers can focus on possible causes of a given data result and determine what aspects of instruction need to change or be adjusted so that students ultimately demonstrate their mastery on subsequent assessments. At data meetings, teachers generate strategies with attached deadlines to target specific assessment items. The results from IAs and other assessments also inform adjustments to the curriculum. At the end of each unit, teachers, under the direction of the Principal, will be expected to make changes informed by student data. This deliberate, thoughtful on-going curricular review will ensure that the schools scholars are supported by their curriculum. 3. PAVE SE will have explicit promotion criteria for scholars in all grades. 29 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School To be ensure of his/her promotion, a scholar must meet 2 benchmarks: 1) consistently score within or above the Approaching Proficiency/Yellow range on Interim Assessments in both ELA and Math (a score between 70-84% is deemed to be Approaching Proficiency at PAVE); and 2) meet the minimum predetermined Fountas and Pinnell Reading level that has been designated as on grade-level (Level C in Kindergarten, Level H in 1st Grade, etc.) by the end of the school year. If a student meets one of these two promotion criteria, then a decision regarding the scholars promotion will be made by the Principal in conjunction with the scholars classroom teacher. Other factors (ie- emotional maturity, etc.) will be taken into consideration. The decision to retain a scholar should never come as a surprise to a parent or guardian. Report Card Nights will be mandatory for PAVE SE parents (three per year). If a parent is unable to attend the designated day/evening when report cards are distributed and parent/teacher conferences are scheduled, a meeting at an alternate time will be coordinated. At each Report Card Night the results of the most recent Interim Assessments are shared and discussed. If a child scores are below 70% on any ELA or Math IA, the parent will be provided with a Promotion in Doubt (PID) letter. Because the dialogue begins early in the school year, a parent will not be caught off guard should a decision be reached to retain their child. Generally speaking, students with special needs will be held to the same promotional criteria as all students. The only cases where this will not hold true are circumstances where a scholar has an IEP that outlines promotional criteria that are different from the schools. In such instances those criteria will be observed when making a promotional decision. 4. One hundred percent of PAVE SE's graduating eighth grade students will enroll in a competitive high school that will prepare them and guide them carefully to a competitive college. PAVE SE intentionally will not enroll students after sixth grade, for example, so that teachers have enough time to catch students up if need be. For some of PAVE SE's top graduates, this means elite boarding and private schools across the country and NC. For many, this will mean enrolling in a highly regarded WCPSS high school that prepares them for a competitive university. PAVE SE founders have attended, worked in, and visited high performing high schools, and understand the skills and characteristics freshmen need to succeed. A vast majority of PAVE SE students will be able to read, write, and compute proficiently according to eighth grade Common Core Standards, which PAVE SE believes are rigorous enough to prepare students to excel in high school. So, very specifically, PAVE SE's exit standards for a majority of its students will be to exhibit proficiency on Common Core Standards, as measured by North Carolina's Common Core State Test. This is the paramount academic achievement most PAVE SE graduates will make. And for few Exceptional Children and at-risk students who have not been able to meet those standards, PAVE SE will ensure they meet a rigorous benchmark appropriate for them that will allow them to move towards successful college graduation down the road. Additionally, PAVE SE students will demonstrated clear embodiment of PAVE SE's core values: Perseverance, Achievement, Vibrance, and Excellent character. Students in middle school will have cultivated these skills both in the classroom and out of the classroom. Graduates will be able to 30 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School persevere through challenging assignments and assessments, failure, and conflict. They will possess a "Growth Mindset" that allows them to understand their abilities are not fixed, but can be cultivated over time with perseverance. Graduates will have experienced deep and meaningful success in at least one subject area and one extracurricular realm developed via rich after school program provisions. Students will have been exposed to competitive high school and college campuses and know the drastic difference between going to a great college and dropping out of high school. Students will live life with joy, vigor, and rigor. They will engage in conversation with strangers and start each day with purpose and a smile. Graduates will possess a "Generosity of Spirit"--a willingness to give of oneself before it is even asked and a genuine kindness towards others. They will engage in respectful, rigorous, and fast paced academic discourse on meaningful content matter. Graduates will be able to speak in complete sentences using appropriate grammar, syntax, articulation, voice level, and tone. PAVE SE's mission is to ensure that 100% of its graduates achieve at this level. One may argue that most of PAVESE's target population will be considered at-risk: Black and Hispanic students from low-income households where parents have, statistically speaking, likely not graduated from college. Students who grow up in neighborhoods like Southeast Raleigh generally do not perform at the levels described above, according to existing statistics. PAVE SE's mission is to reverse this trend and eliminate today's achievement gap. Student Conduct: Provide a brief narrative that disseminates how student conduct will be governed at the proposed charter school and how this plan aligns with the overall mission and proposed Education Plan of the charter school. Provide a draft copy of the student handbook specific to the proposed charter school within the appendices (Appendix D). Be sure to include: 1. Practices the school will use to promote effective discipline. 2. A preliminary list and definitions of the offenses which may result in suspension or expulsion of students. 3. An explanation of how the school will take into account the rights of students with disabilities in regards to these actions that may or must lead to suspension and expulsion. 4. Policies and procedures disseminating due process rights, including grievance procedures, for when a student is suspended or expelled. 1. PAVE SE's Behavioral Expectations are presented to students and their families with regularity so all parties are familiar with them. This begins prior to a students first day of school when a member of the PAVE SE staff conducts a home visit to review expectations. Three times per year parents will receive formal written reports that chronicle and highlight their child's behavior; formal conferences will be held for repeated and severe violations. The most important stakeholders of the school's Behavioral Expectations are the scholars. Ample time in the opening weeks of school will be allocated to 31 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School explicitly model and reinforce the desired behaviors. Teachers will use positive narration in order to build a positive school culture and encourage all students to behave appropriately. PAVE SE has developed the Behavioral Expectations with the intent of discouraging behaviors that do not contribute to a student's or his/her peer's learning. Student behavior in K-2 is tracked via a "Behavior Thermometer", a color-coded visual displayed at the front of the classroom that visualizes for students which "color", or behavior, the student is currently exhibiting. In grades 3-8, a merit/demerit system is used to explicitly reinforce positive and negative behaviors. Additionally, PAVE SE Raleigh teachers will partake in professional development sessions associated with Responsive Classroom, which will be a foundation for PAVE SE classroom culture and promotes a positive environment and community inside classrooms primarily through the use of positive language and reinforcement. 2.Students may be suspended for disrupting the physical harm, possession of harmful objects and theft. An explicit chronicle of actionable consequences a student might face is outlined Handbook in Appendix D. school environment, causing substances, harassment, and offenses and the menu of in the Student and Family 3. PAVE SE will comply with Federal and State law that provide procedural rights relating to discipline of students who have been identified under such laws as having special needs based upon a disability. A copy of these rights may be obtained from the Principal. The schools disciplinary policy, as regards any student with a disability, will be consistent with the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), its implementing regulations and applicable North Carolina state law respecting students with disabilities. A student whose IEP includes a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) will be disciplined in accordance with the BIP. If the BIP appears not be effective or if there is a concern for the health and safety of the student or others if the BIP is followed with respect to an infraction, the matter will be immediately referred to WCPSS for consideration of a change in the guidelines. A student with, or the same manner as suspended for more ensure that student from school for a placement. suspected of having, a disability may be disciplined in his/her non-disabled peers. However, when a student is than 10 days, additional safeguards will be in place to behavior is not tied to his/her disability. An exclusion period greater than 10 days is considered a change in 4. Complainants may bring complaints to the Principal that alleges a violation of the Charter Schools Act or state law. Complainants should include a written statement regarding the nature for the complaint that includes: 1) the person(s) involved; 2) date/time of the occurrence; 3) location of occurrence; 4) reference to the specific term(s) of the charter or law that have been breached; 5) the response (if any) of the school to date; 6) what relief is being sought by the complainant; and 7) the complainants detailed contact information. After the Principal decides, the 32 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School complainant may appeal to the board. Please see Appendix D for detail. The Handbook is PAVE RH's current Handbook; it will also apply to PAVE SE, except for slight adjustments to reflect NC law and minor PAVE SE notes. 33 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School IV. GOVERNANCE, OPERATIONS and CAPACITY (No more than ten total pages in this section) NOTE: Please answer all sections completely. Do not use "same as LEA" or "whatever the law states". Lack of proper documentation could deem the application incomplete. Governance: Private Nonprofit Corporation: *The nonprofit corporation must be officially authorized by the NC Secretary of State by the final approval interview date. Name of Private Nonprofit: PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School Mailing Address: 434 Fayetteville St., Ste. 1620 City/State/Zip: Raleigh NC 27601 Street Address: 434 Fayetteville St., Ste. 1620 Phone: 917-803-0380 Fax: 718-858-7814 Name of registered agent and address: Corporation Services Company 327 Hillsborough Street Raleigh, NC 27603 FEDERAL TAX ID: 46-4215646 Tax-Exempt Status 501 (c)(3) The private nonprofit listed as the responsible organization for the proposed charter school has received 501 (c)(3) status: Yes (copy of letter from federal government attached: Appendix E) X No NOTE: If the non-profit organization has yet to obtain the 501(c)(3) status, the tax-exempt status must be obtained from the Internal Revenue Service within twenty-four (24) months of the date the Charter Application is given final approval. Governance and Organizational Structure of Private Non-Profit Organization: The private nonprofit corporation is the legal entity that has responsibility for all aspects of the proposed charter school. Its members should reflect the ability to operate a charter school from both business and education perspectives. Please complete the table provided depicting the initial members of the nonprofit organization. Board Member Name Board Title County/State of Current Occupation Residence Andrew Lakis Trustee DURHAM Managing 34 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School Kwan Graham Trustee MECKLENBURG JB Buxton Board Chair WAKE Spencer Robertson Trustee Out of State Cooper Westendarp Trustee Out of State Director, Teach for America, Durham Director, PEFNC, Raleigh Principal, Education Innovations Group, Raleigh Executive Director, PAVE, New York City COO/CFO, PAVE, New York City Please provide the following in this location of the APPLICATION: 1. A description of the governance structure of the proposed charter school, including the governing board's functions, primary duties, roles and responsibilities as it relates to overseeing the charter school. Include how the board will recruit, hire, and supervise the lead administrator. PAVE SE will be governed by a Board of Trustees that will be responsible for the charter and for officially hiring and supervising the Principal and Director of Operations. PAVE SE's Board of Trustees will hire a non-profit charter management organization, which as currently contemplated and in what the Board believes to be the best interest of PAVE SE for the reasons described in section IV(C) below will be PAVE Charter Schools (PCS), to manage the day to day operations of the school, including day to day management of the school leaders, but the ultimate governance of PAVE SE will be the responsibility of the PAVE SE Board of Trustees. PAVE SE will be governed by a Board of Trustees and chaired by a Board Chair. The Board will have committees, including an education committee, a governance committee, and a finance committee. In coordination with PCS, the Board will steer the school so that it meets two crucial goals: advancing the school's mission and maintaining a healthy, financially viable organization. Specific requirements of the Trustee role will be: attending Board and committee meetings, visiting the school, fundraising, promoting the school, ensuring the school is in full compliance with its charter, hiring an independent auditor, hiring/evaluating the management organization, and hiring/evaluating the Principal and Director of Operations, both of whom will report to the Board as school co-leaders. The PAVE SE Board will be similar in composition to the Board of PAVE Academy Charter School in Red Hook, which currently includes a community activist, an educational consultant, a professional educator, an executive at Teach for America, and a hedge fund manager. Trustees have varied expertise, which ensures that all aspects of the Board's activities are conducted to the fullest potential. In conjunction with governing, the Board of Trustees will be responsible for hiring and evaluating the PAVE SE School Leaders, the Principal and Director of Operations. PCS is expected to recommend at least one highly qualified candidate for each position to be considered among several. The Board will 35 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School interview candidates and review a summary of the selection process, including resumes and reference checks, as well as the resumes of other finalists. Based on this information, the Board may approve the candidates or request that PCS present additional candidates for consideration. PCS will conduct an annual evaluation of the PAVE SE leaders and present its findings to the Board. PAVE SE leadership will prepare a dashboard of summary data for each Board meeting, including student achievement, enrollment, attendance, and financial data. At each Board meeting the Principal and the Education Committee will present a report on the academic status of the school. The Director of Operations and the Finance Committee will review monthly financial statements, including budget to actuals and cash balance statements. Additional school health data suchas student, staff, and parent information will also be included in the dashboard and presented by school leaders. PAVE SE commits to governing within all federal and state laws, including, specifically, NC Open Meetings Law. Accordingly, PAVE SE Board Meetings will be held at a public location and minutes for the meetings will be available at any time to the public. 2. Describe the size, current and desired composition, powers, and duties of the governing board. Identify key skills, areas of expertise, and constituencies that will be represented on the governing board. Explain how this governance structure and composition will help ensure that a) the school will be an educational and operational success; b) the board will evaluate the success of the school and school leader; and c) there will be active and effective representation of key stakeholders, including parents. PAVE SE will be governed by a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 12 Trustees, with no more than 2 Trustees from the non-profit management organization. Currently, the Board is comprised of 5 founding Trustees, including a former education Advisor to the Governor, a Managing Director from Teach for America, and a Director of Parent and Charter School Advocacy from a Raleigh based education non-profit, a school Executive Director, and a COO/CFO of a school. According to their experience and interest, each Trustee will serve on at least one of the following subcommittees: Executive, Governance, Finance, Development, Education/Accountability, and Community Engagement. These committees allow Trustees to focus their talents on specialized projects, thereby increasing Board efficiency. While committees allow Trustees to focus on one area, the entire Board is always apprised of PAVEs full field of operation. To keep our Board of Trustees updated on scholar performance and school health, PAVE will present a dashboard that provides a monthly snapshot of academic achievement and other important school-wide metrics. The dashboard is simple but informative; its streamlined design allows for the distillation of the most important information to be shared at each PAVE Board meeting. The dashboard lets our Board members use precious meeting time for problem solving and higher-level planning rather than spending time on administrative procedures or searching for information. At each Board meeting, school leaders also give a detailed report of student progress. Also presented at each Board meeting is an Educational Committee Report (ECR), a document that shows in-depth data from the most recent assessment period. The ECR displays this data in large, color-coded graphs, designed so 36 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School that any Board member, regardless of his or her background, can quickly understand the information. The access to detailed, digestible data allows the Board to easily discuss student progress and overall school health with PAVE leadership. Additionally, at least one Trustee will meet with each of the school leaders once per month in addition to the Board Meeting. These meetings will allow for school leaders to discuss the school's progress as it aligns with the Board. For example, the Principal might have a bi-weekly check in with the Principal while the Treasurer might discuss details on a facility search with the Director of Operations. Each school leader will meet with the Board twice per year: once for an informal mid-year and again at the end of year for a formal evaluation. Leader evaluations will be based on a combination of school health factors, including (most importantly) academic results, staff survey data, parent survey data, and the Board's own evaluation of performance. 3. Explain the procedure by which the founding board members have been recruited and selected. If a position is vacant, how and on what timeline will new members be recruited and added to the board? By networking with existing, mission-aligned colleagues who work and/or live in the Raleigh area, PAVE SEs incorporators, along with experienced advisors from PCS, have had in-person meetings with several individuals who could add value to the founding PAVE SE Board of Trustees. When evaluating each individual, PAVE SEs incorporators have looked for the following characteristics: -A passion for education and PAVEs mission -Ability to support PAVEs fundraising goals by giving/getting $500 annually -A strong personal or professional commitment to the communities that PAVE serves -Contracting with a charter management organization to oversee school operations The ability/willingness to devote time to their Board commitment -Ability to provide expertise and support in a relevant area; ideal backgrounds include but are not limited to: entrepreneurship, fundraising, strategy/management consulting, urban education, real estate, charter school start-up experience, community relations. The Board is currently comprised of 5 Trustees and will add 2 additional Trustees during the term of the authorization process, one of whom will be a direct representative from the Southeast Raleigh community. Between authorization and the school's opening, the Board will likely add an additional 2 Trustees for a total of 9 Trustees by the fall of 2015. The Board will ideally add one parent to the Board once the school has enrolled students. Trustees will be considered using the following nominating process: -Board of Trustees and PCS work together to identify a pool of prospective Trustees -The recommending Trustee introduces prospective member to PAVE leadership -Prospective Trustees visits PAVE SE to meet PAVE SE leadership and receive an overview of the organization -Trustees and PAVE SE leadership meet with candidates to review new Board 37 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School member expectations -If mutual interest and fit exists, the recommending Trustee submits prospective members name and resume to Governance Committee which formally invites new members to join the Board 4. Outline below the strategic board calendar detailing how often the board will meet according to the bylaws established. The Board will meet publicly 9 to 10 times per year 5. What kinds of orientation or training will new board members receive, and what kinds of ongoing professional development will existing board members receive? The plan for training and development should include a timetable, specific topics to be addressed, and requirements for participation (Board Policies Draft: Appendix J). After a new Trustee is elected, he/she will participate an in-depth school visit to PAVE SE (and/or PAVE Academy in Brooklyn, if PAVE SE has not yet opened) and a meeting with the PAVE SE Board Chair and PCS Chief Executive Officer to bring them up to speed on the school and strategic initiatives. They will also have a meeting with their Committee Chair to update them on and engage them with the committees goals. If the Board member elected will be serving as the Board Chair, they will also meet with the PCS Board Chair. PAVE SE plans to partner with an authorization consultant, as has been the case in NY where PAVE Academy has contracted a consultant to work with the PAVE Academy Board in the areas of authorization, compliance, and renewal. PAVE SE anticipates partnering with a similar consultant to provide relevant and engaging board development sessions. Additionally, the Governance Committee Chair shares an annual report card with each PAVE SE board member. The report card reviews each member in the areas of meeting attendance, fundraising, committee participation, event participation, school visits, and other contributions (i.e. connecting the school with educational consultants or community members, providing pro-bono services, or hosting a cultivation event). The report card also serves as a tool that informs goals for the following school year. The PAVE SE board will also participate in an annual retreat where members intensely discuss issues facing the organization and collaborate to develop future strategic goals. Other professional resources available to PAVE SE Trustees will include the PCS Board, the PEFNC Accelerator program, and Building Excellent Schools (a school leader training program that provided significant training for the PAVE Red Hook board in the schools founding year). 6. Describe the board's ethical standards and procedures for identifying and addressing conflicts of interest. Identify any existing relationships that could pose actual or perceived conflicts if the application is approved; discuss specific steps that the board will take to avoid any actual conflicts and to mitigate perceived conflicts. The Board has voted on Bylaws and a Conflict of Intrest policy to govern any potential conflicts. The complete documents are available in Appendix H. Herein is a summary of the policy. Purpose The purpose of the conflicts of interest policy is to protect the interest of PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School, Inc. (the "Corporation") when it is contemplating entering into a transaction or arrangement that might benefit the private interest of an officer or director of the Corporation or might result in a possible excess benefit transaction. This policy is intended to supplement but not replace any applicable state and federal laws 38 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School governing conflict corporations. of interest applicable to nonprofit and charitable Financial Interest A person has a "financial interest" if the person has, directly or indirectly, through business, investment or family: -an ownership or investment interest in any entity with which the Corporation has a transaction or arrangement, -a compensation arrangement with the Corporation or with any entity or individual with which the Corporation has a transaction or arrangement, or -a potential ownership or investment interest in, or compensation arrangement with any entity or individual with which the Corporation is negotiating a transaction or arrangement. Compensation includes direct and indirect remuneration as well as gifts or favors that are not insubstantial. A financial interest is not necessarily a conflict of interest. Under Article III, Section 2, a person who has a financial interest may have a conflict of interest only if the appropriate governing board or committee decides that a conflict of interest exists. Duty to Disclose In connection with any actual or possible conflict of interest, an interested person must disclose the existence of the financial interest and be given the opportunity to disclose all material facts to the directors and members of committees with governing board delegated powers considering the proposed transaction or arrangement. Determining Whether a Conflict of Interest Exists After disclosure of the financial interest and all material facts, and after any discussion with the interested person, he/she shall leave the governing board or committee meeting while the determination of a conflict of interest is discussed and voted upon. The remaining board or committee members shall decide if a conflict of interest exists. Procedures for Addressing the Conflict of Interest -An interested person may make a presentation at the governing board or committee meeting, but after such presentation, he/she shall leave the meeting during the discussion of, and the vote on, the transaction or arrangement that results in the conflict of interest. -The chairperson of the governing board or the committee shall, if appropriate, appoint a disinterested person or committee to investigate alternatives to the proposed transaction or arrangement. -After exercising duediligence, the governing board or committee shall determine whether the Corporation can obtain with reasonable efforts a more advantageous transaction or arrangement from a person or entity that would not give rise to a conflict of interest. -If a more advantageous transaction or arrangement is not reasonably possible under circumstances not producing a conflict of interest, the governing board or committee shall determine by a majority vote of the disinterested directors whether the transaction or arrangement is in the Corporations best interest, for its own benefit, and whether it is fair and reasonable. In conformity with the above determination it shall make its 39 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School decision as to whether to enter into the transaction or arrangement. As outlined in their Board Forms, two Trustees will be employees of the proposed management organization. Before hiring the management organization, the Board will thoroughly adhere to the Conflict of Interest policy and recuse themselves of related votes. 7. Explain the decision-making processes the board will use to develop school policies. The Board of Trustees shall have control of and govern the operations and affairs of PAVE SE, and it shall have all the powers customarily held by a Board of Trustees of a non-profit corporation organized under the State of North Carolina. In exercising its powers and duties, the Board of Trustees shall establish and maintain policies and procedures for the operation of PAVE SE and shall oversee that such policies and procedures are carried out by the school leader and such other staff of PAVE SE as the Board of Trustees may employ or authorize the school leader to employ from time to time. The Board of Trustees shall have primary responsibility for seeing that PAVE SE is provided with the financial and other resources which the Board of Trustees deems appropriate for its proper operation. Any major decisions or changes in school policy that require Board approval will be made by vote or unanimous written consent, according to the bylaws. 8. Describe any advisory bodies, councils, or associations listed in the organization chart or to be formed, including the roles and duties of that body, and the reporting structure as it relates to the school's governing body and leadership. PAVE SE will establish a Parent Advisory Board (PAB) that will be important in supporting teachers and engaging families. Through regular meetings, the PAB will provide input to the Principal and Director of Operations on implementation of school programs and services. They will report to the Principal regularly, and to the Board on the status of the school community when necessary. 9. Discuss the school's grievance process for parents and staff members. There is a set procedure for parents and staff to log a complaint. Staff members are expected to first raise the complaint with their direct supervisor - either the Principal or the Director of Operations - who should attempt to resolve the issue quickly. If this person is unable to resolve the issue to the satisfaction of the complainant, the complaint may be taken to the PAVE SE Board. If a complaint is specifically about the Principal or Director of Operations, staff should take the complaint directly to the PAVE SE Board. The Board Chair will appoint an ad hoc committee to investigate and provide a written response in a timely manner. If the complainant is not satisfied, he or she may take the complaint to the schools authorizor. Parents are expected to follow a similar path. They should first raise a complaint with their childs teacher, then the Principal, and then if still not satisfied they may take their complaint to the PAVE SE Board. Complaints to the PAVE SE Board must be submitted in writing. Parents and other interested community members may attend PAVE SE's public board meetings per NC Open Meetings Law; board meeting times and locations will be made available to the public. If the member can not attend, minutes from the board meeting will be publicly available upon any request. In addition, PAVE SE prohibits retaliation against anyone who has complained about a violation of school policy or who has cooperated in an investigation of such a complaint. Retaliation will result in disciplinary action, up to 40 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School and including termination of employment. Governance and Organizational Structure of Private Non-Profit Organization (continued) Include in the Appendices: 1. A well-defined organizational chart showing the relationship of the Board of Directors to the parents and staff of the proposed charter school. This chart should also include lines of authority to and from any outside entity that will play a role in managing or supporting the charter school (such as educational service providers, advisory bodies or parent/teacher councils). (Appendix F) 2. A one-page resume from each founding board member and responses to the questions found on the Charter School Board Member Form (Appendix G). 3. The proposed by-laws, which must include a Conflict of Interest Policy for board members and a stated commitment to the NC Open Meetings Law (Appendix H). 4. A copy of the articles of incorporation, if available. If not available, this document must be available prior to interview by SBE, the applicant must demonstrate that it has been applied for prior to submission of the proposed application. (Appendix I) 5. Copy of any board policies if adopted already (Appendix J). 6. Copies of meeting minutes (if available), relevant to the development of the charter school plan, during the application process (Appendix K). Proposed Management Organization (Educational Management Organization or Charter Management Organization) If the proposed school does not intend to contract with an education service provider, mark "Not Applicable" and follow the direction #3 in the Application Specifications. Not Applicable If the Charter School plans to contract for services with an educational management organization (EMO) or charter management organization (CMO), please specify the contact information below. Name of the Company: Friends of PAVE, Inc. (DBA "PAVE Charter Schools") Address: 732 Henry Street Brooklyn NY 11231 Website: www.paveacademy.org Phone Number: 718-858-7813 Contact Person: Cooper Westendarp Fax: 718-858-7814 Email: cwestendarp@paveacademy.org 1. Explain how the contract with the specified EMO or CMO will be in the best educational and financial interest of the charter school. Please include a copy of the proposed management agreement as Appendix L of the specified EMO or CMO. Friends of PAVE, Inc. (FOP) is an existing non-profit corporation that currently provides fundraising support to PAVE Academy Charter School and pre-pave inc. (a pre-kindergarten program), two education based non-profit organizations in Brooklyn, NY. By August 1, 2014, FOP will transition to also serve as a non-profit Charter School Management Organization that employs a network team, including the founders of PAVE Academy Charter School, that supports and manages schools. The expansion to open more 41 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School schools is based on the academic and organizational success of PAVE Academy Charter School in Brooklyn, NY. PCS will offer proven academic systems, organizational heft, and financial health that will significantly benefit PAVE SE. At this time, FOP will begin doing business as PAVE Charter Schools (PCS) and will apply to open more schools, provide instructional and operational support, and contract with school boards to manage school leaders. PAVE SE would be the second PAVE school, a replication of PAVE Academy Charter School in Brooklyn, NY. Specific services will include: fundraising, financial management, programmatic oversight, systems and technology support, best practice sharing between PAVEs NYC and NC schools, data management, and compliance assistance. PCS will not charge PAVE SE a management fee. Two PCS staff members will also serve as two of PAVE SE's five founding board members to aid in the charter application process, incorporation, and founding board recruitment (the board will add additional non-FOP board members), but neither will financially benefit by receiving equity or direct salary from PAVE SE. Upon charter approval, PAVE SE's Board plans to hire PCS as a management organization, but before doing so, the PAVE SE Board will thoroughly follow the Conflict of Interest Policy, including the PCS employees who also serve on PAVE SE's Board. Please reference the appendices for further details of the management agreement. 2. What other EMO/CMOs were pursued and why did the applicant select this particular one? Please include information regarding other management organization's fees and financial/academic records that led to the selection of the proposed EMO/CMO as the best fit for this proposed school. PAVE SEs founding Principal, Ariana Kanwit, currently serves as an Elementary School Principal in Residence at PAVE Academy in Brooklyn, NY, where she has served as an instructional leader for over two years prior to this charter application. When Ms. Kanwit notified PCS's leadership team that she would be moving to North Carolina with the hope of starting a charter school, PCS founders indicated that they would be willing to support Ms. Kanwit in her endeavor. In addition to Ms. Kanwit's connection to the North Carolina community, PCSs team attended college in NC, has family in the Triangle, and maintains personal and professional relationships with current PAVE Academy supporters who live in the local Triangle community. Given Ms. Kanwit's history with PAVE and her passion for PAVE's mission, she agreed to apply to open PAVE SE Raleigh as Co-Lead Applicants with Spencer Robertson, Executive Director of FOP. Additional support from PCS comes from Cooper Westendarp, PCSs Chief Operating and Financial Officer and PAVE SE Board Member, and Ali Donovan, PCSs Director of Development and Recruitment. Accordingly, no other Charter Management Organizations were pursued or considered by Ms. Kanwit. PAVE SE will Brooklyn and results, PAVE Carolina, for be the second of possible eight PAVE total schools between North Carolina. Assuming PAVE schools continue to produce plans to open four Brooklyn schools and four schools in North a total of eight schools, by 2020. PCS will not charge PAVE SE a management fee. 3. Provide and discuss student performance, governance performance and financial data from other schools managed by the management company to demonstrate how this organization is a good fit for the targeted student population. Nationally, what is the highest and lowest 42 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School performing school of the EMO/CMO? Why are these two schools so different in overall achievement? PCS currently operates one K-6 school with 360 students in Red Hook Brooklyn, NY; this flagship program, PAVE Academy Charter School (PAVE RH), will grow an additional grade each year until the school reaches K-8 in the 2015-2016 school year. PAVE RH was one of the highest performing charter schools in New York State in Math on the 2013 NY State Common Core Assessment, and is the highest performing school in ELA in Red Hook. To understand what this means in context of North Carolina's metrics, it appears that while New York and North Carolina have historically performed at the same level on nationally normed assessments, including the NAEP, New York's cut scores appear to currently be more rigorous than those of North Carolina: 2013 ELA and math results from the two states can not be viewed as an apples to apples comparison. This is not to in any way claim that New York is doing a better job at educating children or visa versa, but rather to note that the statistics for PAVE RH should be evaluated comparatively with New York State averages, rather than against North Carolina's ELA and math result averages. Please also note that proficiency here refers to the # of children who earned a 3 or 4 (out of a 1-4 grading scale) on the 2013 New York State test. In Math, 58% of PAVE RH students performed at proficiency, in comparison to peer populations of African American and Hispanic students from across New York State, who performed at 15% and 18% proficiency, respectively. The three other schools in PAVE RH's neighborhood--schools where most of PAVE RH's students would otherwise attend--performed at a 17% proficiency in math. New York City students averaged 30% proficiency and New York State students averaged 31% proficiency in math. PAVE outperformed every school in the highly regarded Uncommon Schools, Achievement First, and KIPP charter school networks in math. PAVE RH's math program is highly regarded in the NYC charter school sector. In ELA, 21% of PAVE RH students performed at proficiency, in comparison to peer populations of African American and Hispanic students from across New York State, who performed at 16% and 18% proficiency, respectively. The three other schools in PAVE RH's neighborhood performed at a 12% proficiency in ELA. New York City students averaged 26% proficiency and New York State students averaged 31% proficiency in ELA. PAVE performed similarly, on average, to KIPP NYC schools, and below the averages of Uncommon Schools and Achievement First, which averaged 33% and 30% proficiency, respectively . While PAVE RH students are outperforming peer schools and populations, they are not performing at the desired levels of PAVE RH leadership. Enhancing PAVE's ELA program is one of PAVE RH's primary goals for the 2013-2014 school year. PAVE RH is a financially and organizationally strong organization. PAVE RH's five unqualified audits are a product of strong budgeting, conservative financial policies and procedures, transparent and tight internal controls, lengthy wait lists, tremendous philanthropic support, healthy cash balances, a consistently diligent management team, and regular Board oversight. Another example of PAVE RH's financial and organizational capacity has been demonstrated via PAVE RH's $39 million school construction project, which was completed in late 2012. Two thirds of the project was financed from a 43 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School competitive facilities grant issued by New York States School Construction Authority while PAVE RH raised $13 million. Additionally, PAVE RH leaders leveraged the building asset to generate an additional $2.1 in philanthropy for educational initiatives via New Market Tax Credits. Audited financials for both PAVE RH and FOP are included in the Appendices. 4. Describe how the governance structure will be affected; if at all, by the EMO/CMO and particularly discuss how the board of directors of the charter school will govern the school independently of the EMO/CMO. The governance structure of PAVE SE and PAVE Charter Schools is best described when referencing the Corporate Structure organizational chart and the draft Management Agreement, which are both included in the Appendices. As these documents demonstrate, PCS will be governed by a separate board of trustees from that of PAVE SE. No members of PAVE Charter Schools Board will overlap with Board members of PAVE SE. For purposes of ensuring regular and transparent communication between the management organization and the newly formed school Board, PCS's Executive Director and Chief Operating and Financial officer will sit as two of the five founding board members of PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School. Upon charter approval, PAVE SEs board will expand to include up to 12 members, with a maximum of two seats provided to PCS at any given time. Because PCS and PAVE SE are both non-profit corporations, neither of the management organizations staff members have any type of equity interest that qualify as conflict of interest. In school Board votes that involve a potential conflict of interest with the management entity, PAVE Charter Schools members of the board will abstain from voting according to the schools conflict of interest policy. The PAVE SE Board will have the ability to independently terminate the management agreement according to the stipulations outlined in the draft management contract. While PAVE Charter Schools will assume most day to day school management responsibilities, the PAVE SE Board is ultimately responsible for the charter and has appropriate authority and freedom to govern accordingly. 5. Provide a description of the relationship that will exist between the charter school employees and the Management Organization. All day to day staff members of PAVE SE will serve as legal W-2 employees of PAVE SE. All PCS employees, who will split time between New York and North Carolina, including the Executive Director and Chief Operating and Financial Officer, will be legal W-2 employees of PCS. As illustrated in the Corporate Structure organizational chart, there will be a dotted line report structure between SE'S Principal and PCS's CEO. Likewise, there will be a dotted line report structure between SE's Director of Operations and PCS's COO/CFO. The CEO and COO/CFO will provide direct day to day management, support, and evaluations according to the management contract to PAVE SE's school leadership, but only PAVE SE's Board may make formal employment decisions in the case of hiring or terminating a PAVE SE employee. PCS leaders would make a request to hire or terminate a school leader, but the hire or termination would only occur upon PAVE SE Board approval. All other PAVE SE staff including teachers, Deans, and operations staff, report to either PAVE SE's Principal or the Director of Operations as W-2 employees of PAVE SE. 6. Explain how the contract includes measurable objectives whereby the charter school board can 44 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School evaluate annually the performance of the EMO/CMO; and if necessary, terminate the contract without significant obstacles. The following language is included in Section 11 of the management contract: a. Termination by School. The School may terminate this Agreement for cause prior to the end of the Term for any of the reasons set forth in subparagraphs (i) and (ii) below: i. if PAVE materially breaches any of the material terms and conditions of this Agreement and fails to remedy such breach within 90 days after receipt of written notice of such breach from the School, unless such breach is incapable of being reasonably cured within 90 days in which case this Agreement may be terminated if PAVE fails to initiate and continue a cure for such breach within 90 days after receipt of such written notice; or ii. if there occurs an enactment, repeal, promulgation or withdrawal of any federal, State, or local law, regulation, or court or administrative decision or order which, after exhausting all possible appeals, results in a final judgment or finding that this Agreement or the operation of the School in conformity with this Agreement, would violate the Schools responsibilities, duties or obligations under the State or federal constitutions, statutes, laws, rules or regulations. The Board will utilize annual school academic performance, financial health, and student and staff information to determine the overall efficacy of PCS. 7. Is the facility provided by the EMO/CMO? Y 8. List the fund balance and surpluses for each school managed by the EMO/CMO over the last three years in North Carolina. The following are year end audited balances and surpluses for PAVE Academy Charter School and Friends of PAVE Inc (which will evolve into PAVE Charter Schools over the next year). PAVE Academy Charter School 6/30/13 Current Assets: $847,592 6/30/13 Net Surplus: $113,647 6/30/13 Contributions and Grants: $785,371 Friends of PAVE, Inc. (to evolve into PAVE Charter Schools) 6/30/13 Current Assets: $3,998,136 6/30/13 Net Assets: $211,044* *Please see Note 5 in the FOP financials which refers to a successful New Market Tax Credit Deal that yielded a total of $2.1 million in philanthropy to the Red Hook Community via other related non-profit organizations. A large loan that currently appears on FOP's balance sheet will be forgiven after seven years. Details and documentation available at request. Private School Conversions: complete ONLY if the proposed charter is a private school conversion. Otherwise, mark "Not Applicable" and follow the direction #3 in the Application Specifications. X Not Applicable Applicable" and follow the direction #3 in the Application Specifications. Understand that the replication means that a new charter school will be governed separately from the charter school the application is modeled after. Not Applicable 1. The proposed charter school will be governed by 2. Describe the rationale for replicating the application based upon the success of another charter school. Include documentation and evidence that the existing charter school model is successful in student 45 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School achievement, charter school governance, and fiscal responsibility. Base this explanation upon academic data available through state and national summative assessments, financial audits, and state compliance reports. STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT PAVE RH is offering students who would otherwise not receive a strong education with a proven educational model that, while still striving to better itself, is making significant progress. Specifically, PAVE RH outperformed other Black and Hispanic Students in NY State by over 40% in math and over 3%--admittedly not as impressive--in ELA. In its own neighborhood--a low income neighborhood comprised of Black and Hispanic families--PAVE RH outperformed neighborhood schools by over 40% in math and 8% in ELA. While PAVE RH's program still growth areas, leaders believe that academic scores alone--not to mention PAVE RH's many other strengths--warrant offering the same opportunity to other low-income students around the nation who are currently not achieving at the same levels of their wealthier peers, Southeast Raleigh being one community where such a dynamic exists. GOVERNANCE The PAVE RH Board has been very stable: 4 of PAVE RH's founding 9 board members remain Trustees. Of the 5 who have transitioned off of the PAVE Board, 4 remain significantly involved with PAVE RH: 3 serve on PAVE's Advisory Board and 1 serves on the Friends of PAVE Board. 100% of PAVE RH's Board has donated yearly since 2010. The Board has also governed appropriately, allowing school leaders autonomy where they succeed and taking a more active role in areas of growth. PAVE RH's network is nationally vast and substantive, which has allowed founders to gain strong traction in NC thus far. Existing PAVE SE Board members are equally substantive with national networks and strong leadership experience. FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY PAVE entities have a keen ability to operate effectively and fund raise, with ongoing surpluses, affirming authorizor reports and renewals, and unqualified financial audits. While financial and operational success is not PAVE SE's mission, it will create a healthy and stable environment in which instructional staff can focus intensely on student achievement. 3. Depict and analyze the current enrollment trends and student demographics of the replicated charter school model over the past three academic years. PAVE RH has demonstrated significant increases in its lottery, increasing each year in applications. Last year PAVE RH received 1086 applications for 76 seats. Almost all students who enroll in PAVE RH live within the borough of Brooklyn, and over 70% live across the street from PAVE RH's facility in the Red Hook Housing, New York City's second largest housing complex. Over 87% of PAVE RH students qualify for Free or Reduced lunch, a figure that has maintained consistency since the school's founding. In 2012-2013, 92% of PAVE RH students were Black and Hispanic, with the remaining 8% as mixed race. In the fall of 2013, PAVE RH enrolled its first white student in its history. In 2012-2013, 16% of PAVE RH students possessed IEPs (slightly above average for NYC) and 5% were considered ELL (slightly below average for NYC). 46 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School All of these statistics have remained predictably constant over PAVE RH's five and a half year history. PAVE RH leaders attribute this to PAVE RH's commitment to targeting this population in public outreach and lottery recruitment events. PAVE SE anticipates that its precise attention to the target population during the lottery and enrollment phase will receive similar demographic results. 4. Explain why the governing board of the proposed charter school is a good fit for the proposed student population as noted in Section II Mission and Purposes. PAVE SE's governing board is foremost committed to providing students from low-income backgrounds a rigorous education that will prepare them for college. While not personal residents of the Southeast Raleigh community, each board member has an important and diverse experience serving communities like Southeast Raleigh. Spencer Robertson and Cooper Westendarp, two of PAVE RH's founders, have run PAVE RH for 6 years, a high performing charter school with the same educational model as PAVE SE that has been implemented successfully in a community demographically identical to Southeast Raleigh. They will also serve as the two senior leaders of PCS, the management organization with which PAVE SE will contract. Andrew Lakis is a Managing Director for Teach For America Eastern North Carolina, an organization that has made one of the most significant contributions to education equity in America. Mr. Lakis is also an experienced teacher from a school in a low-income neighborhood similar to Southeast Raleigh. Kwan Graham is the Director of Parent and Charter School Advocacy at PEFNC. She has an extensive background empowering parents from across NC to become better advocates for their child's educational needs. She was also one of eight Governor appointees to the North Carolina Public Charter School Advisory Council that recommended public charter school policies for adoption by the State Board of Education. Ms. Graham's office is about one mile from Southeast Raleigh and will serve as PAVE SE's temporary headquarters. Finally, JB Buxton, PAVE SE's Board Chair, is the former Senior Education Advisor to the NC Governor and has an extensive background in education, including understanding the dynamics and needs of communities like Southeast Raleigh. The Board has identified 3 possible Board Members who are a residents of Southeast Raleigh and is eager to invite one to join the Board sometime within the application period. 5. Provide a copy of the organization's IRS Form 990 for the last three years as Appendix S Projected Staff: Provide, as Appendix M, a list of positions anticipated for the charter school; (e.g., principal or director; finance 47 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School officer, administrative support staff; teachers (part-time and full-time); paraprofessionals/teaching assistants, clerical, and maintenance.). Be mindful that your predicted administration and staff match the projected enrollment noted in Section I, course offerings and align with the proposed budget. Staffing Plans, Hiring, and Management Include the following information for the proposed charter school: The Board will not be involved in the implementation of hiring teachers, but has set the strategy below and will track hiring progress via the Board Dashboard. The management organization will support school leaders in the recruitment and hiring of staff. The PCS recruitment team will advertise for all PAVE SE openings, review resumes, and conduct phone screens on behalf of the school. Candidates will be required to demonstrate mission alignment, ability to receive feedback, a growth mindset, proven academic results, and a positive personality. Suitable candidates will then be forwarded to either the Principal (for instructional roles) or the Director of Operations (for operational roles). The Principal will be responsible for hiring academic staff and will use a consistent process that includes in-person interviews, demonstration lessons and reference checks to select staff. The Director of Operations will hire non-academic staff. All staff members who work in the building and have access to students will be fingerprinted and must pass a background check before joining the school staff. 2. Provide a description of the relationship that will exist between the charter school employees and the nonprofit board. Provide as Appendix L, a draft of the employment policies to be implemented by the proposed charter school. The Board of Trustees are responsible for hiring and evaluating the PAVE SE school leaders, the Principal and Director of Operations. The Principal is responsible for hiring teachers, instructional staff, and Deans while the Director of Operations is responsible for hiring all operations staff. The HR Manual is represented in Appendix N and the organizational chart is represented in Appendix F. 4. Outline the board's procedures for hiring and dismissing school personnel, including conducting criminal background checks. With guidance from PCS, Principals will select instructional staff and the Director of Operations will select operations staff who will be offered a contract to work at PAVE SE. Once a school leader makes this decision, he/she will notify PCS's Director of Recruitment who will work with the PCS Chief Operating and Financial Officer to immediately generate a contract for the candidate. The Recruitment Director will then be in charge of making the offer, negotiating as needed, and completing the hire. Upon contract acceptance, a welcome email will be generated and the candidate will be introduced to the PCS on-boarding team which will assist the candidate in transitioning to PAVE SE in regards to certification, benefits enrollment, fingerprinting, background checks, and all other HR related matters. All offers will be made conditional upon successful certification, fingerprint, and background checks. The candidate will be offered an at-will contract--all PAVE SE, PCS, and other PAVE institutions utilize at-will contracts--that can be terminated by either party with notice, or pay in exchange of notice. This said, PAVE SE expects to rarely terminate an employee without notice unless the reason is for safety or other major reason. PAVE SE staff who are not performing to 48 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School expectation will be provided many opportunities to improve and a great deal of feedback and support in order to overcome challenges. In the rare case when an employee needs to be terminated, the respective PAVE SE school leader will work with the PCS HR department and PAVE SE counsel to generate the appropriate separation agreement and, if needed, severance package. Additionally, the PAVE SE Board will be notified of the dismissal. Dismissed employees will be eligible for COBRA health benefits which will be administered via ADP, a contracted COBRA agent. 5. Outline the school's proposed salary range and employment benefits for all levels of employment. Further detail will be available in the school's budget, but the following are PAVE SE's proposed salary ranges for various levels of employment. While some salaries may extend beyond these ranges if qualifications warrant more/less salary, PAVE SE expects most staff to fall within these ranges: Principal: $60k-$75k. $70k budgeted. Director of Operations: $58k-$72k. $65k budgeted. Dean: $50k-$60k. $55k budgeted. Teachers and Instructional Support Staff: $34k-$52k. Office Manager: $22k-$28k. $24k budgeted. $40k budgeted. In addition to salary, PAVE SE staff will be offered a comprehensive benefits package. While benefits rates fluctuate significantly, PAVE SE will operate under the assumed benefits package of PAVE RH in Brooklyn, which currently offers the following plans: Health: The school will pay for 75% of the premium for single, couple, and family Dental and Vision: The school will pay for 100% of the single premium and 75% of other plans Life, ADD, Long Term Disability, Short Term Disability: School will pay for 100% 401k: PAVE SE will contribute, dollar for dollar, up to 2% of an employee's contribution; vested 0% after 1 year, 75% after 2 years, and 100% after 3 years. 6. Provide the procedures for employee grievance and/or termination. There is a set procedure for staff to log a complaint. Staff members are expected to first raise the complaint with their direct supervisor, who should attempt to resolve the issue quickly. If this person is unable to resolve the issue to the satisfaction of the complainant, the complaint may be taken up the chain of command to school leadership and then to the leadership of PCS. If a complaint is specifically about the Principal or Director of Operations, staff should take the complaint directly to that persons direct supervisor at PCS, the CEO or COO/CFO, respectively. Should the complaint not be addressed at by PCS, the staff member may then escalate the complaint to the PAVE SE Board. If the complaint is directed against the CEO, the complaint may be taken directly to the Board, which is available at any step in the process if need be. The Board Chair will appoint an ad hoc committee to investigate and provide a written response in a timely manner. If the complainant is not satisfied, he or she may take 49 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School the complaint to the schools authorizor. In addition, PAVE prohibits retaliation against anyone who has complained about a violation of school policy or who has cooperated in an investigation of such a complaint. Retaliation will result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment. PAVE SE will have a Whistleblower policy that protects employees' anonymity and security. As outlined above, terminations at PAVE SE will be rare and include significant feedback, support leading up to termination. In the rare case when an employee needs to be terminated, the respective PAVE SE school leader will work with the PCS HR department and PAVE SE counsel to generate the appropriate separation agreement and, if needed, severance package. Additionally, the PAVE SE Board will be notified of the dismissal. Dismissed employees will be eligible for COBRA health benefits which will be administered via ADP, a contracted COBRA agent. 7. Identify any positions that will have dual responsibilities (within or without the organization) and the funding source for each position. No PAVE SE W-2 will have shared responsibilities between PAVE SE and another organization. PAVE SE will, however, hire occasional part time workers, like the Social Worker in Year 1. In this case, PAVE SE will only offer a contract for the pro-rated time the employee will work. Within PAVE SE, some staff members will split responsibilities, most notably PAVE SE's Specials teachers who will teach P.E., Art, and Music. In the early years, especially, the Specials teacher will need to possess skills to teach more than one extracurricular subject. The funding source, however, does not change for this employee and will be allocated to the same budget line item (Specials Teacher). 8. Describe the plans to have qualified staffing adequate for the anticipated special needs population, means for providing qualified staffing for ELL and gifted students. From its inception, PAVE SE will employ a Learning Support Coordinator (LSC) who will manage the special education program, serving as the schools primary liaison to compliance agencies, and the ESL program. This person will have experience in or be intensely trained in Response to Intervention (RTI), PAVEs strategy to support struggling and special needs students. In the first two years of operation the LSC will also provide special education services. Beginning in Year 2, Intervention Teachers who are certified in special education and/or experienced in ESL instruction will be hired to also provide services to students with disabilities and ELLs. This may of course need to be adjusted based on the number and needs of at-risk students who actually enroll. The school will also have a part time Social Worker beginning in Year 1, and growing to full time in Year 3. 9. Provide a narrative detailing the roles and responsibilities, qualifications and appropriate licenses that each position must have to be hired by the non-profit organization and effectively perform the job function(s). Employee roles and responsibilities are best illustrated by viewing job descriptions which will be advertised and included as part of a staff member's contract. Please see several narratives that are included as a part of PAVE SE job descriptions below: Principal PAVE SE seeks a dynamic and powerful instructional leader to serve as a Principal. This candidate will serve as a Fellow during the 2014-2015 school 50 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School year, with the intention of leading PAVEs second school as its Founding Principal of PAVE SE in Raleigh, NC. The Principal will recruit for the founding staff and collaborate with essential stakeholders in the schools community to ensure a strong opening. Ideal candidates are individuals who have demonstrated exceptional academic results in the classroom, have persevered and overcome challenges, are aligned with PAVEs core beliefs and educational mission, and possess a NC teaching and/or Principal license. Academic Dean The Dean is responsible for overseeing, coaching and supporting classroom teachers to achieve at high academic results for all PAVE SE students. The Dean will work with the Instructional Leadership Team, teachers, parents, students, and outside instructional consultants. Reporting directly to the Principal and serving as an essential member of the Instructional Leadership Team, the Academic Dean will work closely with the Principal to establish a strong achievement centered culture; coach all teachers to excellence using data to inform decisions; ensure the functionality of systems that support student achievement and design targeted individual and group professional development for teachers. The Academic Dean will bring highly effective coaching and teaching practices to shape culture, results, and expectations around what is possible for children growing up in the community. The Dean will be certified in North Carolina, align with PAVE SE's mission, and report to the Principal. PAVE K - 4 Classroom Teacher K - 4 teachers will instruct ELA, math, social studies, science, and character development. In addition, all PAVE teachers will implement PAVE SE's curriculum and assessment programs. All teachers will share an equal load of responsibility and accountability with other members of their grade team. All teachers report directly to the Principal, will possess alignment with PAVE SE's mission, and will be certified in teaching in NC. PAVE Learning Support Coordinator The Learning Support Coordinator (LSC) is be an integral part of the instructional team. This educator is committed to education reform, believes that all scholars can and will achieve at high levels with joyful, rigorous instruction, and who can commit to a consistent school-wide culture that cultivates growth within our scholars. Through leading, co-teaching, and supporting scholars with high needs, the PAVE LSC will work with the Elementary School Team to ensure we are building an integrated school environment that leads all kids to becomecitizens and scholars that have the skills and preparedness they need to meet PAVEs mission of getting accepted and graduating from top-tier high schools and colleges. The LSC will report to the Elementary School Principal, possess a special education teaching license in NC, and align with PAVE SE's mission. Social Worker PAVE SE is seeking an experienced and certified social worker. Ideal candidates are individuals who are committed to and effective at ensuring students social and emotional needs and are aligned with PAVE Academys core beliefs and educational philosophy. The Social Worker will report directly to the Principal and align with PAVE SE's mission. Director of Operations Director of Operations will report to the Board of Trustees. The Director 51 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School of Operations will work as the first responder to staff operations requests, including but not limited to those involving technology, facilities, and general operations assistance. The Director of Operations will lead Operations Team and is tasked with ensuring that school operations are running efficiently, so that instructional staff can focus on instruction without operational obstacles. In addition, the Director of Operations manages weekly and monthly financial systems, including but not limited to: accounting, cutting checks, making deposits, monitoring financial binders, preparing payroll, monitoring controls and expenses, and reporting. As the school continues to grow and refine systems, the Director of Operations is also responsible for leading the initiative to record processes, best practices, and manuals for various areas and positions in the school. The Director of Operations does not need to be certified. Qualified candidates will possess grit, a positive attitude, and above all alignment with PAVE SE's mission Office Manager PAVE SE seeks an Office Manager to oversee the day-to-day operations of the schools central office and assist the administrative team in a support capacity. Because this individual functions as the primary contact person for many of the schools constituents, his or her ability to communicate effectively with students, staff, families, trustees, donors, and visitors is imperative. As part of a growing and fast-paced organization, the candidate must be a team player who is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done, and support the Operations Team and Instructional Leadership Team with varied responsibilities. The Office Manager will report directly to the Director Operations and should expect to work Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m.--4:50 p.m., Monday-Friday, and occasionally during additional times as requested. The Office Manager must not possess a certification, but will be aligned to PAVE SE's mission. Staff Evaluation and Professional Development 1. Identify the positions responsible for maintaining teacher licensure requirements and professional development. The Director of Finance and HR, a member of PCS's network team, will be responsible for maintaining teacher licensure requirements, and will work with PAVE SE's Principal to ensure certifications are in place. 2. Provide a detailed plan noting how the school will mentor, retain, and evaluate staff in a format that matches the school's mission, educational program, and meet the teacher certification and licensure requirements for teachers as prescribed by state law and No Child Left Behind. Be sure this overview matches with the projected staff and funding of the proposed budget section. PAVE SE, believes that the most important and biggest lever for impacting student achievement is having great teachers in classrooms. PAVE SE is committed to developing, retaining, and rewarding excellent teachers, and believes that helping staff achieve success will be PAVE SE's best retention strategy. Teachers are the most important factor that impacts student success. There are 4 Domains that PAVE SE will focus on in order to develop excellent teachers and to determine if they are effective. Deans and Principals will use these Domains informally on a day-to-day basis, and formally twice per year through mid-year and end-of-year evaluations, to measure growth and 52 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School impactful. The End-of-Year evaluation will aggregate all work done in these areas for the prior school year, and determine whether or not the teacher will be considered effective for the school year. DOMAIN I Excellent Instruction: PAVE SE has developed a rubric to capture excellent instruction. Leaders have defined a process that will allow the school to maximize instruction in classrooms and improve the feedback in coaching teachers. Using PAVE SE's Rubric of Instructional Excellence, instructional leaders will provide a common language and a clearly defined forum for speaking about teaching practices. While PAVE SE believes that the Rubric will be a powerful tool to use in classroom observations, leaders have also built it to recognize that excellent teaching requires planning and consistency. The Rubric will be used by Deans to informally observe and provide feedback throughout the school year as a guide to better instruction. The Rubric will also be used formally twice per year in comprehensive mid-year and end-ofyear observations. Elements scored on PAVE SE's Rubric of Instructional Excellence include but are not limited to: Planning, A Clear, High Standard for Student Achievement, Delivery of an Effective Lesson, Classroom Culture, Achievement for ALL Scholars, Consistency and Growth DOMAIN II Team and Individual Goals: In addition to excellent instruction, PAVE SE has goals for how each teacher will relate to teammates, parents, students, and him/herself. These goals are communicated through and are evaluated by the following components: -Instructional Goal Setting: At the beginning of each year, teachers will work with their supervisor to set individual instructional and/or professional goals that apply to the teachers practice. Coaches will work with teachers to meet these goals as coaches observe and provide feedback on practice. -Growth Scholar Achievement Measures (G-SAMs) Goal Setting: At the beginning of each year, teachers will work with their supervisor to set specific, quantifiable growth goals that focus exclusively on the numeric improvement of specific scholars in their class, as measured by school wide assessments like F&P, Interim Assessments, and the NY State Test. These goals will be tracked and communicated throughout the year. -Scholar, Parent, and Peer Surveys: working with these individuals is integral to our work, and we value the feedback and input that can be provided by these individuals. For this reason, we will compile survey data annually. DOMAIN III Professionalism: This domain evaluates the daily and weekly execution of both small and large responsibilities from being punctual to submitting data to maintaining a solution-oriented and positive attitude. Compliance with teacher license requirements will be evaluated here. 53 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School DOMAIN IV Absolute Scholar Achievement Measures (A-SAMs): To ensure that scholars are on a college-bound path that will afford them opportunities for success in the future, PAVE SE must measure scholar progress and achievement on state and normed tests. PAVE SE believes that by monitoring scholar progress, hitting goals, and getting our scholars on the path to mastery in ELA and Math we will set them up to be future leaders and productive citizens. 3. Describe the core components of professional development plan and how these components will support effective implementation of the educational program. Describe the extent to which professional development will be conducted internally or externally and will be individualized or uniform. Student achievement is at the center of all PAVE SE Professional Development (PD). PAVE SE has a comprehensive PD program, the outline of which is mapped out at the beginning of each year and then evolves during the year based on the assessed needs of the school and individual teachers. The Principal will be responsible for identifying and coordinating formal PD trainings. Grade team leaders also play an important role in communicating needs to administration and coordinating peer support. In addition, PAVE relies on external consultants to provide targeted training in areas such as Guided Reading and Co-Teaching. The major components of PD include: 1. SUMMER INSTITUTE: Conducted for two weeks in August before students arrive for the school year, Summer Institute is described in detail below. 2. COACHING: Coaching is a primary means of developing our staff. All teachers create three types of goals (professional practice, student achievement, and personal) that form the basis for supervision that is differentiated for each teacher. The Principal has a tight observation-feedback loop and is very frequently in classrooms observing and giving feedback. Feedback may be delivered on the spot, in writing, or in weekly coaching meetings. During these weekly meetings, the Principal and teacher use data to discuss student performance and practice strategies for improvement. In addition, the Principal provides frequent feedback on unit and lesson plans to help faculty develop purposeful instruction tied to clear and rigorous objectives. 3. PD Days: PAVE SE will hold several PD days (when no students are in the building) throughout the year to analyze student data and make concrete action plans. During these days, the Principal and the teachers spend many hours analyzing student data (along with samples of student work), and creating a plan for how to reteach and reassess mastery. 4. Provide a schedule and explanation of professional development that will take place prior to school opening. Explain what will be covered during this induction period and how teachers will be prepared to deliver any unique or particularly challenging aspects of the curriculum and instructional methods. Summer Institute, a two-week orientation prior to the start of school, is a critical opportunity for our professional staff to train together and collaboratively plan for implementation of the academic program and school 54 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School culture. Summer Institute is planned and organized by instructional leaders at the school and utilizes school staff and external consultants to address a wide array of relevant issues. The follow topics are typically covered: PAVE SE mission and vision; PAVE SE values; Professional expectations; PAVE SE Rubric for Teaching Excellence; Curriculum design and planning; Fundations training; Guided Reading training; Team building and bonding; CoTeaching training; Classroom systems and routines; Behavior systems PAVE Initiative for Career Advancement (PICA); Technology training (Google Drive, Engrade, BetterLesson, WGEN) Culture, curriculum, and consistency will be the primary focus of PAVE SE's inaugural Summer Institute. To ensure a successful first year, it is critical that all staff are normed on routines, classroom and school culture, and delivery of instruction. During Institute, teachers meet individually with the principal to discuss: * Growth Mindset expectations; how do you best receive feedback? * Presentation of expectations observation/feedback/coaching * SMART Goal Writing for the year; 3 Instructional Goals; 3 Student Growth Goals * Expectations for creating Agendas/Outcomes for subsequent coaching meetings *See Appendix 5. Describe the expected number of days/hours for professional development throughout the school year, and explain how the school's calendar, daily schedule, and staffing structure accommodate this plan. PAVE SE will hold a longer school year (200 student days + 15 additional teacher days) and a longer school day (7:20-4:50 for staff). This extra time allows staff to build in meaningful professional development each day and week. These 15 days of professional development are just the beginning of our well rounded Professional Development Program. Our other components include: WEEKLY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: One afternoon, the Principal will meet with teachers and conduct an interactive professional development session. These sessions allow the teachers to develop stronger lesson plans, practice their implementation, and get feedback from their leaders and peers. Topics are bite-sized and each session has a clear objective. Topics might include "Increasing the rigor in Guided Reading" or "How to build momentum through pacing". The principal creates a year long scope and sequence for the professional development program. COACHING MEETINGS: This weekly meeting occurs so that instructional leaders can review observations they make via lesson plan reviews (which occur each week for every teacher), specific data analysis (which occurs each week or two via the Wireless Generation system), and classroom observations (which occur daily as the instructional leader visits each classroom for a meaningful amount of time each day). This meeting generally occurs during one of the teacher's planning periods which is usually 30-45 minutes long; teachers do not fall behind, however, as their work days are longer and therefore have 55 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School more time built in the day to take care of planning and preparation. COMMON PREPS: Because both classes in a single grade will have the same "prep" period, teachers will have built in time for common planning and data analysis. Teachers spend this period collaborating with their peers and ensuring that the lesson plans for the following week are clear, rigorous, and aligned to the assessments. GRADE TEAM MEETINGS: Deans and Principals meet with grade teams once per week after school to review curriculum overviews, grade level trends in student data, and classroom observations. These meetings occur after school so a reasonable amount of time for meaningful conversation is allowed; because all teachers are required to stay until 4:50, such meetings are more easily scheduled (vs. not having team members regularly present after school because they leave early). DATA DAYS: Sometimes, instructional leaders use one of their professional development days to focus on data analysis and action plan creation after an important interim assessment. In preparation from this day, the Operations Director, which is typically not a leadership role in most schools, ensures that data is available to teachers either in hard copy or via the Wireless Generation portal. PAVE's particular staffing model allows for such administrative and analysis work to be completed by someone who is more operationally minded so that instructors can focus on the more important work of student learning. Enrollment and Marketing: Reaching the full capacity for enrollment will be critical to obtain the necessary financial resources to keep your school viable and operating efficiently. In addition, it is required by law that charter schools provide equal access to all students. Read the charter school state statute regarding admissions GS 115C.238.29F(g) (1-7) carefully. Marketing Plan Marketing to potential students and parents is vital to the survival of a charter school. Provide a plan indicating how the school will market to potential students and parents in order to reasonably reflects the racial/ethnic and demographic composition of the district in which the charter school will be located or of the special population the school seeks to serve: (G.S.115C-238.29F(g)(5)). PAVE SE leaders have considerable experience recruiting students, as demonstrated by a waitlist every year at PAVE Academy in Brooklyn. In 2013, 1,086 students applied for 76 seats at PAVE Academy. Similar strategies will be used to recruit students to PAVE SE. PAVE SEs staff will visit the neighborhood feeder schools (primarily pre-schools, Head Start Programs, day care facilities and elementary schools), including those that serve high populations of students who are learning English as a second language and who have special education needs. PAVE will distribute flyers and pamphlets throughout the target community and designated abutting communities that advertise its admission of students. We anticipate the placement of public service announcements in local newspapers as well as advertisements in local 56 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School establishments, such as hospitals, restaurants, churches, after-school programs, barber shops and salons, childrens stores, and other local businesses. All of our marketing materials will be printed in both English and Spanish and may be translated into other languages as needed. Information sessions will be held in the community to educate families and community members about the school and the admissions process. The purpose of the sessions is to allow parents and guardians to make an informed choice for their child, but attendance, while encouraged, is not a criterion for admission. PAVE will ensure that at least half of the sessions are conducted in both English and Spanish and that a translator is present to assist with questions. The school will make every effort possible to accommodate families who speak other languages. The format and content of each session will be similar, so prospective families need only attend one session. Though PAVE SE's lottery application will be very simple and requires the minimum information needed to conduct a lottery, the school recognizes that there are parents and families who may require assistance when filling out the application. To the extent possible, PAVE SE personnel will facilitate this and help families navigate this process. At least one member of the staff responsible for application intake (likely the Office Manager) will be able to communicate with families for whom Spanish is the primary language. PAVE SE will make good faith efforts to achieve the established enrollment targets. PAVE SE's projected enrollment targets would be 87% eligible for free and reduced price lunch (FRPL) and meet Wake County Public School average percentages for ELL and Exceptional Children populations. Given the demographics of SE Raleigh and PAVE leaders experience serving low-income students, it should not be difficult to achieve the target for students eligible for free and reduced price lunch. Specific strategies include PAVE SEs ability to build relationships with local community organizations and pre-schools. Regarding the other two target populations, PAVE SE will explain in marketingmaterials and information sessions that as a public charter school it is open to all students and will provide clear descriptions of services for English language learners and students with disabilities. Spanish speaking staff and/or translators will participate in the information sessions and assist families in completing the application. PAVE SE does not intend to use any preferences for at-risk students in its lottery; should the school fall short of its enrollment targets the use of preferences may be considered as one strategy to increase enrollment in specific sub-groups. Parent and Community Involvement 1. Describe how you will communicate with and engage parents and community members from the time that the school is approved through opening. 2. Describe how you will engage parents in the life of the public charter school. Explain the plan for building engaging partnerships between the family and school that strengthen support for student learning. 1. Over the last six months, PAVE SE has met with several key community members and leaders in Southeast Raleigh. All were supportive of the model that the school is proposing--a high-expectations public charter school with a college focussed school culture--and eager to share their thoughts on how 57 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School a PAVE school could address the community's unique needs. Once the school is approved, many offered to be helpful in organizing forums to engage families and solicit feedback from all stakeholders and engaging families in the vision-setting and school design process. Information sessions will be held in the community to educate families and community members about the school and the admissions process. The purpose of the sessions is to allow parents and guardians to make an informed choice for their child, but attendance, while encouraged, is not a criterion for admission. PAVE SE will ensure that at least half of the sessions are conducted in both English and Spanish and that a translator is present to assist with questions. The school will make every effort possible to accommodate families who speak other languages. The format and content of each session will be similar, so prospective families need only attend one session. 2. Parents will be an important stakeholder in PAVE SE's daily life, as PAVE SE will require much for students and parents on the road to college. Tangible daily requests will be to arrive on time for an early arrival and late dismissal time; parents whose students who ride the bus will be required to be on time for bus pickup and drop off as well. PAVE SE will have a 95% attendance goal and students who have not shown up on time will be called in the morning to verify their location. Additionally, PAVE SE will ask parents to verify teacher's daily behavior and academic report, which goes home in students' folders each day. Parents will be communicated by the teacher or Dean if the student is not following behavior policies. Parents will be required to sign a contract at the beginning of the year stating that they understand the expectations of student behavior and academics, and from the beginning school leaders will demonstrate to families why this is important: to get their child to and through college. Parents will engage deeply in what it means to persevere and achieve. Additionally, parents will join the PAVE community for times of Vibrance and demonstration of Excellent character. Each Friday, families will be invited to attend Community Meeting, a weekly celebration of PAVE SE's core values, student achievements, and seasons of the year. Parents are offered the opportunity to volunteer each day by assisting with copies and administrative tasks, and they will be able to participate in the Parent Advisory Board, a group to be formed by parents (and facilitated by the Principal) which will serve as the formal parent voice when communicating feedback to the school and coordinating events. Family engagement comes most of all in the day to day interactions between PAVE SE staff and families. PAVE SE's "Generosity of Spirit" extends beyond the walls of the building and includes families in addition to students and staff. Admissions Policy Provide the school's proposed policies and the procedures for admitting students to the proposed charter school, including: 1. Tentative dates for the open enrollment application period; enrollment deadlines and 58 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School procedures. *Please be advised schools cannot accept applications until after final approval from the SBE. 2. Clear policies and procedures detailing the open enrollment lottery plan including policies regarding statutory permitted student enrollment preferences. 3. Clear policies and procedures for student waiting lists, withdrawals, re-enrollment, and transfers. 4. Explanation of the purpose of any pre-admission activities (if any) for students or parents. 5. Clear policies and procedures for student withdraws and transfers. 1. PAVE SE will begin informally developing relationships with families during the application period. Upon final approval from the State Board of Education, PAVE SE will begin accepting applications from families. Families have the ability to apply to PAVE SE's lottery up until April 1, 2015; PAVE will hold its annual lottery in the first two weeks of April. Any applications received after April 1, 2015 will automatically be added to PAVE SE's wait list in the order in which the application is received. 2. PAVE SE will begin with Kindergarten in order to provide students with a solid foundation upon which to build college preparatory elementary and middle school experiences that put them on the trajectory to higher education and careers. Students must turn 5 years of age by Dec. 31 in order to enroll in Kindergarten. Additionally, PAVE SE will back-fill any open seats in grades K-6 in order to provide as many students as possible a PAVE SE education, although few are expected. PAVE SE intends to ultimately offer grades K-8, after which students will enter the NC high school system or attend a competitive private school. Many Wake County schools operate as K-5 elementary schools and 6-8 middle schools, although there are some K-8 schools. PAVE SE's K-8 grade configuration will align with the districts K-5 and K-8 schools for entry and 6-8 and K-8 schools for exit. Students will be prepared for the high school admissions process during 7th and 8th grade. PAVE SE will honor any board approved Articulation Agreements. These may result in 'ranking preference' awarded to subgroups of PAVE SE applicants. 3. After PAVE SE's lottery, the school will notify parents via phone, email, and letter that the student has been selected to attend PAVE SE. Parents will be provided a list of the information they will need in order to enroll their child; these documents must be turned in within a reasonable deadline. Should the parents not return the necessary documentation in time, PAVE will contact a new batch of students of the wait list to offer them seats. Once families turn in the required documentation, the Office Manager will enroll them via the NC student enrollment system and follow up with parents regarding second level communications to onboard students. Additionally, the Office Manager will contact the child's former school to request secure transfer of student records. Students who withdraw will be required to complete a "Withdrawal Form" which asks parents why they are leaving. This will allow PAVE SE to track attrition purposefully and address any concerns. PAVE SE's Office Manager will ensure that all proper documentation is transferred securely to the child's new school. Students who would like to re-enroll will move to the top of PAVE SE's wait list if no spaces are not immediately available. 4. PAVE SE will actively recruit students from the SE Raleigh neighborhood by visiting pre-kindergarten programs, community centers, churches, parks, and school fairs located in the area. Additionally, PAVE SE will hire59a direct marketing company to mail applications to studentsin specific area codes within the targeted area. All presentations, the application, and If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School promotional materials will emphasize PAVE SE's mission to prepare students to thrive in competitive high schools and colleges. From the very first encounter, PAVE SE seeks to inspire and engage parents in this mission. 5. As mentioned above, students who withdraw will be required to complete a "Withdrawal Form" which asks parents why they are leaving and PAVE SE will ensure that documents are transferred securely to the child's new school. 60 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School PROJECTED ENROLLMENT 2015-16 through 2019-2020 IDENTIFY LEA FROM WHICH STUDENTS WILL PROBABLY COME In the following tables, please list for each year and grade level, the numbers of students that the school reasonably expects to enroll. In addition, please indicate any plans to increase the grade levels offered by the school over time and be sure these figures match those on the initial cover page. LEA #1 Wake County Schools LEA #2 LEA #3 2015-2016 LEA 000 LEA 920 Kinderg arten Grade 01 Grade 02 Grade 03 Grade 04 Grade 05 LEA 000 LEA 920 2016-2017 LEA 000 LEA 000 LEA 920 2017-2018 LEA 000 LEA 000 LEA 920 2018-2019 LEA 000 LEA 000 LEA 920 2019-2020 LEA LEA 000 000 60 0 0 60 0 0 60 0 0 60 0 0 60 0 0 60 0 0 60 0 0 60 0 0 60 0 0 60 0 0 0 0 0 60 0 0 60 0 0 60 0 0 60 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 60 0 0 60 0 0 60 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 60 0 0 60 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 60 0 0 120 180 240 300 360 61 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School Transportation Plan: Describe in detail the transportation plan that will ensure that no child is denied access to the school due to lack of transportation. The details of this plan should align with the Mission, identified need for the charter school, targeted student population, and the budget proposal. PAVE SE anticipates that some families in the Southeast Raleigh neighborhood will not own a car or be able to transport their child to school during school hours. Accordingly, PAVE SE will ensure that no child is denied access to the school due to lack of transportation. The schools target population will largely consist of students who live in Southeast Raleigh, most of whom will live within the I-40 beltway. The close proximity of PAVE SEs facility, which will ideally be located within the beltway, to neighborhoods where students live will allow many parents to arrange transportation to and from school. This is an important factor for PAVE SE in its facility search. For students whose parents are not able to arrange travel to and from school, PAVE SE will provide private bussing to convenient, neighborhood-centered stops where students live, within reason. PAVE SE will have a diverse range of stops, as needed, so that parents from various communities in Southeast Raleigh are able to access the school. PAVE SE has included a percentage of its budget to pay for private bussing (please see attached budget for details). School Lunch Plan: Describe in detail the school lunch plan that will ensure that no child is lacking a daily meal. The details of this plan should align with the targeted student population and school budget proposal. PAVE SE will provide a healthy lunch using a healthy food vendor approved by the state and the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch program. PAVE SE anticipates that its FRL population will be high and that student breakfasts, lunches, and snacks will largely be covered by the federal reimbursement. Small administrative and food costs may be incurred by PAVE to ensure that all students receive a healthy food option each day. Families who qualify as full pay or reduced in the FRL program may be reimbursed for their portion of food costs, although students from PAVE RH in Brooklyn have never been charged for meals. PAVE SE has a history of applying for and administering food programs via a food vendor; PAVE RH has interviewed national food provider Revolution Foods and currently uses Butterbeans Inc, a Brooklyn based healthy food provider. Additionally, RH has experience applying to become a School Food Administration site where the Federal Free Reduced Lunch Program is administered, and currently is in full compliance with all weekly, monthly, and annual requirements. Student meals under these programs must meet specific nutritional requirements and be counted in specific ways each day as students are served lunch. PAVE SE founders are very familiar with implementing these systems and anticipate few constraints in adapting to North Carolina's administration of the FRL program. Separately, PAVE SE understands that its facility must also meet health codes by the Department of Health and is also experiences in navigating such 62 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School permitting. Civil Liability and Insurance (GS 115C-238.29F(c)): The Charter School shall obtain and maintain insurance at a minimum in the following amounts: 1. Errors and omissions: one million dollars ($1,000,000) per claim; 2. General liability: one million dollars ($1,000,000) per occurrence; 3. Boiler and machinery: the replacement cost of the building; 4. Real and personal property: the appraised value of the building and contents; 5. Fidelity bonds: no less than two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) to cover employee dishonesty; 6. Automobile liability: one million dollars ($1,000,000) per occurrence; and 7. Workers' compensation: as specified by Chapter 97 of the General Statutes. Area of proposed coverage Comprehensive General Liability Officers and Directors/Errors and Omissions Property Insurance Motor Vehicle Liability Bonding Minimum/Maximum Amount Other Total Cost Proposed amount of coverage $500,000 Cost (Quote) $3,000,000 $3,000.00 $1,000,000 $3,413.00 $1,000,000 $1,000,000 $500.00 $.00 $1,000,000 $.00 $10,000,000 $4,625.00 $11,538.00 *The applicant must provide a quote from an insurance provider as part of this application (as Appendix O) to demonstrate the levels of insurance coverage and projected cost. Health and Safety Requirements: All public charter schools are required to follow the regulations regarding health and safety as stated in § 115C238.29F (a). We, the Board members at (Charter School Name) will develop a written safety plan and policies to be shared with staff, parents and students and be available upon inspection from the Department of Public Instruction and local Health Departments. pavenc 12/06/2013 (Board Chair Signature) (Date) Facility: Note that the SBE may approve a charter school prior to the school's obtaining a facility; however, students may not attend school and no funds will be allocated until the school has obtained a valid Certificate of Occupancy for Educational use to the Office of Charter Schools. What is your plan to obtain a building? Identify the steps that the board will take to acquire a facility and obtain the Educational Certificate of Occupancy. If a facility has been identified please fill out the 63 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School Facility Form (Appendix N). PAVE SE has already begun working with brokers, finance organizations, foundations, the Southeast Raleigh community and other supporters to identify and visit possible sites for PAVE SE. PAVE SE plans to identify both a temporary and a permanent facility in which it will reside. Ideally, PAVE SE will identify its permanent facility by its first year and expects this facility to require between 40,000-50,000 SF. If the space will be leased, based on broker estimates and direction from Self Help, PAVE SE estimates that it will pay approximately $9/SF on a lease and $6/SF in annual operating costs in the Southeast Raleigh area. If a permanent site will be purchased, PAVE is prepared to launch a capital campaign in order to raise private capital, as well as secure financing if loans are needed. PAVE SE is also prepared to engage in a complex facility and finance transaction, which may include leveraging new market tax credits, state historic tax credits, and federal tax credits. PAVE SE has already begun early conversations with organizations like Self Help and a variety of foundations that have indicated their support of PAVE SE as it finances a facility; this includes three different days of viewing properties with PAVE SE's broker, one of which included surveying PAVE SE's options with Self Help. The facility will ideally be located in the Southeast Raleigh quadrant so families of the local neighborhoods can access the school easily. The facility will meet all health, safety, and other requirements as required to obtain an Educational Certificate of Occupancy; PAVE SE will work with its board and facility specialists to ensure it is meeting all legal requirements. PCS leaders have experience managing these processes. PAVE SE will also rely on the non-profit Board and staff of Friends of PAVE, Inc., which currently possesses significant real estate experience, specifically, in acquiring and constructing a 40,000 SF building in Red Hook Brooklyn for PAVE Academy Charter School. Friends of PAVE, its lawyers, and hired experts structured the financing of this building by securing a $26 million public grant from New York State while also raising $13 million in private philanthropy. In addition, Friends of PAVE facilitated a new market tax credit transaction that utilized tax credits to generate an additional $2.1 million in funds used to support educational initiatives in Red Hook. Note that this transaction, as in all NMTC transactions, will leave a large loan liability on Friends of PAVE's balance sheet, which will ultimately be forgiven in 7 years, although it is actuality no liability to the organization. While stated elsewhere in the application, no members of Friends of PAVEs Board or staff, nor any members of the school Board or staff, received equity or financial benefit as a result to any of these transactions. Again, Friends of PAVE and its affiliate organizations are high capacity non-profit organizations with the missionto support schools and other nonprofits that prepare students for competitive high schools and colleges. Because of the sometimes apprehensive environment surrounding for-profit education entities and the amount of money a facility requires, PAVE SE and Friends of PAVE want to be transparent and explicit that they are NOT forprofit organizations. Facility Contingency Plan: Describe the method of finding a facility if the one the board has identified will not be ready by the time the public charter school will be opening. Include information regarding 64 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School the immediate spatial needs of the school and identify any programs that will not be immediately offered because a permanent facility has yet to open. PAVE SE will plan to occupy a temporary facility for approximately its first 3 years. This facility should have the capacity to hold 240 students in grades K-3, which PAVE SE estimates will require a temporary facility with 18,000-24,000 square feet. Possible temporary options include leasing a space of this size, leasing a portion of a larger space as a sub-tenant, and/or purchasing land, upon which the permanent facility would be built and placing modular classrooms on a portion of the property that is not under construction. PAVE SE is searching for a low-cost temporary facility in order maximize its academic budget in the early years and use as many funds as possible towards a permanent facility. Based on broker estimates and direction from Self Help, PAVE SE estimates that it will pay approximately $9/SF on a lease and $6/SF in annual operating costs in the Southeast Raleigh area. The facility will ideally be located in the Southeast Raleigh quadrant so families of the local neighborhoods can access the school easily. 65 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School V. FINANCIAL PLAN In the following sections present a detailed description of assumptions and revenue estimates, including but not limited to the basis for revenue projections, staffing levels, and costs. The narrative should specifically address the degree to which the school budget will rely on variable income. Budget: Revenue Projections from each LEA 2015-16 SHOW CALCULATIONS FOR FIGURING STATE AND LOCAL DOLLARS FOR THE PROPOSED CHARTER SCHOOL Refer to the Resource Manual Finance Section for guidance on estimated funding amounts State Funds: Charter schools receive an equivalent amount per student as the local education agency (LEA) receives per student receives from the State. Funding is based on the 1st month average daily membership. • In year 1 – Base state allotments are determined by the LEA in which the student resides • In year 2 and beyond- Base State allotments are determined by the LEA in which the school is located. Local Funds: Charter schools receive a per pupil share of the local current expense of the LEA in which the student resides. Federal Funds: Charter schools must qualify and apply for the individual federal grants based on their population of students. REFER TO RESOURCE GUIDE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND SOURCE DOCUMENTS LEA #1 920 Revenue - Wake County Schools State Funds Local Funds Federal EC Funds Totals 2013-2014 Per Pupil Funding $4,539.11 $2,050.00 $3,743.48 Projected LEA ADM 120 120 18 Approximate funding for 2015-2016 $544,693.20 $246,000.00 $67,382.64 $858,075.84 66 PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School Total Budget: Revenue Projections 2015-16 through 2019-2020 INCOME: REVENUE PROJECTIONS 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018 2018-2019 2019-2020 -State ADM Funds $544,693 $801,929 $1,069,238 $1,336,548 $1,603,858 -Local Per Pupil Funds $246,000 $369,000 $492,000 $615,000 $738,000 $67,383 $101,567 $135,423 $169,279 $203,135 -Other Funds* $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 -Working Capital* $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $858,076 $1,272,496 $1,696,661 $2,120,827 $2,544,993 -Exceptional Children
 Federal Funds Z - TOTAL REVENUE *If the applicant is depending on other funding sources or working capital to balance the operating budget, please provide documentation such as signed statements from donors, foundations, bank documents, etc., on the commitment of these funds. If these figures are loans, the repayment needs to be explained in the narrative and found within the budget projections. Assurances are needed to confirm the commitment of these additional sources of revenue. Please include these as Appendix R. 67 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School Personnel Budget: Expenditure Projections 2015-16 through 2019-2020 The personnel list below may be amended to meet the staffing of individual charter schools: This list should align with the projected staff located in the Operations Plan (Appendix M). BUDGET EXPENDITURE PROJECTIONS Personnel 2015-2016 Num Staff Avg Salary 2016-2017 Total salary FTE Avg Salary 2017-2018 Total salary FTE Avg Salary 2018-2019 Total salary FTE Avg Salary 2019-2020 Total salary FTE Avg Salary Total salary Administrative & Support Personnel: Director Of Operations 1 $55,000 $55,000 1 $56,000 $56,000 1 $57,000 $57,000 1 $58,000 $58,000 1 $59,000 $59,000 Other Operations Staff 1.25 $24,000 $30,000 1.25 $24,720 $30,900 1.25 $25,462 $31,828 1.25 $26,225 $32,781 2.25 $34,000 $76,500 2.25 $79,000 $85,000 2.25 $80,720 $86,900 2.25 $82,462 $88,828 2.25 $84,225 $90,781 3.25 $93,000 $135,500 Principal 1 $57,000 $57,000 1 $58,000 $58,000 1 $59,000 $59,000 1 $60,000 $60,000 2 $61,000 $122,000 Dean 0 $0 $0 1 $46,000 $46,000 1 $47,000 $47,000 1 $48,000 $48,000 1 $49,000 $49,000 Core Content Teacher(s) 6 $38,000 $228,000 9 $39,000 $351,000 12 $40,000 $480,000 15 $41,000 $615,000 17 $42,000 $714,000 Electives/Specialty Teacher(s) 0 $0 $0 1 $39,000 $39,000 1 $40,000 $40,000 2 $41,000 $82,000 3 $42,000 $126,000 Exceptional Children Teacher(s) 1 $38,000 $38,000 1 $39,000 $39,000 2 $40,000 $80,000 2 $41,000 $82,000 3 $42,000 $126,000 Instructional Support .5 $38,000 $19,000 .5 $39,000 $19,500 1 $40,000 $40,000 2 $41,000 $82,000 2 $42,000 $84,000 8.5 $171,000 $342,000 13.5 $260,000 $552,500 18 $266,000 $746,000 23 $272,000 $969,000 28 $278,000 $1,221,000 10.7 5 $250,000 $427,000 15.7 5 $340,720 $639,400 20.2 5 $348,462 $834,828 25.2 5 $356,225 $1,059,781 31.2 5 $371,000 $1,356,500 Health Insurance 2.25 $3,600 $8,100 2.25 $3,708 $8,343 2.25 $3,819 $8,593 2.25 $3,934 $8,852 3.25 $4,052 $13,169 Dental Insurance 2.25 $300 $675 2.25 $309 $695 2.25 $318 $716 2.25 $328 $738 3.25 $338 $1,099 A - Total Admin and Support: Instructional Personnel: B - Total Instructional Personnel: A+B = C - Total Admin, Support and Instructional Personnel: Administrative & Support Benefits 68 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School 401k Plan 2.25 $873 $1,964 2.25 $880 $1,980 2.25 $894 $2,012 2.25 $898 $2,021 3.25 $939 $3,052 Other Benefits 2.25 $100 $225 2.25 $103 $232 2.25 $106 $239 2.25 $109 $245 3.25 $113 $367 Payroll Tax 2.25 $5,021 $11,297 2.25 $5,061 $11,387 2.25 $5,139 $11,563 2.25 $5,161 $11,612 3.25 $5,397 $17,540 11.2 5 $9,894 $22,262 11.2 5 $10,061 $22,637 11.2 5 $10,276 $23,121 11.2 5 $10,430 $23,468 16.2 5 $10,839 $35,227 Health Insurance 9.5 $3,600 $34,200 13.5 $3,708 $50,058 18 $3,819 $68,742 23 $3,934 $90,482 29 $4,052 $117,508 Dental Insurance 9.5 $300 $2,850 13.5 $309 $4,172 18 $318 $5,724 23 $328 $7,544 29 $338 $9,802 401k Plan 9.5 $873 $8,294 13.5 $880 $11,880 18 $894 $16,092 23 $898 $20,654 29 $939 $27,231 Other Benefits 9.5 $100 $950 13.5 $103 $1,391 18 $106 $1,908 23 $109 $2,507 29 $113 $3,277 Payroll Tax 9.5 $5,021 $47,700 13.5 $5,061 $68,324 18 $5,139 $92,502 23 $5,161 $118,703 29 $5,397 $156,513 47.5 $9,894 $93,993 67.5 $10,061 $135,824 90 $10,276 $184,968 115 $10,430 $239,890 145 $10,839 $314,331 58.7 5 $19,788 $116,255 78.7 5 $20,122 $158,461 101. 25 $20,552 $208,089 126. 25 $20,860 $263,358 161. 25 $21,678 $349,558 13.5 $320,432 $107,262 13.5 $407,865 $109,537 13.5 $507,979 $111,949 13.5 $591,063 $114,249 19.5 $697,825 $170,727 56 $260,894 $435,993 81 $396,111 $688,324 108 $433,408 $930,968 138 $470,675 $1,208,890 173 $508,232 $1,535,331 69.5 $581,326 $543,255 94.5 $803,976 $797,861 121. 5 $941,387 $1,042,917 151. 5 $1,061,738 $1,323,139 192. 5 $1,206,057 $1,706,058 D - Total Admin and Support Benefits: Instructional Personnel Benefits: E - Total Instructional Personnel Benefits: D+E = F - Total Personnel Benefits A+D = G - Total Admin and Support Personnel (Salary & Benefits) B+E = H - Total Instructional Personnel (Salary & Benefits) G+H = J - TOTAL PERSONNEL 69 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School Operations Budget: Expenditure Projections 2015-16 through 2019-2020 BUDGET OPERATIONS EXPENDITURE PROJECTIONS 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018 2018-2019 2019-2020 Administrative & Support: Facilities Other Total Facilities Lease/Maint/Ops/Util/Ins: $15/Sf Insurance $150,000 $225,000 $300,000 $375,000 $450,000 $11,538 $11,884 $12,241 $12,608 $12,986 Transportation Buses $40,000 $41,200 $60,000 $61,800 $80,000 Professional Contract Consultants $15,000 $21,000 $22,000 $23,000 $24,000 Office: Office Supplies $15,000 $18,000 $21,000 $24,000 $27,000 Management Company Contract Fees $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $231,538 $317,084 $415,241 $496,408 $593,986 K - TOTAL Administrative & Support Operations Instructional: Professional Contract Total Professional Development $20,000 $36,050 $37,132 $38,245 $39,393 Books And Supplies Total Books And Supplies $50,000 $70,000 $90,000 $110,000 $130,000 Classroom Technology Total Classroom Technology $5,000 $10,000 $15,000 $20,000 $25,000 Other Other Instructional Resources $5,000 $10,000 $15,000 $20,000 $25,000 $80,000 $126,050 $157,132 $188,245 $219,393 $311,538 $443,134 $572,373 $684,653 $813,379 L - TOTAL Instructional Operations K+L = M - TOTAL OPERATIONS 70 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School Overall Budget: BUDGET OPERATIONS EXPENDITURE PROJECTIONS 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018 2018-2019 2019-2020 J - TOTAL PERSONNEL $543,255 $797,861 $1,042,917 $1,323,139 $1,706,058 M - TOTAL OPERATIONS $311,538 $443,134 $572,373 $684,653 $813,379 J+ M =N TOTAL EXPENDITURES $854,793 $1,240,995 $1,615,290 $2,007,792 $2,519,437 Z - TOTAL REVENUE $858,076 $1,272,496 $1,696,661 $2,120,827 $2,544,993 $3,284 $31,501 $81,372 $113,035 $25,556 Z - N = SURPLUS / (DEFICIT) Budget Narrative: (No more than one and a half pages) Please include additional information that showcases all assumptions for your budgetary calculations. How was the student enrollment number projected? Provide an explanation as to why you believe there is a demand for the school that will meet this enrollment projection. Provide the break-even point of student enrollment. Student enrollment numbers were determined by assessing the demographic population of the Southeast Raleigh area and the number of students PAVE believes teachers can effectively teach in a class. Specifically, PAVE calculated that over 13,000 students who qualify for free or reduced lunch currently attend schools in the Southeast Raleigh area, most of whom are underperforming in comparison to their white and Asian peers. PAVE SEs market analysis concludes that a majority of FRL students are African American and Hispanic; there are over 11,000 African American students and over 4,400 Hispanic students currently attending schools in the Southeast Raleigh area. In order to make budget on student enrollment, PAVE will need to meet its projections of 60 students per grade level (2 sections of 30 students). PAVE believes that with a student teacher ratio of 1:16 or 1:17 (including support teachers), PAVE SE will be able to to meet the individual needs of each student. 1. Discuss the school's contingency plan to meet financial needs if anticipated revenues are not received or are lower than estimated. PCS leaders have consistently proven that is has a tremendous capacity to fund raise and cut costs when it needs to. Meeting financial needs has not been an issue for PCS and it is anticipated that it will not be one going forward. In the unlikely case, however, where PAVE SE finds that revenues are lower than expected, PAVE SE will reevaluate its staffing plan and make cuts to either salary amounts or the number of non-instructional staff. A second, but less desirable approach would be to add additional students to classes, but that would not be ideal. Does the budget rely on sources of funds other than state, county, and federal (e.g. loans, donations etc.? If so, please provide the source and amount. Be sure that the appropriate assurances documentation is provided in the appendices The budget is currently written so that each year PAVE SE will make budget. Over the coming months, however, PAVE SE founders will be discussing fundraising with PCS Board Members and it is expected that they will request a financial donation for PAVE SE to allow for start up resources and potentially hire a Dean of Academics to work with the Principal and Director of Operations in building the school. 71 PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School Provide the student to teacher ratio that the budget is built on. 1:17 including EC and Support Teachers 2. Does the school intend to contract for services such as student accounting and financial services, exceptional children instructional support, custodial etc. Describe the criteria and procedures for the selection of contractors and large purchases. PAVE Charter Schools will manage student accounting and financial services on behalf of the school. PAVE SE will employ a Learning Support Coordinator who will work with other PAVE SE Special Education certified teachers to provide most special education services. Certain, specialized special education services may require the school to contract with an agency. It is anticipated that PAVE SE will employ a part time building staff member who is able to help with custodial and facility related issues. In the case where PAVE SE contracts with an outside vendor, PAVE Charter Schools will issue a Request for Proposals on behalf of the school in order to generate proposals from a variety of vendors. The vendor with a combination of the lowest cost, best management, and quality of services will be selected. Explain how the budget aligns with the school's mission, curricular offerings, transportation plans, and facility needs. The school's budget first and foremost accounts for ensuring PAVE SE builds a committed and aligned team of instructional leaders, teachers, and operations staff in order to prepare students to thrive in competitive high schools and colleges. While experience and an impressive resumes are important, PAVE SE values commitment to mission as its primary qualification in the hiring process. So, PAVE SE first assumes that there are wellcompensated leaders and teachers in the school. PAVE SE's curricular offerings will be shared with other PAVE schools and is founded upon the Common Core Standards; PAVE SE has budgeted enough money to ensure it is able to provide teachers with ample instructional resources to meet the Common Cores high expectations. Transportation is included as a significant cost within the overall Administrative budget. Facility needs are budgeted so that a total cost of the facility and its annual costs do not exceed $15 per square foot, per Self-Help's guidance. 3. What percentage of expenditures will be the school's goal for a general fund balance? Describe how the school will develop the fund balance. PAVE SE will strive to produce a surplus that is 5% of all expenses, and build its cash reserves so that it ideally keeps between four and six months of cash in its fund balance. Because PAVE SE is budgeting to operate without fundraising, it is expected that such balances will be obtained through fundraising efforts. 4. Provide a description of proposed financing structure. Include financing of facilities, other asset financing and leases. PAVE SE intends to limit or eliminate debt. All permanent facility options will be facilitated via the charter management organization. While the charter management organization may utilize its resources to purchase and finance a facility, the school would likely ultimately lease the facility from the charter management organization or a third party like Self Help. Therefore, the included budget includes estimates for leasing only. 5. 72 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School Furniture and technology assets like computers will be purchased with cash or donated. Obtaining a facility or outfitting one for a long term lease will require a capital campaign by PCS, which is a familiar endeavor. 7. Will the school have assets from other sources (e.g. building, furniture, chairs, computers, etc.)? If yes, please provide a list. Note which are secured and which are anticipated, and include evidence of commitment for any assets on which the school's core operation depends From experience in working with lawyers and bankers in the real estate industry, property-specific conditions will determine whether or not the school will own, lease from PCS, or lease from a third party. As mentioned above PAVE SE leaders are currently seeking site options for the school and will be able to speak more informatively on real estate in the spring of 2014. Other than real estate, PAVE SE anticipates that it will not have assets from other sources. 73 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School Financial Compliance: (No more than a half of a page) How will the school ensure adequate internal controls, including segregation of duties, safeguarding of assets, accurate and adequate recording keeping? The management organization, in coordination with the Director of Operations, will implement a proven and audited Financial Policies and Procedures Manual. PAVE Charter Schools segregates duties between various staff members, engages a financial consulting organization to review financials, submits monthly financial reports to the PAVE SE Board, and conducts an annual audit from an independent auditor hired by the PAVE Charter Schools Board. Please refer to Appendix J for a detailed description of PAVE SE's financial practices. Provide any known or possible related party transactions (relationship, description of transaction and estimated dollars involved) There are no known related party transactions. Provide the name and contact information of the independent audit firm who will conduct the annual financial statement audit. If a firm has yet to be identified please list the firms the board has investigated. PAVE SE is planning on using the current auditor of PCS, which is in process of obtaining certification to audit in NC. The auditor's contact information is: Fruchter, Rosen & Company, PC. Attn: Gus Saliba 156 West 56th Street- Suite 1804 New York, NY 10019 gsaliba@frcpas.com Tel: 212 957-3600 ext. 202 Fax: 212 957-3696 As a back up option, PAVE SE will likely contract with although further research would need to be conducted first. Elliot Davis, 74 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov. PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School VI. AGREEMENT PAGE Application Fee: Pursuant to § 115C-238.29B(e) the charter school applicant must submit a $500 application fee to the Office of Charter Schools. The applicant must submit their application fee by the December 6, 2013 5:00 pm EST deadline. Payments will be accepted in the form of a check only. Cash or credit cards are not accepted. *Application Note: The applicant must mail the check along with a copy of the proposed charter LOI to be received before or on the due date of December 6, 2013 5:00 pm EST. Failure to submit payment by the stipulated timeline to the Office of Charter Schools will deem the application incomplete. Payments should be made payable to North Carolina Department of Public Instruction North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Office Of Charter Schools 6303 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-6303 I understand the requirements pursuant to G.S. 115C-238.29B(e). Date: 12/06/2013 pavenc Applicant Signature: The foregoing application is submitted on behalf of PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School (name of non-profit corporation or individuals submitting application). The undersigned has read the application and hereby declares that the information contained in it is true and accurate to the best of his/her information and belief. The undersigned further represents that the applicant has read the Charter School Law and agrees to be governed by it, other applicable laws, and SBE regulations. Print/Type Name: pavenc Board Position: Board Member and Lead Contact Signature: _____________________________________________________ Date: 12/06/2013 Sworn to and subscribed before me this ______day of ________________, 20_____. ____________________________________ Notary Public Official Seal My commission expires: _________, 20_____. 75 PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School 76 If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Office of Charter Schools via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov.