Charter System Advisory Committee February 23, 2015 The Work of the - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Charter System Advisory Committee February 23, 2015 The Work of the LSGT

Tonight's Agenda • Welcome • Charter System Application Timeline • Local School Governance Charter System Overview • Composition of LSGTs Recap • Scope of Decision ‐ Making Power for LSGTs • LSGT Integration into Cluster Planning • Q & A 2

Welcome! CSAC Community LSC Members Attendees Members District School Staff Staff

APS Charter System Application Timeline and Activities Date Activity November 2014 Board Vote on Submitting Letter of Intent (LOI) for • Charter System December 2014 Submit LOI to Georgia Department of Education with • request for FY16 waivers needed for operation January 2015 – May 2015 Application Development • January 2015 – June 2015 Stakeholder Engagement • February 2015 – April 2015 Community Meetings • January 2015 – June 2015 Charter System Advisory Committee Monthly Meetings • May 2015 Conduct Public Hearings • June 2015 Board Approval of Charter System Petition • June 2015 Submit Charter System Petition to Georgia Department • of Education After Submittal Georgia Department of Education makes approval/denial • to State Board of Education If Approved Execution of Contract between the district and State • Board of Education 4

Charter System — Basic Components To innovate, Freedom in Require Freedom Exchange for from State Law, Increased Policy and District Accountability Policy Goals Commit to Distribution of Innovation and substantial Changing District autonomy to Culture school (LSGT) Charter System 5

What exactly is an LSGT? • An LSGT is a school ‐ level body that has delegated power from the Superintendent in: • Personnel Decisions, including recommending the principal or school leader for selection by the local board of education; • Financial Decisions and Resource Allocations, school budget and the number and type of personnel, curriculum costs, supply costs, equipment costs and maintenance and operations costs; • Curriculum and accompanying instructional materials; • Establishment/monitoring of School Improvement Goals, including approval of the school improvement plan and oversight of its implementation; and • Any School Operations that are consistent with school improvement goals. 6

Local School Governance Teams LSGT Composition LSGT Authority LSGTs & Clusters • Our first topic: What • Our current topic: What • Our next topic: How will should these school specific kinds of LSGTs coordinate with level bodies look like? governance tasks will each other at the our LSGTs be cluster level? • How many and what responsible for? kinds of members? • Should we design a Should the principal • How do we empower cluster level governance vote? our LSGTs to create team? Should we innovative solutions to empower our clusters their school's to make decisions as a problems? group that affect all the schools in that cluster?

LSGT Composition What are our LSGTs required to look like? LSGTs must have a LSGTs must be majority of composed of parents, parents/community community members, members. and teachers. The rest is up to us to determine.

Stakeholder Input on LSGT Member Structure LSGT Composition 9 voting members* (size may vary to 7 or 11) Principal is a non ‐ voting member 4 Parents elected by parents 3 Teachers elected by staff 2 Community members nominated by the principal 1 HS/MS student is a nonvoting member Principal and LSGT Chair collaborate on agenda setting 2 year terms with a maximum of 2 terms(following initial staggered terms of 1 and 2 yrs.)

Our Current Topic: The Scope of the LSGT's Work What does the law require? = Decision ‐ making authority in personnel A charter system must maximize decisions, budget/resource allocations, school ‐ level governance through curriculum & instruction, school creating an LSGT. improvement, and school operations. Our Questions: How will we empower our LSGTs to create What kinds of specific governance tasks school ‐ based solutions to meet their school's needs? How will we vet those will our LSGTs have in those areas? solutions at the district level?

The Work of the LSGT •Creation of a strategic plan Specific •Input into School improvement Governance plan •Input into hiring of principal Tasks •Approve budget allocations Comprised of: •Beyond specific tasks, the ability to create solutions to school problems Ability to •Solutions can require use of Craft waiver from law/policy or not. Solutions •Gives LSGT power to solve problems outside of specific governance tasks

Now that we've got the juices flowing… Please break into groups (smaller 2 ‐ 4). First, look at the sample page and note which governance tasks you would keep, change, or delete for each section. If you have any extras you'd like to add, put those on the blank page. LSC Members, please fill out the same and also consider/note which governance tasks would have helped you to better improve your school if you'd had that power.

Personnel Decisions Sug'd: Types of Req'd: Input into Sug'd: Feedback on Positions and Principal Selection Principal Qualifications desired Ex: Approve local Ex: Input into Ex: receive information staffing decisions to Professional on staffing patterns best meet local development and assignments student achievement opportunities goals Ex: Endorses principal's selection of all Ideas? instructional staff

Budget Decisions/Resource Allocations Req'd: Input into #/type Req'd: Input into final of personnel, curriculum Sug'd: School budget recommendations for costs, supply, equipment, approval school's budget maintenance, operations costs Sug'd: budget priorities Sug'd: Use of charter Sug'd: Vendors for school aligned with school system funds resources improvement plan Ex: Make decisions Ex: Approval of the use regarding resource of unrestricted, Ideas? allocations for school undesignated funds budget within the school budget

Curriculum & Instruction Req'd: Input into selection of Sug'd: approval of a curriculum and instructional programs and Sug'd: graduation requirements accompanying instructional materials consistent with materials innovations Sug'd: opportunities for Ex: Determine appropriate Sug'd: new course offerings student dropout prevention strategies acceleration/remediation Ex: Approve and recommend: Ex: Input into early Curriculum assessments and intervention services or other the need for additional Ideas? appropriate services for and/or alternative underachieving students assessment tools pertinent to school goals and objectives

School Operations Very broad category— Probably the area less about carpool lane that concerns issues and more about Instructional Principals the those tasks that can Minutes most… aid improve a school that don't fall under C&I directly. School Stakeholder School Climate Communication Operations Dress Code & Parent Engagement

School Improvement • Key question for APS under school improvement: Should APS replace school improvement plans with school strategic plans, or keep the SIP model? • What other kinds of autonomy can we give our LSGTs around school improvement?

Ability to Create Solutions LSGTs should be able to create solutions to meet the individual needs of their schools. Should this process be limited to certain areas? For example, should we require solutions be aligned to a strategic plan or school improvement plan? Vetting: How/who should vet these solutions? Should clusters have say over LSGT solutions? Should there be a CGT, a cluster level governance team? What should we call the solutions? Nifty idea, anyone?

Sample: The Innovation's Path to Approval LSGT submits vetted LSGT further refines LSGT elected, innovation to its innovation based on appointed, trained. CGT for public comment advice/approval. and CGT feedback. District considers LSGT submits LSGT creates fully vetted LSGT innovation for strategic plan. innovation and public comment. approves/denies. LSGT considers LSGT refines LSGT implements innovations aligned innovations with aid approved to strategic plan. of district facilitator. innovation.

Clusters in the APS Charter System Model TASK: How should APS structure its charter system to maintain an emphasis on cluster organization while distributing autonomy to the school level? DISTRIBUTE BALANCE MAINTAIN APS must distribute APS must consider APS must maintain meaningful the role, its ability to autonomy and responsibilities, and effectively manage decision ‐ making grant of authority to and oversee the power to local LSGTs within its new work of its schools school governance cluster planning and clusters. teams (LSGTs). framework.

Options for Cluster Involvement in the APS Charter System: Option B: Option A: Cluster ‐ level body with Cluster ‐ level body with advisory power voting & advisory power 1) Cluster body would consider Voting power could include: LSGT proposals that affect cluster 1) Ability to vote up/down LSGT as a whole and provide proposals that affect the cluster as advice/recommendations for a whole district's consideration. 2) Ability to create and vote on 2) Cluster body would provide cluster ‐ wide innovations that input to district on district ‐ level would apply to all schools in issues (RIFs, reorganization, cluster. zoning, etc.)