A Charter Proposal by Responsive Education Solutions, Inc
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
A CHARTER PROPOSAL BY RESPONSIVE EDUCATION SOLUTIONS, INC. Established in 1998, Responsive Education Solutions, Inc. (“ResponsiveEd”) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that: has established, and currently operates, more than 65 charter schools throughout Texas and Arkansas; has been approved by the Indiana Charter School Board to open an open‐ enrollment charter school in Indianapolis in 2014; has been approved by the Texas Education Agency to open an additional 10 schools throughout Texas in 2014; serves nearly 6,000 students through its statewide virtual school program; established the first and only charter school in Texas to address the unique needs of children with autism; has partnered with the Austin Independent School District (“AISD”) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to open Premier High School learning centers within two AISD campuses; is accredited by AdvancED; and thanks the Mayor’s Office for considering this full application and looks forward to the opportunity to offer new, high‐quality public school options to the children and families of Indianapolis. www.foundersclassical.com www.nwaclassical.com CHARTER APPLICANT INFORMATION SHEET Name of Proposed Charter School: Founders Classical Academy of Indianapolis (“Founders” or “School”) Proposed School Address (if known): TBD School District in which Proposed School would be located: Indianapolis Public Schools or Metropolitan Schools District of Washington Township Legal Name of Group Applying for the Charter: TBD Applicant's Designated Representative: Chris Baumann Address: P.O. Box 292730, Lewisville, Texas 75029 Daytime telephone: 972.316.3663 E‐mail address: [email protected] The proposed school will open in the fall of school year: 2014‐2015 Proposed Grade Levels & Total Student Enrollment School Year Grade Levels Student Enrollment First Year K‐8 353 Second Year K‐9 453 Third Year K‐10 503 Fourth Year K‐11 553 Fifth Year K‐12 603 Sixth Year K‐12 628 Seventh Year K‐12 628 Maximum K‐12 628 Is this a single‐gender or co‐educational school? No If single‐gender, please indicate who will be served by school: N/A Are you planning to work with a management organization? Yes If so, please indicate the name of management organization: Responsive Education Solutions, Inc. Have you submitted this application to other authorizers? No If so, please list the authorizer(s) and the date(s) of submission: N/A Do you plan to submit this application to another authorizer before the Mayor’s Office makes a final determination on your application? No If so, please indicate the name of the authorizer: N/A PAGE i Have you submitted any other application to an authorizer in the previous five (5) years? Yes If so, please indicate the name of the authorizer, the date, and the name of the school on the application: The charter holder’s charter management organization, ResponsiveEd, has submitted the following applications to Indiana authorizers in the previous five (5) years: Authorizer Date Name of School on Application Indianapolis Office of the Mayor Spring 2011 Premier High School of Indianapolis Indiana Charter School Board Spring 2012 Premier High School of Evansville, Premier High School of Gary, and Premier High School of Indianapolis Indiana Charter School Board Fall 2012 Premier High School of Anderson, Premier High School of Evansville, Premier High School of Gary, and Premier High School of Indianapolis PAGE ii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHARTER APPLICANT INFORMATION SHEET .............................................................................................. i TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................................................................... iii NARRATIVE ............................................................................................................................................................. 1 I. Vision ............................................................................................................................................................................. 1 A. Mission .................................................................................................................................................................. 1 B. Need ........................................................................................................................................................................ 1 C. Goals ....................................................................................................................................................................... 2 II. Educational Services Provided ............................................................................................................................ 8 A. Educational Model ............................................................................................................................................ 8 B. Academic Standards ..................................................................................................................................... 16 C. Curriculum ........................................................................................................................................................ 16 D. Assessment ....................................................................................................................................................... 19 E. Support for Learning .................................................................................................................................... 20 F. Special Student Populations ...................................................................................................................... 22 III. Organizational Viability and Effectiveness ................................................................................................. 30 A. Enrollment/Demand .................................................................................................................................... 30 B. Human Resources .......................................................................................................................................... 32 C. Governance and Management .................................................................................................................. 35 D. Community Partnerships............................................................................................................................ 39 E. Financial Management ................................................................................................................................. 39 F. Budget ................................................................................................................................................................. 40 G. Facility ................................................................................................................................................................ 43 H. Transportation ................................................................................................................................................ 44 I. Risk Management .......................................................................................................................................... 44 PAGE iii J. Timeline ............................................................................................................................................................. 44 IV. Summary of Strengths ......................................................................................................................................... 45 APPENDICES .............................................................................................................................................. Appx‐A1 Appendix A: Community School Performance Information ........................................................... Appx‐A1 Appendix B: Sample Discipline Plan ......................................................................................................... Appx‐A7 Appendix C: Graduation Requirements ................................................................................................. Appx‐A12 Appendix D: Sample Reading List ............................................................................................................ Appx‐A13 Appendix E: Sample Lessons...................................................................................................................... Appx‐A19 Appendix F: Sample Publicity Materials ............................................................................................... Appx‐A26 Appendix G: Organizational Documents ............................................................................................... Appx‐A36 Appendix H: Leadership Information ..................................................................................................... Appx‐A60 Appendix I: Five‐Year Budget .................................................................................................................... Appx‐A69 Appendix J: Cash Flow Analysis for First Fiscal Year of Operation ............................................ Appx‐A71 Appendix K: Liability Insurance Coverage ........................................................................................... Appx‐A74 PAGE iv NARRATIVE I. Vision A. Mission The mission of Founders Classical Academy (“Founders” or the “School”) is to provide young people