Premier High Schools 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, 59 charter schools throughout Texas—more than any other organization; has been approved by the Texas Education Agency to open an unlimited number of additional schools at ResponsiveEd’s sole discretion during the 2012‐2013, 2013‐2014, and 2014‐2015 school years; 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; has consistently exceeded state averages by approximately ten percentage points on state assessment performance; is accredited by AdvancED; and thanks the Indiana Charter School Board for considering this proposal and looks forward to the opportunity to offer new, high‐quality public school options to the children and families of Indiana. www.PremierHighSchools.com PROPOSAL OVERVIEW AND ENROLLMENT PROJECTIONS Please provide information for the applicant group’s designated representative. This individual will serve as the contact for all communications, interviews, and notices from the ICSB regarding the submitted application. IMPORTANT NOTE: The full application, including this form, will be posted on the ICSB website. Applicants are advised that local community members, including members of the media, may contact the designated representative for questions about the proposed school(s). Legal name of group applying for charter(s): Responsive Education Solutions Names, roles, and current employment Chuck Cook, CEO/Superintendent/Board Member for all persons on applicant team: Robert Davison, Chief Operating Officer Dr. Alan Wimberley, Chief Learning Officer Rosalinda Gonzalez, VP of Academic Services James Taylor, Chief Financial Officer Julie Conde, Director of Accountability/ESL Chris Baumann, General Counsel Designated applicant representative: Chris Baumann Address: 1301 Waters Ridge Drive Lewisville, Texas 75029 Office and cell phone numbers: Office: 972.316.3663 Cell: 214.364.0139 Email address: [email protected] Provide the requested information for each school included in this proposal. (You may add lines to the table if needed.) Proposed Opening Year School Model Geographic School Grade Levels at School Name (e.g., college Community * District(s) in Full Enrollment prep, dropout Proposed recovery) Location Premier High 2013 Dropout Anderson, IN Anderson 9-12 School of Prevention and Community Anderson Recovery School Corporation ICSB 2012 Charter School RFP: Experienced Operators Page 1 Proposed Opening Year School Model Geographic School Grade Levels at School Name (e.g., college Community * District(s) in Full Enrollment prep, dropout Proposed recovery) Location Premier High 2013 Dropout Evansville, IN Evansville- 9-12 School of Prevention and Vanderburgh Evansville Recovery School Corporation Premier High 2013 Dropout Gary, IN Gary 9-12 School of Gary Prevention and Community Recovery School Corporation Premier High 2013 Dropout Indianapolis, IN Indianapolis 9-12 School of Prevention and Public Schools Indianapolis Recovery NOTE: * Please indicate the city/town and, if known, potential address or neighborhood of location. Virtual operators should indicate the relevant geographies the operator intends to serve. Proposed Grade Levels and Student Enrollment Provide the following information for each charter school included in this proposal. Specify the planned year of opening for each, the grade levels served, and both the planned and maximum number of enrolled students by grade level for each year. (You may duplicate the table as needed.) Proposed School Name: Premier High School of Anderson Academic Year Grade Levels Student Enrollment (Planned/Maximum) Year 1: 2013-2014 9-12 120/120 Year 2 9-12 140/140 Year 3 9-12 160/160 Year 4 9-12 200/200 Year 5 9-12 200/200 At Capacity 9-12 200/200 Proposed School Name: Premier High School of Evansville Academic Year Grade Levels Student Enrollment (Planned/Maximum) Year 1: 2013-2014 9-12 120/120 Year 2 9-12 140/140 Year 3 9-12 160/160 Year 4 9-12 200/200 Year 5 9-12 200/200 At Capacity 9-12 200/200 ICSB 2012 Charter School RFP: Experienced Operators Page 2 Proposed School Name: Premier High School of Gary Academic Year Grade Levels Student Enrollment (Planned/Maximum) Year 1: 2013-2014 9-12 120/120 Year 2 9-12 140/140 Year 3 9-12 160/160 Year 4 9-12 200/200 Year 5 9-12 200/200 At Capacity 9-12 200/200 Proposed School Name: Premier High School of Indianapolis Academic Year Grade Levels Student Enrollment (Planned/Maximum) Year 1: 2013-2014 9-12 120/120 Year 2 9-12 140/140 Year 3 9-12 160/160 Year 4 9-12 200/200 Year 5 9-12 200/200 At Capacity 9-12 200/200 Do any of the proposed schools expect to contract or partner with an Education Service Provider (ESP) or other organization for school management/operation?* Yes No If yes, identify the ESP or other partner organization: Not Applicable Will an application for the same charter school(s) be submitted to another authorizer in the near future? Yes No If yes, identify the authorizer(s): Not Applicable Planned submission date(s): Not Applicable Please list the number of previous submissions for request to authorize this(ese) charter school(s) over the past five years, as required under IC § 20-24-3-4. Include the following information: Authorizer(s): Not Applicable Submission date(s): Not Applicable ICSB 2012 Charter School RFP: Experienced Operators Page 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY MISSION AND VISION FOR GROWTH IN INDIANA Responsive Education Solutions, Inc. (hereafter “ResponsiveEd”) proposes to establish four high performing high school campuses to serve Indiana students in the communities of Anderson, Evansville, Gary, and Indianapolis. The four Premier High Schools (hereafter “PHS”) will focus on dropout prevention and recovery. Additionally, these campuses will be designed to engage or re‐ engage students in an effective learning process aligned with the mission “to provide hope for students through an innovative, encouraging, character‐based, individualized learning environment where they are academically successful and develop into lifelong learners.” ResponsiveEd has developed a general five‐year growth plan for developing schools in Indiana, anticipating the establishment of 36 successful campuses by the academic year 2017‐18. Utilizing a proven system of school organization and operation, these campuses will function as part of ResponsiveEd’s family of schools, whose growth is anticipated to reach 500 schools nationwide by the fall of 2020. The school starts in Indiana are anticipated to be established according to the following schedule: SCHOOL Year Type Grades Campuses Enrollment Communities (Capacity) 2013‐14 Dropout prevention and 9‐12 4 800 Anderson, recovery Evansville, Gary, and Indianapolis 2014‐15 Dropout prevention and 9‐12 2 400 TBD recovery College Prep 9‐12 1 300 TBD College Prep K‐5 4 1,200 TBD 2015‐16 Dropout prevention and 9‐12 2 400 TBD recovery College Prep 9‐12 1 300 TBD College Prep 6‐8 4 1,200 TBD College Prep K‐5 2 600 TBD 2016‐17 Dropout prevention and 9‐12 2 400 TBD recovery College Prep 9‐12 2 600 TBD College Prep 6‐8 2 600 TBD College Prep K‐5 2 600 TBD 2017‐18 Dropout prevention and 9‐12 2 400 TBD recovery College Prep 9‐12 2 600 TBD College Prep 6‐8 2 600 TBD College Prep K‐5 2 600 TBD Proposal Narrative: ResponsiveEd Page 1 EDUCATIONAL NEED On January 13, 2009, the Indiana General Assembly introduced House Bill 1343, authored by State Representative Cherrish Pryor, to address Indiana’s dropout problem. The bill “[c]reate[d] the dropout prevention fund . to: (1) provide money for school corporation programs that identify students who are at risk of dropping out of school; and (2) provide appropriate interventions for those students.” The bill became law on July 1, 2009, and is now codified in IC 20‐ 20‐37. Today, while Indiana has experienced improvements since House Bill 1343 was passed, Indiana students are still in need of high‐quality academic programs geared at ensuring high school completion. Anderson According to its 2011 Annual Performance Report, Anderson Community School Corporation (“ACSC”) had 373 students drop out of its high schools from 2008‐09 to 2010‐11. Even at full capacity (which is not scheduled to be met until fall of 2016), Premier High School of Anderson would only be able to serve 200 (54%) of these students. Evansville The Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation (“EVSC”) is the third largest school district in the state of Indiana. While the overall average graduation rate for the district does not appear disconcerting, several individual schools struggle with students completing high school. For example, according to its 2011 Annual Performance Report, EVSC had 457 students drop out of its high schools from 2008‐09 to 2010‐11, with 257 (56%) of those students dropping out during the 2010‐11 alone. Even at full capacity (which is not scheduled to be met until fall of 2016), Premier High School of Evansville would only be able to serve 200 (44%) of these students. Gary The academic norm in Gary is discouraging. Only 82.6% of the population 25 years and older are high school graduates and only 11.6% have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher. According to a national analysis conducted by John Hopkins University in 2007, ten Indiana high schools were considered “dropout factories,” meaning that 60% or less of students who entered the school did not make it to their senior year.