Resource Library

This session, presented by Carlos Capellan, District Director of Leadership Operations, and Curtis Fuller, Chief Operations Officer, from the Florida Charter Institute (FCI), explores the possibility of charter schools becoming their own Local Education Agencies (LEAs), offering insights into the benefits, challenges, and requirements of this transition.

The session begins by defining what an LEA is and outlining the responsibilities involved. It emphasizes that becoming an LEA grants schools access to more funding opportunities and autonomy but also brings significant responsibilities, essentially making them function as their own school district.

The presenters highlight the advantages of becoming an LEA, including increased access to federal funding and the ability to tailor programs and services to the specific needs of their students.

They also delve into the challenges and considerations, such as the need for sufficient staffing capacity, particularly in areas like legal consultation, compliance, and finance.

The session includes a discussion of the legal requirements and statutes related to becoming an LEA, emphasizing the importance of understanding and meeting all the necessary criteria.

Additionally, the presenters introduce the FCI's LEA Manual, a comprehensive guide designed to help schools navigate the process of becoming an LEA.

This session, presented by Christine Mentis, Director of Governance Program, Kathleen Schoenberg, Attorney/Trainer, and Dana Vignale, Charter Support Manager at the Florida Charter Institute, delves into the essential elements of effective board governance for charter schools.

The session begins by emphasizing the pivotal role of the governing board in overseeing the operation of a charter school. The board is responsible for setting the strategic direction, ensuring financial stability, monitoring academic performance, and maintaining compliance with the charter contract and applicable laws.

The presenters highlight the importance of board composition, stressing the need for diverse skill sets and expertise to effectively manage various aspects of the school. They provide guidance on analyzing the board's strengths and weaknesses to identify any gaps and recruit new members with the necessary qualifications.

The session also underscores the value of committees in facilitating in-depth discussions and efficient decision-making. The presenters recommend establishing clear committee descriptions, goals, and accountability measures to ensure productive and focused committee work.

Furthermore, the session addresses the legal requirements of board governance, particularly the Sunshine Law. The presenters emphasize the importance of properly advertising meetings, posting agendas, and maintaining accurate minutes to ensure transparency and compliance.

The presenters offer practical advice on time management during board meetings, suggesting strategies for keeping meetings focused and efficient. They also discuss the importance of clear communication and collaboration between the board and the school leader, emphasizing the need for a culture of trust and mutual respect.

This presentation, "Beyond the Checklist: Mastering Compliance and Monitoring in Charter Schools," by Vanessa Glenn, Kia Sweeney Scott, and Marianne Blair, provides charter school leaders with advanced oversight strategies to ensure compliance and promote educational excellence. The session begins by emphasizing the importance of training and support for both charter schools and district staff, highlighting the need for clear communication and a shared understanding of roles and responsibilities.

The presentation then explores the Florida Principals and Standards, a valuable resource for understanding authorizing best practices, including site visits, contract renewals, and balancing autonomy with accountability. The speakers stress the importance of regular monitoring to ensure compliance, educational quality, equity, and financial oversight.

The session also addresses key components of monitoring, including prioritizing academic performance, maintaining a balanced budget, and meeting enrollment targets. The presenters emphasize the importance of open communication and collaboration between charter schools and authorizers to address concerns proactively and maintain a positive working relationship.

The presentation highlights the value of site visits as opportunities for dialogue and feedback, ensuring that schools are meeting their obligations and providing a quality education for students. The speakers also discuss the renewal process, emphasizing that it should be a celebration of the school's achievements and a collaborative planning process for the future.

The session concludes by emphasizing the importance of data-driven decision-making, accurate record-keeping, and utilizing available resources and tools to support compliance and monitoring efforts.

Key takeaways for attendees include:

• Building strong relationships and open communication with authorizers.
• Prioritizing academic performance and financial health.
• Understanding and adhering to compliance requirements.
• Utilizing data to drive improvement and inform decision-making.
• Leveraging available resources and tools to support compliance and monitoring efforts.

This presentation, "Blueprint for Success: Strategies to Support Your Facility Plan," features Lauren Allen, Richard Moreno, and Michelle Nunez from Building Hope, who share their expertise on navigating the complexities of building a school facility. The session begins with an overview of Building Hope's services, including lending, real estate development, and back-office support. The presenters emphasize the importance of assessing readiness for a facility by evaluating demand, financial health, academic results, charter strength, leadership, and school community.

The presentation then delves into the financial aspects of facility planning, discussing the different financing options available to charter schools, including lease-to-purchase, loans from CDFIs and banks, and long-term financing. The presenters highlight the importance of understanding the school's financial capacity and creating a realistic budget.

The session also includes a school leader's perspective on the facility planning process, with Michelle Nunez sharing her experiences and lessons learned from building two campuses for Galileo School for Super Gifted Learning. She emphasizes the importance of a strong board, clear priorities, and a dedicated project manager.

The presentation also addresses common challenges in the facility planning process, such as navigating zoning regulations, managing construction timelines, and dealing with unexpected costs. The presenters offer strategies for overcoming these challenges, including partnering with experienced professionals and maintaining flexibility.

The session concludes with a Q&A session, where the presenters answer questions from the audience on topics such as the differences between building charter schools and district schools, creative options for finding space, and the importance of energy efficiency.

Key takeaways for attendees include the importance of:

• Assessing readiness for a facility.
• Understanding financial options.
• Having a strong board and clear priorities.
• Partnering with experienced professionals.
• Being creative and flexible in finding solutions.

This presentation, "Boosting Student Memory: Strategies for Academic Success Based on The Science of Learning," by Liliana Salazar and Bonnie May from Academica, explores evidence-based strategies to enhance student memory and learning outcomes. The session begins with an overview of the science of learning, emphasizing the importance of understanding how children learn to plan effective lessons.

The presentation then introduces the work of Hermann Ebbinghaus, a pioneer in the field of memory research, and his concept of the forgetting curve. Ebbinghaus discovered that without reinforcement or connections to prior knowledge, information is quickly forgotten.

The presentation then delves into five evidence-based strategies to enhance student memory: drawing for learning, reading out loud, using pictures and words, asking why, and teaching others. Each strategy is supported by research and presented with practical examples of how it can be implemented in the classroom.

The presentation also emphasizes the importance of engaging students in the learning process and making connections to their prior knowledge. The presenters encourage teachers to use a variety of senses and interactive activities to help students retain information.

The presentation concludes with a Play-Doh activity where participants create a Mr. Potato Head while reviewing the five strategies. This hands-on activity reinforces the importance of active learning and multi-sensory engagement.

Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of how memory works and practical strategies to enhance student learning and retention. The presentation provides a toolkit of evidence-based approaches that can be immediately implemented in the classroom to boost student memory and foster academic success.

This presentation, "Budget Monitoring and Financial Oversight for Charter School Governing Boards," by Dana Vignale, Charter Support Manager at the Florida Charter Institute, and Heather Clay, Executive Director of Innovation Montessori Ocoee, emphasizes the crucial role of governing boards in financial oversight and provides practical guidance on budget monitoring and financial reporting. The session begins with Vignale and Clay sharing their personal experiences in school finance and emphasizing the importance of collaboration between school leaders and governing boards to ensure financial health.

The presentation then delves into the essential financial reports that governing boards should review regularly, including the annual independent audit, budget to actuals reports, and bond covenants. The presenters highlight the importance of asking critical questions and understanding the key financial indicators to identify potential red flags and ensure the long-term sustainability of the school.

The session also emphasizes the importance of adopting and regularly reviewing financial policies and procedures. The presenters discuss how clear policies and procedures can help schools maintain consistency, ensure compliance, and promote transparency in financial management.

The presentation then focuses on the importance of data quality in financial reporting and the use of the Florida Red Book for standardized accounting practices. The presenters provide an overview of the Red Book coding system and its relevance for budget development, monitoring, and analysis.

The session concludes with a discussion of budget development and monitoring, emphasizing the importance of creating a realistic budget based on actual projections and involving school site leadership in the process. The presenters also highlight the importance of amending budgets throughout the year to reallocate resources and ensure that the school's financial resources are aligned with its strategic goals.

Key takeaways for attendees include:

• Understanding the key financial reports and indicators that governing boards should monitor.
• Adopting and regularly reviewing financial policies and procedures to ensure compliance and transparency.
• Utilizing the Florida Red Book for standardized accounting practices and data quality.
• Developing a realistic budget based on actual projections and involving school site leadership in the process.
• Amending budgets throughout the year to reallocate resources and ensure alignment with strategic goals.

This presentation, "Charter School Funding Through the Florida Education Finance Program," offers an introductory overview of the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP), the primary funding source for all K-12 public schools in Florida. The presentation begins by explaining the purpose of the FEFP, which is to ensure that every student in Florida has access to a high-quality education, regardless of their location or background.

The presentation then delves into the specifics of how the FEFP works, including how student enrollment is calculated and how funds are distributed to school districts and charter schools. The presenter also discusses recent legislative changes to the FEFP, such as updates to the base student allocation, mental health funding, transportation funding, and teacher salary increase allocations.

The presentation also covers the topic of class size reduction funding and compliance. The presenter explains how schools can access funding to reduce class sizes and the financial penalties for non-compliance.

The presentation concludes with a discussion of the charter revenue worksheet, a tool that charter schools can use to estimate their FEFP funding. The presenter provides a step-by-step guide on how to use the worksheet and highlights the different components of charter school funding.

Key takeaways for attendees include:

• Understanding the purpose and structure of the FEFP.
• Being aware of recent legislative changes to the FEFP.
• Knowing how to access and use the charter revenue worksheet.
• Understanding the importance of class size reduction funding and compliance.

This presentation, "Data to Dollars," by Shawna Reid, Assistant Deputy Commissioner of Data Systems at the Florida Department of Education, aims to help charter schools understand the critical link between their data reporting and school funding. The session begins by explaining the flow of data from charter schools to school districts and then to the state, emphasizing the importance of accurate and timely data reporting.

The presentation then delves into the Florida Department of Education's data collection process, including the guidelines, requirements, and timeframes for data submission. Reid highlights the critical role of data quality in funding calculations and accountability measures.

The presentation also discusses the data quality process, including the various reports generated to identify data anomalies and potential funding discrepancies. Reid emphasizes the importance of proactive data review and encourages schools to request specific reports from their districts to identify and address potential issues before they impact funding.

The session also covers the survey windows, timeframes for data submission, and the consequences of missing deadlines. Reid explains the process for reopening a survey in case of errors and the implications for funding and accountability.

The presentation concludes with a discussion of charter authorizers and their role in the data collection process. Reid emphasizes the importance of collaboration between schools, districts, and the Florida Department of Education to ensure accurate and timely data reporting, ultimately impacting school funding and student success.

Key takeaways for attendees include:

• Understanding the flow of data from schools to the state.
• The importance of accurate and timely data reporting.
• The role of data quality in funding and accountability.
• How to access and utilize data quality reports.
• Understanding survey windows and deadlines.
• The process for reopening a survey and its implications.

This presentation, "Developing and Maintaining a Support System: How School Leaders and Board Members Can Work as a Team," by Kathleen Schoenberg, Christine Mentis, Robert Pondiscio, and Brad Rowe, explores the common problems that can arise between school leaders and board members and offers solutions to address and resolve them. The session begins by identifying frequent issues such as school leaders feeling unsupported or micromanaged by the board and board members feeling that school leaders are overstepping their authority or lacking professional competence.

The presenters emphasize the importance of clear communication and a shared understanding of roles and responsibilities to prevent such problems. They suggest providing new board members with an orientation that covers the school's mission, vision, and expectations for board involvement. Additionally, they recommend having clear job descriptions for all school employees, including board members, to outline expectations and responsibilities.

The presentation also highlights the importance of building trust between school leaders and board members. This includes providing board members with easy access to documents, encouraging open and honest feedback, and fostering a culture of inquiry where questions are welcomed and valued.

The presenters also discuss the importance of ongoing professional development for both school leaders and board members to enhance their skills and knowledge. They suggest incorporating short professional development segments into board meetings to cover topics such as school programs, open government, and public records laws.

The presentation concludes by emphasizing the importance of collaboration, engagement, trust, respect, and flexibility in creating a positive and productive working relationship between school leaders and board members. The presenters stress that a strong, collaborative relationship between the board and the school leader is crucial for the success of the school.

This presentation, "Documentation to Avoid or Succeed in Litigation," by education law experts Shawn Arnold and Jonathan Bruno, along with school leaders Steve Casenza and Monica Knight, emphasizes the critical role of thorough and contemporaneous documentation in preventing and navigating legal challenges in the school setting. The session begins by highlighting the importance of documentation in various legal contexts, including employment disputes, student discipline, and special education. The speakers stress that good documentation can save time, money, and reputational damage.

The presentation then delves into specific types of documentation that are crucial for schools to maintain, such as personnel files, student records, and incident reports. The speakers emphasize the importance of capturing all relevant details, including dates, times, witnesses, and specific actions taken.

The session also covers best practices for documentation, including maintaining confidentiality, ensuring accuracy, and following established procedures. The speakers advise schools to develop clear policies and train staff on proper documentation practices.

Real-world examples are shared to illustrate the impact of good and bad documentation in legal situations. Steve Casenza recounts a case where meticulous documentation helped his school successfully prosecute an employee for embezzlement. Monica Knight shares an example of how inadequate documentation led to difficulties in a due process hearing.

The presentation concludes with a Q&A session, addressing practical questions from the audience on topics such as documenting employee performance, handling public records requests, and navigating student discipline issues. The speakers emphasize the importance of being proactive and thorough in documentation to avoid or successfully resolve legal challenges.

Key takeaways for attendees include:

• Understanding the critical role of documentation in protecting schools from legal challenges.
• Developing and implementing clear policies and procedures for documentation.
• Training staff on proper documentation practices.
• Learning from real-world examples of the impact of good and bad documentation.
• Being proactive and thorough in documenting all aspects of school operations.

This presentation, "Empowering School Leaders: Strengthening K-12 Civics Education Through Strategic Support and Professional Learning," by regional civics directors Kenneth Chestnut, Tyler Eastridge, Lauren Kappler, and Traci Mulitsa, emphasizes the importance of K-12 civics education and offers strategies for school leaders to support teachers and enhance student learning in this vital subject. The session begins by introducing the regional civics directors and their role in providing support to schools and districts across Florida.

The presentation then delves into the various types of support available to schools, including one-on-one teacher coaching, professional learning communities (PLCs), and school-wide professional development. The directors emphasize the importance of building relationships with teachers, providing targeted support, and helping them understand the depth and breadth of the civics and government benchmarks.

The presentation also highlights the resources created and partnered with other organizations to support civics education. These resources include the Civics Literacy Toolkit website, the Middle School Civics Government Instructional Guide, the Civic School of Excellence course, the K-12 Civics Curriculum, and the K-12 Integrated Civics Curriculum.

The session includes an interactive activity called "hexagonal thinking" to demonstrate how civics benchmarks can be integrated across grade levels and content areas. Participants engage in connecting key terms and concepts, illustrating the importance of vertical alignment and building upon foundational knowledge from kindergarten through 12th grade.

The presentation concludes by emphasizing the importance of incorporating civics benchmarks into various content areas, including ELA, math, arts, and science. The presenters highlight the availability of resources and lesson plans on the civics literacy website to support this integration.

Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the importance of K-12 civics education, learn about valuable resources and support systems, and leave equipped to empower teachers and enhance student mastery of civics benchmarks.

This presentation, "ESSER Cliff: Myth or Reality? Navigating Economic Challenges: Running a Cost-Effective Network of Schools," is a roundtable discussion moderated by Tony Arza from the School Leaders Fellowship / District Charter Collaborative. The session aims to foster dialogue between school districts and charter schools on how to navigate the financial implications of the end of ESSER funding.

The discussion begins with Superintendent Mark Sarnoff from Osceola County Schools addressing the question of whether there is enough money in education. Sarnoff argues that while funding has increased, it hasn't kept pace with the growing demands for individualized learning experiences and programs tailored to the changing economy.

The conversation shifts to the impact of regulations on school budgets, with Osceola School Board Chair Heather Cahoon highlighting the burden of unfunded mandates and the need for greater flexibility in how districts allocate resources.

The discussion then turns to the topic of trust between the state and local school districts, with Julio Cabrera, CEO of Academic Charter Schools, emphasizing the importance of empowering schools and teachers to make decisions based on their students' needs.

The session also explores the concept of earned autonomy, with Superintendent Sarnoff suggesting that schools demonstrating high performance should be granted greater flexibility in how they use resources.

The roundtable concludes with a discussion on strategies for running cost-effective school networks, including conducting initiative inventories to assess the return on investment of various programs and addressing opportunity costs by proactively recruiting and retaining staff.

Overall, the session provides valuable insights into the financial challenges facing schools and districts and highlights the importance of collaboration, innovation, and trust in navigating these challenges effectively.