A new vision for a new day in public education

1. Clayton County Public Schools Choices for Innovation IE2 Charter System A new vision for a new day in public education

2. By June 30, 2013All Schools in Georgia Must Choose Charter School System Status Investing in Educational Excellence (IE2) –Status Status Quo School Systems Across the State Must Consider Options with GaDOE!

3. Timelines Phase V August 2013 Phase IV March – November 2012 Phase lll October – 2011 March 2012 Phase II January – August 2011 Phase l October –January 2011 Gather input from stakeholders (parents, students, employees, community members) Present findings to Board and make decision regarding continued status Develop and refine contract; seek further public input; submit contract to SDOE Begin implementation of IE2 or Charter System Contract Investigate IE2, charter system, and status quo

4. Systems We Will Continue to Explore • Approved Charter Systems in Georgia • Putnam County Schools • Warren County Schools • Decatur City Schools • Gainesville City Schools • Marietta City Schools • Chattahoochee County Schools • Approved IE2 Systems in Georgia • Gwinnet County Schools • Forsyth County Schools

5. At a Glance: Current - IE2 - Charter System 5-year Contract with State with input from GOSA System under State Authority 5-year Contract with State No new state funding No flexibility from State rules except class size Not required Defined by federal law only School moves to State-defined governance Not required Termination of charter; Return to current status Flexibility based upon IE2 contract within a defined framework Ability to seek broad flexibility and exempt Title 20 No new state funding Possible, based on state appropriations Required; must define authority in charter

6. How Do These Choices Affect School Board Governance? • Status quo: No change • IE2: School Board can allow local schools to make certain decisions, but there is no requirement to do so • Charter System: Charter can allow School Board to retain current role; however, local school councils must have ability to provide meaningful input into personnel, budget, and curriculum recommendations

7. What is a Charter School? • -Charter School Systems are public schools that receive state and federal dollars for education. • - They operate under a charter, which explains what it wants to do and how it will operate. • - Provides the opportunity for teachers, administrators, parents, and school boards to have greater flexibility to determine the educational needs of students within their district.

8. Charter Schools Continued… • -While the charter school must meet all federal mandates, it’s allowed some leeway under the state’s Title 20 rules and may request waivers from provisions of Title 20. • -Under Georgia’s charter school system law, all the schools in a system operate under a charter. • - Under charter system status, schools have flexibility to relax class size and seat time restrictions.

9. Charter School Continued… • - School systems are able to be more creative with student instructional time. • - President Obama supports the charter school system concept and encourages school districts to pursue the option. • - Charter school systems shall earn approximately $100 in additional funds for each FTE for every year of the charter term.

10. Charter Schools Continued… • In addition, charter systems are eligible to apply for federal implementation grants, ranging from $200,000 to $600,000, and state grants in the amount of $125,000.

11. What is IE2 • IE2 (referred to as “IE squared”) stems from Governor Sonny Perdue’s education finance reform initiative and provides an opportunity for school systems to enter into a partnership contract with the Georgia State Board of Education and the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement to provide more local control regarding important education decisions and expenditures. Under IE2, school districts create a strategic plan that clearly identifies the flexibility sought from Georgia education laws, accountability goals, and federal NCLB requirements. Consequences that will be imposed upon the district if they do not reach their accountability goals will also be included in the strategic plan. According to HB 1209, IE2-contracted schools that do not meet their IE2 accountability goals by the end of the contract period will be converted to charter schools. At this time, there are not any proposed funding incentives under the IE2 contract.

12. Charter vs. IE2 • Both contracts, whether to operate as a charter school system or under an IE2 contract agreement, would be a contract with the Georgia Department of Education. The biggest difference between these two contracts would be the level of flexibility. IE2 would have far less flexibility. Another major difference between charter school systems and IE2 agreements are with school governance. Charter systems will have more parent/community involvement with school councils. If a system chooses status quo, the system will lose the ability to request any waiver, except class size, from the State Board of Education.

13. Why Not Keep The Status Quo? • We cannot ask for any flexibility from State Board rules except class size • This limits our ability to use greater innovation to improve student achievement Status Quo

14. What About IE2? • Innovation through flexibility • Current charter schools cannot join the IE2 contract • Consequences can include loss of governance of non-performing schools (including possible takeover by outside organizations) • Additional funding is not available IE2

15. What About a Charter System? • Innovation • Achievement • Advantages • Involvement Charter System

16. Innovative flexibility of State laws needed to implement programs and sound educational practices Innovative use of funds to implement programs Innovative use of hiring practices aligned to target programmatic needs INNOVATION

17. Ability to establish magnet and theme schools, small learning communities, and other programs through enhanced flexibility in staffing and use of funds Ability to creatively use resources to meet Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and other accountability measures Ability to increase funding opportunities to implement additional support for staff and students ACHIEVEMENT

18. Flexibility to adjust and respond to the unique needs of their learning communities (i.e., change in seat time, hiring industry-experts as teachers Flexibility for current charters to join the system’s petition Flexibility for earned empowerment ADVANTAGES

19. Possibility of increased school choice for our stakeholders Increased community understanding, knowledge, and investment in schools More meaningful input on school-based decision making INVOLVEMENT

20. Why a Charter System?

21. Broad flexibility from Title 20 (State laws governing public education) and/or State Board rules allows schools to implement innovative programming • Increased flexibility over budgets and hiring practices • Innovative curriculum and instructional methods to better meet student needs *** Some portions of Title 20 cannot be exempted under any circumstance