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Volume I, Issue 16, October 14, 2005
Charter Leader News
This issue of the Charter Leader News features information on . . . .
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Charter Facilities Matching Grant Program
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BEDS Report
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Insurance and Benefits Program
- Fifth Grade Social Studies Test
- Food Service Options
- Fingerprinting
- School Leadership Learning Series for Principals
- Literacy Conference
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November 9 Advocacy and Equity Panel Discussion
Earlier this week, Mayor Bloomberg called for the elimination of the statewide
"cap" on public charter schools and proposed "doubling" the number of NYC charter
schools by 2009.
We enthusiastically applaud the mayor for his leadership and support. In the
Charter Center's role as "Advocate, Bridge and Catalyst" for the city's public
charter schools, we look forward to working with all New York government leaders
on this effort so that we may further expand educational opportunities for deserving
NYC students and families.
Thank you.
212-437-8310
Christine Pendry
VP for Grantmaking
212-437-8313
*At your direction, we can include other leaders from your school or your Education
Management Organization (EMO) on the distribution list. Please let us know.
Save the Date! Charter Facilities Matching Grant Program -- October 28, 2005:
The New York City Department of Education recently launched the Charter Facilities
Matching Grant Program with a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for proposals outlining
a development plan for new charter school facilities (www.nycsca.org).
To encourage the creation of “charter partnerships” supporting charter school
development, the Charter
Center is hosting an information session to familiarize school leaders/board
members, real estate owners/developers, related professionals, and local development
and/or community-based organizations with program details and grant criteria. The breakfast meeting is an excellent opportunity to network with potential development
partners, gain assistance with structuring proposals and learn how city and state
resources can lower your facilities development costs.
Join us on October 28, from 8 to 10 am, at the Charter Center's 111 Broadway
offices. To RSVP for this event CLICK HERE. For more information contact Florence Adu at 212-437-8309, or email: fadu@nycchartercenter.org
BEDS Report Reminder:
ALL charter schools must submit their 2005-2006 BEDS online report and the individual
personnel forms (hard copies) to the New York State Department of Education (SED)
by October 28, 2005. All schools should have received a memo from SED. A copy
of the memo can be found online at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/irts/beds/memos/imf-online-memo-fall05.htm
If you have any questions, please contact Laura Smith at 212-437-8311, or email:
Registration Reminder – 5th Grade New York State Social Studies Test:
The New York State Social Studies Test is scheduled for November 16 and 17, 2005. Charter
schools must order their exams directly from New York State Education Department.
Schools that have not already submitted their order should contact either Steve
Katz at skatz@mail.nysed.gov, or Dave Moore at dmoore@mail.nysed.gov, as soon as possible to complete this process. In the future, test orders will
be auto-confirmed by the state through the prior years ATS registration. Orders
are not complete until schools have received “Confirmation of Examination Request”
and confirmed the current school years enrollment with the state. New schools
must register with SED for each testing cohort for each test during the 2005-2006
school year.
Fingerprinting:
Each charter school must be able to provide official documentation from the SED
that all employees have been fingerprinted and cleared for employment. Proof of NYC Department
of Education (DOE) clearance alone is not sufficient.
The Charter Center can help you determine if your employees have been adequately
fingerprinted and cleared for employment. If you need help obtaining SED documentation,
please contact Laura Smith ( lsmith@nycchartercenter.org) at the Charter Center immediately. Without proper SED documentation for each
employee your school is in violation of state law and is potentially risking the
safety of students and staff.
Insurance and Benefits Program:
The Charter Center has begun researching shared services options in the areas
of health and retirement benefits. In addition, we are supporting research conducted
by the New York Charter Schools Association for a statewide liability insurance
program. Our initial work will involve gathering information from interested schools
with regards to their current insurance and benefits programs via a 15-minute
phone interview. This will allow us to develop a baseline of costs and services
and then seek opportunities for improved services and possible cost reductions.
If you are interested in participating in shared services for health and retirement
benefits, please contact Laura Smith ( lsmith@nycchartercenter.org.) You will be under no obligation to participate in any solution or program and
will just be asked to provide baseline data. We will then keep you informed of
potential opportunities and solutions and may also seek your guidance in creating
a model program.
Food Service Options:
Several charter schools have asked the Charter Center to facilitate a discussion
of alternatives to DOE Food Services. If you are interesting in participating
in this discussion, please email Laura Smith ( lsmith@nycchartercenter.org). A date and time will be set for early November and participants will be able
to join in person or via conference call.
Literacy Conference at New York Hilton - October 30:
Charter school leaders interested in research-based language and literacy workshops
can register for this all-day conference featuring a keynote address by E.D. Hirsch,
author, Professor Emeritus at University of Virginia, and Chairman of the Core
Knowledge Foundation.
The conference will run from 8 am to 4:30 pm with Professor Hirsch scheduled
to speak from 8:50 am to 9:50 am on the topic, "Fairness, Reading and the Knowledge
Deficit." Registration is by mail. A print-out of the registration form can be
obtained at: http://www.readingreformny.org/RRF/WebSite.htm. The New York Hilton is located on Sixth Avenue, between 53rd and 54th Streets,
in Manhattan.
School Leadership Learning Series-Literacy Professional Development:
We are pleased to offer a new Professional Development Initiative this year.
Co-sponsored by the New York City Department of Education's Division of Literacy
and The New York City Center for Charter School Excellence, the School Leadership Learning Series will offer opportunities for Charter School Leadership and Public School Leadership
to join together to share best practices.
Four experts in the field: Kylene Beers, Ellin Keene, Anita Archer, and Isabel
Beck will be the featured keynote speakers. The focus of this series will be
middle school. If you or members of your charter school leadership team decide
to register for a multi-day workshop, please be sure that all registrants are able to attend all days of the workshop. You may register for multiple series. All days will begin at 8:30 am and end
at noon.
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Speaker
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Session
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Dates
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Code
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Ellin Keene
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Critical Questions in Literacy Leadership
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Wednesday, October 26
and
Wednesday, January 11 and
Wednesday, April 12
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EK1
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Kylene Beers
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Building the Adolescent Literacy Toolkit for NYC School Leaders
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Monday, December 5
and
Wednesday, April 5
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KB2
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Anita Archer
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Effective and Explicit Reading Instruction for Struggling Middle School Readers
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Wednesday, December 14
and
Wednesday, March 29
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AA3
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Isabel Beck
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Enhancing Students' Vocabulary
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Thursday, December 15
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IB4
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Kylene Beers
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Building the Adolescent Literacy Toolkit for NYC School Leaders
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Monday, February 6
and
Monday, May 8
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KB5
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November 9 Advocacy and Equity Panel Discussion:
New York City charter school leaders are invited to attend a "Legislative Advocacy and Financial Equity" panel discussion on Wednesday, November 9, 2005, from 5:00 to 7 p.m. at the
Charter Center's offices, 111 Broadway, Suite 604.
Organized by the Charter School Leader Network's Advocacy and Equity Committee, the panel will explore and answer relevant questions on the minds of many charter
school leaders concerning funding issues, legislative strategy and regulatory
policy.
The Mission of the Advocacy and Equity Committee is to comprehensively understand
the laws, regulations and policies that impact charter schools in New York City
(including those pertaining to charter school funding) and to work toward promoting
such laws, regulations and policies that ensure fairness and sustainability for
charter schools.
The panel discussion will be led by Marc Waxman of Future Leaders Institute and
Stacey Gauthier of Renaissance Charter School. Invited panelists include Harvey
Newman, Senior Fellow at the Center for Educational Innovation Public Education
Association, Vince Marrone, Principal with Public Strategies, LLC, Bill Phillips,
President of the New York City Charter Schools Association, and Peter Murphy,
Director of Development and Policy for the New York State Charter Schools Association.
For more information contact Marc Waxman at 917-495-9343 or Stacey Gauthier at 718-803-0060, extension 115. RSVP to Tracy Wright: 212-437-8301. Refreshments
will be served.
Mission
The Mission of the New York City Center for Charter School Excellence is to stimulate
the supply of high quality charter schools and support ongoing student excellence
in all NYC charter schools, impacting the effectiveness of public education. As
an independent nonprofit, the Charter Center is an advocate, bridge and catalyst
for the achievement of academic and operational success and sustainability of
all NYC charter schools for each young person.
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