Category: Association Blog

Arizona’s public charter schools scored a number of budget victories during the recent legislative session, including freezing the Small School Weight and increasing additional assistance funding.

However, these victories will be rendered moot if voters don’t approve Proposition 123 on May 17.

Prop 123 would infuse $3.5 billion in additional education funding for all public schools within 10 years, including a boost to base level funding this fiscal year. For charter schools, the proposition would provide about $68 million within the next two fiscal years, raising the base level to more than $3,600 per student.

If Prop 123 fails, funding will be cut $4.8 million for charter schools.

Arizona’s charters have built tremendous positive momentum within the last year, with many publications ranking our schools among the best in the country, and charter students outperforming their peers on local and national assessments.

Arizona charter students outperformed every other state on the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress. On eighth grade mathematics, for instance, Arizona charter students scored in a statistical dead heat with Massachusetts, the highest scoring of the 50 states.

Charter students also outperformed the state average of students passing the AzMERIT English Language Arts and Math by 5-12 percentage points at every grade level. Furthermore, 49 out of the top 50 Local Education Agencies (LEAs) with the highest percentage of students passing those exams are charters.

Arizona’s charters have graced the top of school rankings published by U.S. News and World Report, the Phoenix Business Journal and other publications.

Prop 123 is essential to continuing this momentum and ensuring the success of our charter students.

Make sure to vote yes on May 17.

Charter Schools Week is an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of the local and national charter movement, but honoring the excellent work of charter educators is a year-round endeavor.

To that end, the Arizona Charter Schools Association has launched the nomination process for our 2016 Charter Awards. The Charter Awards annually recognize the accomplishments of four exceptionally skilled and dedicated K-12 charter educators, administrators, business leaders and schools.

There are four categories for nominees: School of the Year, Transformational Leader of the Year, Business Leader of the Year and Teacher of the Year. We will announce the winners in October and honor them with an awards luncheon later that month.

As Charter Schools Week winds down, the Charter Awards provide a perfect opportunity to continue the celebration and highlight some of the best of what Arizona’s charter movement has to offer.

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Find out more about our past award winners.

A Note From Eileen

Arizona charter schools are the foundation of school choice in our state. With over 556 charter schools serving over 170,000 students, our growing movement is supporting Arizona families and providing students with a quality education.

But don’t take my word for it.

Arizona charter students outperformed nearly every other state on the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress. On eighth grade mathematics, for instance, Arizona charter students scored in a statistical dead heat with Massachusetts, the highest scoring of the 50 states.

In the rolling hills of northern Arizona, STAR School, which straddles the edge of the Navajo reservation, is beating the odds. The K-8 charter school strives to interweave its academic focus with traditional Navajo values. And it’s working. About 80 percent of former STAR students graduate from high school in four years, while 70 percent of the students attend college within a year of graduating.

Year Founded: 1995
Students Served: 5,800 students at seven campuses and online education programs
Grades Served: 9-12
Location: Tucson, Douglas, Sierra Vista, Somerton, Casa Grande, San Luis
Website: www.ppeptechs.org

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As part of the Arizona Charter Schools Association’s 2016 Legal Week, we are featuring a new podcast titled, “Ask a Lawyer,” where Osborn Maledon attorney Lynne Adams answers questions submitted by charter school leaders. Don’t miss this fun and informative feature moderated by Association trainer, Andrew Nelson.

Watch our podcast and find answers to the following five questions submitted by Arizona charter school leaders:

1. Many charter schools received a records request email from American Transparency on April 17. Do they have to respond, and if so, what advice do you have about the response?
2. What documents must be provided in response to a public records request? Are email and voicemail messages public records?  Does it matter who sent or received them (board members, teachers, or site leaders, for example)?
3. What obligations does a school have to maintain records, including student records and diplomas?
4. Are charter schools considered “political subdivisions” of the state, and if not, why not? Wouldn’t that be better for schools and allow them to get more funding and generally create a more equal playing field?
5. When a student designs a robot or part of a robot for a class or a school club, does the school or the student have rights in the design?

Year Founded: 2000
Students Served: 616
Grades Served: K-5
Location: Yuma, Ariz.
Website: www.desertviewacademy.com

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How Charter Schools Can (and Should) Engage, Empower and Serve Undocumented Families

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, provides relief to children brought to the United States illegally. DACA, announced on June 15, 2012, allows those who came to the U.S. as children to request consideration of deferred action for two years and allows eligibility for legally working in America.  Two years after DACA, President Barack Obama expanded the DACA program to parents through executive order, creating the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans or DAPA, which allows parents of U.S. citizens and permanent residents to remain in U.S..  Both DAPA and DACA will be decided in June by the United State Supreme Court.

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The Association created a handout to provide assistance to schools and information for families. Download the handout in English and Spanish below. In addition, the Association is working with experts to update schools and their families once the decision is made by the United States Supreme Court in June.

Download the English Version

Descargar la versión en Español