Washington State Charter Commission Gives First Place until June 15th

Update: the process is the Charter Commission really bending over backwards to help First Place Scholars stay afloat.  This is NOT the process for revocation of their charter.  If these items are not completed to the satisfaction of the Commission, then the revocation process would probably start.  (Both the Commissioners and the Director of the Commission have given FPS repeated chances to get their ducks in a row and apparently, the Commission has not seen enough progress on those stated issues.)

end of update

I'm listening into a special phone meeting of the Washington State Charter Commission.  The top agenda item is  First Place Scholars charter school.

The Commission is giving First Place until June 15, 2015 to finish corrections that the Commission needed to see to keep First Place as a charter school.  It is quite a lengthy list of items.  (This comes from a 5-2 vote of the Charter Commission whether to give FPS these corrections conditions (5) or not (2).  It's not clear to me whether the two Commissioners who voted against the corrective conditions want to revoke FPS' charter.)

This is a draft that the Commission is wordsmithing today.

Since November 4, 2014, the Commission has been working with First Place in an effort to ensure that it is satisfying its obligations to its students and the citizens of Washington.  This has resulted in probation, corrective action, notices of concern, and  multiple meetings and requests for documentation.  It has also resulted in the Commission identifying resources to help support First Place and providing First Place with assistance of a professional with expertise in the field of special education

Commissioners and staff have carefully reviewed your responses to the Commission’s inquiries regarding special education, English language learners and the academic program. Although key staff have been hired, special education policies and procedures have been put in place, and evidence of an English language learners program is beginning to emerge, we are still missing critical information in several key areas outlined below that the Commission requires in order for Commissioners to vote in favor of you maintaining your charter. Several deficiencies deliberated at length at our meeting included: 

• Lack of fidelity to key components of the Education Program under the charter contract including student level data regarding academic learning over the course of this school year;

• Lack of special education services as required by law including a lack of fidelity, and capacity, to implement the school’s general and compensatory services special education plans; 
•  Lack of evidence that First Place has satisfied legal requirements for serving English language learners (ELL), including a lack of an ELL programmatic plan and evidence that required assessments and services have been provided to students; and
• The financial viability of the school.  

First Place replies - or at least their head, Dawn Mason, via her blog - saying the Governor should stop any efforts to revoke their charter. 

Let the Commission know that any charter school needs at least two years to demonstrate the school can be governed and operated with positive outcomes.

They also note:

• The Superintendent of Public Instruction has approved the Special Education Plan and First Place Scholars has had a Special Education teacher on staff since January.
• The U.S. Department of Education came for a  two day site visit with three evaluators and found that First Place Scholars and released $200,000 in start up funds for charter schools educating special needs students.

Also in Washington State charter news, the minutes from the last Washington State Charter Commission meeting are quite revealing.

Chair Sundquist noted that he had received a call on May 8 from the Fauntleroy Church office manager – Chair Sundquist is a member of the church’s congregation. The office manager stated that she had received a call from a Summit Public Schools (Summit) supporter noting that Chair Sundquist was a member of the church’s congregation and that he was a “huge supporter” of Summit. The caller requested that the church support a signature campaign in support of the proposed Summit school nearby. Chair Sundquist instructed the office manager via email to take a negative stance on the signature campaign and communicate that to the caller, as well as clarifying that Chair Sundquist’s affirmative vote on both Commission-Authorized Summit schools’ application during the 2013 Request For Proposals (RFP) was not an indication that Chair Sundquist was a “huge supporter” of Summit. Chair Sundquist then attempted to contact Jen Davis Wickens, Chief Regional Officer for Summit, with his concerns.  They connected that weekend, with Ms. Davis Wickens noting that the contact was likely initiated by a volunteer  Summit supporter. To date, no signature gatherers have approached the church.  

Chair Sundquist noted that he did not feel the above presented a conflict regarding his vote on Summit’s 2015 RFP application. Ms. Miller noted that the Commission had established protocols for communications with applicants and their supporters during the Commission’s annual RFP. These protocols will be re-released to Commissioners. 

This does not surprise me.  Summit and Green Dot are pretty aggressive charter organizations.  At the open forums that were held last year on their charter applications, both had flown in parents from California to sing their praises.  The parents' expenses were paid and no one would tell me if the parents were paid to attend.  

I don't mean to say that whoever called the church had been paid/told to do this but it seems in keeping with how zealously these charters court parents.