This year’s National Charter Schools Conference was an amazing event to be a part of. It was extra special to be back in person for the first time in two years. We love connecting with school leaders because it allows us to listen to what’s on their hearts and minds. We got to listen to the stories of charter leaders from all across the nation, and in an effort to learn how to best serve them, we asked:  

“What is the biggest challenge that your charter school is facing?”  

 Of course, being an educational leader is a challenging job under the best of circumstances, and the last two school years have been anything but. We asked this same question back in 2019, and responses have shifted in 2022.  

Here’s how the 2022 answers compare to two years ago: 
  • The top three concerns remained consistent—enrollment, teacher retention, and finding a forever home.  
  • In 2019, enrollment was the highest-ranking concern. But in 2022, the top concern changed—one quarter of leaders stated that retaining teachers was their most pressing issue.  
Blog Featured image 2022 NCSC Survey Results 2019
Blog Featured image 2022 NCSC Survey Results

You can see the distribution of responses in the pie charts below. What’s clear is that the top concerns are still strong, but the need to support quality educators has become more urgent. Of significant concern both years was finding and managing a reliable flow of money.

Because we’re dedicated to helping charter schools thrive, we take these concerns to heart. Here we’ll address the way CSC can partner with you to address 2022’s Top Three Concerns:
Teacher Retention 

As schools support their teachers this year, we’re here to support you. Quality educators are the bedrock of your school, and with access to reliable funding through CSC, charter school leaders can ensure on-time paychecks for teachers, improve learning spaces, and maintain healthy and fully supplied classrooms. If you’re searching for new teachers to join your school, a strong online presence through CSC’s Enrollment Marketing can help connect with educators who share your school’s values.  

Filling Classrooms 

Enrollment is always on the minds of charter leaders, but especially at a moment like this when many schools face lower student counts. CSC’s enrollment marketing can help your school build a presence online, improving search-ability when families look for you. We can also help design brochures, flyers, and pamphlets to establish your place in the community offline. You’ll reach more students and welcome them into your classrooms—find out more about your options for Enrollment Marketing here 

Finding A Forever Home 

It’s no wonder this is a top concern for charter school leaders: they know a forever home is paramount for programs and students to thrive. As the educational landscape shifts, your place of learning can remain steadfast when working with CSC. Whether leasing a building from us or through our unique path to ownership, we’re here to help you put your roots down. You can find more information about CSC’s Facilities Financing here. 

Image on blog post - Stability - Trees and path in forrest

As charter school leaders, you’ve persevered through these last two years because of your unwavering dedication to helping students flourish. We’re honored to have partnered with so many schools during the past two years, helping them get through the difficult times. As we move forward, we’re dedicated to helping you get where you’re going. 

We’re grateful for the relationships we forged at the NCSC Conference and we’re excited to be on this journey with you! If you missed us as the conference, let’s connect.  

Reach out and let us know: what’s your biggest concern for your school? We’d love to hear your story. 

Contact us 

We’ve partnered with the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools to bring you an immersive, genius-bar-style experience focused on enrollment marketing, digital marketing, and school branding strategy. Along with one-on-one consultations with marketing experts, we’ll be hosting sessions throughout the 2022 National Charter Schools Conference. Come with all your marketing questions and find us in the Expert Alley in the Exhibitor Hall!

Digital Rebrand Bar Sessions

TELLING YOUR SCHOOL’S STORY IN WORDS 101 – Download This Presentation
Monday, June 20, 10:05 a.m. – 10:25 a.m.

Communicating your school’s mission and one-of-a-kind assets is essential to attracting new students and connecting with existing families. The right words not only inform, but also tell your unique story by providing a peek inside your school. In this 20-minute session, we’ll discuss:

  1. What do your parents want?
  2. How to create compelling connections in your community
  3. Creating peeks inside your school for that “I-want-my-child-to-go-there!” moment

TELLING YOUR SCHOOL’S STORY IN IMAGES 101 – Download This Presentation
Monday, June 20, 10:30 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.

Designing marketing materials and social content for your charter school is so much more than combining text and images, but for most of us, visual design isn’t our first language. In this presentation, we’ll cover core design principles and best practices, such as how to create a visual hierarchy to more effectively convey your message, use colors effectively, pair typefaces, and select the best images for your content. Get ready to create appealing and fresh designs that will help elevate your charter school.

TELLING YOUR SCHOOL’S STORY WHERE PARENTS ARE LOOKING 101 – Download This Presentation
Monday, June 20, 12:30 p.m. – 12:50 p.m.

Keeping track of the avenues where parents are getting their information can seem overwhelming. In this session, we’ll focus on which avenues to focus on, how to appeal to parents and best practices for keeping track of engagement.

TELLING YOUR SCHOOL’S STORY IN YOUR COMMUNITY 101 – Download This Presentation
Monday, June 20, 12:50 p.m. – 1:10 p.m.

Thinking of ways to get your charter school involved in the community? Trying to find the right people to support your efforts? Want to make your school more inviting? Where do you start?

TELLING YOUR SCHOOL’S STORY IN WORDS 201 – Download This Presentation
Monday, June 20, 1:10 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Establishing your school’s vocabulary will create a bridge, connecting your school’s values with its voice. Consistent phrases, taglines, and calls to action will provide your students and team with a sense of unity and security.

TELLING YOUR SCHOOL’S STORY IN IMAGES 201 – Download This Presentation
Tuesday, June 21, 10:00 a.m. – 10:20 a.m.

Problem-solving your resources while designing marketing materials is no easy task. In this presentation, we’ll share some free online tools that can help you along the way. Let’s jump into ways to get resourceful and elevate your designs for your charter school.

TELLING YOUR SCHOOL’S STORY WHERE PARENTS ARE LOOKING 201 – Download This Presentation
Tuesday, June 21, 10:25 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Let’s deep-dive into social media and take advantage of the algorithm. For many of us, social media can be a side project that can become a back burner project. In this session, learn how to make the most of your charter school’s pages and the importance of activity.

We look forward to seeing you there!

We’re thrilled to be joining over 2,000 charter school leaders in Washington, DC for the 2022 National Charter Schools Conference. We’ll be leading two sessions, hosting the Digital Rebrand Bar, and bringing along our ever-so-popular #welovecharterschoolsocks. It will be exciting being back together after almost three years!

“The Future of…” Conference Sessions

Our team’s sessions will be under this year’s theme, exploring the “The Future of…” school buildings and future students (described in detail below). We look forward to seeing you there!

The Path to Finding and Funding Your Forever School
Monday, June 20, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Charter schools are the home of education innovators, and as such, your school has a very special place in your community. In this session we will reflect on the school building itself: does it reflect your mission? Is it a safe and sustaining space for your students, staff, and teachers? Can you grow your school and your legacy in your building at the same time? Join us to explore your funding options for your forever school—whether you’re in it today or planning for the decades to come. You’ll get an understanding of your funding options, how to plan for your school’s future and growth, and how to find and fund the facility that reflects your school’s mission.

Download the Session Presentation or our Facilities guide

Enrollment Marketing 101 = Thriving, Forever Schools
Wednesday, June 2210:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Connecting with prospective families is an essential part of increasing or maintaining enrollment—but engaging with current families to keep existing students is equally as vital. How can you do both effectively? Join this information-packed session to learn about the “ground game” and “digital game” needed to support and elevate your school’s enrollment. Walk away with actionable tips on the best ways to tell your story, reach your future students, and increase enrollment.

Download the Session Presentation or our Digital Marketing guide

The Digital Rebrand Bar

This year, we’ve partnered with the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools to bring you an immersive, genius-bar-style experience focused on enrollment marketing, digital marketing, and school branding strategy. Introducing: The Digital Rebrand Bar, where we’ll be hosting sessions throughout the day. Come with all your marketing questions! Look for The Digital Rebrand Bar at Expert Alley in the Exhibitor Hall.

#welovecharterschools Socks

And, of course, it wouldn’t be the National Charter Schools Conference without our #welovecharterschoolsocks. You’ll find our 2022 socks and our team at Booth #500.

Check out the video below for a little sneak peek.

 

The National Charter Schools Conference 2021 (NCSC21) took place on June 20-23. We were proud to sponsor this fantastic event, along with the Walton Foundation, Google, Strada Education Network, and several other prestigious organizations.

With session tracks ideal for teachers, charter school leaders, and school board members, this conference exceeded expectations both in attendance and quality – a feat, considering that the National Alliance sets the bar high every year.

The sessions continue to be available on demand.

We were particularly impressed with Nina Rees’ keynote, NAPCS President & CEO, and the conference’s focus on building community after the pandemic.

We were delighted to see Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona among the speakers on Tuesday. His address focused on education quality and teaching excellence. Dr. Cardona’s presence at this event cemented our perception that this administration sees the charter school movement as a vibrant and essential part of our nation’s efforts to provide equitable choices in quality education to all students.

Charter School Capital led four sessions:

  • The Secret Sauce: Charter School Enrollment Marketing – with our Chief Growth Officer Janet Johnson and our VP of Business Consulting Tricia Blum.
    This session laid out the fundamentals of enrollment marketing for charter schools, emphasizing the ground game and digital marketing best practices. (Charter School Capital offers a pay-for-performance enrollment marketing solution – a great option that allows charter school leaders to focus on their strengths while resting assured their student enrollment continues to grow. Contact us to learn more about this option.)
  • Help is Here: Putting COVID-Relief Funds to Work – with our VP of Business Consulting Tricia Blum, and Craig Cason, Executive Director of DuBois Integrity Academy.
    Tricia provided actionable advice for aligning ESSER-fund spending with your charter school’s growth plan. At the same time, Craig offered real-life insights from his own experience at DuBois academy. This growing charter school recently partnered with Charter School Capital to upgrade and expand its facilities, including a state-of-the-art air purification system that helps provide peace of mind to parents of students returning to in-person learning.
  • The Secret Sauce: Charter School Facilities Financing – with Jon Dahlberg and Matthew Gardner
    Jon & Matt led this conversation by explaining the options for securing facilities financing, and then answered questions from a lively and engaged audience.
  • Facilities Financing: No-Cost Bond Alternative with Jon Dahlberg.
    This session focused on our unique solution for facilities financing, which offers the benefits of ownership without the stress, cost, and headaches of pursuing a bond of your own. Partnering with Wonderful Foundations, schools can set their course to ownership while redefining their facilities experience from one of tenant and landlord to one of collaborative partnership.

We enjoyed being part of NCSC21. The virtual conference was run with a magical mix of efficiency and warmth by the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools staff. The sessions were well-attended, and the general tone was one of optimism and relief as our nation recovers from the pandemic. Here’s to seeing you all in person at NCSC22!

This virtual event offers tons of value to anyone involved in the charter school movement. There will be tracks appealing to any role in education, from remote learning to equity and inclusion, from leveraging ESSER funds to facility financing, from teacher recruitment to board succession.

The conference kicks off Monday, June 21st, with a session on culturally responsive teaching, a session on building and sustaining community, and an intriguing panel challenging the one-teacher-one-classroom model of schooling.

There’s also a panel aimed at closing the education gap affecting middle-schoolers due to COVID-19 and a great breakout session on seizing the opportunities digital teaching has shown us during the pandemic.

We’ll be engaging in a spirited conversation about charter school facility financing at 8:00 am-8:45 am on Monday.

Also, on Monday morning, there’ll be a breakout session on the ways schools can foster a sense of belonging in students and ways to prioritize students with disabilities. Other breakouts will focus on student engagement and on the future of online learning.

All of this before 9:00 am!

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Charter School Capital sessions:


Tuesday, June 21 at 1:00 am ET
The Secret Sauce: Charter School Enrollment Marketing

Tuesday, June 22 at 10:00 am ET
Help is Here: Putting COVID-Relief Funds to Work

Tuesday, June 22 at 3:30 pm ET
Facilities Financing + No-Cost Bond Alternative

Wednesday, June 23 at 12:00 pm ET
The Secret Sauce: Charter School Facilities Financing

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At 9:00 am, Dr. Priscilla Chan will deliver the opening keynote, focusing on student and teacher needs post-COVID-19.

Throughout Monday, several exciting panels and breakouts will follow, from the role of Black institutions in the charter school movement to solutions for reaching homeless students. In addition, there will be a breakout session on teaching computer science and an intriguing panel called ‘Moral Courage: The No-Shaming Approach to Antiracism and Inclusion.’

On Monday afternoon, a breakout on charter schools as true community anchors has our attention. We at Charter School Capital have long believed in the role of charter schools as hubs of stability and support for families.

Also on Monday afternoon, there will be a showing of the film ‘Girl Rising‘ – featuring powerful stories about courageous girls around the world.

On Tuesday, there will be a panel on learning loss prevention, a breakout on opening a new charter, tackling COVID-related depression in kids, a panel on LGBTQ+ students and allies, a breakout on charter school marketing, and a great panel called “Not Going Back to Normal.”

Additionally, Kairos Academies will lead a panel on personalized learning, two panels on Social-Emotional Learning, a panel on raising money for your school, and a breakout on enrollment marketing.

Dr. Miguel Cardona is scheduled to speak on Tuesday at 11:00 am. His speech is titled ‘Celebrating Educator Excellence.’

On Tuesday afternoon there will be a session on parent engagement, a breakout for startup charter schools, a breakout on online tutoring, a celebration on 30 years of charter schools. 

These are just some of the exciting sessions we’re looking forward to attending. The 2021 National Conference promises to be an information-packed event with something for everyone. We hope to see you there!

Visit Our Booth at NCSC21

California Charter Schools Association

CCSA 2021 is here!

We are happy to attend this year’s CCSA Conference for so many reasons.

The CCSA Conference has become a tradition for all of us in the charter school space. We mark our calendars and look forward to this time of year. You know everyone in the industry will be there. You know there will be a great venue, hosted by a great organization, with a ton of content and events. There are always so many inspiring people joining together to collaborate, educate, learn, introduce, partner, and develop.

All are coming together to fulfill an essential and necessary mission – to serve students. It’s one of those weeks that you’re usually exhausted by the end of, but you but feel like you have so much work to do because you just met so many amazing people doing such great work, and you need to keep up.

What Once Was

In a pre COVID world, we would be gathering in person at a conference center in Sacramento or San Diego. There would also be a build-up to the event with shipping materials ahead of time, making travel arrangements, booking hotels, setting up booths, and saying goodbye to our families for a week before we depart.

We would be reaching out to familiar faces and scheduling meetings, checking the schedule of events, picking the break-out sessions to attend, the booths to go by, the morning, afternoon, and evening events to attend, and what restaurants you want to go to.

But this year feels a little different because we are not packing a suitcase, booking hotel rooms, and jumping on a plane. We are just heading into our offices because this year it is entirely virtual. And yet, it still has an air of excitement around it because there is so much going on in the California Charter space and so much work to do on so many levels.

Excitement, Anxiety and Anticipation

It feels like we have been living in a virtual world for a year now, and for the first time in a long time, it feels like things are moving towards getting back to normal. It feels close, and that is exciting.

Many schools are preparing to get back to in-person instruction again. Some of you didn’t miss a beat and had been doing that already. But there are so many things to think about to make sure your students, teachers, administrative staff, parents, and community are safe to do so.

How many students can you serve with the spacing available? How many hours of in-person instruction will you provide? How will symptom testing take place? How will the reporting of symptoms work, or what precautions taken when someone shows signs? What kind of personal protective equipment will you need? How will you clean the classrooms? How can you improve the air quality? And so much more.

Like you did not have so many things to take care of in a typical school year, but now you have all of these additional responsibilities and requirements to take on, it probably feels overwhelming. These new things can also create more budget issues, and you need to have a plan.

The Deferrals Are Here

Most of you have made some kind of financial arrangement to handle the deferrals, and some are still deciding which solution makes the most sense for them. The deferrals are here, and many are still trying to figure out how their cashflows are looking over the next few months as we head to the end of the fiscal year.

Ryan Eldridge
Ryan Eldridge – Senior New Business Analyst

Due to reducing expenses over the last year, the Federal Government providing emergency funds, years of building reserves, and the Hold Harmless provision being in place, and a few of you received exemptions, your cash position is strong, and you can weather the deferrals.

For some of you, mainly the non-classroom-based schools, you may have experienced growth and are not recognized for that growth. So, for you, cashflows could be looking a little bit different. Many solutions can help you out in a pinch and can quickly jump into action for you if that is the case. And this is a good week to meet with those that can help.

Lottery Season

Lottery season is open, and never has it been more critical to make sure you are filling all of the seats you projected for next year and building those waiting lists.

There is a trend taking place where the parents in California and around the country are making decisions later in the year now because they are waiting for direction from the Government.

The Need for Enrollment Marketing

Enrollment seasons seem to be extending further into the year, and many parents may be making decisions on where to send their kids next year well into summer now. That makes it harder for you to project numbers and prepare budgets until you know what that enrolment will look like. And to add to all of this, it is hard to knock on doors, hold open houses and hold community events to meet as many new families to help fill those seats. Marketing is a huge need right now, and you may have to implement some new strategies and ideas to maximize the potential for new students and families to find you. People rely far more on digital and social media channels, and you need to make sure you track every opportunity possible.

Uncertain Times

The Hold Harmless is going away, meaning those schools that may have experienced some attrition this year are trying to build back up to your FY20 numbers. Some of you have held steady and are in planning for growth in FY22. Each case can present a problem with cashflows, especially when there are so many unknowns out there right now. We don’t know what the Governor’s final budget will look like in the May/June timeframe.

Additionally, we won’t know if COVID will be a thing of the past, if the Federal Government will continue to provide relief funds, or if there could be additional delays in funding happening again next year. It is vital to have a plan in place for the “what ifs”. It’s better to be over-prepared and not need a. safety net than to be caught at the last minute and having to jump through hoops looking for one.

A Home for Your School

And then there’s your facility. Some of you have everything you could ask for with long-term permanent homes in place already. Others are searching for that permanent homes and have had enough of being bounced around with complicated Prop 39 agreements. Ensuring you have control of a long-term building to fulfill your mission is a significant undertaking and something that can weigh heavy on school leaders’ minds. There are some fantastic innovative solutions in the marketplace now that can make that dream a reality for many of you.

We are excited to be here, and we look forward to the opportunity to meet you all. We hope you stop by our booth to say hello and introduce yourself. We also hope you will join us at one of our break-out sessions if you get the chance. But mostly, we hope you are all safe and well. And even if we are not meeting in person to have a cup of coffee or lunch, we are very excited that we have the opportunity to do so virtually. We hope you have a wonderful week!

Charter School Capital at RAPSA 2020We were honored to present two sessions at RAPSA 2020.

As an organization, RAPSA focuses on helping educators working with at-promise students – with an emphasis that given the right support, all students can succeed.

It was fitting therefore that we featured Dr. Ramona Bishop as a speaker. Throughout a career spanning over two decades, Dr. Bishop has been a teacher, assistant principal, assistant superintendent, superintendent and now the CEO of her own public charter school, ELITE Public Schools. Dr. Bishop and her colleagues created Elite with the specific mission of helping under-served students – those students the mainstream system might have left behind.

Dr. Bishop was joined by our own Tricia Blum, VP of business services at Charter School Capital. Prior to joining CSC, Tricia was the CEO of a five-campus charter school – and this experience gives her solid understanding of the challenges faced by school leaders.

Dr. Bishop spoke about the components of ELITE as a school: entrepreneurial skill development, language development, dual-immersion pathway and the African-American and Latino Cultural Heritage program.

Tricia Blum gave some background on Charter School Capital. Our company has supported over 700 charter schools, serving over 1,250,000 students – and has invested over $2 billion in serving charter schools better serve their communities.

As a relatively-young school with a sizable student body (400 students), ELITE transitioned to online learning in Match of 2020 over the course of three days. The transition first started with paper packets distributed to students, but soon moved to Zoom-driven sessions, and email reminders and phone calls.

The transition exposed the huge digital divide in the student population. Many didn’t have a laptop, or internet access. The shortcomings of the original distance learning model became painfully visible. Working with parents, listening to parents’ feedback, input and ideas became paramount.

Lessons Learned

  • Through this dialog with parents, the charter school learned that this transition required more than just academic support – it required mental-health support, infrastructure, new educational formats, attention to students with focus challenges, student intervention groups.
  • The school responded by providing small learning groups after class day, the creation of a “learning space,” and ongoing discussions with parents to constantly improve their approach.
  • Staff and educator wellness became critical. Providing support for the teachers was highly prioritized.

The key takeaway is that a successful school is all about relationships. It hinges on ongoing communication with the key constituent groups – teachers, staff, students, parents, advocates, and the greater community.

Dealing with Uncertainty

Not only were the students confronted with the uncertainty of a global pandemic, but also with unprecedented (in their lifetime) racial strife and a highly-charged political climate, revealing systemic racism and deep divides, all of which signaled threats to an already-vulnerable student population.

The school provided context, by teaching about social-justice protests of the past, pandemics of the past, and past elections. The school used this moment as an opportunity to rethink, rebrand and re-strategize – to find even better ways to be there for the students.

Creative and innovative teachers seized the moment to thrive, leveraging technology, social media and new channels to enhance the student experience and advocate for their students.

Lessons Learned:

Create spaces and moments for students to process current events, and deal with their anxiety and stress

These spaces should be unbiased – including bringing outside third-parties to help navigate these times.

Teachers asking themselves, “how can I make more of a positive impact?” – and the school following this with “how can I better support the teacher?”

On Leadership

Dr. Bishop spoke about the role of a leader. More than a manager, a leader is there to motivate, to inspire, to provide the larger vision. Dr. Bishop calls this “step up, and step back.” Step up, meaning occupy fully the role of a leader. Be willing to be the person who others follow, be willing to be the voice of inspiration and certainty – even when at times that certainty might be hard to muster. And step back, meaning avoid micro-managing, let your teachers and staff exercise their roles fully, allow them to have agency and voice. And step back also to see the bigger picture, to gain perspective, which one can then use to provide vision and inspiration.

Lastly, Dr. Bishop spoke of how leaders should seek support as well. Support from the community, and support from allies and partners. Dr. Bishop spoke about the key role the parents and families of students played in these times, helping the school continue to grow by 20% even in the middle of a pandemic – and the key role of Charter School Capital, providing much needed capital that filled the funding gaps often experienced by a growing school.


Financing Options in the Age of COVID-19

We also brought to RAPSA a presentation on financing options, led by Ryan Eldridge, Senior New Business Specialist.

Ryan spoke about the financial solutions provided by Charter School capital, comparing our solutions to other paths available. He also touched on key factors to consider in making financial decisions at a charter school.

In words that echoed those of Dr. Bishop, Ryan spoke about what’s now officially a recession.

He spoke then about challenges faced in various states:

Schools in Georgia are experiencing a 10% cut in Quality-Based Education (QBE)

  • In Ohio, there’s a 3% cut in general funding
  • In Arizona, schools saw an additional $200 million in additional state funding
  • In Texas there were no cuts, and some schools received additional funding through specific programs

Financing Options

Ryan compared the available options for charter schools: Term loans, RAN or TRAN, Lines of credit, and a flexible funding line. According to Ryan, these should all be evaluated against the following factors: Flexibility, capacity, certainty and cost.

Further, in terms of the cost, this goes beyond just looking at the rate. The rate is influenced by annualized terms, by how it’s applied to the borrowed funds, by how the funds are released, how long the funds are outstanding. Lastly, issuance fees and any ongoing fees can be an important factor. During the webinar, Ryan showed a chart where $1.5M in funds have four different possible total cost:

Cost Chart: Financing Options for Charter Schools

Ryan’s comparison matrix for the four financing options available showed pros, cons and considerations:

Financing options for charter schools - comparison matrix

For more information, get in touch with us using the contact form on this site.

Plenary Panel CPICS 2020

The 2020 CPICS conference kicked off with a strong start from a plenary panel moderated by Ricardo Mireles, leader of Academia Avance, and with speakers Cris Gulacy-Worrel of Oakmont Education, Debbie Verney of the National Alliance of Public Schools, Aaliyah Hodge of the University of St. Thomas, and Sonia Park of the Diverse Charter Schools Coalition.

Assuming the conference organizers intended for this panel to set the conference’s tone, the panel delivered – and then some. More than a conversation, this panel was a rallying cry, a call to action.

It’s worth noting that Ricardo Mireles and Cris Gulacy-Worrel recently joined forces with Angelica Solis-Montero of the Coalition for L.A. Excellent Public Schools to speak up on this very topic. In a recent opinion piece published in the Orange County Register, they argued that Democrats need to know that Black and Latino families will not abandon self-determination in choosing the public educational option that is best for their children.

A New Day – and An Unstable Time

Ricardo started the conversation by talking about the political sea change in the wake of the elections. The undeniable reality of the moment is that there’s a changing of the guard, which brings chaos, uncertainty, and an opportunity. With that, Ricardo asked the panelists the poignant question, “what is the game plan?”

The first panelist to speak was Cris, and Ricardo made it a point to ask her specifically about Ohio’s educational environment (or perhaps this would be better said as the political environment in Ohio as it refers to education).

Cris emphasized that this is a very unconventional, unstable time and therefore the game plan is not set in stone. In her view, the focus is really in the Secretary of Education. In Cris’ opinion, this will be like a rock thrown in the water, and we’ll have to see the many ripples it creates.

The View from Ohio

In Ohio, historically, charter schools have been supported by the Republican party, shared Cris. Consequently, the current temperature is moderate. Ohio might be more open to school choice going forward. Vouchers remain incredibly contentious, as those go to private schools. And the big challenge is that far too often, people lump charter schools with vouchers, not understanding the differences.

Cris shared how she is personally taking a lot of her time and effort to speak to caucuses, and all kinds of people, trying to get them to understand school choice is about self-determination; that school choice is a human right. Cris stresses how frustrating it is for her as a woman, as a Latina, to see this disconnect on the Left, where her self-determination is validated when it comes to reproductive rights but dwindles when it comes to being able to steer the academic future of her child.

Plants Need Sunlight

In lamenting the lack of support for charter schools from the Left, Cris uses a metaphor: “We’re plants, and we adapt – but we have no sunlight. We want that support. We want the sunlight so that we can grow to our potential.”

“I’m Cuban American,” says Cris. “I’m really hounding what does it mean to be progressive. What does it mean to pursue self-determination? Why does a white woman get to say what’s best for my children? When does the lever get pulled, that my actual choice is no longer viable? Why, once my child is born, am I no longer able to understand what’s best for my children, what’s best for my family? Because the neighborhood school may not be working for someone. And these are public charter schools, and it’s no longer good enough to say ‘Yeah but.’”

Debbie Verney spoke next. She emphasized the current focus on educating both candidates in the runoff election. “We’re not just bipartisan – we don’t have permanent enemies, we don’t have permanent friends. If you’re with us, good. And if you’re not, we’re coming for you,” she said.

Debbie quoted a study by the Georgia Charter Schools Association, which states that upwards of 65% of all people in Georgia support charter schools. Across the political aisle, race or income. The National Alliance is deploying digital ads to target the runoff candidates to publicly let them know that charter schools understand what support looks like in their state.

The Next Secretary of Education: Needed Criteria

Debbie explained how the immediate focus is the Secretary of Education. “Rather than picking winners or siding with candidates, we’re talking about what a good candidate should look like.”

Debbie is thrilled about the Alliance’s collaboration with the Freedom Coalition for Charter Schools in drafting several letters that list what qualities define a good candidate for Secretary of Education:

Here are the criteria:

  • Students and families first – someone who doesn’t place special interests above students and families
  • Commitment to high-quality schools – the right person would not be committed to a governance model over high-quality schools. They would be agnostic in this regard and express the flexibility and curiosity to look for the solutions shown to be working.
  • Empowering teachers and leaders – the right candidate would allow school leaders to serve the students. They’d give the leaders adequate flexibility.
  • Reimagine learning – “We’re not stone-age capitalists anymore, so new models. A candidate stuck in the Stone Age won’t be a good Secretary of Education,” says Debbie.
  • Equity in education – It’s time to empower Black and Brown schools. It’s time to lift up Black and Brown students.
  • Systems experience – and here Debbie takes an aside to clarify that it shouldn’t be restricted to District experience. The candidate should not be ideological – they’ll need to work with a diversity of stakeholders, so a balanced perspective is essential.

Aaliyah Hodge spoke next, highlighting the educational scene in Minnesota. She introduced herself as the charter school authorizer for the University of St. Thomas as well as the Vice President of the charter school authorizers association. Aaliyah also runs a youth-driven Nonprofit she founded, called People for PSEO (Post-Secondary Enrollment Options).

Before expounding about Minnesota charters, Aaliyah took a moment to answer a question from the audience: “Doesn’t the move to charter schools signal the privatization of schools?”

“I don’t know what is more public than a group of community leaders who come together to decide this is what I want our kids to learn. Parents involved. Students involved. I don’t know anything more public than that,” says Aaliyah.

The View from Minnesota

Diving into education in Minnesota, Aaliyah shared some statistics. There are 167 charter schools in Minnesota, serving approximately 62,000 kids. Enrollment increased from 10,000 in 2001 to 62,000 in 2020, representing 7% of public school enrollment.

According to Aaliyah, 50% of the students are urban and 50% suburban. Many/most are from low-income families, and many are students of color. In terms of Special Ed, she has not seen a difference between District numbers and numbers in charter schools. All of this disproves the notion of charter schools cherry-picking students.

Aliyah described that her group meets with education financing committees. “We talk about charter schools,” she says. “We do one-on-ones with elected officials. We work on encouraging elected leaders to visit charter schools.”

Aliyah’s work includes building coalitions – including the MN Parent Union, the Senate for School Change, the Minnesota Charter School Association, and other policy organizations.

Aliyah spoke about the importance of student-led and school-led initiatives and her work in her own youth-led nonprofit. “None of us are lobbyists, but it’s important to have the people directly impacted by policies to lead these conversations. Student-led efforts, involving parents and students.”

Aliyah encourages school leaders not to assume anything. Both Democrats and Republicans will surprise you, she says. “Oh, my son goes to a charter school,” or, “I went to a charter school.”

“Stories matter,” says Aliyah. “Anecdotal data combined with quantitative data.”

She says it’s vital to meet legislators and elected officials and force them to challenge their assumptions – listing as an example the notion that charter schools don’t have elective boards. Charter schools DO have elective boards. And there are many other misassumptions.

“Working with young people requires actual engagement. Youth engagement is all about cooperation. They should influence the decisions that are made. We allow them leadership roles. We allow them to be advocates and advisors.”

The View from New York

Sonia Park spoke next and also started with a brief introduction. The Diverse Charter Schools Coalition represents 65 (and growing) intentionally-diverse charter school organizations, representing over 190 charters across 22 states and DC.

“We’re moving forward, and we’re not waiting on folks to tell us how to do things or how to move forward,” said Sonia.

She spoke about the uncertainty of education in New York. She also touched on New York City-specific challenges, such as the 250-charter school cap in the city, the conflation of screen public schools (magnet schools) and charter schools, and the problem of ‘zombie charters.’

Sonia also spoke of the need to identify allies. She says of how the effort has become hyperlocalized, needing to do a lot of local outreach, so they get to know you at an individual level as a school – as well as a re-education to officials.

“We Need to Lift Our Voices”

Sonia boasted proudly of charter schools meeting the challenge not just about pandemic but social justice – acting as a neighborhood hub for wi-fi, food distribution, and other necessities during the pandemic.

“We need to lift our voices and explain what we are, the populations that we serve. We ARE a part of the community. We represent the community – we have to be VOCAL.” Says Sonia.

“Some don’t want to make a lot of noise, the attention to pass by, not attract attention. I recommend the opposite. You don’t have to say “we’re better than our district counterpart,” but it’s uplifting your voice, which is very needed, especially with what’s happening right now.”

The Lowest Nail

Cris] brought up a metaphor of her own: “In Ohio, we have the mentality of the lowest nail. The lowest nail doesn’t get the hammer. I disagree. Now is the time to start amplifying what we’re doing. It doesn’t have to be a competition. We’re showcasing.”

Cris believes charter schools need to get rid of the lowest nail mindset. “Let’s be brave,” she urges.

Next, Debbie spoke about racism. She said, “It’s time to unpack the role of the white progressive. People who are ideologically aligned with us, but we seem to fall apart on charter schools. What’s in the mind of the white progressive? Why you have BLM sign, and you want to get rid of charter schools?”

She continued that they heard things like, “I understand why people like charter schools. But I just don’t think we should have them. I understand they serve our kids better. But I just don’t think we should have them.”

Taking the cue from Debbie, Aliyah also chimed in about racism. “Minnesota has been dubbed The Great White North. It’s incredible “not woke,” she says, looking for a graceful way to express an ungraceful reality.  “They think chartering is a way for white folks to keep their kids away from district schools.”

“We have a lot of zombie authorizers. People who say, ‘well, our job is just oversight. We don’t need to do any advocacy.’ We need to be IN THIS. We can’t just sit on the sidelines.”

“We’ve had so many problems with racism. The state’s teaching force is 94% white. We’ll be increasing teachers of color.”

“We have to use the power that we have and the voice that we have in our platforms to advocate for our kids.”

Sonia Park then gave specific ideas for action.

“Te Left is putting a statement into every district hearing, every organizational hearing. It’s not charter specific, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t put in a highlight of your work. So we’ve put in statements in areas since now everything is Zoom. Verbal statements, written statements, uplifting your voice. In a way that is not as intimidating as going down to city hall.”

Sonia also spoke of being perplexed by white progressives. “I am deep down blue Brooklyn. I used to be an authorizer. My kids went k-8 in charters. And I still get the side-eye. ‘You support charter schools?’” she laughs. “Of course, I support them! We need to make sure that every child, every student can choose the school that is right for them.”

Ricardo reminded the audience of an opportunity: “Let’s be prepared. There’s more opportunity for our voices to be heard since there’s no travel with Zoom.”

Ricardo then brought up a key point about the pandemic, “COVID is about public health. But testing has been under-emphasized. But do you know if you’re asymptomatic right now? Schools can be the catalyst. There’s stuff that we can do about COVID right now – and charter schools are showing how.”

The One Word

Wrapping up, Ricardo asked the panelists for one final word each.

Cris chooses “Resilience.”

Debbie’s word is “Ground game.”

Get your ground game tight. We represent 3.3 million students. They have families. These can be deployed.

Aliyah’s word is “Platform.” She said, “Everyone has a platform. Use it. Our kids matter, our parents matter, our students matter.”

Sonia’s is “Fearless.” She said, “We need to keep pushing and not be afraid to do this right now. Crunch time. Policy. Funding. All of these things are happening now. Be fearless.”

To which Ricardo adds, COVID is scary – and we should be scared—but not paralyzed. Not panicked. Our concerns should lead us to action – we should not be afraid of taking action.

California Charter School ConferencePreparing for Charter School Community Action

As of this morning, the 2020 California Charter Schools Conference has been cancelled due to safety concerns around COVID-19.

While we’re sad we won’t have the chance to meet with the charter school community in person next week, we all understand and appreciate that everyone’s health and safety is a first priority. (My mom always said, “Your health is the most important thing…”)

Mayo Clinic Distinguished Investigator Addresses COVID-19 for Charter Leaders

With all the COVID-19 news out there right now it’s hard to separate hype from reality. To help school leaders cut through the news and general hype, we’ve invited an expert to speak to the charter community about just that.

Join us Friday, March 13 with the Distinguished Investigator of the Mayo Clinic, Gregory A. Poland, M.D. on the health implications of COVID-19. In this live discussion, Dr. Poland will answer questions of our audience. Click the link below to join the discussion.

Coronavirus: Exposing Myths from Facts

Friday, March 13 | 10 a.m. PDT

In this session, participants will learn:

  • How to move beyond the headlines and better understand what’s real and what’s hype?
  • How to ensure a safe environment for students, staff and your families
  • When is the right time to take what kind of action?
  • And when is “wash your hands” enough?

This is the first in a three-webinar series to help charter school leaders prepare for a proper response to the virus. The next two are on the following two Fridays:

  • COVID-19: Six Essential Guidelines for Contingency & Communications Planning
    • Friday, March 20th | 10:00 A.M. PT
  • COVID-19: Preparing for Attendance and Staffing Issues
    • Friday, March 27th | 10:00 A.M. PT

Additional Charter School Content for Your Consideration

Because we can’t meet at the conference, we’re taking this opportunity to share the content we were going to unveil in Long Beach here:

  • Enrollment Marketing session — we’re offering our Enrollment Marketing 101 webinar on-demand! Additionally, you can download the Digital Marketing for Charter Schools Manual to walk through refining your school’s messaging, setting strategic marketing goals, and achieving them through a variety of digital marketing programs.
  • Bridge to Bond session — in lieu of our scheduled poster session on bridging the financial gap as you work towards your bond, we’ll be sharing the information on Bridge Financing in an April 24 webinar that we’ll be hosting. It’s still a ways out, but you can reserve your spot for that one here.
  • Authorizer ED Summit — we were very excited to host a town-hall style Q&A with Greg Richmond, former President and CEO of NACSA and Corey Loomis, Charter School Director of Riverside County and Vice-Chair of California Charter Authorizing Professionals. While this in-person luncheon can no longer take place, we’re hoping to turn it into a digital session in the coming months. Please stay tuned to our usual channels for more information.

Lastly, we know things feel a little crazy – know that we’re here to support the charter school community – and you. As always, your feedback is what keeps us going… please let us know how we might better continue to serve this wonderful charter school community.


Charter School Capital logoSince the company’s inception in 2007, Charter School Capital has been committed to the success of charter schools. We help schools access, leverage, and sustain the resources charter schools need to thrive, allowing them to focus on what matters most – educating students. Our depth of experience working with charter school leaders and our knowledge of how to address charter school financial and operational needs have allowed us to provide over $2 billion in support of 600 charter schools that have educated over 1,027,000 students across the country. For more information on how we can support your charter school, contact us. We’d love to work with you!

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national charter schools conferenceWe’re headed to the 2019 National Charter Schools Conference

National Charter Schools Conference: Viva Las Vegas!!!

Can you believe it’s almost time for this year’s National Charter Schools Conference? The Charter School Capital team is packing up and heading to sunny and warm Las Vegas June 30-July 3 for the National Charter School’s Conference being held at the beautiful Mandalay Bay Hotel. The theme of this year’s conference is Reimagining Education and who better to represent that theme than this year’s featured speaker, the founder of Khan Academy, Sal Khan!
We are really looking forward to connecting with—and being inspired by—charter school leaders and school choice advocates from across the country.
Did you know that there will be more than 100 engaging breakout sessions and Sal Kahn, founder of the Khan Academy, will be one of the several inspirational keynote speakers?
If you are planning on attending, we’d love to meet you! Please stop by booth #602 to say hello and claim a pair of our exclusive 2019 #WeLoveCharterSchools socks (while supplies last)!
Additionally, we are honored to have been selected to present an important breakout session at this year’s event and hope you’ll be able to attend:
Play It Safe! Understanding and Implementing the Key Layers of School Safety
Tuesday, 7/2 | 9:00am| Room 378
(If you can’t make it, don’t worry, the session deck will be available online.)
As always, we’ll be sharing as much as possible of this inspiring event on our social channels including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. We invite you to join the conversation as well by using the hashtags #NCSC19 and #WeLoveCharterSchools so we can help amplify your voice and the voice of the movement!
Learn more about the conference and our session here.
There will be dozens of meet-ups, happy hour events and 100+ breakout sessions in the following programming strands: govern, educate, lead, operate, advocate. The conference officially kicks off on Sunday, June 30, with the welcome reception from 6:00-8:00 pm.  Hope to see you in Las Vegas! And don’t forget to stop by our Booth #602 and say hi!