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Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ's
Frequently
Asked Questions are grouped into the following sections:
If you have
read through these FAQ sections and still have questions or can
offer useful suggestions, email them to ndepalma@csmh.org.
General
Charter School Questions (printable
version)
- What is a "charter school"
and what is the purpose of it?
- What is the relationship between the
charter school and the school district?
- For how long may the charter be granted?
- What is the residency requirement for
a charter school?
- Are teachers required to be credentialed?
- Does a charter school have to teach
the state's core curriculum?
- What funding does a charter school
receive?
- What about special needs children?
- How much tuition can charter schools
charge?
- What flexibility is available to charter
schools? Are they exempt from Federal regulations and requirements?
- Don't charter schools take money away
from the district or public education system?
- What about facilities?
- Are teachers required by law to be
affiliated with the local Teacher's Union?
- Must charter schools develop a School
Accountability Report Card?
- Does a charter school need to be accredited?
- How can I find out more about charter
schools?
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What is a "charter school" and what is the purpose
of it?
A charter school is a public school that is organized by a group
of teachers, community members, parents, or others and sponsored
by an existing public school board or a county office of education.
Charter schools are open to all students and do not charge tuition.
Funding is provided through state and local revenues. They operate
more independently than traditional public schools do, and are
held accountable for both their student academic performance and
fiscal practice. The specific goals and operating procedures for
the charter school are spelled out in the charter document – the
legal agreement between the charter granting board and the organizers.
The Morgan Hill Unified School District's Board of Trustees unanimously
approved our charter in January 2001, and reapproved it for another
5 years in January 2006.
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What is the relationship between the charter school and the
school district?
The legislature has declared that charter schools are part of
the Public School System and the exclusive control of the officers
of the public schools. Such officers could be members of an existing
school governing board, a county board of education, or the State
Board of Education. When a charter petition is granted by one
or more of these agencies, the school may no longer be subject
to the daily operational supervision of the agencies; nevertheless,
the charter granting agency retains the power to revoke the charter
at any time for specified reasons. This power implies a responsibility
by the charter granting agency to oversee and monitor the charter
school in at least those areas specified as grounds for revocation.
A charter school operates outside of the existing district structure
except to the extent that the charter document includes that structure.
For example, a charter school might opt to contract with the district
for services such as insurance, special education, maintenance,
payroll, etc.
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For how
long may the charter be granted?
The charter may be granted for no more than five years. The charter
may then be renewed for an unspecified number of additional five-year
periods.
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What is the residency requirement for a charter school?
A student must be a resident of the State of California. A charter
school may not restrict its enrollment on the basis of the residency
of the pupil's parents. This also means that students wishing
to attend a charter school do not have to request an interdistrict
transfer.
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Are teachers required to be credentialed?
Core subject teachers are required to hold a Commission on Teacher
Credentialing certificate, permit, or other document equivalent
to that which a teacher in other public schools would be required
to hold.
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Does a charter school have to teach the state's core curriculum?
Rather than requiring a curriculum, the law requires accountability
for student learning across all major subject areas. Specifically,
a charter school must meet the statewide performance standards
and administer the state exams required under the Education Code
as part of its assessment systems. (Section 60602.5. - refers
to the new statewide assessment program that is currently under
development.)
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What funding does a charter school receive?
Once a charter school is operational, it is entitled to funding
similar to that of other public schools. For example, it will
receive monthly funding based on the Average Daily Attendance
(ADA). The majority of these funds are unrestricted and may be
used for any school purpose (e.g. textbooks, buildings, salaries,
administration, etc.). Charter schools may also receive funding
from the state lottery and are eligible for Special Education
funding, but these types of funds do have spending conditions
associated with them. Funds needed prior to the school's opening
("start-up funds") must be raised by the school's organizers.
There are a variety of sources: private and corporate grants and
donations, state and federal grants and state loans.
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What about special needs children?
As a public school, charter schools must serve all children who
require special education services. If a student is thought or
known to be in need of special education services, the school
has a responsibility to assess needs, and develop and implement
an individualized education program (IEP).
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How much tuition can charter schools charge?
A charter school is a public school. It is open to all students
and cannot charge tuition.
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What flexibility is available to charter schools?
Are they exempt from Federal regulations and requirements? Charter
schools are exempt from statewide laws governing school districts.
Federal laws and regulations still apply. Charter schools are
not exempt from the provisions of the Constitution of the State
of California. Finally, there is no exemption from laws that apply
specifically to individuals.
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Don't charter schools take money away from the district or
public education system?
Since a charter school is a public school the state and federal
funds available for a student's education follow the student to
the charter school. If students are drawn from the granting district's
schools, then the district's ADA count is affected. However, the
net effect on money available to the public schools is neutral.
Students drawn to charter schools from private schools, or schools
in other districts, bring public funds to charter schools that
were unavailable to the charter school's granting district.
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What about facilities?
A charter school can operate in a wide variety of facilities options:
leased commercial space, build-to-suit school on purchased or
donated land, portable buildings, or a joint-use space shared
with a church or in a community building. While charter schools
are subject to local zoning ordinances and building codes which
may include, but are not limited to, seismic and fire safety,
handicap access, etc., they are not required to comply with the
most stringent regulations that regular public schools are.
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Are teachers required by law to be affiliated with the local
Teacher's Union?
No, they are not.
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Must charter schools develop a School Accountability Report
Card?
Yes. However, the specific content and format of such a report
card, as specified in state and district, do not apply to charter
schools. Charter schools are, therefore, free to develop a report
card which reflects their local accountability needs.
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Does a charter school need to be accredited?
There is no requirement that a charter school be accredited. If
a school and its community determined that this was an important
issue, a charter school could apply for accreditation from the
Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
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How can I
find out more about charter schools?
Click here
to link to the State of California's web page on charter schools.
There is a wealth of information available at this site.
Some of the information we provide here is taken from the state's
overview.
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Questions
specific to Charter School of Morgan Hill (printable
version)
- Why this new school
- What is the focus of the school?
- Who will the students be?
- What is "project-based" learning?
- How will the family participation component
work?
- Will the school schedule be the same
as other schools?
- Why
is September 1 the date by which a student must have turned
five years old to enter kindergarten, when the usual cut off
date for the state is in December?
- What about class and school size?
- What type of enrichment activities
will be offered?
- How will students interact with their
community?
- Where will the school be located?
- Will teachers be credentialed?
- How
much input will parents have regarding curriculum and activities?
Will parents have more control than they currently do?
- How
will the students be tested?
- If everything is done as projects,
does that mean there won't be an emphasis on strong academics?
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Why this
new school ?
Providing the option of a small, family and community oriented
K-8 school to complement the existing comprehensive public school
system expands the educational choices available to students and
families in this community.
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What is
the focus of the school
The Charter School of Morgan Hill's mission statement emphasizes
three critical components: strong family involvement, community
interaction and project-based learning. The use of technology
will support the school in its vision.
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Who are
the students?
The students at the Charter School of Morgan Hill reflect the
diversity of the South Valley area, including high performing
students, English language learners, and special education students.
There are no formal admissions requirements, but we expected enrolling
families to be familiar with and support the mission and vision
of the school. If the number of applicants for a particular grade
level exceeds the capacity of the school, enrollment for that
grade will be determined by a public random lottery as outlined
in the charter document.
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What
is "project-based learning"?
Project-based learning is learning through real life experiences.
The activities or projects may be the way in which students acquire
skills or knowledge initially, or it may be how they learn to
apply a variety of concepts that they already know. It is also
about tying together separate skills in meaningful ways, across
the curricular areas. Instruction can be tailored to the needs
of the students and, because projects are open-ended, students
have the opportunity to explore problems at a variety of depths
or levels.
For a more in-depth explanation of Project-Based Learning, click
here
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How
will the family participation component work?
The
school and families will work together to develop an individualized
plan for each family describing: 1) how the family will support
the student; 2) how the family will support the school; and 3)
how the school will support the student and family. The plan will
be flexible so that families can participate in a variety of traditional
and non-traditional ways.
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Is the school
schedule the same as other schools?
The school day at Charter School of Morgan Hill is longer day than
schools in the Morgan Hill Unified District. School hours for Kindergarten
through 8th are 8:00 am - 2:45.
In addition,
children must be 5 years old by September 1 of the current year
to enroll in kindergarten. We plan to observe the same school
holidays as MHUSD.
School opened on August 29th, 2001 in a temporary location then
moved into our site at 16975 Monterey Road on October 4, 2001
after construction was competed. We moved to our current location
at 9530 Monterey Road (old MHUSD Encinal School site) in August
2003.
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Why
is September 1 the date by which a student must have turned five
years old to enter kindergarten, when the usual cut off date for
the state is in December?
September 1 was chosen for some very specific reasons, including
the following:
1. California is in the minority of states with its late cut off
date; the majority have a September 1 cut off;
2. We repeatedly hear educators say that children do better the
farther they are past their fifth birthday when entering kindergarten.
The MHUSD kindergarten teachers support an early cut off date
and have recently signed a petition asking for a September 1 cut
off date;
3. Our school days will be longer than the district's and that
much more draining on younger children;
4. The demands and expectations of kindergarten have increased
dramatically with many previously first grade requirements now
placed on the K students and teachers; and
5. Children learn concepts when they are developmentally ready
to learn. Early exposure alone does not mean that they will learn
faster or better if they are not emotionally, socially, physically
or cognitively ready to do so.
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What
about class and school size?
We currently offer 2 classes for each grade in grades K-7 and
one class for 8th grade. We have a maximum of 20 students in each
class in grades K-3. We have a maximum of 28 students in grades
4-8. Waiting lists will be established for all classes that are
full. In 2005-2006, we will be
adding a third class for grades K and 1. Eventually, we will have
3 classes each for grades K-3 so that when class sizes jump in
the 4th grade, we will have enough continuing students to occupy
the increased seating per class. We anticipat a maximum school
size of around 500 students.
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What
type of enrichment activities are offered?
All students have regular enrichment activities, in areas such
as extended science, languages, life skills, physical education,
music, and other fine arts. These activities are important not
only in developing well-rounded children, but also in strengthening
their learning in the main content areas (reading, writing, math,
social studies, science, etc.). Additionally, all students will
have access to computers and other technology, to support them
in their education.
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How
do students interact with their community?
Students interact with the public both in the community and in
work settings. They do projects with business, government, and
community organizations. Community and business people interact
with students at the school, and partnerships develop with local
businesses and agencies. Through community interaction, students
feel a part of the larger community, see the relevance of their
academic learning to everyday life, and understand their responsibilities
as citizens.
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Where will
the school be located?
For the first
2 years, CSMH was located in the Monterey Plaza Shopping Center
at the southwest corner of Monterey Road and Dunne Avenue in Morgan
Hill. In August 2003, we moved to the old Encinal School location
formerly occupied by the Morgan Hill Unified School District.
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Are teachers
credentialed?
Core subject teachers are required to hold a Commission on Teacher
Credentialing certificate, permit, or other document equivalent
to that which a teacher in other public schools would be required
to hold.
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How
much input will parents have regarding curriculum and activities?
Will parents have more control than they currently do?
As
a family participation school, parents will have many opportunities
for input and suggestions. The ultimate decisions regarding curriculum
will be made by the school staff/administration, who will have
a commitment to the school’s education plan based on the school’s
mission statement/vision and as outlined in the charter document.
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How
will the students be tested?
In
addition to the required state assessment examinations, teachers
will have many options for student assessment. Examples include
running records, presentations, projects, portfolios, and video
taping over time to show student progress.
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If everything
is done as projects, does that mean there won’t be an emphasis
on strong academics?
The
purpose of project-based learning is to teach and then reinforce
a variety of academic concepts by applying them to experiences
that are meaningful, long-lasting and effective. All students
will be expected to perform at their highest level and to excel
in the content areas outlined in the state curriculum standards.
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