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Charter Schools CorrespondenceAugust 12, 2002 Jerry Coker Coppell Education Development Corp. 131 Tennyson Place Coppell, Texas 75019 RE: Charter Schools in Coppell Dear Jerry: Enclosed is the information I received from the Texas Education Agency regarding Charter Schools whose geographic boundaries include Coppell Independent School District. Res . ; tfully, m Witt ity Manager JW:kb Enclosure T H E •C 1 T Y • O F COPPELL 255 PARKWAY * P.O.BOX 478 * COPPELL TX 75019 * TEL 972/462 0022 * FAX 972/304 3673 Felipe T. Alanis Commissioner of Education August 09, 2002 Jim Witt City of Coppell PO Box 478 Coppell, TX 75019 TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY 1701 North Congress Ave.* Austin, Texas 78701 -1494 * 512/463 -9734 * FAX: 512/463 -9838 * http: / /www.tea.state.tx.us RE: Public Information Request Number 754 Dear Mr. Witt: If you have any questions, you may contact me at (512) 463 -9575. Sincerely, o y armona TEA Public Information Custodian Charter Schools D [2@ U WI[) U I 1 2 2002 CITY MANAGER C! TY OF COPPELL This letter is in response to your public information request to the Texas Education Agency, which we received on August 08, 2002, and in which you are requesting: a list of the charters schools whose geographic boundries include Coppell ISD. The Texas Education Agency has reviewed its files and has located information that is responsive to your request. Although the Texas Public Information Act allows a governmental body to charge for copying documents in accordance with Tex. Gov't Code § 552.267, the enclosed copies of documents are being provided to you at no charge. Fulfilling the Promise for All Texas Children CD# 057802 057803 057805 057814 057817 057827 057828 057829 057830 057831 178806 220801 Charter Schools who Geographic Boundaries include Coppell ISD ORG_NAM E PEGASUS CHARTER SCHOOL NORTH HILLS SCHOOL DALLAS COMMUNITY CHARTER SCHOOL DALLAS COUNTY JUVENILE JUSTICE FOCUS LEARNING ACADEMY NOVA CHARTER SCHOOL (SOUTHEAST) WINFREE ACADEMY A+ ACADEMY INSPIRED VISION ACADEMY GATEWAY CHARTER ACADEMY 21ST CENTURY ACADEMY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TREETOPS SCHOOL INTERNATIONAL Page 1 DISTRICT APPROVED 057922 057922 057922 057922 057922 057922 057922 057922 057922 057922 057922 057922 August 6, 2002 Jerry Coker Coppell Education Development Corp. 131 Tennyson Place Coppell, Texas 75019 RE: Legal Opinion Dear Jerry: As discussed at our July meeting, I asked our city attorney to review our bylaws regarding charter schools. Enclosed is a copy of a legal opinion from the city attorney regarding Article IV, Section 8(b) of the Coppell Education Development Corporation Bylaws. As you will note it is his opinion that charter schools are eligible under the bylaws as well as state laws, which consider them publicly funded institutions. Respectfully, Witt 'City Manager JW:kb Enclosure T H E •C 1 T Y •O F COPPELL 255 PARKWAY * P.O.BOX 478 * COPPELL TX 75019 * TEL 972/462 0022 * FAX 972/304 3673 Robert E. Hager E -mail: rhager @njdhs.com Mr. Jim Witt City Manager City of Coppell 255 Parkway Boulevard P. O. Box 9478 Coppell, Texas 75019 July 18, 2002 RE: Open Enrollment Charter Schools and the Coppell Development Education Corporation Grants Dear Mr. Witt: You have advised us to offer a legal opinion concerning whether or not an open enrollment charter school as incorporated under Section 12.01 et. seq. of the Texas Education Code would qualify as a "public school" for the purposes of administering grants under the Local Sales Tax Corporation known as the Coppell Education Development Corporation. Under the terms of the incorporating or enabling statute grants may be made to either public and/or private entities for the purpose of promoting and implementing programs regarding job training and educational opportunities for an educated work force. In accordance therewith, City of Coppell adopted such a tax and incorporated the Development Education Corporation. Under the referendum, and the incorporation of the Education Development Corporation limited that funds would only be expended to public institutions located within the corporate limits of the City of Coppell. The question has arisen as whether or not an open enrollment charter school incorporated under the laws of the State of Texas would qualify for treatment as a "public" school. Under the provisions of the Education Code a public school would mean those learning institutions incorporated under the Texas Education Code. Clearly an open enrollment charter school meets that qualification. § 12.101, TEXAS EDUCATION CODE. The next criteria for a public school is whether or not the school would be funded by the use of public funds. Under Section 12.1071 it is clear that a charter school that accepts state funds under state funding mechanism agrees to and is subject to the requirements contained in such grant of funds. Further to the extent that the school is precluded from using religious and/or social status or other criteria for enrollment which is exclusionary, there appears to be no impediment to the open enrollment charter school as being anything other than a public school. Thus we can conclude the sum degree of certainty after reading all the provisions in 12.0101 of 47808 Mr. Jim Witt July 18, 2002 Page 2 the Texas Education Code that open enrollment charter schools are considered public schools and are governed by public as to their admissions, auditing procedures, purchasing procedure, liability issues and funding. Thus, they have all the of public school system for the purposes of administrating this program shall be treated as public schools. Such schools may make appropriate applications subject to constraints of the grant program to the charter schools. Thank you for your attention to this matter. If you have any questions please contact us at your convenience. REH /ev /cdb Very truly yours, NICHOLS, JACKSON, DILLARD, HAGER & SMITH, L.L.P. By: Robert E. Hager 47808 1,11611 3111011 southwest rt, authori- ,tos, mayor he parents, young chil- relatives in . and had Authorities .1 Lafayette, ctims were !atives were survivors. LENA atch ',171 coast tches were the south - :ina's coast, Edouard ntic Ocean shore. The 1 from Fer- rth of Jack - 1l of coastal the storm, inds, is ex- •e over the meteorolo- Hurricane 3me slight ,cted. ficials on ure Ameri- plywas safe n organ do- transfusion West Nile recipients. I rocked a Hill, Md., ker and in- nd 13 fire - elieve it is c leak in the Tire reports RIC FRANCIS /Associated Press A dedication ceremony for the 11 -story Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels took place Monday in downtown Los Angeles. The $195 million cathedral officially opens its doors to the public Tuesday. Study shows they're behind public school pupils in math, reading Associated Press WASHINGTON — Students in charter schools, often seen as an alternative to failing neighbor- hood schools, are scoring below public school pupils in basic read- ing and math skills, a new study shows. Charter school students were anywhere from a half year to a full year behind their public school peers, researchers at the Brook- ings Institution concluded after reviewing 1999 -2000 reading and math achievement test scores of 376 charter schools in 10 states, including Texas. FORW oR pp Charter ° sfaients' scores lower The study, the first indepen- dent snapshot of charter school performance across the nation, found that 59 percent of students at traditional public schools scored better than charter school students during the period stud- ied. The findings don't necessarily reflect poorly on charter schools, which often attract students who are looking for a way to improve their skills, the authors caution. In a few states, such as Texas, these schools actively seek out such pupils, said Tom Loveless, a senior fellow at the Brown Center on Education Policy at Brook- ings, a liberal- oriented think tank. "They're out looking for kids who are low- achieving," he said. Jeanne Alien, president of the Center for Education Reform, which advocates for charter schools, said more information was needed on how much stu- dents learn after they've spent a few years in a charter school. "They're the kids who were much more likely to fall through the cracks before anybody else," she said. Charter schools are public schools that have signed agree- ments with their states to im- prove students' education, often by unconventional means. Generally overseen by an inde- pendent board and given greater freedom over budgets, hiring and purchasing, charter schools can be opened by nonprofit groups, churches, universities, communi- ty centers, parents, groups of teachers and school districts. to detail abuse Evidence is clearer and faster, but images can be manipulated The New York Times NEW YORK — New York City police, who handle about 90,000 domestic violence cases annually, are starting to use digital photog- raphy, a tool that experts say could drastically reshape the way these cases are prosecuted. Such crimes are among the most complex cases to prosecute because they often pit the victim's word against the batterer's or make their way into court with lit- tle evidence. Photographs of bruises or broken furniture, if pro- vided at all, have been shot with Polaroid cameras, and those snap- shots — which are often blurry and fail to make the injuries visible — can take days or even weeks to reach the courts. But with digital photography, evidence that has been practically impossible to gather quickly or gather at all — clear and detailed images of injuries such as swollen eyes, bruised cheeks and hand- prints around the neck — can be transmitted by computer to prose- cutors and judges at the earliest stages of a case. A judge can have evidence in hand at the arraign- ment, before the suspect is charged and bail is set. "This is a major, major change," said Robyn Mazur, an associate di- rector at the Center for Court In- novation, a public- private part- nership that acts as the research and development arm ofNewYork state's court system. "By having these pictures in- stantaneouslygo directly to the key players, cases can potentially move much faster in those very pre- cious days," she said. Police have been using digital photography in domestic violence cases in a few small cities such as Boulder, Colo., and Largo, Fla. But New York is the first major city to adopt it throughout its depart- ment, according to the Center for Court Innovation. Many police departments use digital cameras for fingerprints or mug shots but do not have the technology to transmit the photos to prosecutors and the courts. Ex- perts say the reasons are partly fi- nancial — computer systems need- ed to send photos require an investment — and partly a result of the justice system's slowness to take on new technology. In the borough of Queens, digi- tal photography has been used"for the last year to gather evidence in domestic violence cases. Prosecu- tors there say that since all 16 pre- cincts began using digital photog- raphy, convictions in domestic abuse cases have risen sharply and dismissals have plummeted. Though no major legal chal- lenges have been mounted, some people question the admissibility of digital photos in court because they can be enhanced or manipu- lated on a computer. "Where are serious concerns," said Susan Hendricks, a deputy at- torney at the Legal Aid Society, the main public defender in NewYork. "I would be shocked if the result is that they are never admitted as evidence," she added, "but I think that given the abilityto manipulate them, the courts are going to have to be careful, or they should be." 1 Jim Witt - TX Special NIGHTWriter Report for 06 -27 -20 Page 1 From: <si @star.telicon.com> To: <cphillip @ci.coppell.tx.us >, <jwitt @ci.coppell.tx.us> Date: 6/27/02 9:31 PM Subject: TX Special NIGHTWriter Report for 06 -27 -20 AUSTIN (6/27/2002, 10 AM, E2.036) The Texas House Committee on Public Education, Subcommittee on Charter Schools, met in a public hearing to hear testimony regarding Charter Schools' compliance with HB 6 (by Rep. Dunnam, 77th Texas Lege). Rep. Jim Dunnam presided. HB 6 Rep. Dunnam opened by remarking that the purpose of the subcommittee was to go over what HB 6 meant to do, review how it is being implemented, and discuss problems for regulators and charter schools alike. Reps. Dunnam and Harold Dutton thoroughly questioned the first two witnesses - Jim Thompson and Dr. Susan Barnes - both representing the Texas Education Agency. Rep. Dunnam was mostly concerned that under performing charter schools had been allowed to create additional campuses regardless of whether they were low performing, or even if they were going out of business. Mr. Thompson said that TEA was still in a training mode concerning the implementation of HB 6 and they were not "lowering the boom yet." He said that one restrictive element of HB 6 was the requirement for criminal background checks for school volunteers who might include parents of at -risk students. He also said that many charter schools were failing to supply TEA with required information - which is a violation of their charter requirements. Rep. Dunnam made several comments concerning the inflated pay of charter school administrators (some making as high as $185,000 per year) despite low performance. Rep. Dunnam asked why it was taking so long to revoke the charters of ill - performing schools. Mr. Thompson said that the process was moving as fast as possible. He said that the basic problem stems from whether or not the process requires a hearing. If so, the federal due process requirements attach to the proceeding and the hearing is much like a trial. He said that in every case there is a long drawn out debate about the procedure of the hearing. Mr. Thompson said that, as of now, the agency is focusing on "big problems" like malfeasance and administrative issues. He said the TEA is not focused on revocations based on programmatic issues - yet. Mr. Thompson also said that he had "nagging doubts" about whether a judge would rule that the state could take title of a revoked charter school's assets if they were bought with state funds. Judy Strickland, member of the State Board of Education, testified that she was also very concerned about high pay scales for administrators. Rep. Dunnam said he was concerned that the SBOE granted 13 new charters last year when, during the session, it was "difficult for the problems to be more obvious." He thought that SBOE might take more care in considering expansion of the charter school system when half of the schools were either low performing or needed review. Rep. Dutton suggested that the system was set for failure when the SBOE could grant charters, but the TEA was forced to make the rules. He suggested that the Jim Witt - TX Special NIGHTWriter Report for 06 -27 -20 Page 2 charter granting should be designed by TEA. Rep. Dunnam questioned "at what point do we evaluate and determine if charter schools are working ?" Mr. Thompson, recalled to testify, said that one of the first signs of a bad charter school was a dysfunctional multi- member board that did not meet in compliance with the Open Meetings Act, as they are required. Kelly Shapley, Texas Center for Educational Research, informed the committee of a report by the Center that is over a year old. She warned the committee that that analysis was affected by the changing numbers of charter schools and the student populations. She said that the traditional schools were easier to get data for because they were more stable than the charter schools are now. In charter schools, Ms. Shapley said that there were increasing percentages of African - Americans, decreasing percentages of Mexican Americans, and stable populations of Anglos. She did not have an explanation for the trends. Ms. Shapley also said that the teacher salaries are about $10,000 lower than the state average for regular schools. She also said that the struggling schools had a higher percentage of non - degreed teachers. Rep. Dutton questioned the wisdom of comparing charter schools with regular schools because by comparing them to public schools "we are comparing charters to what caused the problem in the first place." Another important point made was that successful schools are spending less money per student, but they are spending more on instruction. She also said that the better charters had strong community connections. Representing the Association of Charter Educators were Annette Cluff, Christi Martin, and Frances Teran. They expressed overall satisfaction with HB 6 and for the need to address funding inequities between charters and public schools. They referenced the state of Florida's per -pupil allotment for facilities for charters. They were worried that the statewide average for funding implementation might adversely effect some of the charter schools. Carolyn Boyle, Coalition for Public Schools, testified about a pilot program in Austin that the Coalition implemented to get greater public involvement with charter schools. She said that the completion of the project would perhaps be in September. At this point, she testified, the process had produced no answers - but many questions, including, among other things: whether charter school board members were really involved, whether charters would see fit to observe the Open Meetings Act, whether "self- paced" approaches were actually effective, and whether using state dollars for church -based charters was appropriate. The written testimony of The Disability Policy Consortium, Advocacy Inc., and The Arc of Texas, can be found on the TLS Front Page Bulletin Board. The committee continued to hear from representatives of charter schools and others who were there to testify about the successes of their schools. The hearing lasted well into the evening, ending at around 8:30 PM. Mike Dunn / TLS