Published: August 01, 2009 07:29 pm      

Rock Creek trying again for charter

School filed preliminary proposal last week; principal says she would be ‘shocked’ if charter isn’t granted

SELLERSBURG — After a denial that disappointed many within Rock Creek Christian Academy in the spring, those at the school are trying again to become a charter school.

School officials filed a preliminary proposal with the Office of Charter Schools at Ball State University last week.

Larry Gabbert, director of the Office of Charter Schools, confirmed that the school submitted its preliminary proposal Thursday. Thus, the school met the deadline that would allow it, if approved as a charter school, to open in August 2010.

Later this month, the school will send five representatives to meet with those at Ball State to answer questions and talk about its charter school proposal.

Gabbert said the first time Rock Creek officials met with him, he had a number of suggestions for them to improve their proposal.

“We’re hopeful they have made the improvements we have suggested to them,” he said.

Sara Hauselman, principal at Rock Creek, said they have done just that.

“It wasn’t that there was anything really wrong with the other one,” Hauselman said. “It was just like explain this more and hit this harder.”

She said one of the suggestions also had to do with how they came up with their budget for the proposed charter school. So, this time around, the school enlisted the help of a company in Indianapolis that has worked with existing charter schools with their budgets, Hauselman said.

“After you talk to them [at Ball State] so many times ... you feel pretty confident about it, because we’ve done what they told us to do,” Hauselman said. “I’d be shocked if they didn’t put us through because they’ve been so encouraging.”

But for now, Hauselman has to wait until after they go to Ball State later this month to hear if they will be denied or asked to submit a full charter school proposal — the next step in the process.

Gabbert said the process to become a charter school is a rigorous one, in which many details like transportation, budgeting and administration are looked at very closely.

“It’s rigorous for several reasons. One, there are a number of public schools not performing in the state and nation. Why would we want another school that’s not successful?” Gabbert asked rhetorically.

He said another reason is that charter schools are “standalone schools” that are not under the supervision of a particular school corporation.

“They have to provide everything,” Gabbert said. “We need to make sure they are going to be successful. There’s no sense in giving a charter to a group that we feel won’t be successful.”

He said so far there are 32 charter schools up and running in Indiana. He said four more are set to open in 2010. Gabbert said there are no caps on how many charter schools can be open and operating in the state.



BECOMING A CHARTER SCHOOL

• Ball State University’s Office of Charter Schools has established a rigorous application process to ensure that any group or individual planning to open a new charter school meets high standards of quality public education. School organizers must meet a set of General Indicators of Success established by Ball State. These indicators address a number of areas critical to the success of a school, including a clear and well-articulated mission, solid governance structure, sound administrative management and transportation.

The proposal review process begins with the school organizers submitting a charter school proposal to the Office of Charter Schools. A review team then evaluates the preliminary proposal and holds an informal interview with school organizers. Depending on the strength of the preliminary proposal in meeting the general indicators of success for charter schools, the school may be asked to submit a full charter school proposal. This part of the review process also includes a formal interview.

Then, a public meeting and additional evaluations may occur. Finally, a formal recommendation is forwarded to the president of Ball State, who decides whether to offer the school a charter.

— Ball State University



ABOUT CHARTER SCHOOLS

• Charter schools are independent, public schools that are open to all students and are state-funded. Students do not pay tuition to attend these schools. The schools are designed and operated by educators, parents and community leaders.

In Indiana, charter schools may be authorized by governing bodies, such as the executive of a consolidated city or a state university offering four-year degrees. Currently, Ball State is the only public university in Indiana to serve as a sponsor of charter schools.

Like all public schools, charter schools are held to high academic standards, require participation in state testing programs, hire certified teachers and publish annual reports to the public. Unlike some traditional public schools, the curriculum often includes new and innovative approaches for teaching and can be tailored to the specific needs of students.

Charter schools operate under a performance contract known as a charter that gives the school more independence than a traditional public school. In exchange for increased freedom, charter schools are held accountable for results. If a school fails to maintain standards or meet the obligations of its charter, the charter may be revoked and the school closed.

— Ball State University