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MONTHLY NEWSLETTER: JUNE 2006 ISSUE
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WHY CHARTER SCHOOL BOARDS NEED STRATEGIC PLANNING:
A MUST FOR SHORT AND LONG TERM SUCCESS
BY OTHO TUCKER, PH. D.
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Charter schools are at the forefront of one of the most innovative education efforts in America today. As such, the eyes of the nation continually slice, dice, and evaluate their academic, financial, and governance successes and failures. As each school strives to be successful, it is continuously compared to a neighboring public school or school system, a charter school or schools in the area, or a group of schools throughout the state. Understanding the scrutiny that faces these schools, progressive charter school boards are using comprehensive strategic planning to assist them in developing their unique identity, focus on school-wide goals, and communicate a message of professionalism to the community.
Charter school boards are more than the catalyst for innovative governance models designed to implement education reform. They are more than leaders of a new education paradigm for student learning and faculty innovation. The dynamic boards of the progressive and growing charter schools are well trained, independent, business-minded professionals who are aware of the competitive advantages they possess. With that knowledge, board members are also poignantly aware that their competition is one of the largest and most deeply entrenched business monopolies of any era. Traditional public school systems operate with a mandate from state and federal governments to provide fair and equitable education opportunities for all children. Most of the people in the United States have been educated through this monopoly and fear any change that may be on the horizon from an alternative source of public education.
In the past, those who have chosen to leave the hallowed halls of public education have found choice options in privately funded education models. These private school practitioners have found free choice education options a potential threat to the system they have supported. Charter schools, with their legislatively granted options to serve specific student educational needs, present a threat to private school models for college bound students, students with exceptionalities, students with specific interests such as science, math or the arts, and for those students and parents who have become disenfranchised for a plethora of other reasons. Simply, charter schools, their operators, and boards have their share of opponents.
If a review of the daunting task of operating a charter school combined with the coordinated strength of charter school opponents is not enough to denote the need for charter school boards and operators to plan strategically, then maybe a discussion of the success rate of new small businesses will be motivating. Everyone has heard of the success rate of new small businesses and that most of them fail because of faulty business plans. With awareness of these success rates, let’s take a look at some of the key areas that could impact the business plan and ultimately the success rates of charter schools.
First, know your enrollment potential. Five parents with the same concerns do not indicate need. The well enrolled charter schools have aggressively surveyed the community for need. Too often, a decision is made regarding the students and parents who will potentially populate the school using a projection that was not backed by good survey research. The result often is a small school with the potential for limited growth and few economies of scale. Knowing, through valid survey methodology, that the population of students needing the services of the charter school is crucial when creating the business plan for a new school or the growth and expansion of an operating school. Schools are funded by enrolled students. Sound strategic planning will assure you will have an adequate enrollment and a waiting list.
Second, know all your competitors. Most charter school operators have not studied all their present and potential competitors. Public schools and private schools are always focal points; however, a review of home schooling, before and after school programs, other charter schools, and potential school openings should be considered as part of the strategic plan. Knowing your competitor and having a plan for competing for financial and physical resources is imperative.
Third, make sure the expertise that is needed to assure student success is available. In the past, academic standards were often poorly defined by local, state and federal mandates. Now No Child Left Behind has helped define the standards used to assess school success. In this era of No Child Left Behind, clarity has been mandated and schools are held accountable. In a recent article, it was mentioned that school closings for lack of academic performance is nearly as prevalent as those closing for financial reasons. Strategic plans must assess the internal strengths and weaknesses of the academic program and its deliverance while creating a formula to eliminate weaknesses.
Fourth, charter schools are public entities and as such must be good stewards of the pubic funding they receive. Charter school operators are aware from day one that the local,
state and federal funding they receive comes from tax dollars. With that knowledge, the board must be prepared to secure, disperse and report the use of these funds appropriately and with the highest ethical standard and scrutiny. Having a long-term financial plan that is valid, transparent, and realistically designed generates public confidence. It is also one of the sources of leader confidence that will be necessary for a school to acquire better facilities, resources and a consistent student base.
It was not the intent of this article to strike fear in those who seek to open a charter school nor is it the intent to cause panic in those who are already deep in the process of running a school. You have chosen a worthy cause. The intent is to make everyone aware of their responsibilities and to make sure of your awareness that charter authorizers and potential financiers have become much more sophisticated in their understanding of the charter school movement. For growth to occur and the ability to obtain financing for that growth, it is expected that charter boards and administrators establish themselves as business and education professionals. To do this, understanding and evaluating past performance using that information to implement strategic change and develop a long range plan for the future are necessities.
Otho Tucker, PH. D.
Email: doctort33@hotmail.com
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