Charter School Meeting #4: Expanded Team

August 15, 2006

Present: Lori Rowe, Wanda Minniecheske, Jenice Wiesensel, Don Aanonsen, Nick Alioto, Pat Brietenfeldt, Doreen Kakes, Janel Bedor, deb Gerard

Note: Most in attendance, with exception of Nick, Don, Janel and deb, were here to get information prior to deciding whether to be part of the planning team.

Nick presented an overview of the charter school plan to date followed by discussion resulting in the following:
There is a lot of money out there for charter schools so we are likely to get the planning grant
Plan is for a K-12 Virtual Academy-nothing unique, but filling a needed role
Targeting homeschool students-a fast growing population
Research indicates that parents are homeschooling for a number of reasons and not just for religious reasons anymore
Our teachers would provide mentoring/tutoring and a level of accountability for students taking these online courses
This is a “win-win” situation as students get an opportunity to learn in a different way and this district is able to utilize current staff in additional ways in light of declining enrollments which would otherwise eventually require staff cuts or partial contracts.
Tigerton would be offering an instrumentality charter school which means we would be utilizing our own teachers as opposed to a noninstrumentality school that uses teachers from somewhere else.
Initially, the district would be buying curriculum and using our staff as mentors/tutors with future plans to possibly develop courses using our own teachers
Initial cost depends on where the district gets the curriculum
The Charter School is funded first by grants in the planning and initial implementation stage and then by charter school students being counted as Tigerton students and thereby qualifying the district to claim state aide for them.
Research shows that students need mentors/tutors while attending virtual school
Vocational/noncore classes are already at risk from competition and that would remain the case should Tigerton offer a charter school (though it might not increase that level of competition now present)
Tigerton teachers would remain under same contract with the Tigerton District even though mentoring for the charter school students.
There is a bill now in the legislature requiring all students have at least one online course in order to graduate.
Students who chose, for example, to attend ½ day in Tigerton and ½ virtual school would have to find own transportation
Janel indicated that there is a foundation that is designing a cheap but effective laptop to make available to homes without computers-some would be needed for students in this district

Several questions need answers including:
How many courses must a student take before he/she counts as Tigerton student?
Would district consider moving to a 6 hour teaching day utilizing the remaining 2 hours for mentoring and professional development/collaboration?
Can current Tigerton student choose to take classes from charter school? Yes, but not a course that was currently offered in the Tigerton School?
Would the district lose a large number of its current students to the charter school?
How do we count students who only take some credits-are they “nongraduates”? How do they get a diploma from Tigerton? What are minimum requirements?
Do charter school students take the State tests?

The meeting ended with Wanda indicating she would like to be a part of the planning committee. Others will let Nick know ASAP. Everyone was asked to think of names of parents who might be interested in being involved and submit those names to Nick or Don.

Next meeting will take place Wednesday, September 6th at 3:30 in the district office.