A proposal to the Louisiana Department of Education for six charter schools that will form

A proposal to the Louisiana Department of Education

for six charter schools that will form

two GEO Academy campuses

featuring a K-5 and 6-12 daytime academy

and an “early college” night high school

Kevin Teasley

President/Founder of GEO Foundation

1630 N. Meridian St., #350

Indianapolis, IN 46202

317-713-4238 work

317-694-9985 cell

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

GEO Foundation, a 15-year-old nonprofit with ten years of charter school management experience based in Indianapolis, proposes to open a unique series of Type 1, 2 and 5 charter elementary, middle/high school, and an “early college” night high school in Louisiana beginning in Jefferson Parish in 2014-15.

In considering the opportunity to open campuses in Louisiana, GEO reviewed your state’s charter laws and support structures and we are very impressed with Louisiana’s mission to ensure that ALL students are served and applaud the state for legislating that all charter schools resemble the demographics of the district in which they reside. Indeed, GEO Academy schools go to great lengths and pride themselves in achieving high academic growth while serving student populations that resemble the demographics of the districts in which they operate. A recent Stanford University CREDO study demonstrated that GEO Academy schools are in the top 25% in the nation for growth in math and top 40% for reading.

Outcomes we will achieve: Continuing our expectation for operating high growth schools, we expect to meet and/or exceed the expected target growth School Performance Scores as provided by the state in each of the Parishes we serve. For example, in 2012, we found 39 elementary/middle schools in Jefferson Parish had growth targets of 10 and 28 schools failed to meet those goals. We intend to meet those goals. We found the high schools did better at meeting the expected growth targets as seven made their targets but two did not. In addition to meeting and exceeding the SPS goals, we expect to provide high graduation rates, ACT scores, and to graduate students ready for a high wage job and/or to go to college. Indeed, many of our students will graduate from our high school with numerous college credits in hand and perhaps even an Associate’s Degree. We will achieve these goals this with a balanced budget.

GEO Foundation’s network of academies currently consists of three schools, two in Gary, Indiana and one in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Two are K-12 schools and one is an “early college night high school.” However, we established and managed two other charter schools (one K-12 and one 5-12) for ten and seven years respectively in Indianapolis, but transitioned out of them in 2011-12 so that we can focus on developing new schools. All of the charter schools we support have demonstrated high growth and continual improvement and have received numerous accolades/awards from Department of Education officials and our authorizers, including being named the top growth school in the state of Indiana, the top non-waiver graduation rate improvement school in Indiana, and the “2011 Governor’s Distinguished Improvement Award” in Colorado.

In addition to these programs, our scale strategy includes mitigating the threats caused by the costs of facilities and infrastructure needs. All six of our proposed schools (K-5, middle/high school and early college night high school) will form two campuses and use the same facilities. This reduces duplication of infrastructure costs—buildings, desks, chairs, computers, software, books, etc.—and allows us to spend more on teachers, including the sustainable funding of TAP and benefits for students.

Lastly, GEO Foundation’s scale strategy includes making best use of our existing professional staff of 16 who have many years of experience supporting and managing the development of charter schools. We have the capacity to start and support new schools and to do so with expertise and the benefit of lessons learned over the past 10 years. Our experience and our ability will save new schools considerable dollars over time as our back office support service costs are at low nonprofit rates and these savings will allow for new schools to spend more to benefit students in the classroom. Finally, GEO Foundation has cash reserves of nearly $5 million that we can use to support the successful startup of these campuses in Louisiana.

GROWTH PLANS

Number of Schools: While it appears that we are requesting six charters over the next five years, and we are (two K-5s maxed out at 450 students at each campus, two middle/high schools maxed out at 425 students at each campus, and two “early college night high schools maxed out at 400 students at each campus), they are essentially two campuses (a K-5, middle/high school and “early college” night high school at each location) and we will open them in a rolling fashion. We plan to start with a K-5 in 2014-15, followed by the middle/high school and “early college night high school” in 2015-16. We will take 2016-17 to refine the three schools at one campus and to begin the plans for the second campus to open in 2017-18 and 2018-19.

We expect the demographics of these schools to resemble the demographics of the Parish in which we serve. Each of our current charter schools, and the ones we have managed over the past 10 years, resemble the demographics of the districts in which we operate.

GEO’s vision is to provide high quality education opportunities to all children and to prepare them to be successful in college and/or prepared to obtain a high wage job right out of high school. We seek to provide a campus of schools that serve all the needs of children whether they need remediation/acceleration services, AP courses or want to take actual college classes while attending our high schools. Our approach is financially conservative but it supports efficient use of investments to provide maximum benefit to each student.

Your leadership has been generous in meeting with us and responsive to our questions. Indeed, you reached out to GEO and invited us to submit applications for charter schools in your state. This, combined with your state’s focus on making sure that at-risk students are served and that charter schools resemble the demographics of the Parish in which we reside, are very exciting characteristics to us. Presuming we are successful in opening the first six charters as planned, GEO will seek to open a second set of six the following five years beginning in 2020. We seek to have a partnership with the Department of Education and to grow with your needs.

PAST SCHOOL PERFORMANCE

Performance/Compliance deficiencies: GEO Foundation Academies are not involved in any deficiencies or compliance violations with our authorizers nor are we involved in litigation, nor have we had any material audit findings. We have started and supported five schools over the past ten years. Today, we manage and support three schools in two states and two different cities with two different authorizers.

21^st Century Charter School @ Gary:

Now completing its 8^th year of operation and serving nearly 500 students, 21^st Century Charter School @ Gary is the highest performing charter school in Gary, Indiana. It has been an “A” school for two of the last three years, achieved 100% (or near) graduation rates each of the past three years, was recognized by the State of Indiana as the highest academic growth school in the state, and recognized by Ball State University to be the only charter in their portfolio of more than 40 charter schools statewide to “meet standard” in both K-8 and high school criteria. Our board has been stable for the life of the school, our principal has been with us for six straight years, and our student retention rate is in the 90% range year after year. The school has more than 200 students on the waiting list. The school received a full unconditional 5-year charter renewal contract from Ball State University in January 2013. The school has a population that is 90% free and reduced lunch qualified and its special education population has hovered around 7-9% over the years. In May, the school will celebrate the accomplishment of its first high school student who has earned 60 college credits while attending our school and will graduate with an Associate’s Degree from Ivy Tech, too. Most of our high school students graduate with at least 16 college credits and many actually earn more than 30 college credits while attending our high school. Nearly every graduate is accepted to college and earns numerous scholarship awards. This year, our graduates have been accepted to the main campuses of Purdue University, Indiana University, Ball State University, and Indiana State University, and many others. While many do get accepted and go to a four-year university, some choose to attend Ivy Tech Community College and earn their Associate’s Degree and/or a license/certificate to go into the workforce.

Now completing its 8^th year of operation, Pikes Peak Prep has achieved the highest “School Performance Framework” rating from the Colorado Department of Education each of the past two years. The Colorado Department of Education rates academic achievement, academic growth, academic growth gaps, and postsecondary and workforce readiness and PPP “meets” or “exceeds” standards in these categories. Pikes Peak Prep has also made AYP every year, was recognized by the Colorado Department of Education with the “2011 Governor’s Distinguished Improvement Award,” and achieved a graduation rate of 80% last year. The school is recognized as a high academic growth school and received a full five year renewal from its authorizer, the Colorado Charter School Institute, in 2010. The school has a population that is roughly 60% qualified for free and reduced lunch participation and 10% special ed. Our high school students regularly graduate with more than 30 college credits and indeed we have graduated a student who earned his Associate’s Degree and 60 college credits from Pikes Peak Community College while attending PPP.

Currently in its first year of operation and serving 184 students, this unique school grew out of the experience we have had with our day schools. It serves students who are 15 and older and can’t attend a traditional day time high school but still want to earn a high school diploma AND go to college. We operate from 5-9 each night Monday-Friday and provide Saturday school. The school was scheduled to open with 100 students but due to high demand (more than 300) we accommodated 184 this year. We have 600 on the wait list. This is a challenging population to serve (nearly 100% free and reduced lunch qualified) as they re-enter school and try to improve their lives. We use a blended learning model and partner with Ivy Tech Community College.

GEO Foundation was invited to start a new charter school on the Southside of Indianapolis by a neighborhood community development center (CDC) in 2005. We accepted the invitation and launched the school in a building provided by the CDC. Again, this school is located in one of Indianapolis’ poorest neighborhoods featuring high crime, low education attainment, and one of the city’s highest percentages of high school dropouts. Nonetheless, Fountain Square Academy was recognized by the Indianapolis Mayor’s office as one of only three high schools in Indianapolis to make AYP in 2009 and was also recognized by the State of Indiana and the Mayor’s office as having the third highest academic growth by its students in Marion County and 8^th most in the state in 2009. Again, this school has one of the highest percentages of at risk students in Marion County. It currently serves more than 250 students. The school started with approximately 60% of its students qualifying for the free and reduced lunch program and currently serves a population that is 90% free and reduced lunch qualified. The school started with a population that was 11% special education-qualified and last year served a population that was nearly 20% special education-qualified. The school started out with a 27% graduate rate (mostly due to unreliable data and students reenrolling in school and being out of cohort) and has achieved a graduation rate as high as 73%. Again, this school shifted from a GEO-managed school to a school board/principal-managed and GEO-supported school in 2011-12. The board, which is the same board for Fall Creek Academy, hired an outside academic advisor in 2011-2012. In 2010-11, while managed by GEO, the school received an “academic progress” grade from the state (equal to a ‘C”). When it shifted to a school board/principal/outside academic advisor-managed system in 2011-12, it earned a “D.” Nonetheless, GEO Foundation shepherded this school through its renewal process in 2012 and after securing a strong school board and charter with Ball State University, GEO resigned in June 2012 to focus on developing new schools.

To understand GEO Foundation’s mentality and approach to achieving goals, one needs to go back to 1999 when GEO Foundation hosted one of the first “no excuses” conferences in the country in Indiana. This conference featured speakers such as Michael Feinberg, co-founder of KIPP. We firmly believe in the “whatever it takes” mentality and the “no excuses” approach. In recent years, we’ve provided copies of “Teach Like a Champion” by Doug Lemov, to each of our teachers and principals and we review each chapter and technique regularly. Indeed, the CEO of GEO has provided chapters of the book to “all staff” on a weekly basis via email and encouraged a discussion among all staff about the use of these successful techniques. We believe we must go beyond “belief” and support staff with a strong foundation of programs and professional development.

A sign that hangs above the entrance to all of our schools reads, “Through these doors walk college graduates.” The Greater Educational Opportunities (GEO) Foundation believes that all children should have access to a quality education that includes college. To actualize this belief, GEO has systematically built a student-centered educational model that provides the personalized approach to learning necessary to close achievement gaps and prepare low-income students to begin college coursework as early as 9^th grade. By providing an accelerated pathway to college, beginning in kindergarten, GEO schools hope to break the cycle of poverty that is prevalent in the families and communities of the students we serve.

Our approach to establishing a pathway to college is guided by three core beliefs about student learning.

1. 
   Students learn best when provided with an individualized and rigorous curriculum.
   

2. 
   Students learn best when teachers are motivated and professionally supported.
   

3. 
   Students learn best when school leaders and teachers engage in a process of continuous learning and improvement.
   

A deep commitment to our core beliefs combined with a systemic “whatever it takes” approach to education has consistently yielded higher than average levels of student growth² and college readiness³, as measured by key state indicators.