For NC charters, call Florida firm

Charter schools are changing public education in ways large and small,  as I learned last week when I did some reporting for the annual enrollment story.

Normally we report numbers for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools,  and maybe check with Wake County for comparison.  But with six new charters opening in the Charlotte area this year and 11 more pending for 2014,  it seemed like time to start checking in on their enrollment trends,  too.

When I called the two largest,  Cabarrus Charter Academy in Concord and Langtree Charter Academy in Mooresville,  I was told I couldn't speak to the local principals.  (Another twist of charters is that county lines aren't particularly important;  charters in this area often draw from two or three counties.)  Both are operated by the Florida-based for-profit Charter Schools USA,  and I was directed to a PR company in Fort Myers that speaks for the chain.

Is all information about these N.C. public schools going to have to come through you,  I asked Colleen Reynolds, president of Edge Communications.

"Yes, all media goes through me,"  she replied. "Believe me. It’s much easier that way. I tell reporters that I act as a facilitator – not a gatekeeper. This way, if you need something, I’ll get it for you by your deadline. It’s similar to when you go to the district for district schools, you go to me for our charter schools. I will help you in any way that I can."

I feel like I ought to be chagrined.  But the thing is,  I had answers  (including a follow-up about waiting lists)  from Reynolds while I was still playing phone tag with local staff in three other charters.  Both Charter USA schools had applied to take 661 K-6 students this year.  Both filled.  Cabarrus Academy has 838 students on the wait list and Langtree has 664,  according to Reynolds.  (Overall,  three of the six new local charters fell short of the numbers in their applications.)

As for CMS,  when I left Friday I still had no information on the 20th-day tally taken Sept. 23.  Wake hadn't released anything, either.  The rocky rollout of the statewide PowerSchool data system is apparently creating a holdup. 

So stay tuned.  And if you're a family having first-hand experience with the growing number of charter start-ups,  let me know how it's going.

Where do 2007 CMS bond projects stand?

Want to see which projects are finished, which are still in the works and which fell victim to changed plans?  Check out this interactive map of the projects Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools leaders promised when voters approved $516 million in bonds in 2007.

Screen shot -- click link in copy for interactive map

More coverage is coming this weekend on the 2007 bonds and the $290 million plan on the Nov. 5 ballot.  But I thought I'd go ahead and share the maps  (here's another one plotting the proposed 2013 projects).  My colleague April Bethea has created a voter guide page to serve as a one-stop source for information about the bonds, school board election and municipal elections this year.

Remember that Friday is the deadline for registering to vote in the Nov. 5 election,  and early voting starts Oct. 17.

Some notes for anyone who's taking a close look at the 2007 map:  I got CMS to provide initial budget and final/current costs for this list on their bond page.  In some cases,  the final numbers are different from what you'll find on the CMS construction page  (check elementary,  middle and high school updates).  Construction planner Dennis LaCaria says that's because the bond numbers that I used for the map reflect only the part of the project done under the 2007 bonds.  In some cases,  design and site work and other preliminaries had already been done with other funding sources.

You'll also find West Charlotte High on the CMS list but not on the map.  That's a decision,  not an oversight.  When I wrote about the CMS  "Promises Made,  Promises Kept"  report several weeks ago, a West Charlotte booster called outraged that I has listed that school as getting renovations under the 2007 bonds.  She insisted that school had no recent work and is long overdue.  On closer look,  I decided she was right.  While all the other projects are in the millions,  West Charlotte is listed because it got less than $200,000 in electrical work.  Normally that would fall under the miscellaneous  "bundled"  work,  such as roofing,  paving and fire alarm improvements that are spread among several schools.  It doesn't make sense to me to describe that as a significant school renovation.

A note about my responsiveness  (or lack thereof)  this week.  I'm sort of time-traveling here.  I wrote a slew of school board and bond stories (including this post) last week and now they're running while I'm taking a week off.  That means I'll be filtering comments and posting them as I get a chance,  but it won't be as quick as usual.  Likewise,  I won't be answering calls and emails,  but it's not for lack of interest.

Who's behind "thank a teacher" campaign?

You may have seen the full-page ad in today's Observer directing people to thankstoateacher.com.  "It's a tough time to be a teacher,"  the copy says.  "With virtually no raise for five years,  looming larger class sizes,  the loss of many teaching assistants,  the end of salary increases for advanced degrees,  and the continual charge to do more with less,  it's more important than ever to express appreciation for those who labor in our classrooms.

The web page asks people to write and post short tributes to teachers who changed their lives. Neither the ad nor the web site says anything about who's behind it,  other than to credit The Creative Stack for designing the web page.  But Heather Johnson at Creative Stack gave me the answer.

Turns out John Tate,  a longtime Charlotte education advocate who's a member of the N.C. Board of Education,  started talking to people this summer about  "ways to say thanks because we couldn't give them money."  He says about 130 people wrote checks for the campaign to let teachers know how much of a difference they make.  Jennifer Appleby,  president of Wray Ward advertising agency,  created today's ad and another that's slated to run Sunday,  which Tate says is "poignant."

Tate

Tate wanted to highlight the challenging conditions that are emerging in our state, but he says there's a reason he didn't make his name prominent.  "I worked hard to depoliticize this ad.  It is not a backhand swipe at anybody,"  Tate said.  "It's designed very simply just to say thanks and let the teaching ranks know there are a lot of people who support them."

Tate declined to say how much the campaign is costing.  And he said he won't know for a few days how many views and testimonials the site is generating.

Two fiery teachers return to national forum

Butler High biology teacher Joanna Schimizzi will take part in a nationally televised "teacher town hall" this weekend,  part of the NBC Education Nation summit taking place in New York City. The town hall,  moderated by Brian Williams,  will air live on MSNBC from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday.

Schimizzi

Schimizzi got a kick out of the  "teachers on fire"  label I gave her and Rob Leichner when they returned sizzling with excitement after last year's summit. And she chafed a bit at comments suggesting that the two young teachers weren't likely to stick around long. She and Leichner sent a joint  email to let folks know that both are still teaching  (Leichner is at West Meck)  and still enthusiastic.

Both are advising the U.S. Department of Education,  served on CMS task forces and are working on Common Core academic standards. Both were chosen as CMS STEM all-star teachers and are returning to the summit this year.

Leichner

"We are so proud to represent our students,  our schools,  our district,  our state and all the dedicated teachers who are answering NBC's 2013 question 'What does it take?' "  they wrote.

The summit starts at 8 a.m. Sunday with a student town hall and includes a range of panels and speakers Monday and Tuesday.  You can catch parts on various NBC shows or look for the live stream on  EducationNation.com, the NBC News YouTube Channel and YouTube’s Education Channel.

N.C. voucher applications open in February

North Carolina will start taking applications in February for new Opportunity Scholarships to help low-income families send their children to private schools,  according to an update on the plan that state lawmakers created this summer.

For 2014-15,  students who qualify for federal lunch subsidies -- currently $43,568 for a family of four  --  are eligible for up to $4,200 a year in public subsidy for tuition (aka vouchers).  About 2,400 students are expected to get the scholarships that year. In later years,  eligibility will rise to 133 percent of that threshold,  or $57,945 at current levels.

As many have noted,  that's not enough money to cover tuition at most Charlotte-area private schools.  And the March notification may come a bit late for families who have to make applications in January.

But for now, I'm excited to have found this much information to pass along.  I asked the N.C. Department of Public Instruction who would handle the applications and was referred to the College Foundation of North Carolina. I hadn't managed to find any kind of live contact on the CFNC web site or penetrate its automated calling system.

Smith

Then Craig Smith, an assistant principal at Gastonia's Ashbrook High,  tweeted me about a blog he posted exploring what happens if voucher money goes unclaimed  (he was told officials expect there to be plenty of demand).  That prompted me to tweet him  --  and @CFNC -- to ask about a contact for applications. CFNC steered me to the N.C. State Education Assistance Authority,  an agency I'd never heard of.  And that's the link to bookmark for updates on the Opportunity Scholarship front.

Grading N.C. schools: A preview

As the state of North Carolina gears up to issue letter grades to schools based on student test scores, the advocacy group CarolinaCAN is rolling out its own version today. The group's report cards label each public school  (including charters)  and school district on an A-F scale,  based on 2012 performance on state exams.

Kowal

As I told Executive Director Julie Kowal after previewing the report,  people are going to love this or hate it.  It's hard not to have a visceral reaction to seeing big red Fs  (for neighborhood schools serving the most impoverished areas and charters serving at-risk students, on my spot check)  and big green As  (often for low-poverty suburban schools and selective magnets).

Spoiler alert:  Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools rated Cs and Ds as a district,  while its individual schools rate among the best and the worst.  Ditto for charters in this area.

CarolinaCAN is an offshoot of the Connecticut-based 50CAN, created to promote choice,  accountability and flexibility.  Kowal said the N.C. grades promote transparency while giving parents access to important data in an easy-to-grasp format.  "We designed these for the general public in North Carolina,"  she said, acknowledging that the grades and the data points don't give the full picture of school quality,  let alone a district's performance.

She said the grades highlight overall performance,  achievement gaps and performance of low-income,  African American and Hispanic students,  who tend to lag behind peers.  There are Top 10 lists recognizing schools with the biggest gains and the best performance in those groups.  Morehead STEM Academy, Piedmont Middle and Irwin Academic Center,  CMS magnets with admission requirements, and Sugar Creek Charter,  a Charlotte school serving a high-poverty population,  stand out on those lists.

Time for all the caution flags.  First,  the numbers are stale.  It wasn't a typo to say the grades are based on 2012 exams.  The 2013 results that would give us a snapshot of the most recent school year won't be released until November,  as state officials figure out how to deal with new exams.  The state's school report cards,  which give a more comprehensive set of school data,  won't be updated until January.  For consistency,  CarolinaCAN used 2012 graduation rates,  though you can get 2013 rates online.

Second, the grades and lists don't just compare apples and oranges,  they pretty much throw in the whole produce section.  There are neighborhood schools,  magnets,  charters and alternative schools;  rural districts, urban districts and everything in between.  Schools that serve the most disadvantaged kids are graded on the same curve as those where most kids have college-educated parents who send them in prepared and motivated to learn.

Third,  the report cards are a work in progress.  When I first looked at the lists last week I was befuddled.  CMS' Metro School,  which serves severely disabled students ages 3-23, was listed as one of the best elementary schools based on performance gains.  There were numerous errors linked to the school closings and other changes CMS made in 2011-12.  Kowal rechecked after I raised those questions and found ways to fix most of the problems.  She's asking anyone who uses the ratings to email her (julie.kowal@carolinacan.org) with questions and issues.

To trot out one of my favorite sayings,  crunching school data doesn't provide answers, but it helps you ask better questions.  One of the biggest questions may be:  Can the state create a grading system that benefits students, educators, voters and taxpayers?

Walkout? Contract rejection? N.C. teachers simmering

Talk about a Nov. 4 North Carolina teacher walkout is floating on social media,  but will anything happen?

That's hard to tell.  Five hundred people have clicked "coming"  on the Facebook page for the walkout,  created by Mike Ladidadi  --  a false name,  according to a Huffington Post article on the walkout posted on Ladidadi's page. An unsigned  "NC Teacher Walkout" blog was recently added to the mix.

Online comments and conversations I've had with teachers reflect a tension between the desire to jolt lawmakers and the public and fear that staying home will jeopardize jobs and harm students.

Calabro

 "I am not sure that walking out is the the thing to do, but sure am motivated to do something," said  Beverly Woods Elementary teacher Marie Calabro, who has been trying to rally teachers and their supporters to stand outside schools every Wednesday afternoon to demonstrate support.  "To be honest, I think having a walkout may be a bit premature, and I wish teachers would either join NCAE and/or write their officials."

The N.C. Association of Educators isn't endorsing the walkout,  and is reminding members that striking or taking part in a "sick out"  is risky business in a right-to-work state.

"NCAE understands that this walkout is the consequence of the General Assembly and Governor McCrory for failing to live up to their constitutional requirements to enact budgets and policies that provide for a sound, basic education for all students in North Carolina’s public schools," the group's statement to members says. "NCAE is working within the legal and political systems to hold the politicians accountable for their actions this past year, including replacing them with elected leaders who will stand up for public education."

Judy Kidd, president of the Charlotte-based Classroom Teachers Association, isn't endorsing the walkout either.

But regardless of whether they're willing to take that kind of action,  many educators say they're far from ready to forget about a 2013 legislative session that brought sweeping changes for public education,  from the abolition of tenure and master's degree pay to the perpetuation of a pay scale that's gaining North Carolina a reputation as among the nation's worst places for teachers.

Kidd and Charles Smith, president of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Association of Educators, say the next battle may come when districts follow the state mandate to offer four-year contracts to 25 percent of teachers for 2014-15.  Those contracts will offer a $500-a-year raise for those four years in exchange for teachers signing away all rights to tenure.  Superintendent Heath Morrison recently told the school board he's trying to figure out how the state expects the selection process to work.

Kidd and Smith say they both expect the tenure changes in this year's budget to be challenged in court.  "I encourage anybody who's offered a four-year contract with a $500 raise to turn it down and let the courts rule,"  Kidd said.

Smith said the NCAE and CMAE haven't taken a position yet on the new contracts. But personally,  he's with Kidd.  Anyone who signs away tenure won't be eligible to get it back if the courts rule against the new system,  he said.

"If you offer me (the four-year contract) I'm going to tell you 'no thanks,' " Smith said.  "To paraphrase the old saying,  you can have my tenure when you pry my cold, dead fingers from it."