DeKalb High School for Accelerated Learning

2139 Pages·2016·17.68 MB·English

Charter School Application
Start-up and Conversion (New and
Renewal)
SCHOOL NAME
D eKalb High School for Accelerated Learning
SCHOOL CONTACT ADDRESS
Jarrod Jordan

Dr. John D. Barge
State School Superintendent
J U N E 2 0 1 4
INTRODUCTION
Start-up Charter Applications are proposals to create new or renew existing start-up charter
schools. Conversion charter Applications are for existing public schools that wish to convert to
charter schools. The evaluation of your Application will focus on whether implementing the
proposals in your Application will lead to the improved academic, organizational, and financial
performance you are promising in exchange for freedom from much of Georgia’s education law,
rules and guidelines. It will also determine whether the proposed charter school would comply
with all applicable laws, rules, regulations, policies and procedures (including the Charter
Schools Act of 1998, as amended [O.C.G.A. §§ 20-2-2060 through 20-2-2071], State Board of
Education Rule 160-4-9-.04 et. seq., and Department of Education Guidelines accompanying the
Charter School Rules); whether the academic, organizational and financial plans are viable; and
whether the charter school is in the public interest.
Filing an application for a charter school does not guarantee that a charter will be granted.
DEADLINE AND SUBMISSION PROCEDURES
Your Application must be approved by your local Board of Education in accordance with the
rules and regulations of your local board. After local submission, review and approval, you must
submit your application to the address below for GaDOE review. Initial start-up applications
must be received Please note that applications are processed and interviews are scheduled on a
first-come, first-served basis. The application approval process consists of local board review,
GaDOE review and panel interview, SBOE approval (generally 2 months). Your application must
go through this entire process in the year before you plan to open, convert or renew.
Interviews are currently scheduled for August 13, August 14, September 16, September 17,
October 15, October 16, November 18, November 19, December 3, December 4, December 10,
and December 11. Applications must be received at least two weeks prior to your panel
interview. General guidelines to remember:
Applications should be sent to:
Georgia Department of Education
Charter Schools Division
2053 Twin Towers East
205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive, SE
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
Faxed or emailed copies will not be accepted. Only complete petitions that comply with these
guidelines will be evaluated. Applications will not be returned; please keep a copy for your

records.
Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent
June 3, 2014 ● Page 1 of 6
APPLICATION PACKAGE CHECKLIST
Your Charter Application Package must comply with the following submission procedures.
q An Application Package includes an original and two copies of the following items:
q APPLICATION COVER SHEET (Use the form on pages 4-5; the form may not be
altered in any way).
q CHARTER APPLICATION (Your answers to the questions posed on pages 7-14).
q The Application is limited to 75 double-spaced pages using an 11-point
Times New Roman font and one-inch margins with a header showing
the school’s name and a footer showing consecutive page numbers.
q The original must be signed in blue ink. Stamped signatures will not be
accepted.
q ASSURANCES FORM AND SIGNATURE SHEET (Use the Assurances Form and
Signature Sheet below on pages 15-18; the Form and the Sheet may not be
altered in any way).
q The original must be signed in blue ink; stamped signatures will not be
accepted.
q Electronic copy of assurances must be signed. Blank copies will not be
accepted.
q DOCUMENTATION OF VOTE *CONVERSIONS ONLY (Use the form on page 19)
q The original must be signed in blue ink; stamped signatures will not be
accepted.
q EXHIBITS (See list of required Exhibits below on page 20).
q Required Exhibits should be as limited in size as possible.
q All Exhibits must be tabbed.
q Your Application Package must be bound by a binder clip; do not enclose your
Application Package in a notebook, binder, or folder.
q Your Application Package must also include a single CD or USB drive that includes a:
q Microsoft Word version of your Application Cover Sheet
q Microsoft Word version of your Application and Exhibits
q PDF Version of your application in the following order: Cover Sheet, Application,
signed Assurances Form, and Exhibits
q PDF version of your Governance Matrix
q Excel version of your completed Budget Templates
q Renewals only – an Excel version of your completed Self-Assessment
Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent
June 3, 2014 ● Page 2 of 6
C H A R T E R A P P L I C A T I O N C O V E R
P A G E S
Check one: _X_New Start-Up ___New Conversion
___Start-up renewal ___Conversion Renewal
If renewal, when was the original charter term start date? _____
If renewal, for how many charter terms has the school been in existence? ____
*Due to changes in Georgia State law, all charter contracts—including those of conversion
charter schools—must be held by a Georgia non-profit corporation.
Name of the Georgia nonprofit corporation that will hold the charter if granted:
DeKalb High School for Accelerated Learning, Inc._________________
To be Determined based on Location. Currently using:
Name of Proposed Charter School: DeKalb High School for Accelerated Learning_________
Local school system in which charter school will be physically located:
_DeKalb County School District__________________________________________________
Contact person: Jarrod Jordan Board Chair
Name Title
Contact address:i

Telephone number of contact:
Fax number of contact: N/A
E-mail address of contact
Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent
June 3, 2014 ● Page 3 of 6
Charter School Name __DeKalb High School for Accelerated Learning (name to be finalized
based on selected location)

Type __ Locally-approved Start-up _(Locally-approved Start-up, State Chartered Special School,
Career Academy, Jointly Authorized, Virtual)

Approved by the ____DeKalb County___________ Board of Education on _________

Grade Levels Served _____9 - 12_______________

Ages Served ______16 to 21____________________

Proposed Opening/Renewal Date _August, 2017_______

Proposed Charter Term ____5 years_______ (If this is a renewal petition with a term other
than 5 years requested, please give the rationale for the requested term length)

Mission Statement __The School’s mission is to help at-risk students earn a standard high school
diploma and prepare for post-secondary success._______________________________________

For each year of the proposed charter term, please indicate the number of pupils the
charter school plans to serve.

K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Total*
Yr 1 59 60 60 60 239
Yr 2 111 111 111 111 444
Yr 3 123 123 124 124 494
Yr 4 134 134 135 135 538
Yr 5 134 134 135 135 538
Yr 6 134 134 135 135 538
Yr 7 134 134 135 135 538
Yr 8 134 134 135 135 538
Yr 9 134 134 135 135 538
Yr 10 134 134 135 135 538
*Average enrolment for year.

Pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 50-36-1(e)(2), please complete the following Affidavit. A
list of secure and verifiable documents can be found on our website. This form
should be completed by the CEO or President of the Non-profit Corporation.
Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent
June 3, 2014 ● Page 4 of 6

Charter Information 
Name of Proposed Charter School:  DeKalb High School for Accelerated Learning (DHSAL) 
Check one:  __X___ New Start‐Up  _____ New Conversion 
_____ Start‐Up Renewal  _____ Conversion Renewal 
_____ College & Career Academy
If renewal, when was the original charter term start date?   Not applicable
If renewal, for how many charter terms has the school been in existence?  _ Not applicable ___   
Name of the Georgia nonprofit corporation that will hold the charter, if granted: 
DeKalb High School for Accelerated Learning, Inc. 
Contact person:     Jarrod Jordan – Board Chair 
Name  Title 
Contact address:        

Telephone number of contact:  
E‐mail address of contact:    Grade 
Levels Served:   9-12    Ages Served:  __16-21_____________ 
Proposed Opening/Renewal Date:  August 2017   Proposed Charter Term:   5 years_________ 
The Petitioner should indicate all grade levels to be served each year during the charter term. For each year of 
the charter term, please indicate the maximum number of pupils the charter school plans to serve each school 
year. 
Year/Grade  K  1  2  3  4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11  12  Total
2016‐2017  59  60  60  60  239 
2017‐2018  111 111 111  111  444 
2018‐2019  123 123 124  124  494 
2019‐2020  134 134 135  135  538 
2020‐2021  134 134 135  135  538

PETITION TABLE OF CONTENTS

LETTER OF ASSURANCES
PETITION NARRATIVE:
I. THE CASE
1. Why do you want a charter school? ...............................................................................1
2. Charter school mission and support for the legislative intent ........................................4
II. ACADEMIC OBJECTIVES, PLANS, AND WAIVERS
3. What are your school’s performance objectives for the proposed term? .....................11
4. Meeting academic goals ...............................................................................................13
5. Ensuring student performance objectives are met .......................................................17
6. Plans for educating special populations .......................................................................28
7. Meeting the needs of students identified as gifted and talented ..................................28
8. Providing state & federally mandated services for students with disabilities .............29
9. Methods, strategies and/or programs for students receiving supplemental education
services .........................................................................................................................31
10. Methods, strategies and/or programs for meeting the needs of students at-risk of
academic failures through remediation ........................................................................31
11. State & federally mandated services for English Language Learners (ESOL) ...........31
12. Extracurricular or other auxiliary educational activities ..............................................33
13. Specific actions in the academic plan that require a waiver of state law, rule, or
guidelines .....................................................................................................................33
III. ORGANIZATIONAL OBJECTIVES, PLANS, AND WAIVERS
14. Organizational goals and measures ..............................................................................34
15. Specific actions the school will take to achieve its organizational performance
objectives .....................................................................................................................36
16. Specific actions in the organizational plan that require a waiver of state law, rule, or
guidelines .....................................................................................................................38
IV. GOVERNANCE
17. How an autonomous governing board will made decisions for the school .................38
18. Grievances ....................................................................................................................49
19. Appendix for Certificate of Incorporation ...................................................................51
20. Brief description of each governing board member ....................................................51
21. Appendix for Bylaws ...................................................................................................51
22. Appendix for Conflict of Interest Forms .....................................................................51

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V. CONTRACTS WITH EDUCATIONAL SERVICE PROVIDERS
23. Education Service Provider to provide services ..........................................................51
24. Proposed business arrangements / partnerships ...........................................................58
VI. FINANCIAL OBJECTIVES, PLANS, AND WAIVERS
25. School’s Financial Goals and Measures ......................................................................59
26. Specific actions to achieve the financial performance objectives ...............................61
27. Fundraising or other sources of income .......................................................................62
28. Financial plans that require a waiver of state law, rule, or guidelines .........................63
VII. STUDENT ADMISSIONS
29. How will students be admitted to the charter school? .................................................64
VIII. FACILITIES
30. The school facility that the charter school proposes to use .........................................67
31. MOU for the facility pending charter school and facility approval .............................70
32. Certificate of Occupancy (CO) for the proposed facility .............................................70
33. Emergency safety plan pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 20-2-1185 for the proposed facility .70
IX. STUDENT DISCIPLINE
34. Adoption of the DeKalb County School District’s Student Code of Conduct ............71
X. EMPLOYMENT AND HUMAN RESOURCES
35. Organization and management of faculty, instructional staff, and other employees ...71
36. Staff qualifications, recruitment, hiring practices & procedures; compensation .........72
37. How the school will ensure teachers meet the definition of highly qualified ..............73
38. Background checks ......................................................................................................73
39. Employee evaluation ....................................................................................................73
40. State Health Benefit Plan Participation ........................................................................74
XI. OTHER INFORMATION
41. Transportation services ................................................................................................74
42. Food services program .................................................................................................74
43. Information on the school’s legal representation or counsel .......................................75
44. Insurance coverage .......................................................................................................75
45. Additional information to support the information presented .....................................75
46. Letter of Assurances ....................................................................................................75
47. Conversion Charter School Petition Requirements .....................................................75
48. High School Cluster Petition Requirements ................................................................75
49. Petition Renewal Requirements and Executive Summary ...........................................75

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