How JPS Solutions Helps Public Charter Schools

JPS Solutions offers a comprehensive array of services and resources to help charter school developers create effective charter schools and to help operating charter schools succeed. Whether your organization is considering developing a charter school or has operated a charter school for years, JPS Solutions can help you achieve your objectives and build a thriving charter school.

Specifically, JPS can help your organization to:

DEVELOP SUCCESSFUL CHARTER SCHOOL APPLICATIONS. The JPS Solutions management team works closely with charter school developers to prepare successful applications and develop effective charter schools. JPS Solutions provides consulting and a variety of online tools that help organizations design effective academic programs, management systems, organizational policies and financial models for their charter schools. JPS Solutions can help you address the application requirements of charter school authorizers and help your organization win approval from the authorizer and create an effective charter school.

In 2004, JPS Solutions helped the New York Center for Autism design and prepare an application to establish the New York Center for Autism Charter School. This charter school uses state-of-the-art research and teaching practices to deliver instruction to students with autism. It is one of the nation’s only charter schools designed exclusively to serve students with autism.

JPS Solutions’ services and resources include—

• Drafting and completing charter concept papers and applications that meet the requirements of charter school authorizers;
• Designing effective, research-based charter school academic programs, policies and practices aligned with state standards;
• Establishing effective governance plans; organizational designs; and financial management plans;
• Facilitating and documenting pre-charter board meetings and other authorizer events;
• Developing budgets that accurately represent the charter school’s programs and financial needs, resources and development plans;
• Preparing documentation that may be requested by the charter school authorizer following the submittal of the charter school application; and
• Warehousing the charter application and related documents in a digital format for use in future planning, grant development and the charter renewal process.

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ACQUIRE AND MAXIMIZE FEDERAL ENTITLEMENT GRANT FUNDING. JPS Solutions works with new and established charter schools to help them obtain their Title I and other entitlement grants. Most charter schools enroll a very high percentage of disadvantaged students, so Title I and other entitlement grants linked to poverty rates represent a substantial share of their annual budgets. Through an integrated package of consulting services and online tools, JPS Solutions works with charter school leaders to develop No Child Left Behind (NCLB)-required Title I LEA Plans, as well as other plans and documents required to secure entitlement grant funding.

JPS Solutions is prepared help your charter school to:

• Draft and complete entitlement grant applications, budgets and other required documents.
• Design Title I programs that meet legal requirements and improve student achievement.
• Ensure that your entitlement grant-funded activities are aligned with state standards and supported by scientifically-based research.
• Warehouse their Consolidated Applications and related documents in a digital format so that they can be used for future entitlement grant applications, planning and grant development.

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WIN COMPETITIVE GRANTS. Millions of dollars in competitive grants are made available to charter schools each year. JPS Solutions works with new and established charter schools to help them identify grant opportunities and win competitive grants. JPS Solutions can work with your charter school to:

• Analyze Requests for Proposals and draft grant proposals, budgets and other required documents.
• Ensure that your proposed grant-funded activities are aligned with state standards and supported by scientifically-based research.
• Create plans, timetables and other tools to help you implement your grant-funded projects effectively.
• Create partnerships and alliances, where appropriate, to improve your chances of getting funded.
• Warehouse grant proposals in a digital format for use in future grant development.

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COMPLY WITH NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND (NCLB) REQUIREMENTS. JPS Solutions works with new and established charter schools to help them comply with NCLB as they implement their programs and manage their operations. JPS Solutions works with charter school leaders and staff members to conduct “NCLB Compliance Assessments” that review each charter school’s plans, programs and policies. These assessments are used to help charter school leaders identify and address “compliance gaps” and to document charter schools’ compliance with NCLB.

JPS Solutions also helps charter school leaders develop NCLB-required policies and documents, including strategic and school improvement plans, school accountability plans, professional development plans, financial management plans, school safety plans, parent involvement policies and parent notification letters. JPS Solutions can help your charter school:

• Coordinate strategic and school improvement planning.
• Align your planning with the commitments, objectives and timelines set forth in your charter application.
• Document your meetings with calendars, agendas, minutes and timelines.
• Facilitate communication between everyone involved in planning activities so that all plans are coordinated, mutually supportive and designed to achieve compatible, charter-based objectives.
• Implement procedures, practices and protocols to ensure that the plans you create are implemented and evaluated on an ongoing basis and modified, as needed.
• Warehouse all plans and supporting documentation in a digital format so that they can be used for ongoing planning, grant development and initiatives to promote continuous improvement.

SUCCESSFULLY MEET REQUIREMENTS FOR CHARTER RENEWAL. The major challenge facing all charter schools is to establish a successful charter school program—and to measure and document this success—so that the charter will be renewed at the end of its term. If a charter school fails to have its charter renewed, it must close.

JPS Solutions can help your charter school engage successfully in the charter renewal process. All charter schools must submit periodically to a rigorous review process conducted by their respective authorizers in order to renew their charters. If a charter school is unable to demonstrate measurable student achievement, sound fiscal and operations management, legal and regulatory compliance and strong parental and community support, it will be forced to close its doors.

JPS Solutions believes that the process of charter renewal begins during the development of the charter application and is firmly underway at the first day of the charter school’s operations. Charter schools cannot afford to wait until their authorizers commence formal end-of-charter renewal activity before they focus their attention on renewal. Instead, they must begin preparing for renewal from day one.

JPS Solutions has helped numerous charter schools to successfully navigate the charter renewal process. JPS Solutions can help your charter school:

• Prepare required reports and narrative responses to authorizers’ renewal applications.
• Review student achievement data, authorizer inspection reports and related information to document achievement of academic and management-related targets and goals, to prepare for authorizer site visits and to address issues that may impact authorizer decisions regarding renewal.
• Organize data effectively so that authorizer questions and concerns can be addressed quickly, completely and efficiently.
• Warehouse all renewal-related documents in a digital format so that they can be accessed easily when needed.