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Charter School Association of Nevada
Legislative Outlook 2017
Chartering better education for Nevada
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Let us know if your school is in the news!
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Nevada's first Charter School Student Voice on the State Board of Education
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Oasis Academy Junior Hunter Drost Oath of Office being administered by Judge Stockard
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Opportunity is what allows individuals to thrive in an environment that they might not otherwise get the chance to compete in. Nevada provides students this opportunity every day. They are given the opportunity to succeed in the classroom, to choose schools that best fit their needs, and, for Oasis Academy student Hunter Drost, the opportunity to serve on Nevada’s State Board of Education.
As stated on the Nevada Department of Education website, “The Nevada State Board of Education acts as an advocate and visionary for all children and sets the policy that allows every child equal access to educational services, provides the vision for a premier educational system and works in partnership with other stakeholders to ensure high levels of success for all in terms of job readiness, graduation, ability to be lifelong learners, problem solvers, citizens able to adapt to a changing world and contributing members of society.”
The board is composed of eleven remarkable and talented individuals from all areas of Nevada, including four elected members and seven appointed members. One of these appointed members is always a student representative. This year, for the first time in the State of Nevada history, that student representative will be from a public charter school.
Hunter Drost is from Fallon, Nevada which resides about 50 miles east of Reno. Hunter essentially grew up in the charter school system- first starting at Oasis Academy in 2011 and attending 6-8th grade there. When Hunter finished 8th grade he was unable to continue his education at Oasis due to the high school not being completed. Hunter attended the local high school, but immediately transferred back to Oasis Academy when the high school opened in 2015. Hunter is currently a junior at the school, and is looking forward to being a positive advocate for students’ needs across the entire state.
Hunter brings more to the board than just being a student. Hunter believes that he will bring a unique perspective to the board that will benefit not only those in charter schools, but all students in Nevada. Hunter’s goals are not limited to simply being a voice on the board, but his major priority is to ensure that the State of Nevada’s assets are being equally divided among the state. Hunter wishes to help the state as a whole, but also has goals regarding charter schools. Hunter stated that there is a lot of misconceptions on what exactly a charter school is. During his time on the board, he plans to educate and work within his capacity to instruct state officials and the public on the nature of charter schools and how they operate.
Hunter will serve on the Board of Education for the next year, and will serve alongside prominent Nevadan Elaine Wynn. Through their efforts, the board hopes to accomplish many tasks including ensuring all students are proficient in reading by third grade, and that all graduating high school seniors are college and career ready. Hunter has already demonstrated his readiness for education at the university level. In addition to being a charter school student, Hunter is part of the Dual Enrollment Program at Western Nevada College, and will graduate high school with a diploma and an Associate’s degree. Hunter is undecided about where he will attend college, but wants to study political science before attending law school. His long term plans include continuing public service and running for public office in the future.
Hunter wanted to thank Oasis Academy staff Rochelle A. Tisdale and Jennifer Mortensen for helping him obtain this position. Hunter is an outstanding example of what a Nevada charter school student can and should be, and we at the Charter School Association of Nevada know he will serve Nevada students well.
Michael Lienhard
Michael Lienhard is Assistant Director of Charter School Association of Nevada. Michael is from Roseville, California where he attended public school for his K-12 education. Education has been something Michael has always valued, and has been prevalent in his family with both his mother and sister being elementary school teachers. In the past Michael has interned for United States Senator Dean Heller, and advocated for school choice while working for Americans for Prosperity. Michael is graduating from the University of Nevada, Reno this spring, and plans to continue to advocate for education policy in Nevada, and across the country.
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School Choice and Charter Schools
Patty Mudd
Parent and Coral Academy Reno Board Member
The most important job I have had in my life has been parenting my children. My oldest is 42 and my youngest are 18 year-old triplets. With all 6 of my children, I tried to choose the best possible educational platform, from private, parochial, traditional and finally charter choices. It has been a long road over many years, but I believe the triplets received the best opportunity for growth and safety at Coral Academy of Science Reno.
As a parent, I looked at all the options in Reno. Their older brother had graduated from the IB program at Wooster, but they had issues with technology being at least 12 years behind the curve as well as safety and theft issues. We had already left parochial school for many reasons I will not state here. I had looked at Coral when my older son was ready for middle school, but Coral was just starting and did not have high school yet. I kept an eye on Coral over the years to see how they were doing and once they were ready to open the new elementary campus, decided it was time to see if I could get all 3 accepted.
The decision to put them in Coral was the best decision I ever made. With Coral making the change from strictly a STEM school to a STEAM school, all 3 were offered the classes they wanted at the same school. Their class sizes were always lower than any of the other schools in the area and the teachers are there because they love teaching in the environment at Coral. The dedication of the teachers is unwavering and the support from the families who choose Coral is more than I have seen over my many years of experience with many schools.
As a Board Member now for over 5 years, I find the ability of Coral to do so much more and be more successful on 50% of the total funding the traditional schools receive here in Washoe County, to be the unsung success story in education. With the ability to guide our own future without the burden of overhead that large school districts have created, we are able to make decisions quickly and then modify direction as needed. At Coral, 17% of our $6800 per student total funding goes to facilities and overhead while the balance goes directly to teachers and programming for our students. Compare that to WCSD spending 50% of their $14,000 per student total funding for buildings and the other half for educating the students! All numbers above are approximations. Imagine Coral and other charters receiving the same funding that the large school districts receive and what could be accomplished with obviously better management.
As Coral grows, we will continue to add new programs. We now are offering sports such as football, track, weight lifting, basketball. volleyball, and soccer. Listening to our parents and students allows Coral to grow with the needs of the families and staff in mind. I believe the best education in the Reno/Sparks area is within the walls of the Coral campuses. As the laws hopefully are changed to allow comparable funding for Charter schools in Nevada, I believe the locally run Charter schools will thrive and offer the best education for all the families in our state. Parents and local businesses know what they need and should have a larger role in choosing and supporting the right educational institution, and I believe in our state, it is the Charter choice!
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The 74 – May 1st, 2017
The deal provides an additional $9 million for federal charter school programs, for a total of $342 million, and another $1 million for magnet schools, for a total of about $98 million.
St. Louis Public Radio – May 2nd, 2017
It’s been nearly 20 years since charter school took root in Missouri, bringing independently operated but publicly funded education to St. Louis and Kansas City. Often touted as a means of allowing parents flexibility when it comes to their kids’ education, “school choice” expansion is growing in favor among Republican politicians, including U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and Missouri Republican Gov. Eric Greitens.
In the coming months, St. Louis Public Radio will detail the world of charter schools. But, as any teacher would tell you, an introductory lesson is the first place to start.
my Statesman – May 1st, 2017
The state Senate has cleared a bill that would help save Texas charter schools money by allowing them more state-backed construction bonds. Senate Bill 1480, which would allocate an additional $3 billion of the Permanent School Fund to back charter school bonds, passed the Senate Monday, with four Republicans voting against the measure. The $30 billion Permanent School Fund, the largest education endowment in the country, guarantees bonds from traditional school districts and charter schools, allowing them to borrow money for construction at lower interest rates.
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Opinion/Commentary Articles
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Please Note: The following is a sampling of opinion articles about charter schools that appeared in the media. The opinions in these articles do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Charter School Association of Nevada (CSAN).
Opportunity 180 – May 4th, 2017
The number of Clark County residents has more than doubled in the past 25 years. As a result, Clark County School District (CCSD) has become the fifth-largest in the country, and nearly two dozen public charter schools now serve local students.
Public School Choice as Competitive Advantage: A Look at Denver Public Schools
Education Next – May 2nd, 2017
Denver Public Schools (DPS) has garnered a reputation for pragmatism, collaboration, and innovation. According to a 2015 report on district-charter collaboration from the Fordham Institute, DPS has “engaged charters more deeply than any of the other cities we studied, due in no small part to a decade of district leadership with a strong belief in the value of a portfolio strategy, a significant number of third-party stakeholders who have encouraged engagement, and an education landscape that gives the district a stake in charter success.”
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Community Calendar
Th
e following is a list of events put on by Schools and organizations throughout the state:
Event:
Utah Association of Public Charter Schools 11th annual charter school conference
Date:
June 6-7th, 2017
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Education Blogs, Forums and Resources
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Below are some other great education reform news, blog and discussion sites that may be of interest:
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More about Charter School Association of Nevada
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