| Act 22 of 1997 states "the charter school may give preference in enrollment to a child of a parent who has actively participated in the development of the charter school and to siblings of students presently enrolled in the charter school." |
Welcome!
| "Learning how to learn is life's most important skill." -Tony Buzan |
Mt. Jewett Charter Coalition
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"Our Children, Our School, Our Future"
| Meetings The MJACS Board meets the Third Thursday of Every Month at 6:30 pm Coalition Office Main Street, Mt. Jewett |
Charter Appeals Hearing Update. . . . . . . .
Hello Supporters,
Thank you to those individuals that were able to join us on our trip to Harrisburg for the
Charter Appeals Hearing! Everyone who attended will agree it was a great experience and
was definitely worth the trip!
Now, to the question that everyone wants an answer to: How did the hearing go????
We believe that the hearing went very well! We will tell you, that the CAB wears their
"Poker Faces" very well! They make it virtually impossible to tell what they are thinking
or if they swaying in one direction or the other.
Keep in mind that each side (Coalition & The Kane Area School District) had only 15
minutes each, in which to make their case before the CAB. Time management was of
utmost importance. We managed to speak to all the issues we wanted to address and
even save a couple of minutes for a rebuttal to what KASD had to say. Having a great
charter lawyer, Tom Pendleton, is the reason that happened. Both he and Tom Brown (our
proposed CEO of the Charter School) did an incredible job of representing the Coalition!
That being said, after we spoke and after KASD spoke, the CAB had some great questions
for us. The majority of their questions were based around the curriculum that we will offer
at MJACS. We believe that we answered those questions and were able to show them
how the Mt. Jewett Area Charter School will be unique. The CAB seemed impressed with
Tom Brown's background in education and the fact that he has previous Charter School
experience. We are very fortunate to have Tom Brown and all that he has to offer to our
school! The CAB presented the KASD with a few pointed questions also.
We feel very good about the hearing and our chances of having our application approved.
But, we also realize that the CAB is most interested in what makes our school unique and
how our application shows them that we will be an "exceptional" charter school if they
approve our application! These are big shoes to fill, but this is exactly the type of school
that we want our Charter School to be!
The expected date for the CAB to rule on our case is July 28th. Several of us plan to
attend this meeting so that we will be there to hear their ruling in person. In the meantime,
we will continue forward so that we are ready to open the school once we receive the
CAB's ruling and we "ARE GRANTED" our charter school!
Two and half years ago this endeavor to bring a school back into Mt. Jewett began. And,
today was the day our application was put to the test! Over the next month, the CAB will
review all testimony given at the hearing, our application, and the briefs supplied prior to
the hearing.
Thank you very much for your support during this process!! We couldn't have done it
without you! But, keep in mind....there is much still to be done. The classrooms at the
new school must be completed, desks and chairs need prepped for the classrooms, we
will also be conducting interviews for teachers, and obtaining quotes for classroom
materials and computers.
We MUST keep moving forward!
Thank you for your continued support,
Mt. Jewett Charter Coalition
Hello Supporters,
Thank you to those individuals that were able to join us on our trip to Harrisburg for the
Charter Appeals Hearing! Everyone who attended will agree it was a great experience and
was definitely worth the trip!
Now, to the question that everyone wants an answer to: How did the hearing go????
We believe that the hearing went very well! We will tell you, that the CAB wears their
"Poker Faces" very well! They make it virtually impossible to tell what they are thinking
or if they swaying in one direction or the other.
Keep in mind that each side (Coalition & The Kane Area School District) had only 15
minutes each, in which to make their case before the CAB. Time management was of
utmost importance. We managed to speak to all the issues we wanted to address and
even save a couple of minutes for a rebuttal to what KASD had to say. Having a great
charter lawyer, Tom Pendleton, is the reason that happened. Both he and Tom Brown (our
proposed CEO of the Charter School) did an incredible job of representing the Coalition!
That being said, after we spoke and after KASD spoke, the CAB had some great questions
for us. The majority of their questions were based around the curriculum that we will offer
at MJACS. We believe that we answered those questions and were able to show them
how the Mt. Jewett Area Charter School will be unique. The CAB seemed impressed with
Tom Brown's background in education and the fact that he has previous Charter School
experience. We are very fortunate to have Tom Brown and all that he has to offer to our
school! The CAB presented the KASD with a few pointed questions also.
We feel very good about the hearing and our chances of having our application approved.
But, we also realize that the CAB is most interested in what makes our school unique and
how our application shows them that we will be an "exceptional" charter school if they
approve our application! These are big shoes to fill, but this is exactly the type of school
that we want our Charter School to be!
The expected date for the CAB to rule on our case is July 28th. Several of us plan to
attend this meeting so that we will be there to hear their ruling in person. In the meantime,
we will continue forward so that we are ready to open the school once we receive the
CAB's ruling and we "ARE GRANTED" our charter school!
Two and half years ago this endeavor to bring a school back into Mt. Jewett began. And,
today was the day our application was put to the test! Over the next month, the CAB will
review all testimony given at the hearing, our application, and the briefs supplied prior to
the hearing.
Thank you very much for your support during this process!! We couldn't have done it
without you! But, keep in mind....there is much still to be done. The classrooms at the
new school must be completed, desks and chairs need prepped for the classrooms, we
will also be conducting interviews for teachers, and obtaining quotes for classroom
materials and computers.
We MUST keep moving forward!
Thank you for your continued support,
Mt. Jewett Charter Coalition
| A copy of the updated MJACS Charter Application and related documents can be viewed here: MJACS Application |