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SubscribeJefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) today opened the application period for prospective charter schools with the release of its Request for Charter School Applications (RFCSA). Applications, for schools looking to open in the 2020/21 school year, are due at noon on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019.
The process includes a review by district personnel and community partners of each application submitted, applicant interviews and public comment.
This is the second cycle for charter school applications that JCPS has held. The district opened its inaugural application cycle this spring – the only Kentucky school district to do so since passage of charter school legislation in 2017.
“Although the legislation made every district school board a charter school authorizer, JCPS is the only district to actually be proactive in putting together a process to be in compliance with the law,” said Cassie Blausey, JCPS executive administrator for school choice.
The Jefferson County RFCSA will include the Kentucky Charter School Application as well as additional questions specific to community needs in Jefferson County. In addition, the RFCSA will include more information about the form, format and information required for the completion of the application.
Potential applicants are encouraged to contact Blausey at cassiopia.blausey@jefferson.kyschools.us, or at (502) 485-3138, for more information.
Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) Acting Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio announced the hiring of a director of school choice and diversity hiring specialist.
“JCPS will continue aggressively pursuing the goals outlined in Vision 2020, and these positions will allow us to strategically prepare and plan for the future,” Dr. Pollio said.
Cassiopia Blausey will join the district as the director of school choice. She will be responsible for supporting the Jefferson County Board of Education (JCBE) in its role as a charter school authorizer. Her role will also include providing administrative leadership, management, and implementation of district processes and procedures as they relate to charter school authorization.
Blausey is currently a policy advisor for the Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE) Office of Continuous Improvement and Support. She is a former teacher in Nevada, assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in Jefferson County, and research analyst for the state’s Office of Education and Accountability. Blausey is a graduate of Centre College and earned her master’s in education from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and legal degree from the University of Louisville.
Ashley Duncan will join the district as the diversity hiring specialist, providing support and guidance for minority recruitment and retention in the hiring of JCPS employees. She will collaborate with human resources, recruitment, principals, and hiring supervisors to ensure a fair, inclusive, and equitable hiring process. Duncan will implement practices designed to widen and diversify the pool of candidates considered for employment openings, including vacancies in upper-level management.
She joins JCPS from Transit Authority of River City (TARC). During her career at TARC, Duncan served as a director of diversity and inclusion, civil rights program manager, an equal employment opportunity manager, and ombudsman. She also serves the community through volunteerism, contributing to several local boards. Duncan is a JCPS graduate and earned her undergraduate and master’s degrees from Spalding University.
“We are proud to welcome our new team members, who appreciate the opportunity to build something special here at JCPS,” Dr. Pollio said. “Every day, we are focusing on improving culture and climate, increasing student learning, and providing organizational coherence. These two additions to our staff help move us even closer to our goals.”
Blausey and Duncan will begin their positions on January 2.
Gov. Matt Bevin, joined by legislators, education officials and community leaders, ceremonially signed House Bill 520 in the State Capitol Rotunda. Enacted during the regular session of the 2017 General Assembly, HB 520 enables the creation of public charter schools for the first time in the Commonwealth.
“We owe it to the generations yet to come to provide them with an equal opportunity for a quality education,” said Gov. Bevin. “I’m grateful to the men and women who are working to educate our young people; and the best and brightest among them are begging for some change to a bureaucratic system. We simply want to give choices to parents and to students — to give every child an opportunity. That’s what this bill is about.”
The legislation makes Kentucky the 44th state in the nation with charter schools, which are tuition-free, open enrollment public schools. While the Commonwealth’s charter schools will be granted greater flexibility and autonomy than traditional public schools, they will also experience greater performance accountability than traditional public schools.
“Charter schools in Kentucky mean more education opportunities for our youth who happen to live in low-performing districts,” said Rep. Bam Carney, the chief sponsor of the charter school bill. “Every single student deserves the best shot at a quality education that will prepare them for a lifetime, and I’m proud to have had the opportunity to support this important measure. Kentucky’s students are bright, and with an education to match, the entire Commonwealth’s future will shine.”
HB 520 outlines how charter schools — termed achievement academies — are to be authorized: by local boards of education or by the mayors of Louisville and Lexington. If a charter school application is denied, it can then go through an appeals process with the Kentucky Board of Education (KBE).
Since the bill was passed in March, regulations have been promulgated on student applications, charter applications, appeals to the authorizer accountability, the process for converting existing public schools into public charter schools, and appeals to KBE.
“Across the country, specialized forms of education are accelerating learning for children who are often the hardest to reach in a traditional school framework,” said Hal Heiner, Secretary of the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet. “I applaud Kentucky’s legislature for passing House Bill 520, a monumental step in providing parents a different, innovative choice in public education for the specific learning needs of their child.”
According to HB 520, public charter schools are required to participate in the state assessment and accountability system, and required to meet the academic performance standards agreed upon in their charters. Charter schools that fail to meet of make significant progress toward meeting those standards would be closed by their board authorizers.