Pub 9 2019-2020 Issue 3

COVID-19 has brought many unique challenges to charter schools. Utah’s Open and Public Meeting Act (OPMA) sets the standard and expectation that the public’s business must be conducted in public. Even during a pandemic, your charter school board is required by law to follow the OPMA.

UAPCS has partnered with a local professional videographer, Josh Hall, with DreamStock Media, to tell your school’s story. His work has been aired on A&E, Fox, TLC, NPR and others. The theme “Find Your Place” highlights an individual impacted by your school’s unique focus. We work with you to identify the right story. Then, your school films a “Find Your Place” video for use by you and UAPCS. In addition, you can also choose to film another video of your choice on the same day. Some schools have made a promotional video while others have filmed a different student story. We would love to work with you!

Wallace Stegner Academy opened in 2017 and has achieved significant student academic growth each year. WSA focuses on closing the achievement gap with at risk students. Their success comes from focusing on effective curriculum, proven methods and teacher development. Compared with neighborhood schools, their student test scores are two to four times higher.

According to a new questionnaire distributed by the Utah Association of Public Charter Schools, candidates for Utah state offices want to give public education more flexibility in how they structure their schools and classrooms. Not only is their strong support for more charter schools, but the candidates who responded want to reduce the restrictions on how schools can use the funding the state provides, and want to give schools more options in how they measure student achievement.

After moving to Utah 15 years ago, Anya Yeager held an administrative position with the Utah State Office of Child Care as a quality improvement consultant and, for the last decade, has served in the charter school world.

At UAPCS’ fall retreat a couple weeks ago, I was amazed to hear how much optimism and energy is flowing in charter land. COVID is stretching our abilities and limits in ways no one anticipated, and yet we are coping and learning and growing and getting better. It’s amazing to see so many of us rethink our schools and instruction and curriculum, almost from the ground up. But what is emerging, I hope, is more effective use of technologies, better learning platforms, and more individualized instruction. Thank you for all your hard work!