The end of another school year is fast approaching. And not just any school year. For those of us with a long enough memory, we know that this is the end of the 25th year of charter schools in Utah. Many of us gathered in January for a 25-year gala. We’ll continue that celebration at our conference, where we’ll celebrate the leaders who paved the paths that we are treading today and look forward to the possibilities of tomorrow and beyond.

In this issue of Charterology, we take some time to celebrate our successes by profiling charter school graduates so transformed by their school that they returned to work at the school now that they are “adulting.” In many ways, our graduates are the best indicators of our success. So we’re thrilled to share with all of you many of the graduates you’ve introduced us to.

We also look back on the great time we had at this year’s Charter Day on the Hill. There’s a lot of preparation that my team and I put in to make that “party” happen, but it’s always a great party. I hope everyone enjoyed their tours of the Capitol. I was so thrilled with the performances your students shared. The legislature heard your voices and saw the great things you are doing across the state. Utah’s legislators like charter schools because you do such great work.

Speaking of which, the legislature has adjourned sine die. We now have a relatively clear picture of what the funding and legal structures we’ll work with next year are going to be: 4% increase in the WPU and 9% increase in the LRF. Later in this issue, you’ll see a broader summary of the key funding increases the legislature put in the education budget and a similar summary of important policy changes the legislature adopted.

This issue also previews some of UAPCS’ programs to help schools open and stay strong. Our ACES series helps develop a pipeline of directors ready to take the reins when directors retire, start another school or move on for any of a myriad of other reasons. Similarly, you’ll read about the experiences of Taylor Smith, the first graduate of UAPCS’ incubator program, and the school directors he worked with. We are looking forward to three more participants next year and hope that these combined programs will help our new schools and new campuses start and stay strong.

And of course, you’ll see a preview of our upcoming conference. We’ll have well over 80 breakout sessions on topics ranging from “AI in Utah Education” to “Winning the Hearts and Minds of Parents.” We hope you’ll all join us again this year.

Connections Academy has done some remarkable work flipping the classroom, and their director takes a few pages to talk about how teachers can use a flipped classroom to deepen students’ understanding. (Sometimes, I wonder why it’s taken us so long to figure out that the infamous “Sage on the Stage” was never the best use of a teacher’s skill!)

This issue closes with an excellent article on how and along what dimensions boards should evaluate their school’s director. In many ways, the relationship between the director and the board is the most important in a school’s success. And the process of evaluating a director is key to identifying key strengths and weaknesses and planning how each can reinforce each other. In her article, Kim distills her decades of board and director experience to help us better understand how to make that process successful and that relationship stronger.

Keep up the good work. Enjoy this beautiful spring as summer wrestles winter for dominance. Spring in Utah is so beautiful. Breathe in the fresh air, and let’s celebrate the next 25 years of greatness in Utah’s charter schools.