Pub. 1 2011-2012 Issue 1

4 I n this newworld we live in, I often wonder if we are more or less connected than we used to be. On one hand, we are interconnected to people all across the globe. We can easily connect with people regardless of location and immediately see amazing images from distant and remote places. On the other hand, how connected are we really while staring at our Facebook wall or Twitter feed. (I can guarantee that my wife does not think I am a very good listener when I am surfing the web on my iPad and watching a baseball game on TV at the same time.) Charter schools face some of these same dilemmas. Schools just blocks apart from one another have little to no interaction with one another. Charters are designed to be autonomous, independent and maybe even a little feisty. Founders design a school culture that has to attract enough students and parents to be able to pay the bills. Every dollar is precious and must be prioritized against all of the pressing wants and needs. But among that independence we have a responsibility to share best practices both within the charter community and with the education community as a whole. We have a responsibility to the taxpayers. We have a responsibility to make sure that we create an environment where future charters and choice can flourish and expand. I believe we have a need to have some con- nectivity to one another. As Benjamin Franklin said, “We must hang together else, we shall most assuredly hang separately.” This is a major reason we need a vibrant association. Our voices will most assuredly be louder together rather than separate. The Utah Association of Public Charter Schools is poised to be a real leader in education. The main reason for that oppor- tunity is the incredible work that you are doing. This is your Association and we are excited to share your work with key stakeholders and the public at large. I want to thank those that had the foresight to start charters and create this Association. They had a great deal of vision. As a result of their vision we have spent a great deal of time working to focus their vision and create our strategic plan. We take seriously the importance of using your dollars wisely. Our strategic plan is focused on the areas where we believe we create the most value for our schools. We have listened to our members to make sure we have a product that you would feel confident in recommending to future school leaders. We designed Charterology to fit our strategic plan. Each issue will have sections dedicated to advocacy, training, communica- tion and engagement, and support. Our hope is this will give you a better understanding of our goals, mission and vision as well as propel the charter school movement forward in Utah. Together we will continue to have a vibrant charter school movement in Utah. By Chris R. Bleak, President | UAPCS Message