Pub. 1 2011-2012 Issue 2

10 By Jennifer Perry, Board Chair | Endeavor Hall S tarting a charter school is a daunting task, and definitely not one for the faint of heart. Having dwelt in “charter land” for nearly seven years, I have learned a lot about what it takes to open successfully. Last March, Endeavor Hall was approved to open in West Valley City with a waiver to open in 2011 instead of 2012. As the co-founder and Board Chair I knew we had a lot to do in a very short amount of time, but because of a well-assembled team, expe- rience, and a lot of preparation we opened successfully. Over the course of the school year, we have had less than three percent of our student body withdraw, and only have nine students not returning for the 2012-2013 school year. Our board is often asked how we were able to do it; the following are a few recom- mendations we have. The first key is to assemble a strong and diverse team. Nobody has control of everything and everyone has control of something. As board chair I received progress reports from the committee chairs (all headed by board members), but I was not involved with every detail. As chair, I focused primarily on the facility and training our administration. Having a team with expertise in marketing and public relations is critical. Spending time making sure administrators understand and share the vision is crucial, and without good marketing and public relations, your beautiful dream will never become a reality. My other word of advice here is to recognize and admit where your weakness is and address it. Our board is very skilled in many areas, and we have a very competent accountant who serves as our board treasurer. However, as we looked at what we wanted