Pub. 1 2011-2012 Issue 2

4 T he 2012 legislative session may well be remembered as one of the most signifi- cant sessions since charter schools were originally created. The Utah State Legislature passed a number of key bills for charter schools including SB 152 – Charter School Credit En- hancement by Senator John Valentine and Repre- sentative Derek Brown. You will see a great deal of focus from us on the credit enhance- ment program. There is a roundtable interview in this issue that focuses on the program with all the people who played a key role in creating and developing this bill. SB 152 will significantly help keep more taxpayers’ dollars in the classroom of qualified charter schools. I know you will put these dollars into educating students, paying teachers, technology, etc. We will also focus on 152 at our conference and at future meetings. This program comes with great opportunity as well as significant responsibility. Every charter school will need to raise its financial oversight and management. However, as we raise the bar, we will have tremendous savings. There were other significant bills passed this year including HB 397, sponsored by Representative Brad Dee and Senator How- ard Stephenson. This bill appropriates $2.5 million dollars to charter school start up grants. This will allow new charters to be created and start on a firm financial ground. We worked hard this year to make sure Governor Gary Herbert understood the significance of this money and I want to thank him for including this request in his budget recommendations. Representative Ryan Wilcox and Senator Aaron Osmond sponsored HB 500, which directs the State Board of Education, in consultation with representatives of dis- tricts and charter schools, to determine how to modify or eliminate reporting require- ments. Hopefully, this collaborative effort will result in fewer reporting requirements and more time available for you to spend helping students and growing your school. The charter school influence was noted in a number of ways during this session. We had the largest turnout for our Charter Day on the Hill with over 30 schools and 600 in attendance. Thank you for your participation! This has a significant impact on the legislators. In addition, an article in the Deseret News characterized UAPCS as one of the top “powerhouse” organizations. They put us in the same category as groups such as the Utah League of Cities and Towns and Utah Association of Realtors, two groups that have fantastic reputations on Utah’s Capitol Hill. I want to thank those, who have in the past and will sacrifice an immense amount of their free time in the future to promote the charter school movement and to stand up for what all of us believe in: a better education for our children! At UAPCS we are constantly working to ensure that we are providing the best possible support to our charter schools. I hope you have enjoyed our trainings and networking breakfasts this year. Our next highlight of the year is the 6th annual Charter School Conference. The conference will be held at the South Towne Expo Center on June 12-13. We are bringing in experts from across the nation to share their knowledge. I hope you will join us for two full days of professional development, best practices, and fun. Thank you for being a vital part of Utah’s Charter School Move- ment. Together we will continue to make a difference. PRESIDENT By Chris Bleak, President | UAPCS PR IDENT’S Message