Pub. 4 2014-2015 Issue 1

8 UAPCS Chosen for Charter School Mentoring Grant BY DEBBY LLEWELYN A fter a rigorous application and selec- tion process, the Utah Association of Public Charter Schools (UAPCS) was awarded a 3 year charter school mentoring and training grant. Under our Charter School University brand/logo, we will expand our train- ing department by implementing a wide variety of training and mentoring resources for ALL public charter schools in the state. Our association wants every charter school in the state to succeed. Our goal is to make good charter schools great and to assist all charter schools with training and mentoring resources. We are committed to providing high quality training and support in a variety of areas that will be covered in this article. Successful charter schools are guided and backed by strong governing boards, skilled and knowledgeable administrators, highly qualified teachers, and fiscally responsible business managers. Our trainings will support all of these positions in a variety of ways to ensure that each school has the best possible tools and resources while remaining true to their charter and con- tinuing to focus on what makes their school innovative and unique. Here’s what our mentoring programmeans for your school: Regional Mentoring Teams Regional mentoring teams will be located in Northern, Central and Southern Utah, with the understanding that these locations may change based on charter school needs. By organizing these regionally, the mentor teams will be able to respond in a timely and efficient manner. Each mentoring team will consist of three people: a board member, an administrator and a business manager. Acting as first responders, mentors will provide guidance, sup- port and resources to charter school governing boards and administrators. They will assist schools in setting goals and establishing a timeline of achievement. Mentors will be assigned based on school requests or referrals from the State Charter School Board. The delivery method for the mentoring visit/contact may take place in a variety of forms: one-on-one, phone call, e-mentoring, videoconference, group or team situations. Mentors will also be available to address any questions or concerns your school may have that are submitted through the Charter School University On-Line Help Desk.