Pub. 5 2015-2016 Issue 1

4 Celebrate Charter Success BY ROYCE VAN TASSELL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UAPCS This remarkable progress begins to show me how grateful I should be for the hard work, grit and wisdom of the many people who’ve made the growth of Utah’s public charter schools possible. Legislative leaders like Howard Stephenson, Brian Allen, the late Marda Dillree, Todd Kiser, Merlynn Newbold, Paul Neuenschwander, Jerry Stevenson, Brad Last, Ron Bigelow and many others cast numerous courageous votes in shaping our charter-friendly policy environment. Current and past members of the State Board of Education and State Charter School Board have shown equal courage in reviewing, approving and improving hundreds of charter applications. Bill Colbert, the lateMarkOpenshaw, Mark Cluff, Barbara Killpack, Tim Beagley and many others nurtured and guided charter schools through the bureaucracy at the State Office of Education. Volunteer pioneers like Eric Smith, Doug Holmes and Sonia Woodbury gave generously of their time and substance to organize and unite a sometimes disparate, fledgling group of charter school supporters. And we can’t forget the people, too numerous to count, who wrote charters, served on founding and governing boards and helped in so many other unrecognized but critical ways. Utah charters succeed precisely because we have worked together. Charter school advocates are passionate, strong- willed people, but our greatest ally has been our willingness and ability to persuade more people to rally with us. Without our growing team of supporters, none of our success would have been possible. So in this year, let’s celebrate together the wonderful work of those who came before, and relish the camaraderie of today’s growing team of charter advocates. We succeed as we continue to work together. T his year UAPCS celebrates its 13th anniversary. Our reasons to celebrate are many, especially when we consider the progress Utah charter schools have made over the past decade. A decade ago fewer than 12,000 students attended less than 60 schools; today more than 68,000 students attend nearly 120 charter schools throughout Utah.