Pub. 5 2015-2016 Issue 1

6 BOARD Message BY BRAD NELSON, SPECTRUM ACADEMY, BOARD CHAIR UAPCS Building on the Best As we start another school year, it’s a good idea to take a minute to look back and see how far we have come as a charter school community. We all know the numbers; today over 60,000 students receive their education in more than 120 charter schools in Utah. Charter schools accommodate more than two thirds of the student growth in our State. But is being bigger necessarily being better? In the vast majority of charter schools in our state the answer is a resounding yes! The choices that families have in Utah is astounding and second to none in the country. So, where do we go from here and how do we get even better? I believe the answer lies in looking at each other. Every charter school in this state has unique and innovative methods they’ve developed in curriculum, classroommanagement, finance and facilities, management, and Board governance. We have had to be creative in order to survive and that creativity has enabled us to thrive. There is no doubt that very few challenges arise in our schools that somebody else has not already experienced. We need to leverage that wisdom and experience! We need to work together with a common purpose as members of an association and statewide movement to share our experiences and best practices with each other. UAPCS provides several ways to share, learn and become involved. Attendance and participation at member meetings, action committees, conferences, training programs, and the mentoring program are just a few examples. I strongly encour- age each of us to go the UAPCS website and discover different ways you can get involved and help others in our charter school community. And who knows? You might just learn a few new things along the way! Our charter schools are truly run by the best, most dedicated and innovative educators in the world. Let’s take time to learn from the best each of us has to offer and continue to build great charter schools in Utah! UTAH ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS BOARD OF DIRECTORS: BRAD NELSON (Chair) SpectrumAcademy (801) 936-0318 ext. 4009 / (801) 440-3150 bnelson@spectrumcharter.org CHRIS BLEAK Ascent Academy (801) 680-8141 Cbleak@ascentutah.org GERRY HASSELL (TREASURER) Banner Bank (801) 208 4078 / (801) 520-3011 gwhassell@gmail.com DR. DEBORAH SWENSEN Hawthorn Academy (801) 282-9066 DSwensen@hawthornacademy.org JESSIE KIDD Greenwood Academy (801) 409-0710 / (801) 388-3967 jkforkids@gmail.com TIRZAHANDERSON (Secretary) Thomas Edison (435) 757-8288 / (435) 752-4417 rogerandtirzah@gmail.com STACEY HUTCHINGS UtahVirtual Academy (801) 884-3224 shutchings@k12.com STAFF MEMBERS ROYCEVANTASSELL Executive Director (801) 836-7028 royce@utahcharters.org TINA SMITH Chief Operations Officer (801) 558-7246 tina@utahcharters.org DEBBY LLEWELYN Training Director (801) 318-0911 debby@utahcharters.org JOYLIN LINCOLN Program Coordinator (801) 367-8191 Joylin@utahcharters.org CATE KLUNDT Communications & Media Relations (702) 767-3994 Cate@utahcharters.org TWITTER: @UTAHCHARTERS FACEBOOK: FACEBOOK.COM/UAPCS WWW.UTAHCHARTERS.ORG