EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE Royce Van Tassell Executive Director, UAPCS This edition of Charterology celebrates 25 years since the opening of the first charter schools in Utah. We have a chance to look back at the beginnings of the movement through the eyes of two pioneers, Eric and Michelle Smith. Their leadership has spanned the years at schools, at UAPCS and on the State Charter School Board. In the present, we can see the impact of a Karl G. Maeser Preparatory Academy education on two alumni. And looking forward, UAPCS stays busy with advocacy and support. GOOD NEWS FOR UTAH’S CHARTER SCHOOLS The U.S. Department of Education recently notified UAPCS that it is receiving a $44 million grant to expand high-quality charter schools in Utah. We will administer this grant over five years to develop high-quality new charter schools and to help existing high-quality charter schools open new campuses. The federal grant is part of the U.S. Department of Education’s Charter School Program (CSP). State-level applicants compete for a share of the annual $440 million Congress has appropriated for the CSP. Strict federal rules govern how new charter schools may use these funds. For example, new schools and new campuses can hire a director, rent office space and get the training, technology, software and supplies new charter schools need to start strong. The federal grant will also allow UAPCS to expand our “new director incubator,” which embeds potential directors in existing charter schools for a year before their own school opens. It provides them with hands-on experience running the day-to-day operations of a school, budgeting, HR, compliance and the myriad other tasks inherent in running a charter school. This grant is perhaps the most significant opportunity Utah charter schools have had in the past decade. It provides a strong incentive for existing schools to perform well, attract more parents, succeed and expand. It also creates an incentive for education innovators to flesh out new models so that more students can find their place. A LEGISLATIVE AGENDA Fiscal Projections UAPCS will shepherd several pieces of legislation through the 2025 Legislature, and we’ll talk more about them in the coming weeks and months. But schools naturally want a better sense of the fiscal impacts they should anticipate. A variety of reports from the State Tax Commission and the Legislature make clear that, unlike the last several years, legislative coffers will not be overflowing. Nevertheless, the existing Utah code has already banked an increase in the Weighted Pupil Unit (WPU) of about 3.9%. In other words, the base budget the Legislature will adopt the first week of the General Session is almost certain to include that increase. By contrast, every other portion of the state budget will be clamoring to avoid budget cuts. UAPCS is also working with a variety of charter school stakeholders to improve the structure of charter school base funding. Given the uncertainty around tax collections this year, it is hard to predict whether we will see the increase we are hoping for here. However, we hope to structure it so that inflation doesn’t eat into the purchasing power of this line item. We will keep you apprised as negotiations continue. LOOKING FORWARD TO ANOTHER GREAT 25 YEARS 4
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