URBAN HOPE ACT IN CAMDEN

April 2012

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AGENDA/OBJECTIVES

1. Review of UHA Bill/process2. Go through RFP3. Next steps

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1. Collect input for RFP process2. Determine next steps to move initiative

forward in Camden

Out of scope for today: Specific regulations. Decisions that will be made by the nonprofit such as school naming/HR processes. A specific school – this is a general conversation about UHA.

REVIEW URBAN HOPE ACTREVIEW URBAN HOPE ACT

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• State will provide funding to school

• State provides framework for how students will be admitted to school

• State will administer state assessments

• State will continually assess and grant renewal of charter if appropriate

• State will produce reports on performance of Renaissance schools

• Role of state vs. board

WHO DOES WHATR

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BILL REGULATIONS RFQCOMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Overarching framework enabling Renaissance schools to be built.

Define details on how the bill will be interpreted.

Vehicle to enable providers to share qualifications of services for board to select optimal partner.

Process for collecting feedback from commu-nity that will assist in selecting optimal nonprofit provider

Questions that will be answered during this process/segment and what to look for:

• What needs to be in application to NJ DOE

• Process for enabling an UHA school

• How funding will be administered to schools

• Details around school assessment/renewal/closing process

• ?

• Organizations that qualify to become renaissance schools

• Competitive advantages of each of these organizations

• Track record for improving student performance

• History of engaging community around student achievement

• Readiness of nonprofit to execute its model/ building immediately

• Flexibility of organization in partnering with community

• Whether partner organization’s learning model will engage students/community

• Can organization holistically deal with all aspects of student need

• ?

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Board/District

•Select nonprofit entity to partner with for Renaissance schools•Amend the district’s Long-Range Facilities Plan (in collaboration with City)

Nonprofit/for profit entity•Construct, control, operate, and manage Renaissance school•All educational aspects need to be delivered by nonprofit•Complete discretion in naming their school•Ensure student success in state administered student assessments•Hiring/firing of staff

Together

Application between Board and Nonprofit sharing:• Research that the renaissance school will improve academic achievement in the

renaissance school district• The updated facilities plan • Strength of the support from the board of education, parents and the school district

UHA REVIEW

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City of Camden

•Advise/support board with above responsibilities•Assist with enabling operators within City•LRFP collaboration (see above)

Who does what:

FROM BILL TO BUILD

Process FlowchartThis is a high level flow chart of the major steps getting a Renaissance School project off of the ground.

Passing of UHA bill

Regulations developed to

support/ enable bill

Community engagement

District develops and releases RFP

Selection of optimal

nonprofits

Develop application with

nonprofit

Submit application to

NJ DOE

Introductions/ meetings with non

profits

Renaissance school

confirmed and development

begins

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TIMELINETIMELINE

JAN-MAR APR-JUN JUL-SEP OCT-DEC

2012

2013

RFP Application process

Build renaissance school

Community inputBoard select nonprofit

Board /non-profit develop application

Submit application to NJ DOE

Commissioner decision

Clear red tape

Break Ground

Renaissance school open

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RFP

Mike Azzara, State Monitor for Camden

RFP

Mike Azzara, State Monitor for Camden

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Purpose of RFPo To select a non profit entity or entities to construct, operate and maintain

up to 4 renaissance school projects dedicated to providing district students with the education, facilities and resources to prepare them for college and career.

Evaluation Process oRFP process is an open and fair one and explained in the RFPoRFP contains the criteria to select up to four nonprofit(s) among the

respondents oAssemble evaluation committee and establish weighted scoring processoRank proposals based on responsiveness to criteria

RFP

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Rights of Board o Reject any or all proposals, postpone or cancel RFP and/or waive informalities o Supplement or modify RFP for any reason deemed in the District’s best

interestso Select a number of non-profits, based on proposals, for negotiations.o Issue additional solicitations for information or proposalso Investigate and request additional information to clarify and verify proposalso Conduct discussions with non-profits to assure full understanding of RFP

requirementso Decline to award an Agreement for any lawful purpose or to abandon the RFP

processo Accept the Proposal(s) which best serves the District’s interests

RFP

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RFP

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TASK DATES o April xx, 2012 Request for Proposals advertised to non-profits.

o May xx, 2012 Final Date Board will accept questions on RFP.

o June xx, 2012 Proposals due from non-profit entities.

o June xx, 2012 Negotiations begin with non-profit entities.

o July xx, 2012 Negotiations with non-profits are completed.

o July xx, 2012 Decision(s) made by Board.

RFP

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Information Required for District Evaluation

o Educational goals; curriculum; assessment methods and a performance framework including goals in at least four areas:

Academic achievement (growth and absolute) measured on a variety of instruments and compared to peer schools;

College readiness criteria; School climate and culture as measured by a survey; and Other objective measures such as student attendance,

teacher attendance, etc. oAny mandated testing and academic performance standards

beyond those required by State law and regulation

RFP

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Information Required for District Evaluation – Continued

o The admission policy and criteria for evaluating student admissions which comply with provisions of the Urban Hope Act.

o The age or grade range of students to be enrolled.o The total number of students to be enrolled in each grade level.o The average class sizes by grade for regular education classes and

by disability for classes for special education students which shall not exceed prescribed class sizes .

o Experience in the delivery of instruction and related services to students with disabilities and English Language Learners.

o The renaissance school’s calendar and school day schedule.o The financial plan for the renaissance school project and the

provisions to be made for auditing pursuant to NJS18A:23-1o A description of, and address for, the proposed school facility(ies)

RFP

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Information Required for District Evaluation – Continued

o The proposed attendance area’s need for improved student achievement relative to other District schools

o The proposed attendance area’s need for new facilities due to overcrowding, facility conditions and/or educational adequacy

oA description of proposed staffing, administration and operation of the school - All principals, administrators, teachers and professional support staff shall hold appropriate NJ certifications

oDocumentation that the proposed renaissance school project meets or exceeds the prescribed facilities efficiency standards and state regulations

oDocumentation of funds available to construct the renaissance school project, including the terms of any financing secured

RFP

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Information Required for District Evaluation – Continued

o If the project includes land acquisition, the proposal shall include, at a minimum: (1) description of land; (2) acquisition costs; (3) acquisition timetable; and (4) financing plan for acquisition

o Identification of the attendance area of the renaissance school, if it will not be built on land owned by the SDA or the renaissance school district

o Experience in operating schools in urban areas and with at-risk students

o Prior experience in developing urban construction projectso Plan to hire and train disadvantaged local residents for

construction and operational positions for the school; ando Identification of all partners, agents, contractors, professional

entities and board members of the proposer to be involved with the school

RFP

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Evaluation /Criteria

o The Board’s evaluation committee will review and evaluate the proposals and will prepare an "Evaluation Report"

oProposals will be evaluated pursuant to the provisions of this RFP and the Urban Hope Act

o Significant emphasis will be placed on the demonstrated performance capability of the non-profit entity to educate at-risk students as well as the financial and operational aspects

o The committee will review each proposal to determine its completeness and compliance with submittal requirements

RFP

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Evaluation /Criteria - ContinuedoThe committee will make the following evaluations:

Whether the non-profit entity submitted all the required information and the information is accurate, internally consistent, and in compliance with RFP requirementsWhether the proposed renaissance school project can meet or exceed the objectives stated in the Urban Hope Act and the RFP; and Whether the experience and capability of the non-profit will meet the goals and conditions as stated in the RFPWhether the non-profit was organized and existed prior to the submission date

RFP

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Evaluation /Criteria – Continued

Whether the relative financial capability of the proposer is adequate to provide the services required by the RFP

Whether any business entity formed for the purpose of staffing, operation and management of the renaissance school is adequately qualified and financially stable

o The Evaluation Report will include a summary of each proposal broken down by significant evaluation criteria; a discussion of the relative strengths and weaknesses of each proposal; and a recommendation for one or more of the proposers whose proposal, in the aggregate, is most beneficial to the Camden City School District

NEXT STEPSNEXT STEPS

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NEXT STEPS

Camden Board/CityNJ DOE

Passing of UHA bill

Regulations developed to

support/ enable bill

Community engagement –

Build calendar of

engagement District

develops and releases RFP (input to MA)

Selection of optimal

nonprofits

Develop application with

nonprofit

Submit application to

NJ DOE

Introductions/ meetings with non profits –

Calendar date

Renaissance school

confirmed and development

begins

ASAP ASAP

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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS

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How will you engage the community in understanding the Urban Hope Act?

When is the best time to bring in potential applicants to meet with City/District/Board?

Who needs to be there?

What do you need from us to assist you in the community engagement process? What will

the timeline look like?

NEXT STEPS - BOARD

THANK YOU!THANK YOU!

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• Current and projected student enrollment for each sending zone

• School feeder patterns

• Quality of school facilities in neighboring area

• Student achievement data for schools in neighboring area

• Actual vs. relative distance of school from students

• Community interest/engagement

• Accessibility of space

• Balance of new school choice throughout district

FACTORS TO CONSIDER IN SCHOOL PLACEMENT

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POTENTIAL PLACE TO BUILD

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2010 Camden School Enrollment Estimates and Facility Conditions

What is a Renaissance School Project?

• A partnership between the school district and a nonprofit school management organization.

• A public school.

• A maximum of 4 renaissance projects will be constructed in the Camden district.

UHA REVIEW

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Process for having a renaissance school in the your district: This process will be transparent and subject to public input and comment. District will pay the school 95% of the districts per pupil total expenditures in

addition to a percentage of special education aid, early childhood aid (if applicable) and any federal funds attributable to the student.

In the case where the school district owns the land and the land is no longer used for educational purposes, the land reverts back to the school district.

The cost of the land acquisition, construction of the school, site development, etc. is the responsibility of the nonprofit entity.

Teachers and Administrators are not be part of a renaissance district’s bargaining unit. However, they must be highly qualified and hold appropriate certifications.

UHA REVIEW

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How will students be assigned to the school?

If project is built on land owned by the SDA or the school district, students in the attendance area will be automatically enrolled in the school.

The parent or guardian deciding not to enroll the child. In which case the student will be eligible to enroll in another school in the school district.

If spaces remains available, a lottery will be conducted for students in the renaissance school district.

If space still is available, another lottery will be held for students outside the district.

In the case that the land is not owned by SDA or the district, preference for enrollment is given to students identified in the attendance area identified in the submitted application.

UHA REVIEW

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How will students benefit and how will we know?

• The children of Camden will benefit from the experience and expertise of a nonprofit organization with experience in high-risk, low income urban districts.

• A renaissance school must exceed the proficiency rate in both language arts and math by 15% after 5 years and 25% after 10 years ensuring a high quality vigorous educational experience for the students.

• At years 5 and 10 of a renaissance school, an efficiency review of the program will be conducted by an independent education research organization.

• Each school will annually submit a report to the commissioner to ensure compliance with state laws.

UHA REVIEW

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What needs to be shown in application:

• Goals of the renaissance school project• Curriculum to be offered• How success of partnership will be measured• Testing and academic performance standards beyond those required by state

law/regulations• How admissions policy will be evaluated• Age range of students to be in school • Number of students to be in the school• Project calendar and school day schedule• Financial plan for project • Project location• Updated facility plan

UHA REVIEW

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