Posts Tagged ‘charter schools’

The Indiana Public Charter Schools Association (IPCSA) is hosting Charter 101, a basic introduction to the process of starting a charter school in Indiana, on March 7, 6 p.m., at the IPCSA office, 407 Fulton St., Suite 301. There is no charge to attend this session.

“Starting a charter school is a rigorous and daunting process requiring a team effort, diverse skills and talents, commitment and hard work. It is imperative that school developers understand the attributes of a quality school and build a strong foundation from the beginning,” says Russ Simnick, president of IPCSA.

“The Indiana Public Charter Schools Association is committed to the development of high-performing public charter schools and offers Charter 101 as an introduction to these processes,” Simnick adds.

Some of the topics to be covered during the free session include Indiana’s charter school law, the relationship between the authorizer and organizer, funding and timelines. Light appetizers will be served.

For more information about public charter schools in Indiana or to find events near you, visit INcharters.org.

Paula Jackson-Eaglin

Indiana Public Charter Schools Association President Russ Simnick is pleased to announce that Paula Jackson-Eaglin has been named director of member services and new school development.

Before joining the IPCSA team, Jackson-Eaglin was national membership director for the Association of American Educators (AAE). During the time she oversaw membership recruitment efforts for AAE, the country’s largest national non-union educator organization experienced record growth.

Jackson-Eaglin traveled the country to promote AAE as a non-union alternative for educators seeking professional development, teacher advocacy and liability protection. Additionally, she built relationships and partnerships with a host of education reform entities, both nationally and within Indiana.

“We are delighted that Paula has joined the Association as director of member services and new school development,” says Simnick. “Her vast experience and expertise will be an asset to our current and future members.”

Preceding her time at AAE, Jackson-Eaglin served as the director of field development and lobbyist for the Kentucky Association of Professional Educators (KAPE), an independent educator association based in Lexington, Ky. In that role she was responsible for membership recruitment, government affairs, public relations, marketing, pre-service teacher training and outreach at professional conferences.

Prior to her extensive work with KAPE, Jackson-Eaglin worked as an elementary school teacher for seven years, teaching first, third and fourth grades. While teaching in the traditional public school setting, Jackson-Eaglin earned the distinction of becoming a National Board Certified teacher. During this time, she presented regularly at local and state level teaching and learning conferences.

Jackson-Eaglin also has significant experience in higher education, where she began her career. She served as an admissions counselor at Morehead State University, where she taught collegiate-level student success courses and advised several student organizations. She also served as coordinator/assistant director of alumni activities and director of university licensing, during which time she became a graduate of the Chamber of Commerce Leadership Academy and was inducted into the honor society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective honor society for all academic disciplines.

Jackson-Eaglin’s work in higher education was not limited to working as a university administrator. She expanded her expertise in the field as director of portfolio programs for the International Organization for Student Success, where she managed all aspects of the company’s college textbook program and conducted faculty training workshops all over the country to teach universities how to implement student success programs.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 27, 2012

CONTACT: Chris Mercier Coles Marketing Communications (317) 571-0051 mercier@colesmarketing.com

Indianapolis – Russ Simnick, President of the Indiana Public Charter Schools Association (IPCSA), is pleased to announce that IPCSA will host Charter Schools 101, an overview of the process for developing a charter school.

Charter Schools 101 will take place Tuesday, April 24, from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., at Ruth Lilly Health Education Center, 2055 North Senate Avenue, Indianapolis. Refreshments will be available at a reception before the program from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. Attendees will learn details about the IPCSA school development support options and will hear from a panel of current charter operators and authorizers.

Registration is free, but RSVPs are needed by April 20, 2012, to reserve a spot as space is limited. For more information, contact LaNier Echols at 317-260-3553 or LaNier@incharters.org.

The Indiana Public Charter Schools Association offers services, advocacy and support for Indiana’s 65 public charter schools. Nearly 27,000 students attend public charter schools in Indiana.  The Association web site is www.INcharters.org.

(FORT WAYNE, IND. – DEC 19, 2011) Russ Simnick, president of the Indiana Public Charter Schools Association (IPCSA), today announced that the IPCSA has filed a lawsuit to stop a transfer of title of a vacant school building to the Fort Wayne-Allen County Airport Authority (“Airport Authority”) because it violates a new state law.

The IPCSA, a membership organization of Indiana public charter schools, filed the complaint in Allen County on behalf of its member school, Timothy L. Johnson Academy, and any charter school that may be interested in the building. The IPCSA contends the law gives charter schools the right to lease or purchase vacant school buildings.

A new law passed this year by the Indiana General Assembly, Public Law 91-2011, requires school districts to report vacant school buildings to the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) and make those buildings available to public charter schools. Timothy L. Johnson Academy stated its interest to IDOE to lease or purchase the vacant Pleasant Center Elementary School, 2323 West Pleasant Center Road, from Fort Wayne Community Schools (FWCS).

IDOE notified Fort Wayne Community Schools that Timothy L. Johnson Academy could occupy the building and that the two parties should coordinate Timothy L. Johnson Academy’s acquisition of Pleasant Center Elementary. However, the board of the Fort Wayne Community Schools voted Monday, December 12, to instead transfer Pleasant Center Elementary School to the Airport Authority rather than make it available to the Timothy L. Johnson Academy.

Simnick says this is a violation of the law. “When a district closes a building, the new law clearly states that a public charter school has the right to use the school building for the reason taxpayers built it – to educate children,” said Simnick.

“Governor Daniels and the Indiana General Assembly were adamant that taxpayers paid for these buildings to be used as schools. Neither this district, nor any other, has the right to give the building away to someone else just so a charter school can’t use it to educate public school children. Indiana taxpayers should not stand for this, and neither will we.”

The Indiana Public Charter Schools Association offers services, advocacy and support for Indiana’s 65 public charter schools. More than 23,000 students attend public charter schools in Indiana. The Association web site is www.INcharters.org.

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Indianapolis –Indiana Public Charter Schools Association President Russ Simnick was an invited speaker at the 2011 National Alliance for Public Charter Schools Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.

Along with charter leaders from Texas, Colorado and Georgia, Simnick shared Indiana’s strategies to improve opportunities for legislative success at the presentation titled “State Facility Survey Blueprint: Lessons from Four States.”

In addition, Simnick was invited to present a case study on Indiana charter school legislation to charter school leaders from around the nation.

“Indiana has quickly gained the attention of the nation as a battleground for education reform,” Simnick said. “This year, the Indiana General Assembly saw the greatest strides in education reform in the state’s history.”

Simnick holds his bachelor’s degree from Ball State University and master’s degree from Indiana Wesleyan University. He has received the “40 under 40″ honor from the Indianapolis Business Journal and was named a Junior Achievement “Best and Brightest” finalist. Prior to his leadership of IPCSA, Simnick was the leader of a public charter high school in Indianapolis, executive vice president of a large Indianapolis PR firm and worked in the Indiana State Senate.

The Indiana Public Charter Schools Association offers services, advocacy and support for Indiana’s 62 public charter schools. Nearly 23,000 students attend public charter schools in Indiana. The Association web site is www.INcharters.org.
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