Funding Analysis for Spectrum Visual and Performing Arts Charter School

Heather PsaltisCapella University

ED 7822: March 2011

A Proposition for Action: How Committed Are We to Creating 21st Century Learners?

"The rapidly evolving global economy demands a dynamic and creative workforce. The arts and its related businesses are responsible for billions of dollars in cultural exports for this country. It is imperative that we continue to support the arts and arts education both on the national and local levels. The strength of every democracy is measured by its commitment to the arts.”

–Charles Segars, CEO of Ovation

Spectrum Charter SchoolOverview of Arts Funding Analysis

• Legislative and Legal Considerations• Revenue Sources• Connecting the Arts to the vision, mission and goals

of RPS #205• How do we compare to National Standards and goals

and to our own past?• Fund Allocation• Plan for Appropriate Use of Funds• Partnerships and Community Engagement• Conclusion

Legislative & Legal Considerations State & Federal Statues

The arts are part of state and national standards for education, and are considered core academic subjects in NCLB (isbe.net) (ed.gov/policy) .

State statutes support the creation of more charter schools in IL (ilga.gov)

Legal Considerations In 2009, IL school code was revised to include 120 charter schools in the state. Local School Boards authorize charter public schools. (Johnson, 2009). Charter schools are least litigious form of choice (Vryhof, 2005)

Choice helps prevent yet another anti-discrimination lawsuit for Rockford by providing choice to families.

Revenue Sources

Sources of Revenue Relation of Program to district vision,

mission and goals Comparisons: Where do we stand in

relation to what others provide?

Sources of Revenue

Illinois schools are still primarily funded by local revenues (nces.ed.gov).

IL is in the bottom three in U.S. with regards to state funding received (census.gov)

IL state funds are distributed using three formulas: foundation, alternate method and flat grant (Verstegen & Jordan, 2008)

Poverty factors allow district #205 to receive funding, which supports the population of Spectrum Charter School

Relation of Program to district vision, mission and goals

Research supports the connection between funding and a district’s vision, mission and goals.

Vision: Rockford Public Schools will offer a world-class education that prepares all students to compete in a global society. We will provide a nurturing, child-centered and parent-friendly learning environment that makes Rockford schools the schools of first choice for families.

Mission: The mission of the Rockford Public Schools is to serve the community by ensuring all of its diverse students develop the capabilities to contribute to society, succeed in the global economy, and learn throughout their lives by creating dynamic integrated learning environments that respond to the needs and aspirations of the individual student in partnership with family and community.

Our Five Goals: Enhance learning opportunities for all children Ensure parents are partners in the education process

Provide clean and safe schools Hold adults accountable

Run an efficient business operation source: rps205.com

Do we want our students to miss out on what other students receive?

National arts standards and goalsRPS #205 curriculum does not support national arts standards except for music and visual arts, and only through grade 5. Rockford program 20 years ago:With each reauthorization of the ESEA, the curriculum has narrowed, reducing the arts offerings in district #205, NCLB the most impact

Available Revenue Sources

Funding to be negotiated with Board, not to exceed 125% of the district’s per capita student tuition (incs.org)

State Board Grants available to district #205 NCLB supports school choice (Brimley & Garfield,

2008). President Obama pushed for the increase in

charter school allowances while he was an IL senator. He continues to support educational choice on the federal level. This will likely lead to continued support. Rockford can be a national leader in the Charter School arena (Johnson, 2009)

Fund Allocation

Best practices Fiscal profile of District #205 Relation to student learning

Best Funding Practices

Federal acts and state statues support the creation of charter schools (ilga.gov)

RPS 205 uses sound fiscal practices. The state of IL requires district expenditures to be classified by fund, function and object (rps205.com).

Annual internal and external audits provide a check and balance to accounting procedures

This year, the board has made huge cuts to provide a balanced budget

Fiscal Profile of District #205

The financial health of district #205 is dependent on both providing choice so as to avoid another expensive lawsuit as well as meeting the needs of its lowest performing students in innovative ways.

With improving student learning at its core, the money spent on the arts charter school will ultimately cost less than doing more of what is not working.

Relationship of arts to student learning

Facts about young artists Arts studies showing increased

achievement across SES and decrease in truancy and delinquency for students involved in the artsl

Did you know?

Young artists, as compared with their peers, are likely to:

Attend music, art, and dance classes nearly three times as frequently

Participate in youth groups nearly four times as frequently Read for pleasure nearly twice as often Perform community service more than four times as often

("Living the Arts through Language + Learning: A Report on Community-based Youth Organizations," Shirley Brice Heath, Stanford University and Carnegie Foundation For the Advancement of Teaching, Americans for the Arts Monograph, November 1998)

Did you know?

Young people who participate in the arts for at least three hours on three days each week through at least one full year are:

4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement

3 times more likely to be elected to class office within their schools

4 times more likely to participate in a math and science fair

3 times more likely to win an award for school attendance 4 times more likely to win an award for writing an essay

or poem

The facts are that arts education... makes a tremendous impact on the developmental growth of every

child and has been proven to help level the "learning field" across socio-economic boundaries

(Involvement in the Arts and Success in Secondary School, James S. Catterall, The UCLA Imagination Project, Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, UCLA, Americans for the Arts Monograph, January 1998)

has a measurable impact on at-risk youth in deterring delinquent behavior and truancy problems while also increasing overall academic performance among those youth engaged in afterschool and summer arts programs targeted toward delinquency prevention

(YouthARTS Development Project, 1996, U.S. Department of Justice, National Endowment for the Arts, and Americans for the Arts)

Plan for Appropriate Use of Funds

Categorical funding: Title one money, combined with per capita student income, supports the arts charter school budget

Capital funding: With 6 schools being closed, facilities are ready and waiting for alternate use

Fiscal transparency: Adding this third charter school to district #205, with transparent accounting, allows the board to have more options to consider

Accountability: Aligned to the district vision, mission and goals, ISAT scores and graduation/ truancy data will be analyzed as part of the school’s success.

Partnerships make us stronger!

Business Partnerships Northern Illinois University Rock Valley College Rockford Area Arts Council Rockford Art Museum Rockford Dance Company Rockford Symphony Spring Green Players Theater and

Second City Chicago

NCLB Reference from Ed.gov

The Arts in Education program supports education reform by strengthening arts education as an integral part of the school curriculum. Its intent is to help all students meet challenging state academic content and achievement standards in the arts.

Children learn in many different ways. Findings from the NAEP 1997 Arts Report Card indicate that artistic experiences provide visual, kinetic, aural, and spatial learning. College Board data show that students who have participated in sequential arts programs perform significantly better on both the verbal and mathematics sections of the SAT than their nonparticipating peers.

U.S. Department of Education. .ed.gov/admins/lead/account/nclbreference

Spectrum Charter School

High School program for visual and performing arts Provides genuine choice for Rockford Students Supports district vision, mission and goals Supported by state and federal legislation and court

decisions Will follow best practices in allocating the secured funds from

the district to improve student learning, including appropriate use of public funds for ALL students

Utilizes innovative partnerships with many local constituents in order to improve fiscal stability of district, improve facilities and improve educational quality.

Sets the stage for RPS #205 to be a positive example instead of a cautionary tale about discrimination. What do we have to lose?

References:Brimley, V. & Garfield, R. (2008). Financing education in a climate of change (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson. ISBN: 9780205511792.

Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Part B. Subpart I. Charter School Programs. Retrieved from: http://www2.ed.gov/policy

Harvard Graduate School of Education. 2010. Panel Discussion about Abbott District in New Jersey http://www.forum-network.org/wgbh/forum.php?lecture_id=3100

Illinois Network of Charter Schools. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.incschools.org/charter

IL Funding. Retrieved from http://www.nces.ed.gov

Illinois General Assembly. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs.asp

Illinois Interactive Report Card. http:// iirc.niu.edu

Illinois State Board of Education . (2011). Retrieved from http://www.isbe.net/charter/

Johnson, J. 2009. Charter School Reform Act of 2009 Positions Illinois as First State to Answer President Obama’s Call: Illinois Charter Public Schools Win Fight to Lift States Restrictive Cap. Retrieved from: http://www.soepressreleases.com/charter-school-reform-act-2009-positions

Rockford Public Schools, 2011. Retrieved from: rps205.com.

U.S. Department of Education. .ed.gov/admins/lead/account/nclbreference

Verstegen, D.& Jordan, T. (2008, May). A Quick Glance at School Finance: A 50 State Survey of School

Vryhof.S. (2005, December). A system where everyone wins: The legitimacy of faith –based schools in a system of choice. Edcucational horizons, 83(2), 125-142.

YouthARTS Development Project, 1996, U.S. Department of Justice, National Endowment for the Arts, and Americans for the Arts