Dugsi Academy Charter SchoolIndependent School District #4153-07

2014-2015 Charter School Annual Report

Table of ContentsPillsbury United Communities Charter School Annual Report Rubric..................................................................4

School Information...............................................................................................................................................5

Mission Statement..................................................................................................................................5

Vision Statement.....................................................................................................................................5

Authorizer Information...........................................................................................................................5

Implementation of Primary and Additional Statutory Purposes..........................................................................6

Student Information.............................................................................................................................................6

Enrollment Information..........................................................................................................................6

Somali History.........................................................................................................................................6

Mobility...................................................................................................................................................7

Academic Performance........................................................................................................................................7

Summary of Education Program...........................................................................................................................7

General Education...................................................................................................................................7

Special Education....................................................................................................................................9

Federal Title Funds..................................................................................................................................9

Parental Involvement............................................................................................................................10

Contractual Goals...............................................................................................................................................11

Academic Goals.....................................................................................................................................11

NWEA Data............................................................................................................................................12

Non-Academic Goals.............................................................................................................................12

World’s Best Workforce.....................................................................................................................................13

Staffing................................................................................................................................................................14

Professional & Staff Development........................................................................................................14

Staffing Table........................................................................................................................................14

Licensed Staff........................................................................................................................................14

Unlicensed Staff....................................................................................................................................15

Evaluation Procedure.........................................................................................................................................16

Governance & Management..............................................................................................................................16

Management.........................................................................................................................................16

School Director......................................................................................................................................17

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School Board.........................................................................................................................................17

Operational Performance...................................................................................................................................18

Finances..............................................................................................................................................................18

Innovative Practices............................................................................................................................................19

Future Plans........................................................................................................................................................20

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Pillsbury United Communities Charter School Annual Report Rubric

Per… Requirement Included on…Statute Is the Annual Report posted to Charter School website? Yes

Statute Was the Annual Report distributed to school employees, parents, and authorizer in a timely manner?

Yes

Statute Does it contain school enrollment data? Section: Student Information

Statute Does it contain school attrition information? Section: Student Information

Statute Does it contain an update on governance and management?- Including board trainings attended by each board member during the past year.

Section: School Board

Statute Does it contain an update on staffing structure?- Including professional development activities for the past year.

Section: Staffing

Statute Is there financial statements included? Section: FinancesStatute

& Contract

Is there an update on the academic performance?- Particularly in alignment with the charter school contract academic and non-academic goals and the performance framework.

Section: Academic Performance

Statute Is there an update on the operational performance? Section: Operational Performance

Statute Does the report discuss innovative practices and implementation? Section: Innovative Practices

Statute Does the report update on future planning? Section: Future Planning

Statute &

Contract

Is there a summary on how the school is meeting the primary and additional purposes per MN Statute.- Including the primary purpose to improve all pupil learning and all student achievement.- Including the additional purposes to:-Increase learning opportunities for all pupils; Encourage the use of different and innovative teaching methods; Measure learning outcomes and create different and innovative forms of measuring outcomes; Establish new forms of accountability for schools; Create new professional opportunities for teachers.

Section: Implementation of Primary & Secondary Purposes

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School InformationAddress: 1091 Snelling Avenue N, Saint Paul MN 55108

Phone: 615/642-0667

Website: www.dugsiacademy.org

Grades Served: K-8

Opened In: 2005

Mission StatementDugsi Academy will provide students with educational opportunities that are respectful of the students' background and culture, learning styles and interests, enabling them to meet high academic expectations in an environment that allows them to celebrate their own unique culture while learning American customs and what it means to be a citizen.

Vision StatementThe academic focus of Dugsi Academy is to integrate students into the scholastic community of Minnesota and enable students to use their talents and experiences to achieve to the best of their ability. 

Authorizer InformationPillsbury United Communities (PUC)

125 West Broadway Avenue Suite 100Minneapolis, MN 55411Tel: 612.302.3413Fax: 612.302.3490Contact: Larry McKenzieDirect line: 612.302.3409

Email: mckenziel@puc-mn.org

Pillsbury United Communities is committed to ensuring all students are prepared and ready for life. As a charter school authorizer, we work to make certain that every young person is in school, engaged and in an environment that believes in their endless potential – no matter their current circumstance.

Dugsi Academy opened in 2005 under the Authorization of Pillsbury United Communities (PUC). 2014/15 was our tenth year in operation under their Authorization. We enjoy a solid partnership with PUC and look forward to continuing to work with them.

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Implementation of Primary and Additional Statutory PurposesThe primary purpose of a MN Charter School is to improve all pupil learning and all student achievement. Dugsi addresses this purpose through our mission – to serve recent immigrants to the USA from East African nations, primarily Somalia. We do this by ensuring their cultural needs and traditions are met and preserved respectfully while meeting MN learning goals and requirements. We can uniquely blend the two cultures to serve most effectively our students and ensure that our students and staff are given the resources and education they need to thrive.

Dugsi Academy also addresses the additional purposes of a MN Charter School:

To increase learning opportunities for all pupils: Learning opportunities for our students are increased by the effort we make to connect families to our community and to link them to necessary resources their families are in need of. Students learn best when all of their needs are addressed, and they feel secure in their environment. We assist our families in developing those at-home support networks so our students may thrive in school.

To encourage the use of different and innovative forms of measuring outcomes: Dugsi Academy seeks to be on the cutting edge of teaching strategies and technology usage. We do this by supporting our staff and providing in-house professional development as well as sending them to conferences and trainings. By having a well-educated staff, we are aware of new teaching technologies and strategies that we can implement in our school.

Establish new forms of accountability for schools: If we succeed in producing highly educated students, this raises the bar for other Charter and Traditional Schools. We have a can-do attitude, and we will continue to provide the best education possible to our students.

Create new professional opportunities for teachers: Teachers are encouraged to pursue higher education, and we will contribute towards their tuition. We also hold professional development bi-weekly at school and send staff to applicable trainings. They are encouraged to take leadership roles and participate in school development committees.

Student InformationEnrollment InformationOver the last three years, we enjoyed very stable enrollment of around 350 students. This dropped by 20% during the 2014/15 school year but is recovering in the current (2015-16) with 350 students enrolled by November 2015. Two new schools opened during the 2014/15 school year who serve a similar demographic of students. Several of our students enrolled in these other schools which is why our enrollment dropped sharply this year.

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Demographic Trends 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 (est.)

Total Enrollment 356 280 350Male 170 134

Female 186 146Special Education 10 8 8

LEP 231 185 185African American 356 280 280

Latino - - -Asian/PI - - -

American Indian - - -White - - -

F/R Lunch 350 254 254

Somali HistorySomalia has faced political turbulence for much of its history, and the political situation spiraled out of control in 1991 when the central government fell apart. Rebel factions began battling to gain control all over the country, and it became very dangerous for common people to live in the midst of the fighting. Starting in 1992, the U.S. began issuing refugee visas to thousands of Somalis. Many of them settled in Minneapolis and St. Paul and many more moved to the Twin Cities from other parts of the United States. Today, Minnesota is home to the largest Somali population in the U.S., estimated to be over 60,000 in 2010. Somalia’s future is still uncertain.

In the Somali language, Dugsi means school. However, the word has another, broader meaning: a Dugsi is a shelter, a sanctuary, or a safe place. Dugsi Academy strives to serve racially diverse children of the Twin Cities. Many parents have expressed to the charter leadership the need for a school which will respect their culture and have the ability to obtain successful academic growth for their child. Dugsi Academy helps its students, who are mainly East African immigrants, to integrate into the American educational system at a pace that takes their educational and language barriers into consideration. Dugsi Academy seeks to meet the needs of families whose lives have been disrupted by war, conflict, and poverty. Our students come from Ethiopia, Arabia, India, China, Turkey, and South Africa. Some of our students arrive from camps in the countries measured where they have fled from war-torn countries. They come with no formal education and awareness of how to perform within a school setting. Students from these backgrounds typically have trouble adjusting to school; many are below grade level, lack English language skills, and struggle with social norms. The school endeavors to validate the family’s ambition for their children’s education through a first-rate academic program that can close the gap between them and mainstream children.

MobilitySummer

Transfers In

Number of students on

Oct. 1

Mid-year Transfers In

Mid-year Transfers

Out

Total Mid-year

Transfers

Mobility Index* (as a

percent)2011-12 1 304 107 59 166 55%2012-13 5 371 126 64 190 51%2013-14 95 356 53 75 128 36%

* Total mid-year transfers divided by Number of students on Oct. 1.

In past years, we have worked with a highly mobile student body. Students were frequently moving in and out of our school due to family reasons. We have worked to establish firm ties to community organizations who can help provide stability and resources to our families. This year, we saw a sharp decrease in the mobility of our students that helped us to identify their needs so we can develop our program to serve our students better.

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Academic PerformanceSummary of Education ProgramGeneral EducationThe 2014/15 school year was year one of a three-year school reform effort. This effort is driven by the desire to better our program and service to students, increase our performance on standardized tests (the metric used by the State of MN to evaluate schools), and bring us to the forefront of innovative schools. Dugsi Academy is committed to putting in place all practices and policies necessary to support the academic, social and emotional learning of our population of primarily immigrant students from East-Africa. A third to one-half of our students are new-to-country, with very limited – if any – previous formal schooling. Many students suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, which is very common to people coming out of countries affected by war. We have seen a conflict between students new to this country and students born here – this is due primarily to a lack of understanding between the two groups and misaligned expectations. Core elements of the program put in place to ensure students’ academic progress include:

Students behind in basic academic skills will be pulled into small groups and taught in a direct setting Math Tutoring is offered after school English Learners will be taught in the classroom and small groups Mentorship Programming Students will be able to do homework during lunch and while serving detention Restorative Justice Circles Success for all Systems Wide Improvement Programming has been implemented Positive Behavior Intervention Support Systems (PBIS) has been implemented Drop Everything and Read Programming Sq3R Reading Strategies CUBES Math Word Problem Strategies Think Pair Share, Instructional Strategies

To support our student’s social and emotional learning we have done the following:

Employed staff from East African Immigrant Communities Hired a Parent Liaison who coordinates communication with families and provides assistance in a

language and manner they are familiar with After School Tutoring is critical for students whose parents are unable to assist with homework due

to the language barrier. This is offered after school two days a week. Transportation is an issue with this program, as we are currently unable to provide a later bus service.

Our school day is designed to maximize learning for students while also providing for meeting and planning times for teachers.

The school day runs from 7:15 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Monday through Thursdayo On Friday, 7:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

We held 176 school days during the 2014/15 school year 21 days of Professional Development for teachers and staff are built into the school schedule

Dugsi Academy is a Success for All (SFA) School. SFA schools focus on cooperative learning and teaching. Students work together to learn as a group. We believe that all children can learn and that the school can

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make a difference in students learning – even if they have come to school underprepared. This means they talk – a lot! Use of language allows our EL students to use the language they are learning, to practice with their peers and engage. Excited children talk, and we use this to our advantage to motivate and engage our students. Teachers work in teams to help one another develop as professionals. Our EL certified staff work with and coach our non-EL certified staff so that all teachers apply their knowledge with intelligence and specificity. Parent engagement is a large component of the Success for All program, and we are committed to engaging parents.

Special EducationWe have a very small Special Education program at Dugsi Academy. With a high number of immigrant and EL students, we can discern between a learning gap that is a result of lower opportunities and one that is truly a disability. We have a highly qualified special education staff. We contract with Designs for Learning for Special Education Director, School Psychology, and Related Services. Their team has over 25 years of experience serving Charter Schools and underserved students. Together, we run a quality program that coordinates with our other programs to ensure students are properly identified and receive high-quality services.

Federal Title FundsDugsi Academy utilized Title I, II, and III funds each year. These funds are meant to supplement the existing school funding to help reduce the gap of achievement between minority or students who live in poverty and middle-class or upper-class students. Dugsi Academy qualifies for a large amount of these funds because over 95% of our students qualify economically.

Title I funds are required to be used to enhance the general education program. These are additional services that our school would otherwise be unable to afford at this time. These services are to focus on increasing student skills in reading and math. Each fall we hold a meeting where we explain how we will be using these funds, parents and community stakeholders are encouraged to attend. We are using Title I funds in the following way:

To hire an additional teacher for the Middle School Math Program Professional Development for our Family Liaison Pay for Parent Involvement Nights held three times during the 14/15 school year To pay the salaries of an additional Reading Teacher and a Math Teacher in the Elementary school. To purchase Singapore Math Manipulatives for the school

Title II funds are to be used to develop staff skills and knowledge. We have focused on training lead teaching and administrative staff, and then having them train the rest of the staff when they return from training. We used Title II funds in the following way during the 2014/15 school year:

We paid our lead teacher an additional stipend for extra work in training, coaching and professional development during the school year. Our teacher worked their regular teaching schedule and then did additional work after hours.

Funds were set aside to pay substitute teachers so that our staff could attend training held during the school day.

Staff were sent to the National Charter School Conference. This is an out-of-state conference that is held to focus on teaching and leadership excellence in charter schools.

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Crisis Prevention Intervention Training was provided to all staff by a local consultant. This training equips staff to defuse anxious, hostile or violence behaviors peacefully. It is essential for our staff to learn and cultivate these skills so that we may have a peaceful school environment.

Title III funds are directed towards students who are learning English. Over 60% of our students fall into this category. We utilize Title III funds to pay for an instructor who is well versed in teaching English to students and training staff of teaching strategies for EL students.

Parental InvolvementDugsi Academy ensures effective involvement of families and supports a partnership with the school, families, and the community to improve student academic achievement. There are three parent-teacher conferences during the year; four Parent Nights for informational purposes; two carnival nights for parents and staff; student Alumni night for former students who graduate from Dugsi, parents and current and former teachers get together for monthly parent education. The school –

Provides assistance to the families as appropriate, in understanding topics such as the State’s academic content and achievement standards, State, and local academic assessments, and how to monitor a child’s progress and work with educators to improve the achievement of their children;

provides materials and training to help families to work with their children to improve their children’s achievement, such as literacy training and using technology, as appropriate, to foster family engagement;

The entire school staff and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement.

We conduct Dugsi family night between families and teachers once a year, during which they share, discuss and educate how a parent would help their kids. Parents get a chance to meet the teachers one-on-one.

Provide frequent reports to families on their children’s progress; and Provide families with reasonable access to staff, opportunities to volunteer and participate in their

child’s class and observation of classroom activities. Dugsi Academy provides and educates teachers, pupil services personnel, principals, and other staff,

with the assistance of families, in the value and utility of contributions of families, and in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with families as equal partners, implement and coordinate family programs, and build ties between families and the school.

Dugsi Academy will provide families with –

Timely information about the school’s programs; a description and explanation of the curriculum in use at the school, the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress, and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet; and if requested by families, opportunities for regular meetings to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children, and respond to any such suggestions as soon as practically possible

Contractual GoalsThe contract we have with our Authorizer (PUC) identifies the specific and measurable outcomes students are expected to achieve in two academic areas and five non-academic areas. These goals are mutually agreed upon as a part of the Authorization contract.

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Academic GoalsReading SMART Goal: The percentage of all students continually enrolled since October 1 in grades 3-8 at Dugsi Academy, who earn achievement levels of Meets or Exceeds the Standards on the Reading MCA will increase from 20.9% in the spring of 2014 to 30% in the spring of 2015.

Dugsi did not see a great increase on our Reading MCA Scores for the 2014/15 school year. Therefore, this goal was not met. In fact, there was a slight increase in the overall MCA scores for reading, but not the 10% jump we were aiming for. Regarding EL students, scores for this group decreased at Dugsi as well as statewide.

Math SMART Goal: The percentage of all students continuously enrolled since October 1 in grades 3-8 at Dugsi Academy, who earn achievement levels of Meets or Exceeds the Standards on the MCA Math will increase from 20% in the spring of 2014 to 25% in the spring of 2015.

As with the Reading goal, we did not meet our Mathematics goal of increasing five percentage points. On this measure, our achievement stayed the same. The implementation of our school reform plan should help us to achieve a greater measure of success for the next school year.

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2014 2015 2014 2015 2014 2015All Students EL Students Free & Reduced

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%

12% 12% 8% 7% 12% 12%

62% 62%

28% 26%

43% 42%

28% 25% 26%13%

25% 21%

Math MCA Scores, All Grades

Dugsi MN State PUC Schools

2014 2015 2014 2015 2014 2015All Students EL Students Free & Reduced

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%

19% 22%11% 10%

19% 23%

60% 61%

18% 18%

41% 41%35% 35%

19% 14%27% 26%

Reading MCA-II Scores, All Grades

Dugsi MN State PUC Schools

NWEA Data

1st Grade

2nd Grade

3rd Grade

4th Grade

5th Grade

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

Average0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

33%

52%57%

33%

25%28%

44%

57%

41%

9%

41%48%

15%

32%

24%

37% 37%30%

NWEA: % of Students Meeting Growth Targets

Math Reading

Results of fall-to-spring NWEA Scores show that, on average, 41% of students meet their growth targets in Math, and 30% meet their growth targets in Reading. Scores are higher in 2nd and 3rd grade, and then again in 7th and 8th grade. Students make great strides between their first-grade scores and the second and third-grade scores, which is expected given that many students enter school with little to no English skills, and it takes them a few years to develop those skills and obtain fluency in English. Our program is designed with this in mind. Upper-grade students make another big push to ready themselves for High School. We have identified the need to support growth in the middle grades and have developed new strategies for this as a part of our school reform plan (the RCI).

Non-Academic GoalsStaff TrainingGoal 1: Dugsi Academy will provide its staff with additional Cultural Sensitivity Training on an annual basis to ensure that staff is familiar with the community of the students of which they serve.

During the 2014/15 school year, we provided Cultural Sensitivity Training quarterly. Trainings ranged from one to two hours. We held these trainings with building specialists as well as invited community members to come and speak about the community. The goal of these trainings is to deepen our understanding of the Somali and Muslim communities to better our relationships with students and families.

Goal 2: All teachers shall have at least (3) three formal classroom observations during the school year and be provided coaching if necessary.

As a Q-Comp school, we set goals for the school year in October. Three formal staff evaluations are held, one in October, one in February and one in May. In October, we match staff based on levels of experience, more experienced staff are tasked with mentoring less experienced staff. Throughout the school year, they work together to enhance their teaching skills. The Assistant Director performed the formal classroom observations during the school year. He also performed walk throughs twice monthly to monitor the implementation of intervention strategies.

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Parent ParticipationDugsi shall continue to encourage parents to participate in their student education through parent meetings (3) three times a year.

We complete several Parent Involvement activities during the school year. Quarterly on Saturdays we hold an open house for parents to attend after community events. We provide food and have an informal visiting time to build relationships. Parent Teacher Conferences are also held quarterly. We held panel discussions twice during the 2014/15 school year where we had staff and community members available for parents to ask questions regarding the program, discipline, cultural matters and access to community support resources. At all of these events, we had between 30-50 people attending. Teachers also reach out reach out to parents weekly to notify parents on what students will learn each week, any upcoming projects or field trips.

For more information on this, please see page 10.

Data CollectionDugsi Academy shall make an effort to increase the effective collection and use of data for student achievement, behavior, and demographic usage.

As a Priority School, we began working the Regional Centers for Excellence in 2014/15. They have been very helpful in developing data collection strategies. We can now say we are a data and value driven School. NWEA testing is held twice during the school year, in the fall and the spring. This allows us to monitor students’ growth over the school year. MCA testing is held in the spring to monitor year to year growth. We also utilize Oral Proficiency Assessment (OPA) and WIDA assessments to monitor the progress of our EL students. Our PBIS discipline team uses SWISS to collect data on behavior issues. SWISS is used daily and is useful for monitoring large and small scale discipline issues.

Governance Dugsi Academy shall make sure that all members of its Board of Directors (BOD) are knowledgeable with the terms of the charter school contract.

As a part of the Governance training provided by Designs for Learning, the Authorization contract is reviewed by the school board annually.

World’s Best Workforce The World’s Best Workforce is an educational bill that was passed in 2013 by MN State Legislature to ensure that schools are making progress to increase student achievement. The plan for developing the World’s Best Workforce has five goals that are summarized below.

SMART Goal 2014-2015 Goals 2014-2015 Goal Results

All Students Ready for Kindergarten Following our Early Admission policy, Dugsi Academy will evaluate any early admission request to ensure the student’s success will be likely based on kindergarten

Dugsi Academy held EL parent information on select Saturday’s to educate parents on aspects of American education that will benefit their pre-K

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SMART Goal 2014-2015 Goals 2014-2015 Goal Results

preparedness assessments.

Dugsi Academy holds EL parent information on select Saturday’s to educate parents on aspects of American education that will benefit their pre-K children as well.

Dugsi Academy will invite incoming Kindergarten students to an open house and supply them with login information to IXL, Engrade and other ideas to build important Kindergarten skills.

children as well.

Metro public schools are notified.

Saturday workshop was provided for parents to train about early childhood, handbooks, reading materials, and other resources.

Community resources for the surrounding metro public school districts.

Early childhood screenings are performed.

All Students in Third Grade Achieving Grade-Level Literacy

SMART Goal for Reading: The percentage of all students enrolled Oct. 1, 2014 in grade 3 at Dugsi Academy who earn achievement levels of Meets the Standards or Exceeds the Standards on the Reading MCA be: 3rd Grade: 30.4%

SMART Goal for Math: The percentage of all students enrolled Oct. 1, 2015 in grade 3 at Dugsi Academy who earn achievement levels of Meets the Standards or Exceeds the Standards on the Mathematics MCA will increase from 11.8% in 2015 to 34.55% in 2016.

Close the Achievement Gap(s) Among All Groups

Reading MCA will increase from 18.9% in 2014 to 32.8% in 2015

SMART Goal: The percentage of all students at Dugsi Academy on the Mathematics MCA will increase from 12.1 % in 2014 to 27.2% in 2015.

SMART Goal for Math: The percentage of all students enrolled Oct. 1, 2015 in grades 3-8 at Dugsi Academy who earn achievement levels of Meets the Standards or Exceeds the Standards on the Mathematics MCA will increase from 11.8% in 2015 to 34.55% in 2016.

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SMART Goal 2014-2015 Goals 2014-2015 Goal Results

SMART Goal for Reading: The percentage of all students enrolled Oct. 1, 2015 in grades 3-8 at Dugsi Academy who earn achievement levels of Meets the Standards or Exceeds the Standards on the Reading MCA will increase from 22.2% in 2015 to 41.25% in 2016.

All Students Career- and College-Ready by Graduation

We will assess this based on the how many 8th graders achieve ‘Meets’ or ‘Exceeds’ on the assessments and data.

We will assess this based on the how many 8th graders achieve ‘Meets’ or ‘Exceeds’ on their assessments and data.

All Students Graduate

We will use 8th grade NWEA/MAP and MCA results for this section.

We will use 8th grade NWEA/MAP and MCA results for this section.

StaffingDugsi Academy is fully staffed when we employ 26 licensed teaching staff. We run two classes in each grade level for Elementary and Middle School. During the 2014/15 school year, we were not fully staffed until December of 2014. This is due to the lack of licensed teachers who had experience working with our student demographics and the shortage of experienced teachers in the Twin Cities Area.

We seek to retain quality staff by providing a supportive team-based work environment with competitive pay and benefits. Dugsi Academy has begun to build our staff’s competencies to implement the school reform efforts during the 2014/15 school year. This is a three year long process, and this was our first year beginning it. We hired a licensed school administrator this year who is qualified to coach and evaluate staff. A Curriculum Coordinator program has been planned for the 2015/16 school year and was hired during the summer of 2015. A part of our commitment to supporting and developing highly qualified staff, our teachers are eligible to apply for tuition reimbursement for continuing education.

Professional & Staff DevelopmentAs a Q-Comp school, much of our staff development is done through the mentoring and coaching of the Q-Comp program. This is also the rubric used to evaluate teachers at the end of the school year.

Professional Development for the 2014-2015 school year included: On-site CPI (Crisis Prevention Intervention) Training, PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions), Somali Culture, Success for All, ELL Best Practices, ACCESS Assessment training, Team Building activities, MN ELA Standards, Singapore Math, Lesson

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Planning, Equity Trainings, Daily Data Digs, Restorative Justice, CPR/First Aid, and 21st Century Instruction. In total, 123 hours of Professional Development training were provided on site.

Staffing TableLicensed Staff

Licensed StaffName File # Assignment 2015/16 StatusArneson-Scallon, Sally 295158  English Learners  YAtkins, Ashley 463107  Kindergarten  YBogdonove, Arthur 370955  Science  YCarney, Thomas 484396  4th Grade  YDelong, Justin 470196  Language Art 5th/ 6th  Y, but leftDiriye, Bashir 466183  Math 5th/6th  YEdstrom, Kirsten 473203  4th Grade  YFilter, James 334383  Special Education  YFrench, Nora 481482  Kindergarten  YGardner, Annette 363909  1st Grade  YHaji, Ismail 467721  None  NHarder, Jeremy 423729  Social Studies 7th/8th  YJohn, Tiffany 422020  3rd Grade  YLeshovsky, Matthew 458742  Physical Education  NManion, Katherine 469185  Special Education  YMatuke, Gayle 413197  1st Grade  YOsman, Khalid 477470  Language Art 7th/ 8th  YPfeifer, Samuel 460545  Science 5th/6th  NPichotta, Bruce 340693  2nd Grade  YPlaisance, Jeremy 446024  Science 5th/ 6th  YSheen, Heidi 411207 English Learners  NSmith, Kirk 473730  3rd Grade  YSong, Thomas 371425  Physical Education  YSplittstoesser, M 394658  2nd Grade  YStudtman, Sally 242196  English Learners YThibault, Yuko 367356  Math 7th /8th  N

23% of Licensed Teachers from 2014/15 did not return in 2015/16.

Unlicensed StaffNon-Licensed Personnel

Name Assignment 15-16 StatusAden, Nuro  Bus Monitor  YAhmed, Dhoofo  Education Assistant (KG)  YAhmednur, Aden A  Community Liaison  Y

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Non-Licensed PersonnelName Assignment 15-16 StatusAli, Fardosa Paraprofessional  NAli, Hibo  Education Assistant  YAmin, Sana K  Paraprofessional  YArab, Mohamed  Education Assistant  NFarah, Abdikadir H  Education Assistant  YHaji, Ismail M World Language  NHassan, Guled A  Education Assistant  NHassan, Hassan  Computer Instruction  YHassan, Mohamed K  Behavior Team  YHassan, Yahya  Education Assistant  YHeithan, Saadia  Bus Monitor  YHussein, Safiya  Kitchen  YIsmail, Jowahir  Bus Monitor  YJama, Abdirizak  Hallway Monitor  YJama, Hodan  Education Assistant  NJibrell, Abdulhamid  Paraprofessional  YKassim, Sahra  Education Assistant  YKordah, Burabari  Paraprofessional  YKordah, Lekpea  Dean of Student  YMohamed, Fatuma  Education Assistant  YMohamed, Maka  Bus Monitor  YMohamed, Nuradin  Education Assistant  YMohamed, Sarah  Education Assistant  NMohamed, Ifrah  Education Assistant  YOdawa, Jamaal  Custodian  YOmar, Hassan  Education Assistant(Title)  NOmar, Shamso  Education Assistant (Title)  YOsman, Abdulkadir Director  YOsman, Sadia M  Education Assistant  YSaid, Dahir  Receptionist  NSaid, Suado  Bus Monitor  YSalad, Maryan A Administrative Assistant  YSaunders, Kaylord  Assistant Director  YSheikh-Mohamed, Mohamed  Bus Monitor  YSheikh, Abdirashid  Bus Monitor  YSheikh, Abdullahi  Paraprofessional  YShurie, Fadumo  Food Coordinator  YWarsame, Khalif  Math/Title Associate  YWehlie, Abduqadir  Hallway Monitor  Y

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Governance & ManagementManagementPlease note that the Dugsi Academy Organization Chart was the same for 2014/15 as the one inserted below which is from 2015/16, except for the position of “Curriculum Coordinator which is new for the 2015/16 school year.

School DirectorThe school has maintained their Executive Director, Abdulkadir Osman, for the past Nine years. Mr. Osman continues to oversee the day-to-day operations of the school. Mr. Osman has a background in education, transportation, school food service, human resources and school finance. Mr. Osman has ties within the Twin Cities Somali community many forms and is highly respected within the community. This has been a major reason for the school’s growing popularity among the Somali population. During 2009-10 Mr. Osman began his first year of professional goals subject to Board evaluation in the following spring. The implementation of this professional development plan was adopted by the Board under Policy 301; EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.

Mr. Abdulkadir Osman’s professional development plan includes the following goals: to improve communication with the students, parents and staff members adjusting outline and goals based on the progress of students. To help achieve these goals, the workshops the Director attended included: National Charter Schools’ Conference, ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) conferences – leadership conference, Trainers from Instructional Designs Inc. provided training for director and staff on an ongoing basis to address leadership and effective instructional strategies, special education workshops, workshops on how to help ELL students and new-to-country students academically and socially.

The director’s performance is evaluated by the School Board annually.

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School BoardThe School Board is comprised of six members. One teacher, one Parent and invested community members. We held a total of 9 school board meetings during the 2014/15 school year. Board member terms, affiliations, and attendance are summarized in the table below.

Member Name

Board Position Affiliation Date

Seated

Term End Date

Email Address Attendance %

Shukri Hassan Chair Parent

MemberNov. 2013

Nov. 2016 shukrigamgam@hotmail.com 89%

Abdullahi Sheikh Secretary Community

MemberNov. 2013

Nov. 2016 asheikeya@gmail.com

56%Jeremy Plaisance

Board Member

Teacher Member

Nov. 2014

Nov. 2016 jplaisance@dugsiacademy.org

100%Kassim S. Mohamed

Board Member

Community Member

Nov. 2013

Nov. 2015 Kassim7@gmail.com

22%Ahmed Elmi

Assistant BOD Chair

Community Member

Nov. 2013

Nov. 2016 ahelmi@metroschoolsmn.org

89%

Saeed Bihi Board Member

Community Member

Nov. 2013

Nov. 2016 saeedbihi@yahoo.com

89%

Board Training was provided by Designs for Learning throughout the 2014/15 school year.

FinancesFor questions regarding school finances and for complete financials for 2014-15 and/or an organizational budget for 2015-16, contact:

Position: Ann Yang, Business ManagerPhone: 651/645-0200 ext 3040

Email: ayang@designlearn.net

Designs for Learning provides accounting services for School.

Information presented below is derived from preliminary audit figures. The full financial audit will be completed and presented to Minnesota Department of Education and Pillsbury United Communities no later than December 31, 2015.

FY15 FinancesFund 1 Fund 2

Total Revenues 4,495,325 260,375Total Expenditures 4,482,759 255,886

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Net Income 12,566 4,489Total Fund Balance 2,971,399 60,352

Overview

The overall financial position is good, and Dugsi did not have any financial challenges in 2014/15. Dugsi has built up a substantial fund balance that would allow the school to continue operation for 4 -6 months in the event of an unforeseen occurrence.

Revenues

Fund 1 - General Fund revenues are from State Aids of $4,283,572 and Federal Aids of $209,946. The remainder was from donations and local sources.

Fund 2 - Food service received revenue of $7,260 from state aid and $253,071 from federal sources.

Expenses

General Fund had total expenditures of $4,482,759. The largest expenses are staffing cost for Salaries and benefits of $2,552,915. The next largest expense is for lease and maintenance of $770,833. Transportation costs were $419,769. Auditing and Financial Management costs were $115,000.

Net Income and Fund Balance

The net income of $12,563 was planned because the school district is in a spend-down mode and will continue to spend down the fund balance in the next fiscal year.

Innovative Practices & Future PlansInnovative PracticesDugsi is an innovative school because we have chosen to focus on teaching recent immigrant and first-generation students from East African countries. These students have a unique set of needs that are addressed by our program. By blending an American and East African staff, we create an environment in which school officials are well-versed in the culture and needs of our students. We are then able to address those needs and teach to our student’s strengths while supporting their weaknesses. This creates a safe and supportive learning environment where students can thrive.

Additionally, we have worked to develop strong community partnerships. Students cannot learn effectively if their needs are not being met at home. We work with our families and community support organizations so that families receive as much support as possible. This way, students can continue to learn and grow at home and feel secure while they are at school.

Parent education and engagement is an essential part of our school system. We hold monthly parent meetings on Saturdays after local community events, quarterly parent-teacher conferences, quarterly parent engagement nights, and send home a quarterly newsletter in several languages so that we are communicating with families effectively.

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Ensuring that students continue to learn about and develop their first or home language skills is important to our mission of developing global citizens. We continue to teach Somali and Arabic language classes.

During the 2014/15 school year, we began the use of the IXL online program. This allows students to continue practicing their Reading and Math skills in the home.

To encourage student learning, we implemented the Timberwolf program. Any student who reads over 500 pages during the school year is given tickets to see a MN Timberwolves game. This had been highly effective in motivating students to read during the school year.

This school year we worked with the AmeriCorps to get two reading specialists in the building to enhance the reading program.

Our staff development program is mindful of developing 21st-century teaching skills. We are working to develop highly skilled teachers by incorporating EL teaching strategies into the general education systems, working to align our curriculum and teaching strategies to state standards and communicate learning targets to students in a meaningful and engaging way. We set the bar for our students high and communicate our expectations to them. We have found that students rise to the challenge when it’s communicated to them in a way they find valuable.

Future PlansBlending the values and expectations of two cultures is challenging while there are many aspects in which we do this well there is always room for improvement. We are planning to enhance our team building efforts for the 2015/16 school year. We will have many new staff members and seek to integrate them into our team effectively. Intentional team building activities will regularly be planned during the 2015/16 school year.

Technology upgrades for the Middle School are planned for the next school year. This is a part of our goal of being a cutting-edge school. The use of technology is essential for students to be successful when they leave our program. Laptops or tablets will be purchased so that each middle school student has a personal device to use at school and home. During the 15/16 school year, each classroom will receive a working SmartBoard and each teacher training on how to effectively use this tool while teaching,

Our efforts to address the state benchmarks in student-friendly language continues to be a priority for the 2015/16 school year.

A new position for a Curriculum Coordinator will be created for the 2015/16 school year.

The Playground Initiative to get a playground on the school grounds will begin in earnest during the 2015/16 school year. We will be pursuing grant opportunities to support this effort.

School space continues to be a priority for the school. We are working with the landlord to increase our square footage and maximize our current space. We currently occupy 42,000 square feet and are looking to increase this by 2-3,000 feet.

As a Focus School, we continue to implement School Reform with the support of the Regional Centers for Excellence. 15/16 will be our second year as a Focus School.

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