What is a Charter School ?

A charter school is a self-managed school that is approved by the local school board. It is a hybrid between private schools (because of their autonomy- self governing) and public schools (because they are non-sectarian and supported by tax dollars).tuition-free and open to all whom wish to attend. A charter school is organized as a public non-profit corporation. Charter status may not be granted to any "for-profit" entity.

 Frequently Asked Questions: Q&A from Charter School Community Meeting, 10/18/05

• Will the process of how we accept students change? No. The process will remain the same. Any student who is a resident of the region may apply. Evergreen will evaluate their application, review their academic, behavioral and attendance records and conduct an interview. There will be no entrance exam. We believe that a charter will significantly increase the number of applicants for admission and we look forward to being able to be even more discriminating about the quality of “fit” for prospective students.
  
  
• Can local school districts force Evergreen to accept particular students? No. This was a fallacy we believed for a number of years, but it is not the case.
  
  
• Will Jill Shoesmith remain director of the School? Yes. For as long as Jill has a pulse.
  
  
• Will Evergreen, in effect, be forced to teach to the PSSA test? No. Evergreen is committed to a broad-based liberal arts curriculum. The PSSA test is designed to measure the degree to which students are prepared for grade-level expectations. It is expected that Evergreen students will be prepared to meet those expectations.
  
  
• How will charter status effect home-schooled students hoping to matriculate at Evergreen? Home-schooled students will be welcome to apply to Evergreen and will be considered so long as they meet residency requirements.
  
  
• Will the chartered school be open to all Monroe County residents? Yes. It is by our choice, largely due to the composition of our current student body coming from the breadth of the county.
  
  
• How many additional students do we anticipate next year? We hope to grow to a total population of about 115 students eventually. Our plan, however, is to grow slowly, at a rate of 25-30% per year until we reach that maximum figure. We will accept 17 new students for 2006-07.
  
  
• What do think will be the benefit of becoming a charter school? They are many:
• Training for our teachers (of many kinds currently offered by area school districts)
• Additional equipment and building improvements funded by grant sources we are not now, but for which we would be eligible to apply
• We may also be eligible for Title 1 funding we do not now receive
• Students would be able to participate in activities and sports within their home school districts.
• Are there any disadvantages to becoming a charter school? We are not sure. That is why we are exploring the option. We are committed to retaining our current school calendar (including the occasional Saturday-at-School and school trips to Canada and such); our sense of community and strong sense of student ownership that we feel are essential elements of Evergreen Community School . We are potentially concerned about growing pains and are therefore planning that growth will occur slowly. We are also concerned about receiving fewer dollars per student (compared to current tuition) and while we will be increasing the number of students, need to be cautious that our books still balance. So far, we have not discovered any reason why we cannot retain the autonomy to be who we are.
  
  
• Will there be additional fees required as, for instance, the Friday Movement activities? No. Only for field trips and specialized movement activities. Anything that is a required component of the Evergreen curriculum, like Friday Movement activities would be offered without charge.
  
  
• What testing would be required? Evergreen currently administers the Terra Nova tests at the end of each year. Under a charter, students would be required to take the PSSA test in the 8^th and 11^th grades. These tests are quite rigorous and are state mandated. A given level of performance to this test is required to retain the school’s charter.
  
  
• What would be our status regarding “No Child Left Behind”? We would be required to meet the requirement of “No Child Left Behind”.
  
  
• How would a charter effect school bus transportation? There would be no change in school bus transportation.
  
  
• The only students grandfathered are current students enrolled in Evergreen and their siblings.