Charter School PERFORMANCE and COMPLIANCE Visit Report

School: Quality Education Academy Date of Visit: 2-20-13 ADM: 406 (1 month) Consultant: Time In:
st

Grades Served: K-12 Withdrawal Rate: 22%

Current Enrollment: Administrator :

Cande Honeycutt 915am

Time Out:

Simon Johnson

Purpose of Visit
This visit was my (Joel E. Medley) first to the charter school in some time. I was interested in seeing their high school and learning more about the Business and Entrepreneurship aspect mentioned on their website. I also needed to discuss the status of a public records request from a reporter to QEA and see if the school would answer questions related to a recent article about them. The schools historical withdrawal rate (at least the last two years) has been above 20%. The schools first month ADM was 406, grew to 429 in the second month, and dipped again to 406 for the third month. This pattern seems to fit the historical trend for student withdrawal. In looking at the schools academic scores and that they have never had a lottery, this rate is somewhat curious. After a discussion of the Office of Charter Schools (OCS) mission and core values, we discussed how there are similarities between our two organizational goals. The QEA website mentions that the Fighting Pharaoh involves integrity. I shared with Mr. Johnson the protocol for site visits and many of the things that are formally discussed during our time in school. Since a consultant has not been to the school in quite some time, this will be a more formal site visit as evidenced by the collection of information below.

Legal COMPLIANCE
Items collected or currently on file to complete this report: Daily Schedule with teaching assignments School Calendar Student/Parent Handbook Grievance Policy Employee Handbook Board Minutes since last visit Copy of lottery application Up to date Insurance binder Criminal Background checks The Student/Parent and Employee handbooks are found on the schools website. The grievance policy is described in each of the handbooks. The school calendar and enrollment application is also online. School Tour: On the way to the school, I heard on the radio about a student collapsing at their basketball game the night before. Apparently, he played for the other team and collapsed during a time-out and, unfortunately, was never able to be revived. The charter school has reached out to that other school, the parents, and was preparing counselors for their own team. When I arrived, the students were finalizing their assembly that occurs every Wednesday. This is also the dress for success day at the charter school boys are in coats and ties while the ladies are in dresses. The assembly focused on many parts of African-American History Month and were all presented by students to the students. The elementary has a separate time (8 to 830) while the middle and high school convenes at 9am.

Charter School PERFORMANCE and COMPLIANCE Visit Report I was able to see their high school building which is laid out in a similar fashion to the elementary and middle. There are no offices in the high school building because an older home that sits on the property houses those administrative offices. Behind the high school building is the new addition gym, black box theater, board room, and classrooms. The plan is that this facility will be completed in May or June ready for the next academic year. Facility: Valid certificate of occupancy Fire drills and regular fire department inspections Licensure Information: Meets general statute requirement for teacher certification Current BTSP If applicable, uses online teacher evaluation system Current licensure renewal plan Implements a teacher evaluation system Based upon the February report that is in the OCS, the school does comply with the requirement for elementary licensure (92%). The middle and high school, however, barely meets the statutory minimum (58%). They were cautioned to watch this figure closely to avoid any noncompliance issues in the future. Based upon information provided to OCS in October 2012, QEA does not have an approved licensure renewal plan (expired 2010) or beginning teacher support plan. Mr. Johnson believed they had one of each approved, so I told him to double-check. He can also contact their OCS consultant to receive the necessary information to create one. Without either plan, the school cannot initial renewal of a teaching license or convert a SP1 (initial) license to SP2 (continuing) status. If they do have such approved plans, they need to communicate this with licensure again, the schools consultant can assist them. Additional follow-up by the assigned consultant is probably needed here. Staffing: School has individual who monitors compliance for: Testing Exceptional Children Department 504s Student information and accountability data

Board PERFORMANCE
Achievement: Board is aware of the schools academic performance on state assessments. If so, how? They have historical information comparing the charter against the district on the schools website. If the public has this information, it is safe to assume that the board does as well. Unfortunately, the board only meets quarterly; so the depth of understanding is questionable. I did not ask to see board minutes, so I cannot gauge their understanding of the schools academics at this time. Consultants should follow up in the next several months. School uses formative assessments to drive academics by sharing with all staff members and their board of directors. If yes, what does the data show, and how is the school addressing these deficiencies? Enrollment: School has a clear lottery and enrollment process School has evident communication system with parents School collects data on reasons for student withdraws The school does have a lottery process listed on its website; however, it is dated for 2012. The front page indicates that they are now accepting enrollment, but the link does not carry you to any specific form. A recent newspaper article said that the school has never needed to hold a lottery. I found this to be

Charter School PERFORMANCE and COMPLIANCE Visit Report curious considering that the schools marketing references that they are a factory of excellence. I inquired further about that statement because I could not find wait list numbers in the OCS files. The school has never had a lottery but does have a plan in place. Mr. Johnson said that they do lose students throughout the year (mainly going into second semester) for two primary reasons: (1) often the students come with behavioral issues that are corrected at QEA so the parents remove them to go back to their previous school or (2) the behavioral and dress standards of the school are not liked by students so parents allow the students to leave. In other words, parents view the charter school as a short-term fix rather than a long-term destination for their students. With that amount of turnover, they have not needed to hold a lottery. I understand this turnover but also suggested the school look at ways to ensure those students stay because it would benefit the schools overall culture and carry their academics even further. Education Plan: School demonstrates alignment with schools mission in regards to: Education Plan (curriculum) Process for identifying EC students Professional Development Plan Academic Accountability Plan Class size (Student to teacher ratio) Student conduct and discipline Differentiation for Special Populations The class sizes are curious. In looking at the ADM numbers and cross-referencing with the teaching roster on the website, the elementary ratios are as follows: kindergarten is 1:22, first grade is 1:18, second grade is 1:17, third grade is 1:34, and fifth grade is 1:26. I failed to ask this question of Mr. Johnson but this is something that a consultant could inquire about in the future. With the various ratios, is there a set number per class that would then drive the need for a lottery? Additional follow up is needed to gain a better understanding. Governance: School demonstrates alignment with schools mission in regards to: Organization structure Board has an orientation plan for new members By laws School has a grievance policy Board meeting schedule Open Meeting Laws Conflict of Interest/Nepotism policies Board minutes online or readily available Board meeting notification posted I shared with Mr. Johnson something that I noticed on the schools website they do not have a board calendar online. The Open Meetings Law, which charter schools must follow, says: if a public body has a website, then public meetings must be posted on the website prior to the scheduled time of the meeting. It would be in the best interest of the school and transparency to do likewise in getting this information to the public. While at the school, they were able to show me where those meeting dates were housed on the website. I had simply missed them. The board meetings occur quarterly. I suggested that Mr. Johnson go back to the board and request meeting no less than every other month. With the allegations out there against the school, a regular meeting board will showcase they are invested and overseeing the operations of the school. It would also expedite the process for any grievances that may be filed.

Academic EXCELLENCE
How is the school innovative when compared to the surrounding LEAs? The charter school has a Business and Entrepreneurship model at the high school. Mr. Johnson said the high school moved this direction due to the changes in Winston-Salem. Mainstays, such as RJR and Hanes, are gone; and those types of jobs that paid well are too. He wanted to make sure that when students left the charter school that they could make a living for themselves or their family. Their

Charter School PERFORMANCE and COMPLIANCE Visit Report students to accrue some college credit before graduating, but he wants to move more toward the specific early college model (where students leave with an associates degree and diploma). To assist in that manner, they have a 1:1 laptop initiative at the high school level. The school did not go the route of iPads due to their fragile nature but do have a normal PC. In walking through the high school, I did not see students with laptops or teachers instructing with technology (i.e. smart boards). It was during a time of transition, so additional time in classes should be spent to see how this is being implemented in their school to possibly share with others. Any best practices noted during the visit or specifically shared by the school?

What novel partnerships does the school have to fulfill its mission? The charter school has a partnership with Forsyth Technical Community College thereby allowing parents of students at the charter school to receive their GED. They are also hoping that the new facility (which includes a Black Box Theatre) will be able to host some African-American Film Festival activities at their school. Mainly these events have been at Winston-Salem State University, but they want to bring some to eastern Winston. Is there quantitative or qualitative data that demonstrates educational excellence?

Operational HINDRANCES
Concerns reported to the school: I spoke to Mr. Johnson about the communication we received on February 19, 2013 related to the schools lack of response to public records requests from a reporter. I reminded Mr. Johnson that we sent them a letter back in the fall to remind them of their need to provide public documents. Again, we are back at that situation again. If the school does not comply with this request, then it could lead to a governance warning for charter violations. We shifted into a conversation related to the article produced by NC Policy Watch. I specifically asked several questions, which are listed below: Who recruits the players? How is travel paid for to tournaments in Canada, VA, OH, FL, etc.? What is the status of the child nutrition findings? Why was the basketball coach listed as guardian to several players? Is the school charging tuition for these students or not? What about those that say they were given a scholarship to attend? Were students ever housed by QEA? Where are they staying now? What about the other nonprofits? Schools response to the noted concerns: Related to the public records issue, Mr. Johnson shared that he had forwarded all of his information to the schools attorney. He, apparently, has gone through some surgical procedure and is behind. I would share that information with the reporter and would copy Mr. Johnson on that response. In answering my questions, Mr. Johnson revealed that his words were ripped out of context, fashioned by a specific agenda, and was a smear campaign. A summary of his responses to my inquiries are below: The school does not have a recruiter working for them. They have attracted students with GPA problems because of word of mouth. These students play across the country in AAU ball, and

Charter School PERFORMANCE and COMPLIANCE Visit Report their conversations bring in other students. The school has tutors for the players, implements Study Island, hosts Saturday academies twice a month (becomes 4 times a month closer to EOGs and EOCs). They even had a former student named Academic Player of the Year in the ACC. Their team goes to national tournaments and those tournaments have sponsors that pay to bring in these basketball teams. They do not utilize any state, local, or federal dollars for these trips. QEA has corrected their audit findings. The person that formerly ran this program no longer does so, and the school has contracted with an outside consultant. They have an internal team that reviews the outside consultants reports from their findings. The coach, Isaac Pitts, is no longer listed as guardian for basketball players. When the school realized this was an issue, they have stopped this practice. Mr. Johnson said that their legal counsel told them they needed to charge an amount equivalent to the local funds for students. The school has implemented a strong, fundraising process in order to make sure students can attend. They want to help students be the best that they can. Any scholarships given to the students come from fundraising and not state or local dollars. Mr. Johnson did allow students to stay in a house he owned as a donation. They were supervised 24 hours a day (regardless of what the newspaper article had to say). He said the students are housed but they (the school) have nothing to do with it. They are not housed on campus and the school does not pay for their residency. The LLC formed with Mr. Johnson and the basketball coach was an investment piece not affiliated with the school or the basketball team. The nonprofit holding the charter for the Pointe (Sprouts for Success) had nothing to do with QEA or the basketball team. The nonprofit in which his wife was named as the principal (Seed in the Soil) did have some property that in some way was related to the basketball team. No further details were provided. Timeline of actions recommended and follow-up activities planned:

Consultant Action:
Email the principal a copy of the Annual Compliance Checklist and the site visit report Respond to the reporter inquiring of public records to share what I was told by the school

Timeline for Completion

Completed 2/21/13 Completed 2/21/13