Students, staff and volunteers from Great Expectations Charter School gathered for a school photograph during a period of time that was unencumbered by extreme cold, snow and ice. The charter school was recently given a high status by the state of Minnesota that puts it in line to possibly receive a federal charter school program (CSP) grant.
The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) recently named Great Expectations Charter School (GES) one of the top 40 High-Quality Charter Schools in the state.
According to the official notice, “This identification is based on a Comprehensive Performance Framework (CPF) that incorporates multiple measures of schools’ academic, operational and financial performance.”
The high ranking will allow Great Expectations eligibility for a significant expansion/replication grant from Minnesota’s federal Charter Schools Program (CSP) grant.
Currently, only eight of the 40 nominated schools have a CSP grant.
The first opportunity for GES to apply for a federal CSP expansion/ replication grant is the Spring 2018 round.
“It is a very satisfying recognition of the hard work we put into serving our students and families every day,” said the director of GES, Peter James.
“It is even more gratifying considering another list just put out by MDE has identified GES as receiving the lowest per pupil funding of any district in the state! As you might know, we don’t receive any local referendum revenue and because of our county’s high property values don’t receive any equalization revenue either. I am proud of the way we’ve been able to do so well with our limited finances, and am grateful for the extra efforts from our staff, parents, and volunteers to make it possible,” said James.
“Education really is a collaborative undertaking, and I appreciate all the support we receive from our community partners. This is a success that celebrates everyone involved,” added James.
What does a CSP grant do?
The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) received a five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education to increase charter school quality, authorizer accountability, and charter school sustainability. Minnesota’s Federal Charter Schools Program (CSP) Grant Project will:
Increase the number of high-quality charter schools that serve disadvantaged students and overall number of students served by charter schools in the state; support charter schools in achieving the goals of Minnesota’s World’s Best Workforce legislation; increase the quality of Minnesota charter schools through authorizer training and evaluation; and increase the sustainability of Minnesota charter schools.
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