Title: 9.  APPLICATION FOR RENEWAL OF CHARTER SCHOOL CONTRACT (CHARTER) - KREATIVE KIDS YOUTH FOUNDATION, INC.

Requested Action:

Deny the application for renewal of a charter with Kreative Kids Youth Foundation Inc.

Summary Explanation and Background:

The charter for Kreative Kids Academy will expire June 30, 2004. 

The District has developed an extensive renewal process that requires the renewal applicant (school administrator and Board Members) to interview with the district committee and submit a renewal application.  In the renewal application, the charter school answers a series of questions pertaining to academic program, governance and management, facilities and risk management, financial operations, and general school operations.  The committee holds a series of workshops to review these applications and makes a recommendation.  In addition, the committee reviews Annual Report Data, Performance Accountability Reports, and other tools that assess whether the charter school is complying with the commitments stated in the charter.  A careful evaluation of the above mentioned components allows the committee to make a recommendation to the Superintendent of Schools whether to renew or terminate a charter.

The committee recommends non-renewal of the charter for Kreative Kids Academy based on the following:

1.      The renewal application received an overall ranking of 188 points out of 312 possible points.  This score is equivalent to 60%.

2.      Kreative Kids has had numerous contract violation issues during the term of the current contract

3.      Kreative Kids has failed to achieve academic growth during the term of the current charter. 

4.      Kreative Kids has failed to meet generally accepted standards of fiscal management during the term of the current charter.

Among the statutory grounds for termination or non-renewal of a charter contract, F.S. 1002.33(8), is failure to meet generally accepted standards of fiscal management and “other good cause shown.”  The Charter School Committee feels confident in their recommendation to the Superintendent not to renew Kreative Kids based on the reasons outlined above.  The school’s charter contract ends on June 30, 2004 and charter school law requires the Board to give at least 90 day notice of intended action, which is no later than March 31, 2004.

A full staff report has been made available to the Board and to school officials.

For Additional Information, contact:

Aimee Tous-Parker   390-2039

Dr. Sally Hague        390-2082