contains a statement of the mission of the school, who is served, and the methods for student
achievement. Some charter school characteristics that need to be considered include the legal
status and liability of charter schools, school employees status and benefits, funding,
transportation, and facilities.
b. Charter School Actions Taken by Other States - Mr. Wilson said charter schools are created to serve a variety of needs. Since charter school legislation is unique in each state, it is
difficult to find a standard model. Typically, charter schools are small, averaging approximately
140 students per school. They serve varied and diverse student populations, ranging in scope
from at-risk students to gifted and talented students. As examples of the diverse nature of charter
schools, Mr. Wilson noted that many of the schools in California were established to gain access
to computer technology, while schools in Minnesota serve primarily students with disabilities.
c. Utah Centennial Schools Legislation - Mr. Wilson explained the content of the Utah Centennial Schools legislation. He described the mission, purpose, and objective that Governor
Leavitt expected from this public education innovation. More than 300 Utah schools have
participated in the program, and it continues to be an ongoing program funded by the state
legislature.
d. Modified Centennial Schools Legislation - Larry Horyna, State Office of Education, provided a brief historical report on the Modified Centennial School Program. He referred to the
creation of Centennial Schools as a campaign promise by Governor Leavitt to implement the
State Strategic Plan for public education. Centennial Schools have proven to be effective and
have adopted the features of the strategic plan, and each selected school is allocated $5,000 the
first year, plus $20.00 per student. Each year thereafter, the school is given one-third less block
money to operate its program. The Centennial School program is five years old and the
Legislature has expended $13 million on 393 schools, over half of the schools in the state.
Mr. Horyna said the basic components of the Centennial Schools program include: 1) a
strategic plan for the school; 2) a delegation document or an agreement with the school and the
district administration; 3) a plan for site-based decision making, with the stipulation that one-
third must be teachers in the school; 4) a clear statement of student performance goals and a
methodology for evaluating movement toward the goals; 5) SEPs and SEOPs are in place; 6) a
plan to maintain and further school business partnerships; and 7) a plan for public agency
collaboration with the school. These components are basic to participating schools, but each
school may implement additional plans or strategies such as teaming, staffing patterns, or other
innovative ideas. The program provides incentives and recognition to schools for what they do.
Mr. Horyna said it has been exciting to see what schools have done with a little incentive
and recognition and they have discovered how far they can go with limited resources.
Sometimes schools are reluctant to spend their incentive money. Some districts are more liberal
than others in granting special dispensations for Centennial Schools. He noted only three
instances in five years where schools have asked for the waiver of a specific rule or regulation.
Many schools would like to waive federal laws, but it is not possible. Usually the request is to
juggle the core curriculum or a special requirement for certification.
The Modified Centennial School program was enacted last year and ten veteran Centennial Schools were selected to participate in the pilot program. The requirements of the
program include: 1) more specific student outcomes; 2) a board of directors made up of parents
and teachers; and 3) permission to use money allocated to the program for strengthening
infrastructure.
Mr. Carl Bruce, principal of Snowcrest Junior High School in the Weber School District,
told the task force about his Modified Centennial School experience. His school is small and
enrolls around 400 students. He holds frequent public meetings to include parents in the decision
making process. The overall objective is to improve student performance. He said Snowcrest
Junior High School has maintained a strategic plan since 1991 that includes an elected board of
directors, a defined set of by-laws, and an option for development of committee structures. He
explained the Snowcrest site-based model. It includes the principal interacting with an elected
board of directors, and study committees who are given oversight by an executive committee.
The objective of the model is to work with and receive input from students, parents, and faculty
on issues that will meet the needs of students. Subject mastery or course competency is required
before a student can move from one subject to another, and typically each subject has five
assigned competencies that must be achieved. Assessment components include a student
portfolio. Students are provided an integrated curriculum based on the state core curriculum.
Teachers are given time to collaborate and assess how well each student is doing.
Some of the benefits of the program include higher SAT scores, students earning good
grades, increased parental involvement, and happier children and parents. Rep. Olsen asked
about teaching values, and Mr. Bruce said his school focuses on principles of respect and
responsibility. He said nearly 12 percent of his student population does not reside within the
school boundaries. Every program is funded by a block grant and the decision for the specific
use of funds is determined by parents and one of the governing committees. Sen. Hull inquired
about the ability of the school to deal with disruptive students. Mr. Bruce said a system is in
place and student expectations are explained in a school planner. There is even a parental
committee to deal with divergent parents who are not positively involved with the children.
Students who require discipline are counseled, and a plan is implemented to resolve the problem,
or to expect obvious consequences.
5. Charter School Definition - Due to time constraints, this item was not discussed.
6. Goals for Task Force -Time was allowed for each member of the committee to state his or her goal or objective for the task force.
7. Adjournment - The task force discussed dates for future meetings. The following dates were agreed upon: July 2 from 10:00 to 12:00; July 30 from 10:00 to 12:00; and August 14 at a
time to be determined in the next meeting.
MOTION: Rep. Evans moved to adjourn the meeting at 11:57 a.m.