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Mission, Need, and Demand for the School |
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· Honor Charter Academy’s mission is “to create a challenging learning environment grounded in an academically rigorous, proven, content-rich education program and foundational character values while also instilling a sense of family, community and leadership within each student.”
· More than 150 parents have responded to a mailer and requested additional information about the school.
· Honor Charter Academy will adopt an educational model that has won many accolades. It will be managed by National Heritage Academies (NHA), a highly regarded national charter management organization that operates more than 50 schools around the country, including Andrew J. Brown Academy on Indianapolis’s eastside.
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Educational Services Provided |
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· Honor Charter Academy will offer a classical education that emphasizes mastery of basic skills and character education.
· The Core Knowledge sequence provides the structure for the curriculum that includes Open Court Reading and Saxon Math.
· Students will also take courses in art, music, physical education, technology, and the use of libraries.
· The school will have three branches: Lower Elementary (grades K-2), Upper Elementary (grades 3-5), and Middle School (grades 6-8). This configuration enables teachers to share ideas, activities, and resources easily within the same grades, and helps students stay in close social contact with their peers.
· School days will run from 8:00 in the morning until 3:15 in the afternoon. After-school tutoring and summer programs will also be available.
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Summary of the Founding Group |
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· A local board proposes to partner with NHA to create the school.
· NHA will provide curriculum materials and will handle the school’s administrative functions and facilities development.
· The school’s founding leaders have experience in relevant areas such as the law, fundraising, business management, administration and community-building.
· Founding board members have held positions or are affiliated with organizations such as YMCA of Greater Indianapolis, Boy Scouts of America Crossroads of America Council, Westview Medical Foundation, United Water, and Bingham McHale.
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Governance and Management |
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· The school’s board of directors will, in conjunction with NHA, oversee the school’s operations, assets, expenditures, policies, and procedures. This board will also ensure that the school operates according to the terms and conditions of the school’s charter as well as all applicable federal and state laws.
· Board members will serve staggered terms of three years each to ensure the continuity of strong board membership. These members may include, for example, community leaders, business leaders, educators and parents of the community. |
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Financial Viability |
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· The school leader will bear ultimate responsibility for managing the school’s financial operations. This leader will receive assistance from NHA in creating a feasible budget, adhering to that budget, and reporting to the board.
· NHA has committed to providing the start-up funds for the school until funding payments are received.
· NHA will implement its standard set of financial tracking policies and its purchase order system at the school.
· The school’s board will approve the budget twice a year, will review financial statements each quarter, may request financial information as often as necessary, and may obtain a yearly audit through an independent CPA as well as through the State Board of Accounts.
· The school may fundraise for operations and activities as necessary. Parent/teacher committees may also hold fundraising events for their activities.
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Accessibility |
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· NHA and the Board of Directors will work together on community outreach to inform the community about the school and to attract students. The school will recruit families through a variety of methods. These methods will include, for example, direct mail pieces, a school website and monthly parent information meetings. The school also plans to establish a Founding Families program, which will encourage word-of-mouth communication via parents of students who are already enrolled at the school.
· Parents who inquire about enrollment will receive applications by mail or fax. In the first year, the school will have a two-week open enrollment window, after which a lottery will be held if necessary. If spots remain to be filled, they will continue to recruit students after that time. In subsequent years, the school will accept applications from the first day of school until the last day of February, after which a lottery will be held if necessary.
· The school will offer transportation services in order to make its campus widely accessible.
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Leadership Information
*Note: The information provided below is solely a summary of qualifications, and does not reflect a comprehensive description of each founding member’s expertise and experience. |
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Name and Proposed Position of Applicants |
Roderick Morgan—Authorized Representative
Michele Goodrich—Board Member
Diane Cordell—Board Member
Judith Donner—Board Member
Addison Simpson—Board Member
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Capacities Represented by Applicants (by topic area) |
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Education |
Experience
· Roderick Morgan was an Associate Professor of Law and is a member of the Board of Trustees at Vincennes University.
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Other Youth Work |
Experience
· Michele Goodrich has held various positions at the YMCA for 26 years. She also was the Camp Director for the Catholic Youth Organization and Recreation Director for the University of Colorado Semester at Sea Program.
· Diane Cordell has held management positions for the Boy Scouts of America and the YWCA.
· Addison Simpson has been a basketball and football coach at St. Andrew’s Church for many years.
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Management |
Experience
· Michele Goodrich is Executive Vice President for Advancement for the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis and has served in several other management positions for the YMCA.
· Diane Cordell is the District Executive of the Crossroads of America Council for Boy Scouts of America.
· Judy Donner is the Executive Director for Westview Medical Foundation.
· Addison Simpson is currently the External Affairs Director for United Water. He was also President and CEO of A.T. Simpson & Associates.
Training
· Michele Goodrich has a master’s degree in Recreation and Park Administration from Indiana University.
· Judy Donner has completed a business course study at Myers University.
· Addison Simpson has a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from Martin University and studied Business Management at Duke University.
· Diane Cordell has an associate’s degree in Public Administration from San Antonio College.
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Entrepreneurship
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Experience
· Addison Simpson started his own consulting business.
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Fundraising |
Experience
· Diane Cordell has managed fundraising efforts for Boy Scouts of America.
· Judy Donner has participated in fundraising for Westview Hospital.
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Marketing / Public Relations |
Experience
· Michele Goodrich was the Marketing and Communications Director for the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis for six years.
· Judy Donner was the Director of Public Relations and Marketing for Family Services of Central Indiana, Ballet Internationale, Solis Advertising and Public Relations, New Mexico Symphony Orchestra and Rollins, Inc.
Training
· Judy Donner is APR accredited through the Public Relations Society of America.
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Legal Expertise |
Experience
· Roderick Morgan has 27 years of experience as a litigator and partner at Bingham McHale LLP. He is a retired Army Judge Advocate General.
Training
· Roderick Morgan has a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.
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Management of Public Funds |
Experience
· Addison Simpson coordinated contract procurement activities with all government agencies for the Indiana Department of Administration.
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Nonprofit Governance |
Experience
· Roderick Morgan was on the Board of Directors for the Indianapolis Bar Association, the Indianapolis Black Chamber of Commerce, Vincennes University, Warren Arts Foundation, and Arts Indiana, Inc.
· Michele Goodrich has served on the Board of Directors for the Rotary Club of Indianapolis and Girls Inc.
· Addison Simpson serves on the Boards of the Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership, Catholic Youth Organization, the United Way, and the Citizen Health Center.
· Judy Donner is vice president of the Lafayette Square Area Coalition.
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School Leader Biography
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No site-based leader named. |
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The school has letters of support from Crooked Creek Northwest Community Development Corporation and the Westview Medical Campus.
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