Christel House Academy

Summary of the Founding Group

· Several members of the founding group, through their work with the founding organization, Christel House, Inc., have experience opening and running fully operational Christel House schools in Venezuela, India, and South Africa.

· This group is working with an experienced education management organization (EMO), SABIS Educational Services, Inc ("SABIS"). The founding group selected SABIS after visiting EMO-run schools in other cities.

· SABIS currently operates 27 schools - seven of which are charters located in five states and 20 of which are private schools located in 11 countries - serving 22,500 students.

· The governing board is highly specialized, has relevant experience in using and monitoring funds effectively, and has the ability to provide appropriate oversight to the EMO. Its members have considerable experience in education, finance, accounting, and law.

Mission, Need, and Demand for the School

· Christel House Academy will provide an outstanding education to an underserved population. It will maintain high standards of academic rigor, efficiency and accountability while working to develop its students' civic and ethical values.

· Christel House Academy will provide a good option for families who want a "back-to-basics" approach (for example, the curriculum focuses heavily on reading, writing and mathematics) that has a systematic method of regularly monitoring student performance to inform instruction.

· This school is committed to ensuring 100% mastery of the skills (especially in math and English) that it has deemed essential for students to be promoted to the next grade.

· This school will eventually serve grades K-12. Few public school students have the option to attend the same school throughout their elementary and secondary school experience. There are many advantages to this. For example, there will be greater continuity in the academic program and there will be more familiarity between students and the Christel House Academy staff.

Educational Services Provided

· The founders' focus on accountability and results is complemented by SABIS's educational philosophy that reading, writing, and mathematics are the gateway to further learning. · SABIS has developed a comprehensive, research-based, educational program focused on the complete mastery of essential skills. · The SABIS model is built on a commitment to identifying learning gaps and addressing them: it includes an evaluation of incoming students to determine pre-existing learning gaps; it continually monitors its students to identify new learning gaps through a weekly testing program known as the "Academic Monitoring System," a computer-generated progress-tracker; and it provides immediate intensive remediation to address these gaps. · A detailed and comprehensive curriculum ensures instructors teach essential skills and knowledge required for grade level advancement and academic success. · Proposed assessment plans, which exceed Indiana requirements, provide the foundation for a rigorous academic program. · The Christel House Academy demonstrates a serious commitment to increasing student achievement through a longer school year and a longer school day. The school will have a 204-day school year, 189 days of which will be instructional and 15 of which will consist of a summer session featuring academic remediation and cultural and enrichment activities. Christel House Academy will be open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. · Addressing Christel House Academy 's belief in the holistic development of the child, enrichment and life skills programs will be offered before and after school. Programs will be provided through a series of collaborations with a wide variety of local community organizations such as 100 Black Men of Indianapolis, Asante Children's Theatre, HealthNet, Indianapolis Art Center, The Martin Luther King Center, Theatre of Inclusion, and Very Special Arts of Indiana.
Financial Viability
· The school's proposed budget is based on reasonable estimates of revenue and expenditures. · The school has the support of Christel House, Inc., which has opened Christel Houses in India, Mexico, Venezuela, and South Africa. · The school has a financial management plan that provides strong financial controls and follows accepted accounting principles.
Governance and Management
· The school clearly delineates the roles and responsibilities of its governing board, the school's leader and business manager, and SABIS. · The school has developed detailed processes and procedures to govern Christel House Academy's finances and operations. For example, Christel House Academy's business manager is the only person authorized to sign purchase orders and deliveries must be checked in before items are distributed to staff members or sent to the supply room. · The school has a sensible, workable plan to recruit Christel House Academy's staff and to hold the staff accountable through detailed evaluations. · The school will also provide its staff with meaningful professional development opportunities. · The school has the capacity and a credible plan for managing and evaluating the contractual relationship between the charter school board and SABIS, Inc.
Transportation and Access
· The school has a workable, fair admissions process that will ensure that all students who submit a timely application will have an equal chance of admission. · The school has an extensive outreach program designed to reach out to all students, including the most disadvantaged. For example, the school will partner with Juvenile Judge James Payne to identify and recruit students in the juvenile justice system or in foster care. · The school is committed to providing transportation to all students who need it. · The school's transportation plan may include the use of private buses, public transportation, and coordinated car-pooling. The school has budgeted $33,000 to develop and operate transportation its first year.
Leadership Information
Name and Proposed Position of Applicants	Sandi Bittner-Authorized Representative and Board Member Christel DeHann-Board Member Murv Enders-Board Member Dr. Everette Freeman-Board Member Bob Hasty-Board Member Dr. Carol Israel-Board Member Alan Levin-Board Member
*Capacities Represented by Applicants (by topic area)*
Education	Experience · Christel DeHaan founded and directs the Christel DeHaan Family Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting, among other things, K-12 education reform in Indiana. · Christel DeHaan is the President of the Board of Trustees of the University of Indianapolis. · Bob Hasty and Carol Israel have experience teaching at the K-12 level. Bob Hasty currently serves as the Social Studies Department Chair at Lawrence Central High School. · Bob Hasty has previously served as a Vice-Principal at the high school level. · Carol Israel has had experience as a principal. · Carol Israel has served at the district level in several administrative
	positions (e.g., Director of Assessment, Assistant Supervisor, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, etc.) and has helped develop and direct numerous curriculum and assessment initiatives. · Everette Freeman and Carol Israel have had experience teaching at the post-secondary level. · Murv Enders and Bob Hasty have served on local boards of education. · Everette Freeman is the Senior Vice President and Provost for the University of Indianapolis and has served in other administrative roles in post-secondary institutions (e.g., Dean, Executive Assistant to the President). · Carol Israel serves as an educational consultant and President's Adviser for Community and International Relations at the University of Indianapolis. · Carol Israel acts as the facilitator for the Indiana Professional Standards Board Licensure Review Committee and also sits on the Project E Board. Training · Bob Hasty and Carol Israel have masters degrees in education. · Everette Freeman and Carol Israel have doctorate degrees in education. · Carol Israel has attended numerous training sessions and seminars on assessment, school improvement, and instructional practices.
Management	Experience · Christel DeHaan served as the CEO and chair of Resort Condominiums International. · Murv Enders works as the Vice President of Human Resources for the Indianapolis Water Company (IWC). Previously, he was the Vice President of Administrative Affairs for IWC, a Plant Manager for Chrysler, and a manager for the Indianapolis Foundry. In these roles, he has supervised up to 1,700 employees. · Alan Levin is the Managing Partner of a 300+ member law firm. · Everette Freeman has worked as the Director of Organizational Development for Fisons Pharmaceutical. · Sandi Bittner works as the Vice President and CFO of CD Enterprises, Ltd. Training · Murv Enders and Sandi Bittner have masters degrees in business administration. · Everette Freeman has a masters degree in labor and industrial relations.
Entrepreneurialism	Experience · Christel DeHaan co-founded Resort Condominiums International as well as Christel House, Inc., a public charity that provides education, health care, and life-skills to impoverished, orphaned, and abandoned children.
Fundraising	Experience · Christel DeHaan directs the Christel DeHaan Family Foundation.
Finance / Accounting	Experience · Sandi Bittner works as the Chief Financial Officer of CD Enterprises, Ltd., overseeing all aspects of the company's finances. She also serves as the Treasurer for the Christel DeHaan Family Foundation. Previously, she was the Director of Taxation for RCI, a Tax Administrator for GTE, and Senior Tax Manager for Ernst & Young.
Marketing / Public Relations	Experience · Carol Israel has worked with school improvement groups, citizens' advisory councils, and other groups to foster cooperation and participation between schools and the community.
Legal Expertise	Experience · Alan Levin has worked as an attorney since 1982 for Barnes and Thornburg and was voted top employee benefits lawyer by Indianapolis Monthly in 1993.
Management of Public Funds	Experience · Nothing specific listed.
Nonprofit Governance	Experience · Christel DeHaan directs the Christel DeHaan Family Foundation and Christel House, Inc. and serves on several other boards. · Murv Enders has served on numerous boards, including those for the N.A.A.C.P., the Methodist Hospital Foundation, the Center for Leadership Development, the American Red Cross of Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Water Company, the Ruth Lilly Health Education Center, and the Martin Luther King Multi-Service Center. · Alan Levin sat on the board of the Indiana Repertory Theater and is a member of the Board of Visitors of the Indiana University Law School. · Bob Hasty served on the Nativity Catholic School Board.
School Leader Biography	No site-based leader named.


	Last Updated: 12/31/2007 \| Print This Page \| Email to Friend