|
Summary of the Founding Group |
· The founding organization, Flanner House, is one of the most experienced and successful nonprofits in Indianapolis' history.
· Flanner House currently operates a private school with high levels of parent satisfaction, as evidenced by the support parents showed for the school during the public hearing on its proposal, and a long waiting list for families who want to attend the school.
· Flanner House offers many other youth services and social services for families, such as counseling, services for seniors and youth, and employment referrals.
· Flanner House Elementary School's ("FHE") founding board includes experienced educators, administrators, finance experts and nonprofit board members. Many of Flanner House's board members will serve in an advisory and support capacity to FHE's new board.
· FHE is currently working with SchoolStart, a nonprofit organization with experience helping charter schools work through start-up issues. This partnership will help the school in its transition from a private to a public school.
· Flanner House has strong ties to the community and a proven track record of mobilizing community partnerships. |
|
Mission, Need, and Demand for the School |
· FHE will develop the highest potential in its students, focusing on fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills and building a foundation for life-long learning.
· More than 90 children attend the existing school Flanner House runs.
· Flanner House's private school has a waiting list. Furthermore, there are some families who would like their children to attend the school, but cannot afford the tuition.
· Flanner is making the transition for the best motives - to serve more children in the surrounding community and throughout Indianapolis.
· To continue to ensure that FHE meets the demands of the community it serves, FHE is working with the Retired Executive Corps to undertake an intensive, accurate neighborhood survey.
· During the public hearings, there was strong community and parent support for FHE. |
|
Educational Services Provided |
· FHE's "No Excuses" educational philosophy, which focuses on hard work, achievement and self-esteem building, has been established in its pre-existing private school. The "No Excuses" approach creates a culture of high academic achievement regardless of students' socioeconomic backgrounds.
· FHE plans to draw on numerous research-based programs (e.g., the Open Court reading program and the University of Chicago's mathematics program Everyday Math) as it further develops its academic program.
· Studies show that students using Everyday Math, the proposed math curriculum, score a great deal higher on problem solving and applied math assessments.
· Visits to Flanner House reveal that the school's leaders operate a well-run school with actively engaged teachers and students who truly appear excited about teaching and learning.
· FHE will involve parents and the community in its program.
· Public library and park facilities are already on the Flanner House campus. |
|
Financial Viability |
· The budget is based on reasonable estimates of revenue and expenditures.
· Flanner House will support FHE through fundraising as well as by helping it secure loans by pledging its assets as backing for the school's loans.
· Flanner House, which will provide FHE with a high-quality facility, is leading a capital campaign to fund facility improvements and expansions. |
|
Governance and Management |
· FHE has provided a detailed, thoughtful description of the school's governance structure.
· The school clearly specifies and thoughtfully delineates the roles and responsibilities of its governing board, school director, and director of education.
· FHE has already identified an experienced nonprofit leader to be the school director, managing the school's business affairs, and a director of education to run the day-to-day operations of the school.
· The school will contract with SchoolStart. Given SchoolStart's experience in helping to start charter schools, this connection will complement the already-strong management team of Flanner House.
· The school has developed strong fiscal controls. For example, FHE will have a special finance committee that will oversee and track FHE's finances and will hire an auditor to do an independent review of FHE's finances. |
|
Transportation and Access |
· A key goal in starting FHE is making the existing Flanner House school more accessible to families without the means to pay private school tuition. As such, the school is committed to an admissions process that ensures that all students who submit a timely application have an equal opportunity to attend the school. The school is committed to reaching out to a cross-section of our community. Students in Flanner House's private school must also enter FHE's lottery.
· The school will provide transportation to any student who needs it.
· Flanner House currently owns a handicapped accessible bus and has budgeted in excess of $50,000 to develop and operate a transportation system in its first year. |
|
Leadership Information |
|
Name and Proposed Position of Applicants |
Cynthia A. Diamond-Authorized Representative and School Director
Frances Malone-Director of Education
Sandy Green-Director of Operations/Business Manager
Lynn Walston-Board Member
Chi Blackburn-Board Member
William Malone-Board Member
Robert L Dotson, Jr.-Board Member
Myron K. Richardson-Board Member
Patricia Roe-Board Member
Libby Scott-Board Member
Dawn Tabler-Board Member (awaiting confirmation)
Charles M. Steffel-Board Member
Marcell Gibson, Jr. -Board Member, Student Representative |
|
Capacities Represented by Applicants (by topic area) |
|
Education |
Experience
· Myron Richardson served as a middle school teacher for two years.
· William Malone is a retired K-12 principal.
· Frances Malone currently directs the Flanner House Child Development Center and Academy. In this role she oversees all the daily operations of the Center and Academy.
Training
· Frances Malone and Myron Richardson have bachelors degrees in education.
· Myron Richardson is working towards a doctorate in education. |
|
|
Experience
· Frances Malone is the Director for the Flanner House Child Development Center and Academy.
· Cynthia Diamond has served as Director of the multi-service center at Flanner House. In this role she supervised all programs and staff of the center.
· Charles Steffel has worked as a Vice President of Consolidated Stations, a subsidiary of Marathon Oil. He currently works as a self-employed real estate broker and investor.
· Chi Blackburn is the President of Indiana Home Mortgage Corporation.
· Myron Richardson has held several management positions with the Allison Transmission Division of General Motors.
· Lynn Walston currently works as a Vice President and Community Development Officer for the National City Community Development Corporation and has previously served as a Vice President in a number of bank branches.
· Patricia Roe has held a number of Vice President positions (e.g., of Diversity Management, Employee Relations) with USA Funds, Inc.
Training
· Sandy Green has an associates degree in business management.
· Lynn Walston and Patricia Roe have bachelors degrees in management.
· Charles Steffel and Myron Richardson have masters degrees in business administration. |
|
|
Experience
· Charles Steffel co-owns Evergreen Investment Corporation, a realty brokerage and investment firm.
· Patricia Roe worked as an independent consultant for three years. |
|
|
Experience
· Elizabeth Scott serves as the Director of Resource and Fund Development for The Villages. She has written and collaborated on proposals for foundation, state, and federal funding.
· Patricia Roe works as a Program Evaluator for USA Funds, Inc., where she consults with clients, monitors specific programs, and approves requests for sponsorship consistent with USA Funds' philanthropic goals.
· William Malone has served on the screening committee for IPS Education Foundation grants.
· As part of her responsibilities as Director of Education for the Flanner House Child Development Center and Academy, Frances Malone has written grants and done fundraising.
· Myron Richardson is the chair of his church's capital stewardship committee.
· Elizabeth Scott has taken classes at IUPUI's Center on Philanthropy and has participated in other seminars on grant writing. |
|
|
Experience
· Sandy Green is the Director of Operations for Flanner House. In this role, she is responsible for maintaining the budget and finances. She has also previously worked as a personnel-payroll clerk, as well as other office management positions.
· Chi Blackburn has served as a loan officer in a number of banks and mortgage companies.
· Lynn Walston has managed several large portfolios in her positions at banking centers.
· Patricia Roe has been responsible for several large budgets in her Vice President positions with USA Funds, Inc. |
|
|
Experience
· Elizabeth Scott has held a number of marketing and community relations positions since 1984. In these jobs she often worked closely with the media and developed a number of programs related to measuring marketing success, motivating customer satisfaction, and reaching out to new target populations. |
|
|
Experience
· Nothing specific listed. |
|
|
Experience
· Nothing specific listed. |
|
|
Experience
· Cynthia Diamond has served on the boards of Flanner House, the Indianapolis Urban League, and the Forest Manor Multi-Service Center.
· Lynn Walston serves on a number of United Way committees and serves on the board of the Forest Manor Multi-Service Center and the Coalition for Homeless Intervention and Prevention.
· William Malone has served as a chair for the Board of Trustees of Martin University. |
|
School Leader Biography |
Cynthia Diamond has worked primarily in the adoption field since 1984. She acted as a contract service provider to the Marion County Office of Family and Children and the Children's Bureau of Indianapolis, as well as serving as the Director of Adoption/Director of Homes for Black Children for the Children's Bureau. Prior to that she worked at Flanner House, first as a counselor and eventually as the Director of the Multi-Service Center.
Ms. Diamond has a bachelors degree in psychology from Purdue University. She is a certified social worker in the state of Indiana and has authored training manuals in the field of adoption and foster parenting. She has sat on several boards (Flanner House, the Urban League, the Forest Manor Multi-Service Center, Indiana Governor's State Adoption Advisory Team) and holds memberships in the National Council of Negro Women, the NAACP, the National Association of Social Workers, and the National Association of Black Social Workers. |
