growth strategies for charter schools - national charter schools conference

Growth Strategies for

Charter Schools:Start-up, Expansion and Maturity

National Charter Schools Conference

June 27, 2016

WHO WE ARE

Dr. Darlene Chambers

SVP of Programs and Services National Charter Schools Institute

Panelists

John Cairns

John Cairns, P.A.

Stuart Ellis

President and CEOCharter School Capital

WHAT WE’LL COVER

• Charter school growth stages

• Challenges school operators face at each stage

• Best practices and takeaways

Agenda

Presentation is available to download atwww.slideshare.net/CharterSchoolCapital

Stages of Growth

STAGES OF GROWTH

# of Students

Start-upSurvival/Establish

GrowthFlexibility/Stability

Sustainable MaturityEfficiency

Time (years)

0 2-3 5-10

Students as a % of mature targets

10-25% 25-90% 90-100%

CHALLENGES

Reasons for charter school closures

6%5% 4%

FinancialMismanagementAcademicAuthorizer ObstaclesFacilitiesOther

Source: The State of Charter Schools,The Center For Education Reform, December 2011

STAGES OF GROWTH

Strategic approach

Start-up Growth SustainabilityFinancing

Facilities

Community involvementAcademic accountabilityOperational support

STAGES OF GROWTH

Strategic approach

Start-up Growth SustainabilityFinancing Any liquidity

Facilities In target locale

Community involvement

Awareness

Academic accountability

Establish program

Operational support

Outside experts

STAGES OF GROWTH

Strategic approach

Start-up Growth SustainabilityFinancing Any liquidity Flexibility/scalabil

ityFacilities In target locale Modular

Awareness Fulfill the promise

Establish program Measure program

Operational support

Outside experts Transitionalresources

STAGES OF GROWTH

Strategic approach

ityCost

Facilities In target locale Modular Curb appeal/cost

Awareness Fulfill the promise Fabric of community

Establish program Measure program Continuous improvement

Operational support

In-house team

STAGES OF GROWTH

Strategic approach

ityCost

Facilities In target locale Modular Curb appeal/cost

Operational support

In-house team

The Start-up Phase

STAGES OF GROWTH

Start-up

Common MisperceptionsFounding team to “create” best practices

“If you build it, they will come.”

Easy to complete application, proposal and get the enrollment needed

STAGES OF GROWTH

Start-up

Marshall speak to this series of slides

The ChallengesFinding good leadership and teachers

Securing resources

Finding suitable facilities

Healthy enrollment

Sustaining high performance as network expands

STAGES OF GROWTH

Start-up

Best Practices

Study and meet with schools doing things well

Don’t be a master of everything. Master a few things and do them reallywell

Build genuine and robust relationship with teachers, leaders, vendors, and external constituents

Pay close attention to the budget

Pay even closer attention to student progress data

Do not waiver in your belief or mission

The Growth Phase

STAGES OF GROWTH

Growth

Common Misperceptions“After the 3rd year, all will be in place and it’s smooth sailing!”

Performance and accountability requirements will be stagnantDone with professional development

No need to change routines or systems

We’ll have sufficient funds from operating revenue to support expansion

Facility upgrades will be minimal, if at all

STAGES OF GROWTH

GrowthChallenges

Maintaining high expectations and being flexible

Advancing levels of student performance

Managing growth with limited resources

Upgrading systems to support growth

Retaining quality teachers and leaders

Matching capital to operational needs

STAGES OF GROWTH

Growth

Best PracticesContinuous professional development and leadership training

Build on the culture

Focus on individualized instruction and data analysis

Increase visibility in the movement

The Sustainable Maturity Phase

STAGES OF GROWTH

Sustainable maturity

Common Misperceptions

The snowball effect

Time to cash in

Challenges decrease as you scale

STAGES OF GROWTH

The Challenges

Focus, Engage, Act

Right team on the right bust in the right seats

Recalibration

STAGES OF GROWTH

Best PracticesBe mindful of the “tipping points”

Strategic enrollment = Stable performance

Develop data-driven culture and retain the passion that got you started

Celebrate your successes and analyze your failures as strategic opportunities

Develop pillars that define what you do – core strategies for your “preferred future”

Assess all management systems regularly and use assessment to improve

STAGES OF GROWTH

ityCost

Facilities In target locale Modular Curb appeal/costCommunity involvement

Operational support

In-house team

STAGES OF GROWTH

• Stages in charter school lifecycle present very different challenges

• Strategy and focus needs to vary significantly as you grow

• Leverage experts at every stage to allow you to focus on educating kids

• Financial analysis illuminates positive potential impact of growth and scale

Key takeaways

Questions?Presentation available at: SlideShare.net/CharterSchoolCapital

Thank YouPresentation available at: SlideShare.net/CharterSchoolCapital

John Cairnsjcairns@johncairnslaw.com

Dr. Darlene Chambers, dchambers@nationalcharterschools.org

Stuart Ellis, sellis@charterschoolcapital.org877-272-1001

STAGES OF GROWTH

• Different structures of working capital– Receivable sale– Term loan– Line of credit

• Facilities financing options– Lease option– Bond– Traditional bank loan

• Regarding costs of funds, all costs are NOT created equal– Evaluate total $ cost rather than % rate– Consider fixed transactional costs and penalties, in addition to annual rate

related to costs

Finance considerations

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