CMSD rated effective as charter sponsor
CMSD NEWS BUREAU
11/27/2017
The state has rated CMSD as effective in its sponsorship of charter schools.
The District fell one point short of the top rating, exemplary, and performed as well or better than other sponsors overseeing more than one charter, said Stephanie Klupinski, CMSD’s executive director of charter schools.
CMSD, which was rated ineffective for the last year, raised its score by improving its ratings for compliance and quality practices. The state gave the District perfect marks in both areas.
For example, CMSD formed focus groups of charter school parents, students and teachers and made their feedback part of its monitoring process.
The District also communicates more often with charter school boards and has deepened analysis of the demand for charters that seek sponsorship.
Among traditional Ohio school districts, CMSD is the most active sponsor of charters, which are publicly funded but privately managed.
CMSD sponsors 11 charter schools and partners with eight others. The District shares one mill from a 15-mill levy with those charters, making it the only system in the state and one of the few in the nation with such an arrangement.
The Cleveland Plan, a customized blueprint for reform in the city, calls for giving every student access to a quality education, regardless of the provider. CMSD and charters have joined forces in the Cleveland Education Compact, which explores ways that they can work together on matters such as training, advocacy and sharing records.
The state prohibited CMSD from sponsoring new charters during the time it was rated ineffective. Klupinski said now that the district is rated effective, it will seek permission from ODE to resume accepting applications to sponsor new schools that meet the District’s standards.
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