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LoveWorks for Visual and Performing Arts

Annual Report

Submitted to:

Pillsbury United Communities and all vested

parties

November 1, 2015 (This information is a reflection of the 2014-15 School Year)

LoveWorks Academy

2225 Zenith Avenue North

Golden Valley, MN 55422

www.loveworksacademy.org

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Table of Contents

LoveWorks Pledge, Mission, Vision, Commitment………….3 Authorizer………………………………………………………………………4 Teaching Staff…………………………………………………………………5 Administrators ,Support Staff…………………………………………5,6 School Board Members 2014-15…………………………………….7-9 Program Successes & Best Practices………………………………10-13 Admission Policy…………………………………………................... 13,14 Student Enrollment and Attrition Rates………………………..14 Program Challenges………………………………………………………15 Reading Proficiency………………………………………………………16 MathProficiency…………………………………………………………….16

Finance………………………………………………………………………….17 Special Education…………………………………………………………..18

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Daily Pledge

I am Somebody! My playing small does not serve the world. I am Strong. I am smart. I respect myself, I respect others. I will always do my best at LoveWorks Academy.

Where strong academics are a must and college is in my future!

LoveWorks Mission LoveWorks Academy for Visual & Performing Arts’ mission is to offer and exemplify an inspiring and nurturing teaching and learning environment strongly complimented with a liberal arts curriculum and teaching methods that are continuously evaluated and improved.

LoveWorks Vision LoveWorks Academy for Visual & Performing Arts offers a comprehensive and rigorous academic program along with intensive and professional training in visual arts, music, theater and in the future competitive sports as well. LoveWorks Academy aims to be a national leader in preparing students for academic scholarships and careers in the arts and competitive sports upon entering the collegiate level of education.

LoveWorks Academy’s most auspicious goal is to provide significant academic opportunity for Twin Cities’ area students to excel academically, artistically and athletically regardless of race, economic status or other circumstances.

Loveworks’ Commitments A positive school environment A peaceful school atmosphere (everyday) Student behavior expectations Self Esteem Builders Exceptional Teachers Parent behavior expectation 98% - 100% student daily attendance Team work expectations 0% negativity in the workplace Office & Classroom organization Correct Usage of the English Language (building wide) Home Work Policies Parent Involvement Administrative Expectations Effective School Management Community Relations Closing the achievement gap

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Authorizer Information

LoveWorks Academy for Visual & Performing Arts is authorized by Pillsbury United

Communities. Pillsbury United Communities is a unique nonprofit organization in Minneapolis. As a descendent of the Settlement House Movement, Pillsbury recognizes the complex causes and effects of social and economic inequalities in our core cities and believes that the best way to effect positive change is to help to build and maintain positive relationships. The programs offered at Pillsbury are not based around a “charity mission” but a system built on a give and take philosophy. Pillsbury emphasizes people over programs yet realizes that programs are essential when addressing inequalities in the system. Pillsbury United Communities is recognized for its innovative approaches, programs and financing mechanisms that build better communities for everyone by helping individuals confront inequalities and create lives that are meaningful to them and are reflective of their own values.

Pillsbury actively participate in bringing leaders from all Pillsbury sponsored school to a round table environment to brainstorm challenges, and innovative ways to help our schools success. They work to be available at multiple board meetings. LoveWorks, along with our direct liaisons from Pillsbury believe that all children can learn and that all children deserve the opportunity to learn and to be given ample chance to prove themselves as individuals. Pillsbury receives financial updates and accountability goals from LoveWorks. They are sure to seek clarification on any items given.

Larry McKenzie

Charter School Authorizer Liaison

Pillsbury united Communities

Minneapolis, Minnesota 55411

Contact Number 612.787.3657

lmckenzie@puc-mn.org

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2014-2015 Teaching Faculty Information

Name File Folder Assignment Marcy Guzman 444120 Kindergarten ( 10 years) Rachel Monsaas 435293 Kindergarten (9 years) Sara Albert 437264 First Grade (8 years) Daya Harding 446720 First Grade (4 years) Mary Sarin 439879 Second Grade (7 years) Chelsea Rettinger 478374 Second Grade (1month) Kimberly Sargent 480012 Third Grade (2 years) Kerry Kost 482862 Third Grade (2 months) Jordan Brown 483001 LA 4th/5th Grade (2 months) Jaena Millage 483429 Math 4th/5th Grade (2 months) Cleopatra Moturi 479905 Science 4th/5th Grade (2 months) Amanda Vaughn-Traaseth 477839 Language Arts 6-8 (2 months) Daniel Whelan 482872 Math 6-8 (2 months) Joseph Nowariak 481125 Social Studies 6-8 (1 month) Janiru Herath 482808 Science 6-8 (2 months) Tracy Stefan 331560 Special Education (1 month) Sandtrice Lovaloy 997250 Special Education (3 years) Jessie Hollie ------------- Dance K-8 (2 months) Arthur Turner ------------- Music K-8 (5 years)

LoveWorks Administration and Support Staff

Name Assignment

Trelinshelia Harrison

Executive Director (10 years)

LaSonya Johnson Office Manager (4 years)

George Sand Director of Academics (2 years)

Kelli Randon Curriculum coordinate (2 years)

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Kenatia Cade Administrative Assistant (10 years)

Jacqueline Martin Behavioral Specialist (2 years)

Jamar Smith Arts Coordinator/PBIS Coach (10 years)

Tamera Pulver Director of Special Education (2 years)

Jaszlyn Paige School Psychologist (1 year)

LeeAnn Mateffy Occupational Therapist

Corrie Muench Speech Therapist

Angela Woods Reading Corp (1 year)

Tynetta Wright Kitchen Manager (2 years)

Sheila Shambley Special Ed Paraprofessional (6 years)

Sharon Ellis Lead Special Ed Paraprofessional (2months)

Bobbi Pratt Special Ed Paraprofessional (1 year)

Jamell Hurt Special Ed Paraprofessional (1 year)

Ida Pittman Special Ed Paraprofessional (1 year)

Lynnaya Shelby Special Ed Paraprofessional (1 year)

LySanias Shelby Special Ed Paraprofessional (1 year)

Deris Morgan Special Ed Paraprofessional (1 year)

DeVette Evans Special Ed Paraprofessional (2 year)

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LWA Board of Directors 2014-2015 Current Board Members and Vacancies

Board of Directors Roster: Daya Harding - Teacher dharding@lwa-arts.org Elected November 28, 2012 Term ends June 30, 2015 Mary Sarin – Teacher msarin@lwa-arts.org Elected November 18, 2013 Term ends June 30, 2016 Marcy Guzman – Teacher mgzman@lwa-art.org Elected November 2013, 2010 Term ends June 30, 2016 Carrie Johnson – Parent cjohnson@lwa-arts.org Elected November 28, 2012 Term ends June 30, 2015 Tierney Carroll – Community Member tcarroll@moneygram.com Elected December 17, 2013 Term ends June 30, 2016

Gerald Shepherd - Parent gshephard@lwa-arts.org Elected November 28, 2012 Term ends June 30, 2015 Pam Moore – Community Member pmoore@lwa-arts.org Elected November 28, 2012 Term ends June 30, 2015 Stacey Jones - Parent sjones@lwa-arts.org Elected November 28, 2012 Term ends June 30, 2015

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Ex-Officio Board Members 1. April Harrison- Director of LWA 2. LaSonya Johnson- Financial Manager of LWA 3. Jamar Smith-Arts Coordinator

2015 Seated members:

Joe Brown- Community Member (Not Serving) jbrown@lwa-arts.org joe@ddcgroup.net Elected November 17th, 2015 Terms ends June 30th, 2018 Seated: August 1st 2015 Jidana Cook – LWA Parent jcook@lwa-arts.org Elected January 20, 2015 Term ends June 30, 2018

Board Governance Course 100: Completed the course on 4/16/2015

Board Finance Course 200: Scheduling training with Joe Aliperto our Accountant in January.

Employment Course 300: Completed the course on 4/21/2015

Dina Payne- LWA Parent paynedina@yahoo.com Elected November 17th, 2015 Term ends June 30, 2018 Seated August 2015

Board Governance Course 100: The website did not have any dates scheduled yet for this course. Ms. Payne will try to register in January.

Board Finance Course 200: Completed a training with Joe Aliperto our Accountant on Dec. 29th, 2015.

Employment Course 300: Registered for the Jan. 11th course but needed to cancel and reschedule. Ms. Payne is waiting to see what courses become available in February.

Aloda Simms (Not serving) asimms@lwa-arts.org Seated June 2015

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Kim Jones-LWA Parent (Not Serving) kjones@lwa-arts.org Seated June 2015

Board Composition: At least 5 members; maximum of 13 on the board (even number is allowed but odd is

preferred.) (MN Charter School Law states at least 5 non-related members.) At least 1 of each; parent, community member and teacher. Teacher majority is allowed but not preferred.

Seating and Elections Term is 3 years When seat is left vacant due to resignation or termination board may vote on replacement prior

to elections without a public vote in order to continue functioning as a board. Elections are held every fall with Candidates announced in September. Public Voting occurs at a LWA school event prior to October board meeting. Voting is open to

LWA parents, LWA staff and community members. Ballots are made available at the event and voting is closed the same day.

Board members will vote on the record at the October meeting and those votes will be added to tally.

Board members will vote to resolve any ties unless there are vacancies that can be filled by both of the candidates.

Board Training All board members must attend approved Charter School Board trainings on: Employment Practices, Finances and Board Governance within 12 months of being seated according to Minnesota Statutes section 124D.10, subd. (f): Every charter school board member shall attend department-approved training on board governance, the board's role and responsibilities, employment policies and practices, and financial management. A board member who does not begin the required training within six months of being seated and complete the required training within 12 months of being seated on the board is ineligible to continue to serve as a board member.

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Innovative Practices and Implementation Arts- There was intensive focus on our arts program here at LoveWorks. The purpose was to provide students with the skills and knowledge in the art field of their choice, as to prepare them for the possibility of future careers as professional artist and to enhance student academic achievement. Our ongoing objective is to use student artistic passions and abilities to help them gain achievements in their academics by including innovative arts practices into the classroom. At LoveWorks Academy for Visual & Performing Arts, we understand that focusing on arts is one important way students learn and interact with our world. Art is powerful in our society. It has been proven that students who find their power in the arts go on to be powerful and effective leaders. Students at LoveWorks are exposed to a variety of artistic fields:

Dance Band Drama Visual Art Choir Literary Art (SWAG) Media Arts

LoveWorks Academy is always looking and seeking new ways to enhance student’s art education, along with their academics. LoveWorks is partnering with the Ordway and SWAG to integrate art education in the classroom around all subject areas (math, language arts, science, and social studies). Also, LoveWorks Academy Dance will be contracting with the Ordway to perform six shows throughout 2015. In addition to the classes offered over the expanse of our years, we are proud to announce the addition of two new arts focuses during our visual and performing block for students. These new classes are Media Art and SWAG. S.N.E.A.K-A-WEEK- is a new and innovative way to share other ways of learning skills that students may or may not be exposed to. This time is dedicated to enhance the arts in our school. Students who have a focus on dance only can take the week to focus on singing, or scrap booking on sewing for about an hour out of their academic day. An added element was exposure to gardening! It was a joy to watch many students try radishes for the first time. Some students were offered summer work in the community gardens around the neighborhood. In addition, classroom activities cannot look the same. Teachers have to focus on innovative ways to get math and reading across to students. We want our student to have opportunity to find their other areas of interest. . Teen Outreach Program (TOP) - Changing scenes is a contemporary and innovative curriculum designed to support the classroom-based component of the Wyman Teen Outreach Program is a nationally replicated youth development approach aimed at preventing primary teen pregnancy and helping young people make consistent progress in

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school. TOP has four main pillars or touchstones of the program. The youth development approach encourages adults to value young people as assets and resources. Strong community-wide partnerships promote broad-base community involvement to ensure program continuity. Top participants receive Learner-centered education, and can connect learning gained through the service experience to the classroom and vice versa through academic extensions built into the instructional design of the Changing scenes curriculum. The program components, Community Service, Classroom-based Activities and Service-learning are the conduits through which the goals and key principles are realized.

Showcase- LoveWorks Academy continues with the wonderful tradition of its annual winter and spring showcases! This is when we highlight what students have learned in their Visual and Performing Arts Classes! The audience is continually amazed by the quality and student knowledge in their elected focus. There continues to be a great turnout from families and community members. This is an event folks rarely want to miss. Drill Team and Drum Line- LoveWorks Academy Drill team and Drum Line programs continues to have an outstanding impact in the community and the school. The teams were awarded its third grant from Wells Fargo and it’s second from North Point Wellness Center. What makes them winners? The team understands that “Discipline is Essential” and they stand on those words. You can and will achieve what you set your mind to if you can remain disciplined at what you do.

Best Practices Data Day- Once a month LoveWorks Academy will have a data day. Students will be out for that day while teachers have an opportunity to look at student’s data derived from NWEA MAP test, benchmark assessments and class work to assess student growth. This will give teachers an opportunity to view their own teaching strategies and to shape instruction. Minnesota Reading Corps- LoveWorks Academy was approved for MRC. Individuals from our community have an opportunity to work with designated students in grades K-3 to enhance reading skill. These community members are trained by MRC. Typically the MRC member works with about 15 students within their day. As students make the necessary gain at on-level reading, they are exited from the program and a new student is admitted. Our first year was very successful. Staff Development 2015

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Goals for staff development sessions this year include:

o Building staff community and morale through discussion and activities

o Working on PBIS goals and strategies to implement school-wide

o Engaging in discourse regarding current educational topics and philosophies:

Building relationships with students, parents, and community

Cultural awareness and race relations

Self-Awareness and teaching philosophy

Sessions will be held on Data Days, beginning on 9/14, with the goal of

implementation during weekly staff meetings by 2015.

Staff members will have the opportunity to lead discussions and activities, as well as

contribute ideas/topics for meetings

Math Tutoring- The Academy started an afterschool math tutoring program in 2013. The 2015 session will began in October. This program will service targeted students in grades 2nd-8th who are performing just below target in their current grade. We will use a blended approach to education that combines the efficiency of computer learning with the expertise of knowledgeable staff. The program provides immediate feedback for students. Tutors provide helpful assistance and encouragement as students tackle tough problems. Math Talk aligns with the Common Core State Standards by promoting the use of dialogue and conversation to explore mathematical thinking. Math Talk provides students an opportunity for deeper understanding through communication. Individually or in groups, students articulate and defend their ideas and analyze the reasoning of others. Guided Reading is another central focus for our LoveWorks students. It allows students to gain the skills needed required n their grade but reading text at their level. This way, students have opportunity to get truly involved with the text they are reading. The purpose is to teach students to notice features and language used by the author for better understanding. Students will be required to think thoroughly and methodically about the details in their text. School Play- LoveWorks will produce and perform the play “The Skin I’m in.” for the 2015-2016 school year. In the past, LoveWorks has produce and performed the musicals “The Wiz” and “The Lion King”. PBIS- As a cohort 10 chosen school, LoveWorks Academy is excited about the implementation of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), which is the behavior component of Response to Intervention (RtI). PBIS at LoveWorks Academy is a school wide initiative allowing us to be on the same page with regards to discipline and student behavior. We will use a continuum of positive supports for all students in all areas- classroom and non-classroom settings.

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Implementing PBIS at LoveWorks Academy will allow the opportunity for all students to achieve social, emotional and academic success. The overall goals of PBIS consist of:

1. Teaching students the behaviors we expect

2. Providing a safe environment where students achieve academically and socially

3. Encourage positive behaviors and interactions

4. Decrease problem behaviors

5. Reduce the number of office discipline referrals

ADMISSIONS POLICY

LoveWorks Academy is open to all that apply, except if the school is over-subscribed, in which case a lottery is held for all of the students who applied before the deadline. Once a student is enrolled, siblings are given preference in admission. Open enrollment for the upcoming school year will begin on April 1st of each school year. Students for all grade levels can be wait-listed all year for placement for the following school year. All interested applicants must request an appointment for an enrollment interview and visit. The academy does not send application/enrollment information via U.S. mail. Please call the main office for enrollment and tour information. Intent to Return Forms will be issued to currently enrolled students the 1st week of February of each school year. Families of currently enrolled students will have a month to respond to Intent to Return Forms before we move on to our wait listed students. Open enrollment for the upcoming school year will begin the first school week in April of each school year.

1. Intent to Return Forms are issued in April 2. Returning family registration papers and New Student Information is issued in the summer. 3. If you have a new student starting, a student application should also be returned with

appropriate fees. 4. Complete and return your registration papers as soon as possible. Should a class fill up with

registered students, those completing registration will be placed on a waiting list.

Admissions Requirements for Kindergarten Students After filling out the application kindergarten students who are 5 years of age will be accepted on a first come first serve basis. After serving all 5 year old students who apply, we open enrollment to students who will turn 5 by December 1st of the current school year.

1. After receiving the names of students who appear to have the social, emotional, and behavioral competence to succeed in Kindergarten, students will then take the LW Kindergarten assessment test of which they must have an 90% or higher to continue. This does not exclude early childhood screening. All students entering Kindergarten must have completed the early childhood screening process.

2. The following areas will determine early admittance for Kindergarten:

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a. Child has completed the early childhood screening b. Child will turn 5 by December 1st. c. Child has taken and passed LW assessment with a 90% or better. d. Child has attended a kindergarten observation session. e. Parent must submit a valid birth certificate for age verification f. Parent must sign exiting document. g. No 4 year old will be admitted after Sept. 15th

3. By the first week in May parents will be notified of their child’s placement at LW. 4. Before September parents must sign a document acknowledging that the child may be withdrawn based on a recommendation from the teacher and principal. During the first 4 weeks the teacher will send weekly written

5. Communication regarding the children’s academic and behavioral progress and needs. 6. On September 30th the teacher and principle will send recommendations to parents in writing as to whether the placement in kindergarten should be continued or terminated. 7. By October 15 parents must find new placement for their child. 8. Winter: Success of children admitted early through this procedure will be assessed and modified as need.

*All students attending K-4 or K-5 will be instructed for readiness to enter the 1st grade the following school year.

Student Enrollment and Attrition Rates This table identifies the number of students enrolled at the school during the 2008-2015 school years. Data is based on October 1 Average Daily Membership (ADM).

School Year K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Attrition Rate

2008-09

51 36 45 34 33 27 26 23 19 -25%

2009-10

53 35 35 40 36 33 24 28 21 + 4%

2010-11 35 36 34 24 26 25 18 21 18 -1%

2011-12 32 29 40 38 29 20 22 15 18 2.5%

2012-13 30 28 38 38 28 19 21 15 18 1.03%

2013-14

31 35 33 41 42 35 23 25 21 .21%

2014-15 25 22 24 22 25 27 23 14 21 .28%

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Student Recruitment and Enrollment: Our main source of advertisement is word of mouth, however, from time to time small concerted efforts are made to support community functions and to keep LoveWorks’ name visible in the community through smaller ads placed at community events that target our surrounding community populations. Our Drill/Drum line has been a huge asset to LoveWorks. They have participated in a number of community events and competitions that have brought great exposure to the school and its vision and mission.

During the summer we utilized our parent pool to spread the word in the community. Visits were made to local businesses and community centers to spread the word about open enrollment.

Program Challenges

Priority Rating- We are continuously working towards the academic growth of our students with help from Center for Excellence. Our challenges are that students are not making the gain that we are working so hard to obtain. We are continually adjusting instructional practices and assessment opportunity to make sure that students show growth.

Fund Raising – Beginning this year LoveWorks will be fundraising to support the programs at LoveWorks with a conscious effort made to support our food service program as well.

Cash Flow- The States hold back has been difficult on charters especially. If you have not been around long enough to build a health end fund balance each year, it was difficult to maneuver through the year without the cash flow needed. Our program managed to stay afloat with the use of funds borrowed to us be CSC. As we strive to gain our own cushion with the help of our new accountant we still stand on the hope that the State will take a good look at other alternatives for balancing the state’s budget.

Operational Performance

Our transportation, food service, IT and lease operations have been consistently strong areas within our entity. Our goals are to continually search for cost effective providers and providers that service the needs of our students, staff and families with the highest integrity.

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Academic Progress

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Finances

LoveWorks Academy has the financial goal of maximizing enrollment and increasing cash reserve to the minimum of 20% of general funds within 5 years. The school after years of aspiration received the prestigious school finance award by the Minnesota Department of Education. LoveWorks began the FY 2014-15 with a fund balance of $47,871.The preliminary unaudited financial statements project that LoveWorks Academy will end FY 2014-15 with a cash balance of $ (16,250).

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State Aid: 2014-15 Budget 2014-15 Actual Lease Aid $ 236,880 $ 226,436 State General Education Aid $ 2,049,028 $ 1,948,482

Special Ed- State $ 492,587 $ 320,927

Total State Aid $ 2,778,495 $ 2,495,845

Federal Aid:

Federal Special Education $ 47,024 $ 44,655

Title 1 $ 103,402 $ 93,366

ARRA- Stimulus- Part A $ $

ARRA- Stimulus- Part B $ - $ -

Title 2 Part D $ 13,946 $ 8,375

Total Federal Aid $ 164,372

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$ 146,396

Total Misc Revenue $ 74,702 $ 73,114

Total Revenue $ 3,017,569 $ 2,715,355

Expenditures:

School Support Services $ 626,233 $ 505,879

Regular Instruction $ 836,385 $ 812,903

Special Education Instruction $ 615,504 $ 647,523

Instructional Support Services $ 5,945 $ 48,731

Pupil Support Services $ 361,630 $ 370,371

Site, Building & Equipment $ 389,564 $ 374,800

Fiscal & Other Fixed Costs $ 10,500 $ 10,462

Total Expenditures $ 2,845,761 $ 2,770,669

General Fund Profit (Loss) $ 171,808 $ (55,314)

Food Service Revenue $ 198,339 $ 144,646

Food Service Expenditures $ 198,339 $ 153,453

Food Service Fund Profit (Loss) $ 0 $ (8,807)

Current Year Fund Balance- All Funds $ (64,121) $

Add: Fund Balance- Beginning $ 47,871 $

Fund Balance Ending $ (16,250) $

Staying within budget guidelines proved to be a challenge with the limited reserve cash, state budget cuts, and holdbacks. LoveWorks experienced a slight drop in enrollment for FY 14-15. However, LoveWorks was able to increase its fund balance after being in SOD over the last couple of years. The budget was adjusted to ensure a positive, budgeted fund balance.

LoveWorks increased their fundraising and marketing efforts during the school year to help meet financial goals by doing some grassroots marketing with flyers and yard signs. Our goal is to provide continued support to the Drill/Drum Line as they continue to provide exposure for the school to the community. Supporters of LoveWorks helped to supplement the unbudgeted goals.

The fiscal responsibilities have continuously been under the guidelines of Minnesota Department of Education, Program Finance. As a public Charter school, LoveWorks is required to operate as an agent of the state. As a 501c3 non-profit organization, LoveWorks also operates within guidelines of Internal Revenue Service.

Special Education (2015)

Special education services are fully implemented at LoveWorks Academy (LWA). LWA has a total

population of 16.15% students receiving special education services. For the 2015 school year LWA hired

two full-time special education teachers and a full-time school psychologist to provide instruction and

services for students eligible for special education. LWA does contract for services for special education

director, speech/language therapist, and occupational therapist.

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Special Education began the school year with 32 students and has settled as of November 1st to 31

students. We have one student being served under the Student Needing Alternative Programming

(SNAP) label from Minneapolis, who will be reassessed and possibly receive services under the Specific

Learning Disability label. We currently have three students receiving service under the label Other

Health Disabilities (OHD), nine with the label Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD), five receiving

services for Speech Language (SLP), six students for Emotional Behavior Disorders (EBD), and three for

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).

We have two special education teachers. One is licensed in EBD, LD and DCD. The other is working

towards a license in EBD and LD. We also have a licensed school psychologist who is finishing their

PhD. In addition, our department has 10 program paraprofessionals that push in to the general education

classroom to serve our students in the special education program.

Special Education Director Tamera Pulver Director of Special Education Autism/Behavior Specialist Center for Engaging Autism http://cea4autism.org 612.356.6593 tapulver@comcast.net

Future Plans

Due to the school’s lack of academic improvement, LoveWorks academy chose to

implement a turnaround process in the summer of 2015. Starting with the administration, we’ve

made April Harrison our School Administration Manager and George Sand as our Interim

Principal. Previously, these two positions were combined into the role of School Director.

The school Principal is responsible for leading academic improvement efforts while the

School Administrative Manager is responsible for day to day administrative operations and

management. In addition, an Academic Director provides instructional support and a Dean of

Students manages behavior and leadership programs.

We aim for the academic turnaround to happen as quickly as possible. We believe our

children are more than capable of meeting the basic standards expected on the MCAs. Over the

past two years we have replaced a significant number of teachers and other staff to ensure that

there are high expectations for our students in the classroom, in the hallways, and in the

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community. Our staff is young, but we feel that with the right amount of support and leadership

they can make significant progress with students in gaining academic success.

We realize that to accomplish a quick turnaround, we need to find an educational partner

who will honor the LoveWorks Way while providing additional expertise in high impact

instructional strategies and school culture practices. We are looking for a partner who has a

proven track record of success and will work hand-in-hand with the LoveWorks Board of

Directors to make a great school. LWA will select a turnaround operator for LWA with the

leadership and support of the school’s parents and community.

A turnaround committee of the board was established in the spring of 2015 and met

regularly to learn about high-impact schools, understand the spirit and structure of charter school

turnaround, establish turnaround priorities and operator selection criteria and establish consistent

and clear communication to the school community about the nature of the turnaround process.

The school community was notified of an impending operator-led turnaround in fall 2015. They

understand the school to be in the first phase of a school improvement process that will

culminate in the selection and seating of a turnaround operator in the spring of 2016. The

community-led character of this turnaround process aligns to PUC’s philosophy of authorizing

and is a critical priority of LWA’s supportive school leadership. Below is the timeline and tasks

implemented by the turnaround committee to develop and disseminate a Request for Proposals

from various charter management organizations.

2015 will start the process for our PUC/LoveWorks contract renewal process. Our intent

is to remain with PUC as we continue to service students on their academic quest.