What is a Qualified Zone Academy Bond?

Special Meeting of the Englewood Public School District held
at 7:30 am in Dizzy Gillespie Auditorium. 

A Special EPSD School Board meeting was called

 **to give the Superintendent of Schools permissionto apply for an "interest free loan" of $15, 580, 000.00 from QZAB.and to...

**eliminate the planned Tax Levy included in the present Budget.Click here for the Agenda.

Click here for IRS Compliance mandates. 

Specific wording changes were made on the spot.
Henry Pruitt III and Molly Craig-Berry were absent.

All voted yes, except for Stephen Brown who abstained.

Attended by 4 Residents............
*************************************************
What is a Qualified Zone Academy?

The term “qualified zone academy” means any public school (or academic program within a public school) which is established by and operated under the supervision of an eligible local education agency to provide education or training below the postsecondary level if—

(A)such public school or program (as the case may be) is designed in cooperation with business to enhance the academic curriculum, increase graduation and employment rates, and better prepare students for the rigors of college and the increasingly complex workforce,

(B)students in such public school or program (as the case may be) will be subject to the same academic standards and assessments as other students educated by the eligible local education agency,

What are Qualified Zone Academy Bonds?
http://www.qzab.org/

For Application instructions and conditions click here

Interesting tidbits..............
**Once the Qualified Zone Academy is established, determine projects’ scope (anything except new construction).

**Once the size and scope of school projects are determined, locate a “Qualified Contributor,” a business/nonprofit partner, to supply a 10% matching grant.

**Pearson must love this. Create a test designed to fail low income students in Urban areas and then create software that promises to fix the people who fail. I love it. Good, old fashioned American Business Sense. Good for Pearson. 

Let us hope that it is good for us as well.

What is Dual Enrollment and How Will It Help Englewood Students?

A number of people have expressed concerns regarding the new Superintendent's merit goals. These 5 goals are tied directly to student progress academically. If there is no progress, there is no payment for that particular goal.

Others are showing displeasure at the term "Dual Enrollment". They are not quite understanding how this is even possible. Please read this very informative document concerning the purpose of the Dual Enrollment Program as involving students from the Eagle Academy and other DMHS students who qualify.

Focus on: IMPROVING ACCESS TO POSTSECONDARYEDUCATION THROUGH EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOLS

"...Early college high schools are schools affiliated with two- or four-year postsecondary institutions that permit students to take college courses while simultaneously earning their high school
diplomas. The credits can be transferred to other colleges after the students finish high school.

The students accepted into early colleges are not always the most gifted students in the district. In fact, they seldom are. Most early college schools target populations that are underrepresented in higher education—those from low-income
families, racial and ethnic minorities, and first generation
college students. ..

***Two-thirds of the students enrolled in early college
high schools were African-American or Latino;
***Eight early college high schools served Native
Americans;
***Thirty-two schools served students who previously
had dropped out of high school or were at
risk of dropping out;
***The majority of students in early college high
schools were the first in their familes to enroll in
college; and
***Nearly 60 percent of early college students were
eligible for free or reduced-price lunch...." (Title I)

Dual Enrollment is leveling the playing field by increasing the number of doors on which OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS!

http://www.csg.org/know…/…/TIA_Focus_EarlyCollege_screen.pdf

THE EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT of 2015

Highlights --- March 17, 2016 - 
Englewood Public School  District School Board Meeting.

Someone asked the following question.
What is ESSA? The question may have arisen in response to District website tab for ESSA parents.  ESSA parents are Title I parents. The student population of EPSD is more than 70% Title I. Students who qualify for free and/or reduced lunch are Title I. 

Click here for a Parent Friendly explanation of what ESSA is.

"On December 10, 2015, President Barack Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) into law as Public Law Number 114-95. ESSA reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 “to ensure that every child achieves.”(1).." http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/essa-reauth/

Click here for a copy of the ESSA ACT (LAW)
Click here for a Summary of the changes made to ESEA and the Transformation into ESSA.
Click  here for Information on how ESSA Impacts Students with Disabilities
Click here for a great parent resource. Center for Parent Information Services - 

Click on tab 6 or 7 on this page. Substitute ESSA for ESEA wherever you see it.

The switch from ESEA to ESSA is a rather quick one for those who are not following Education Reformery News.

A Very Important Message from the Superintendent of Schools

Click the link below for 

A Voice Message from 
the Superintendent of the Englewood Public Schools

https://msg.schoolmessenger.com/m/?s=WmL2Hd_8H-A

Superintendent's State of the Englewood School District Report