TO :    Coalition Members and Charter School Supporters
FROM:   Bridget Barrus, President of the Coalition of Idaho Charter School Families
DATE:    November 10, 2005

By now, most of you have settled in to the busy routines of the school year and I am excited to share with you the fall parent update from the Coalition. 

We would first like to congratulate Compass Public Charter School (Meridian), INSPIRE Connections Academy (Statewide Virtual Charter), Rolling Hills Charter School (Boise), Idaho Arts Charter School (Nampa), Falconridge Charter School (Kuna), and Upper Carmen Charter (Salmon) who have all opened their doors to students across the state this year.  The founding families and board members of these schools have worked very hard to offer these innovative choices in public education to the children in their communities. 

Last year's Legislative Session was very busy, with 18 anti-charter school bills introduced in the Senate alone.  The Coalition was engaged in closely monitoring the progress of the legislation in Boise, providing information to Legislators to help them make informed decisions regarding policies and rules affecting Idaho's public charter schools and the nearly 6,000 students attending them. 

While we were able to defeat all 18 bills in the Senate, the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee placed a cap on the growth of public charter schools.  This cap essentially limits the number of children who can attend by restricting the amount of growth of any public charter school from year to year, limiting your ability as a parent to choose that educational venue for your child.  Idaho's virtual public charter schools, who serve the largest number of students, will be feel the greatest affects of this restriction.  This is why we need your help. 

While we will continue to watch what's happening in Boise we need your help to ensure your voices are heard and public charter schools continue to be a choice in the public education system. 

Over the next few months, we will be very busy preparing for the Legislation Session in 2006.  Here are a few things that we are working on:

1. IDAHO CHARTER SCHOOL SUMMIT:  We are proud to announce that the Coalition will be hosting the 3rd Annual Idaho Charter School Summit on December 15, 2005. 

We are busy finalizing the details, so watch your inbox for more information, including the agenda and guest speakers.  We invite any charter school supporter to attend this exciting event.

2. STATEWIDE CHARTER SCHOOL TOUR:  We have begun a tour of all of the public charter school across the state.  We have already met with hundreds of parents, board members, teachers, and administrators, and are looking forward to meeting with many more.  Many of you have already volunteered to be a "school captain" for the Coalition, helping connect the Coalition with parents and parents to Legislators. 

3. SUPPORTER TO-DO LIST: So what can you do to help Idaho's public charter schools?  Here are just a few things you can do that will make a big difference.

a. Contact your Legislators.  We cannot stress enough the importance of getting to know your Legislators and sharing your public charter school story with them.  If you don't know who your Legislators are, you can contact your local county clerk's office. 

b. Talk to three friends about the Coalition.  Our mission is to advocate for public policies that advance public charter schools and the innovations in education that they represent and we need your help to ensure that we can continue to fulfill that mission.  Encourage your neighbors, spouse, grandparents, and child's teacher to visit our website at www.idchartercoalition.org and have them sign-up today.
 
c. Check out the articles on charter schools at www.edreform.org. Our friends at the Center for Education Reform have some really great information about public charter schools on their site. 

Again, be on the look-out for more information about the 3rd Annual Idaho Charter School Summit.    In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to e-mail me at info@idchartercoalition.org.  I look forward to hearing from you!