Dear Parents and Community:
The Texas Education Agency has required that we notify parents and the community that Bay Area Charter School, Inc. receives federal funds in the form of a Title I Grant. This money is used to provide additional services to students who are not educationally at the same level as their peers in their grade level.
Bay Area Charter School, Inc. has received funding from Title I Grants since the opening of the schools. The amount of money received is based on the percentage of students attending the schools who receive either free or reduced cost lunches. That number of students changes each year, and consequently, the amount of funding from Title I changes each year. Currently, we have a grant for $44,000.
Title I funds are used to provide tutoring for struggling students, additional educational and instructional materials, training for teachers including the cost of substitutes needed for teachers and staff to attend professional development, and parent training or information materials. The students who receive additional services are not necessarily the same students who receive free or reduced cost lunches. The students who receive targeted assistance are those who are identified by the school because the individual student has not met expected progress in school. The criteria used for identification are applied to the current school year as well as the previous school year.
This letter is meant to provide a brief explanation concerning a complicated process required by No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation. Please review the required documentation that Bay Area Charter School, Inc. has compiled for you. The NCLB link will take you to an area that provides detailed performance information on each of our schools. Here, you will find Texas assessment data on performance (AEIS Report Card), Federal assessment data on performance (Adequate Yearly Progress [AYP]), and data on the teaching staff at our schools.
Please thoughtfully review the information provided and contact your school principal with any questions or concerns. You can address your questions to me directly at rperez@bayareacharter.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by scheduling an appointment through my office. To schedule an appointment, call (281) 316-0001 and ask to be placed on my calendar.
Bay Area Charter School, Inc. is committed to educating individuals to their full potential in a manner that honors and respects each student’s needs and personal learning style.
With warmest regards,
Dr. Rosalind Perez
Superintendent
Charter schools are elementary or secondary schools that receive public money but have been freed from some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter. Charter schools are opened and attended by choice. While charter schools provide an alternative to other public schools, they are part of the public education system and are not allowed to charge tuition. Where enrollment in a charter school is over subscribed, admission is frequently allocated by lottery-based admissions. In a 2008 survey of charter schools, 59% of the schools reported that they had a waiting list, averaging 198 students. Some charter schools provide a curriculum that specializes in a certain field — e.g., arts and mathematics.