Capitol Collegiate Academy

Check Signing and Withdrawal of Funds

Accounts

Capitol Collegiate shall maintain its accounts in financial institutions that are federally insured. All funds received by Capitol Collegiate shall be deposited at a minimum of twice weekly. All nonproductive funds shall be invested in accordance with the investment policy established by the Board of Directors.

Authority to Sign

Orders of withdrawal shall bear the signature of one of the following officers or staff members:

1. 
   Board Chair
   
2. 
   Treasurer
   
3. 
   Chief Executive
   
4. 
   Two staff members, as designated by the chief executive
   

In addition, any checks issued over $15,000 shall require two signatures; and any checks payable to any one of the above-named persons shall be signed by someone other than the payee.

Bonding

Each officer or designated signatory with authority to withdraw funds shall be bonded. The cost associated will secure the aforementioned coverage shall be that of Capitol Collegiate. The amount of insurance coverage will be reviewed annually by the finance committee.

Quarterly Review

The Finance Committee shall, on a quarterly basis, review all disbursements in the amount of $15,000 or more.

Personnel & Students
Sexual Harassment Policy

Capitol Collegiate prohibits any employee, volunteer, or vendor from making sexual advances of a verbal or physical nature toward another employee or applicant for employment.

Sexual harassment is viewed as a form of employee conduct that undermines the integrity of the employment relationship. All employees must be allowed to work in an environment free from unsolicited and unwelcome sexual overtures. Sexual harassment is defined as behavior that is unwelcome and personally offensive. It reduces morale, interferes with work productivity, impugns individual dignity, and is contrary to Capitol Collegiate’s mission.

Some examples of sexual harassment are:

• 
  Unwelcome or unwanted sexual advances. This includes patting, pinching, brushing up against, hugging, cornering, kissing, fondling, or any other similar physical contact considered unacceptable by another individual.
  
• 
  Requests or demands for sexual favors. This includes subtle or blatant expectations, pressures, or requests for any type of sexual favor accompanied by an implied or stated promise of preferential treatment or negative consequences concerning one’s employment.
  
• 
  Verbal abuse or kidding that is sexually oriented and considered unacceptable by another individual. This includes comments about an individual’s body or appearance (where such comments go beyond a mere compliment); off-color jokes that are clearly unwanted; or any other tasteless, sexually-oriented comments, innuendoes, or offensive language.
  
• 
  Any sexually oriented conduct that would unreasonably interfere with another’s work performance. This includes extending unwanted sexual attention to someone, which reduces personal productivity.
  
• 
  Participation in fostering a work environment that is generally intimidating, hostile, or offensive because of unwelcome or unwanted sexually oriented conversation, suggestions, requests, demands, physical contacts, or attention.
  

Sexual harassment is a practice that demeans the individual being treated in such a manner. Consequently, Capitol Collegiate will not tolerate sexual harassment of its applicants, employees, or volunteers by anyone. Capitol Collegiate will, as necessary, take disciplinary action, up to and including termination, in accordance with this policy to ensure that we meet our responsibilities to our employees.

The responsibility of Capitol Collegiate’s sexual harassment policy execution and administration is assigned to the Executive Director. Each employee of Capitol Collegiate is accountable for acting in compliance with and support of the policy. Every employee is encouraged to discuss any violations of this policy in confidentiality with the Executive Director without fear of any reprisals. Employees may also bring such violations to the attention of their immediate supervisor or division/field executive.
Student-Specific

Attendance Policy

Absences are excused only for illness, religious observance, or family emergency, and must be verified in writing by a parent/guardian. Unexcused absences are never acceptable. Any unexcused absence will result in an immediate parent conference. More than five unexcused absences per quarter, or more than nineteen per year may result in a student receiving no credit for the year.

Drugs, Alcohol, and Tobacco Policy

Student use, possession, distribution, or sale of alcohol, tobacco or illicit drugs is prohibited on school grounds, at any school-sanctioned activities, when students are being transported in school-sponsored vehicles, or at any time or in any place where the school conducts business. A student violation of this policy will lead to a suspension, reporting to authorities, and/or a recommendation for expulsion, as required by law, or at the discretion of the school.
If a student receives a suspension for a first violation of this policy, the student may be required to enroll in a rehabilitation/counseling program at the sole cost of the family. The family, when appropriate, will be required to report back with an assessment, diagnosis and treatment plan as a condition for re-admittance into the school. A second violation of this policy will be reported to authorities and lead to an expulsion hearing.

APPENDIX E
Signatures of Teachers

Please see attachment: Signatures of Teachers

APPENDIX F
Building Excellent Schools Fellowship Summary

Lead Founder, Penny Lee Schwinn, is a current fellow with Building Excellent Schools. The fellowship is a year-long, full-time training program geared towards designing a high-performing charter school. Over the course of a rigorous 12-month period, Building Excellent Schools trains, mentors, and supports Fellows to build excellent public charter schools in territories around the country. The Fellowship roots participants in best practices around: organizational development, instructional design, charter applications, and leadership. Through a residency in a high-quality¹²⁶ urban charter school, ongoing evaluation and consultation, as well as training sessions specifically focused on school leadership, fellows are prepared to begin the work of running successful schools.

Building Excellent Schools operates with core values rooted in the importance of effective, excellent, urban charter schools. Building Excellent Schools believes that the academic performance of students is the only acceptable way of measuring the success of a school and that all decisions should be made with this outcome in mind. School safety is critical; parent satisfaction is important; sports are exciting; yet none of these are the hallmarks of excellent education. Building Excellent Schools believes that student performance is the most important component of a school and, as a result, works with individuals, groups, and communities who share those same core values and beliefs. These beliefs reflect the commitment to building high-performing public charter schools that set high expectations for student achievement, and who are prepared to do whatever is necessary in order to ensure that these measurable outcomes are achieved.
Below is a representation of some of the topics addressed during the course of the Fellowship:

Educational Purpose Mission Teaching Learning Theory Child Development Purpose of Education	Fiscal Management Banking Fundraising Grant Writing Establishing a Non-Profit Budgeting/Financial Planning Internal Financial Controls	Human Resources Retention Recruitment Compensation Personnel Policies Hiring and Promotion Performance Evaluations
Outreach and Public Relations Parent Involvement Community Involvement Recruitment and Enrollment	Assessment Assessment Accountability Performance Standards	Data and Technology Data Collection and Analysis Technology in Schools Management and Technology
Charter School History Needs Assessment No Child Left Behind History of Charter Schools Community Asset Mapping History of Education Reform	Infrastructure and Facility Transportation Facility Financing Food and Nutrition/Health Communication Systems	Curriculum Curriculum Special Education English Language Learners Below Grade Level At-Risk
School Culture Supervision School Culture School Growth Use of Time Professional Development Org. Development Student Discipline Code of Conduct	Planning and Renewal Action Planning Charter Renewal Strategic Planning Accountability Plan	Ongoing Training Residency School Visits Board of Trustees Writing Workshops Computer Technology Community Development Professional Learning Community Leadership

APPENDIX G
Articles of Incorporation




APPENDIX H
Sample Parent Satisfaction Surveys

Capitol Collegiate Academy¹²⁷

2011-2012 Parent/Guardian Survey
Dear Parent/Guardian:
Capitol Collegiate operates with the mission to prepare your child to compete, achieve, and lead in high school and in college. We remain grateful for your support in this effort. In order to be able to provide the best education to your child, we need your feedback. Please complete this survey and return to your child’s teacher.
In partnership,

Capitol Collegiate Staff

	I. How satisfied have you been with the following aspects of Capitol Collegiate Academy?	Very Satisfied	Satisfied	Neutral	Dissatisfied	Very dissatisfied	Does Not Apply (i.e. no answer)
a	Academic standards and expectations for students	□	□	□	□	□	□
b	Classroom management and student behavior	□	□	□	□	□	□
c	Quality of the school’s administration	□	□	□	□	□	□
d	Quality of the teachers	□	□	□	□	□	□
e	Quality of the instruction	□	□	□	□	□	□
f	Level of individualized support for students	□	□	□	□	□	□
g	Expectations of parents/guardians	□	□	□	□	□	□
h	Level of communication with parents/guardians	□	□	□	□	□	□
i	Level of parental/guardian involvement	□	□	□	□	□	□
j	School safety	□	□	□	□	□	□
k	School hours	□	□	□	□	□	□
l	School calendar	□	□	□	□	□	□
m	Nutrition (breakfast, lunch)	□	□	□	□	□	□
n	School building	□	□	□	□	□	□
o	Level of your child's engagement in school	□	□	□	□	□	□
p	Your child's overall progress at Capitol Collegiate	□	□	□	□	□	□
q	Overall program at Capitol Collegiate Academy	□	□	□	□	□	□

III. Why did you choose to send your child to Capitol Collegiate (please check all that apply)
Higher academic standards	□	Capitol Collegiate has stricter discipline	□
Small size of school and/or classes	□	Child was doing poorly at old school	□
Better teachers	□	More attention to special needs	□
Capitol Collegiate is a safer school	□	Location of the school	□

IV. Please list three strengths of Capitol Collegiate.

2. 
   
   

3. 
   
   

4. 
   
   

V. Please list three areas in which Capitol Collegiate can improve.

1. 
   
   

2. 
   
   

3. 
   
   

VI. Please provide any other comments, feedback or information.


Thank you for your feedback!

Capitol Collegiate Academy

2011-2012 Special Education Family Survey

Please note: this questionnaire is an important part of the assessment of our performance and of the overall development of the school. We cannot overstate how helpful it would be to receive a completed survey from you. Thank you so much for your comments!

1. How satisfied have you been with the following aspects of the Approach to Student Support at Capitol Collegiate?	Very Satisfied	Satisfied	Uncertain	Not too satisfied	Quite dissatisfied	Does not apply (no answer)
A. Class size
B. Instruction
C. Focus on student’s study and organizational skills
D. Consultations with Special Education teachers
E. Consultations with school nurse
F. Consultations with school counselor
G. Afterschool tutoring program
H. Homework support
I. The staff’s accessibility and openness
J. Communication between school and home
K. Detailed progress reports
L. Detailed report cards
M. Saturday School Program
N. Referrals and opportunities for enrichment programs
O. Individualized schedules as needed
P. Independent Reading Time

2. How satisfied have you been with the following aspects of the Approach to Special Education at Capitol Collegiate?	Very Satisfied	Satisfied	Uncertain	Not too satisfied	Quite dissatisfied	Does not apply (no answer)
A. Small class size that allows teachers to make reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities and learning differences
B. Professionalism of teaching staff
C. Focus on student’s study and organizational skills
D. Consultations with Special Education service providers
E. Availability of specialists
F. Availability of supplementary aids such as portable keyboards
G. Availability of teaching assistants for identified students
H. Previewing program in core content areas
I. Reading and writing instruction
J. Individualized math instruction
K. Professionalism of specialists such as occupational therapists, speech and language pathologist, and school psychologist
L. Assessments appropriately selected and interpreted for students referred for evaluation
M. Assessments completed by appropriately credentialed and trained specialists
N. Assessments provided as written reports with, when appropriate, recommendations
O. Student participation in general and district-wide assessment programs (Stanford-10) and Individual Education Plan (IEP) Team’s designation of how each student will participate
P. Team process and parental participation in developing IEP
Q. School distribution of current copies of Family Rights Brochures
R. School protection of the confidentiality of student records
S. School securing of parental consent in accordance with state and federal laws
T. Consideration of student’s behavior, including positive behavioral interventions, ability to follow school discipline codes, and any needed code modifications for a student whose behavior impedes their learning
U. Families and students being provided with copies of Capitol Collegiate Family and Student Handbook annually, and Handbook specifies all procedures for suspension and procedures for suspension of students with disabilities
V. School follows all state and federal requirements regarding the provision of special transportation needs
W. All teachers and service providers are appropriately licensed, certified, board registered, or waived when applicable

3. What are the important reasons that you chose to send your child to Capitol Collegiate? (please check all that apply)
Higher academic standards at Capitol Collegiate
Small size of school and/or classes
Better teachers at Capitol Collegiate
Capitol Collegiate is a safer school
Capitol Collegiate has stricter discipline
My child was doing poorly at his/her previous school
Less expensive than previous school
Location of the school
People told me Capitol Collegiate was a good school
My child’s old school was not meeting his/her special needs

2. 
   What is your favorite thing about the Approach to Student Support and Special Education at Capitol Collegiate?
   

2. 
   What is one thing you would like to change?
   

2. 
   What is one specific event or activity that sticks out in your mind from the past year that makes you glad your child is enrolled at Capitol Collegiate?
   

2. 
   Do you have any additional comments or recommendations for next year?
   

Please remember that if you and your family would be interested in writing a letter of recommendation on our behalf, regarding our work here at school, please send the letter directly to the Head of School. The letter can be of any length, covering any aspect of the school’s Student Support and Special Education program, summarizing how you think the school is performing. Thanks!