Religious charter schools?

A colleague sent this around before the holidays.

Oklahoma attorney general greenlights religious charter schools

 The headline doesn’t tell you why I send this to you, but  the 2^nd Paragraph does.

The opinion was issued after the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City announced its intent to launch a virtual Archdiocesan charter school in a letter to the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board.

https://www.k12dive.com/news/religious-charter-schools-Supreme-Court/638477/

Then earlier this week, this item came through my inbox.

Oklahoma’s Endorsement of Religious Charter Schools May Alter Legal Landscape Oklahoma is set to become the first state to weigh the approval of a charter school that explicitly allows religious instruction, heightening concerns about separation of church and state. Acting on an opinion from the state’s former attorney general, Brett Farley of the Catholic Conference of Oklahoma told reporter Linda Jacobson he sees “green lights” for the movement, but critics predict “massive constitutional violations.” Go Deeper: Maine: ​​Supreme Court Throws Out Ban on Religious Schools Receiving Public Funds North Carolina: Attorneys Consider Asking SCOTUS to Weigh in on Public Status of Charter Schools

I guess now that the Supreme Court, using their originalist doctrine (because the 200+ year old separation of church and state isn’t original enough), has removed the restriction of public education funding being used in voucher programs that benefit private religious schools, it only makes sense that religious groups could also profiteer from public education funding through charter schools.  I mean why should corporations get to have all the fun).

And let’s face it, the Supreme Court will also support this action based on their political positions (not ideological, but political) because that is what the Supreme Court (and much of the US judiciary) has become – an extension of the Republican party policy arm.  Do in the courtroom what you can’t do at the ballot box.

World Class Principal Needed

Posting this opportunity for a colleague…  Be sure to check it out!

Principal

We are currently seeking a full-time Principal to start by 12/18/2016. The position will remain open until filled and the job description can be found here.

Our Headquarters is in Cincinnati, but we are open to employees living within 6 time zones of EST. This is a year round job with nice vacation benefits and normal holidays. Normal benefits including a retirement match are included. We are looking for a world class, Kingdom-focused candidate. Salary to be commensurate with qualifications and experience. We are willing and able to be very competitive.

General Education and Certification Requirements for Administrative Positions:

• Bachelor’s Degree or higher (Masters Degree preferred)
• Christian school and online experience valued
• A willingness to share their Christian testimony (a personal faith in Jesus Christ) and instruct others in the faith

Knowledge-based Requirements:

• Certified in relevant area (if applicable)
• Knowledge of distance-learning
• Operational knowledge of the Internet and web-related technologies

Technical Competencies and Skills:

• Possesses strong oral and written communication skills
• Works independently with little direct supervision
• Works as part of a team
• Accepts responsibility and is self-motivated
• Demonstrates work ethic to achieve specified goals
• Displays effective multi-tasking and time management skills
• Utilizes all required and recommended computer applications

Want to work with us?

We have high expectations for our employees. The following items are a list of those expectations and conditions, which are not all inclusive:

• Employees will be subject to routine background checks.
• Employees will participate in a continuous monitoring and evaluation process.
• Employees must read and agree to our Statement of Faith, Declaration of Moral Integrity, and Lifestyle Statement.

VSS Pre-Conference For Faith Based Schools, Invitation To Come!

A couple of entries today, while I am traveling. This posted in one of the iNACOL forums yesterday.

Feel free to share this with others. For the real invitation, use the email address below

Faith Based Online Schools Pre-Meeting

Please join us for the 1st Faith Based Online Schools Pre-Meeting. This Pre-Meeting is co-sponsored by several faith based schools (listed below) and will be held on Nov. 14 and 15. It precedes the events of the iNacol Virtual School Symposium. We hope it will be an annual affair (no cost).

Don’t miss this unique event for online providers that share a spiritual mission. Featured presenters include Greg Bitgood and Dr. Philip J. Spottswood

Highlights of the pre-meeting are 2 keynote presentations, roundtable discussions and networking. Key goals include:

1. Establishing relationships with other faith based providers that will be mutually beneficial
2. Hearing presentations and interacting with the speakers on topics that impact your mission
3. Sharing about your school and learning how others are doing their work
4. Holding relevant discussions that will help you do your own work better

Saturday- Nov. 14—5:30-8:00
Kick Off Event: Provided Appetizers at 5:30, Dinner at 6:00
Roaring Fork Austin
701 Congress
Austin, TX 78701
512.583.0000

• Introductions, networking, prayer
• Dinner is ordered off a menu (Dutch treat)
• Sharing (10” each) about our programs
  • Mission
  • History
  • Enrollment and Program stats
  • Unique features

Sunday-Nov. 15
Church or Mass- invite a fellow attendee to share your Sunday Morning and lunch
Pre-Meeting Session, 1:00 to 4:00 PM, Place tba (iNacol is working on a room)

• Welcome, Introductions –Dr. Mark Beadle (4)
• Devotions- Barry Bennett- “Is My Name Gideon?” (3)
• Prayer-Kevin Youngblood (1)
• Top recent success within your program-Kevin
• Top upcoming challenges within your program-Barry
• Break
• 1st Keynote address: “Discipling this Generation for a Digital World”
  • Presented by Greg Bitgood (2)

Greg became involved with Christian Education in 1987 as a director of Heritage Christian School and in 1997 was appointed Superintendent. In the same year, Greg and his wife, Christine, founded Heritage Christian Preschool. In 2004, Greg started Heritage Christian Online School, a British Columbia accredited distance learning program for students K to 12. It is now Canada’s largest Christian Online School and is having a world-wide impact. Greg is a director for the Western Canadian division of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI).

• Break
• Discussion of formation of a Faith Based Online Schools- Special Interest Group (SIG) SIG membership is open to any member of iNACOL. SIGs of iNACOL share a common sub-interest of K-12 online learning or are located in a close geographical location. SIGs are committed to the same or similar goals of iNACOL and will develop a plan to communicate with its members on a regular basis. More info at:
• http://www.inacol.org/membership/affiliate.php – Brian (4)
• 2nd Keynote address: “Online Education and Evangelism”
  • Presented by Dr. Philip J. Spottswood

Dr. Spottswood is the Director for International Sales and Marketing for The Personal Learning Center International. He was born and raised in the Philippines, went to high school in India, and received his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. He has most recently served as the Director of an international school in Central Asia before joining The Personal Learning Center to market the products developed by PLC/i. His focus is the development of markets world-wide so that PLC/i courses can be made available to every child everywhere.

• Concluding Discussion and Thoughts, Prayer-Kevin

Sponsors: Alpha Omega Academy (1), Heritage Christian Online School (2), NorthStar Academy(3), Sevenstar Academy (4)

RSVP and/or send questions to: Mark@sevenstaracademy.org by Nov. 1.

Looks to be an interesting, first-time event for those involved in faith-based online learning.

Sevenstar Academy: The Online Christian School

This is a school that came across my radar screen in the past few days…

Sevenstar Academy: The Online Christian School

The reason I mention them here this evening is twofold.  The first is because they have a monthly newsletter you can sign up for (as to see previous months, click here).

The second reason is because they have a series of webinars that they offer.  There are no ones scheduled for “Home School Families”, but there are ones for “Schools” coming up:

• Thu, Aug 13, 2009 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM EDT
• Tue, Aug 18, 2009 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM EDT
• Thu, Aug 27, 2009 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM EDT
• Tue, Sep 15, 2009 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM EDT

If you are interested, click on the link above and feel free to report back and let us know how it was (or feel free to send me a guest blog entry that I would be happy to post).

Launch of National Catholic Schools K-12 Virtual Catholic Online

I recall reading earlier this week, maybe it was one of the items in the ASCD SmartBrief, that the enrollment in Catholic education programs in the United States was on the decline.  And then I saw this posted in one of the iNACOL forums.

Launch of National Catholic Schools K12 Virtual
7/16/2009 – 6:08 PM PST

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA ADVISORY
Catholic PRWire

CORAL SPRINGS, FL (JULY 16, 2009) – Cut-Backs, School Closings, Consolidations, Shifting Resources…. keywords we hear in the news each day with a sense of impending doom and hopelessness. The stress is not only for Catholic schools, churches and families, but for faith-based communities of all denominations, and families from many walks of life across this country, as individuals and entire communities try to address the issue of skyrocketing costs and reduced incomes. As identified in a July 2009 edition of The Florida Catholic of Miami, the economy is in such a state of flux, that declining enrollments, reduced numbers of children attending private and parochial schools is a frightening reality facing administrators and churches everywhere. The big question is ‘How can we continue to deliver a high quality Catholic education during these tough economic times without increasing tuition costs, and still remain economically viable with reduced revenues coming from shrinking Church financial support?’