The mission of each Springs Charter School is to empower students by fostering their innate curiosity, engaging their parents, and promoting optimum learning by collaboratively developing a personalized learning program for each student.
Springs’ Explorer Student Center in Fontana has begun its inaugural year and is actively recruiting students, reported Kari Lewis, principal. The school had an “amazing” turnout for a recent meet and greet, and a “wonderful” first week of school.
Dr. Sherri Kemp, Homeschool director of high school learning labs, reported that the learning labs have welcomed students back to campus with 175 students already participating in programs. She said, “Our teachers and students hit the ground running, engaging in interactive and fun lessons. Mr. Thompson's science class used Skittles to create graphs, and Mr. Antilla’s class estimated the size of their new classroom during the first week.”
Springs’ Bear River Student Center begins the school year with a new administrative leadership team. Tiffiny Aery is principal, Liz Ramirez is vice principal, and Rebecca Sebastian is TOSA/vice principal. Tiffiny assumes the role of principal after the retirement of Renee Gooding.
Journey Homeschool High School launched the new school year with 40 "dedicated" team members, including six new staff members, coming together for professional development, collaboration, and team-building activities, reported Vice Principal Nicole Collins. Journey’s mission this year is centered on “fostering respect, character, and citizenship among staff, students, and guardians,” she said.
Charter schools are independent public schools with rigorous curriculum programs and unique educational approaches. In exchange for operational freedom and flexibility, charter schools are subject to higher levels of accountability than traditional public schools. Charter schools, which are tuition-free and open to all students, offer quality and choice in the public education system.
The charter establishing each such school is a contract detailing the school’s mission, program, goals, students served, methods of assessment, and ways to measure success. In California, charters are granted for five years. At the end of the term, the entity granting the charter may renew the school’s contract. Charter schools are accountable to their authorizer, and to the students and families they serve, to produce positive academic results and adhere to the charter contract.
Like traditional public schools, charters receive state funding based on a formula for each child enrolled in the school. Many charters also do additional fundraising to obtain grants and donations to pay for programs that are not fully funded by state or school district formulas. When lawmakers passed the Charter Schools Act of 1992, California became the second state in the country (after Minnesota) to enact charter school legislation. The intent was to allow groups of educators, community members, parents, or others to create an alternative type of public school.