2024 Presentations
Tuesday, March 12th
Time | Room | Strand | Title | Description | Presenter(s) |
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9:30 AM – 10:30 AM | Cumberland Ballroom – Salon A | School Performance | Unlocking Potential: Empowering School Leaders to Supercharge Instructional Coaches | In this dynamic workshop, we will equip you with rapid-fire strategies and insights needed to supercharge your instructional coaching team, enhancing teaching practices and ultimately improving student achievement. Led by Education Consultant and School Leadership Coach, Erinn Cottman, this power-packed session promises to be a game-changer. What to Expect: Speedy Insights: Dive into high-impact sessions that provide quick, practical tools and techniques to elevate instructional coaching. | Erinn Cottman, Consultant & Leadership Coach, Erinn Cottman Teacher Development, LLC |
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM | Cumberland Ballroom – Salon B | Board Governance | The Basics of Charter School Governance | There is nothing else like a charter school, and nothing highlights this more than the roles of the board and administration. This session discusses the framework and standards for effective charter school governance and explores the gray area of management and oversight and explores practices for ensuring ongoing collaboration between the board and school leader to ensure success for students. | Kelly Cadman, Educational Consulting and Principal Consultant, Hive180 and Interim VP of New School Development, GCSA |
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM | Cumberland Ballroom – Salon C | School Culture | Office of Whole Child Supports: Student Health and Well-Being Resources Overview | This session will provide an overview of resources provided by the Georgia Department of Education’s Office of Whole Child Supports, Student Health and Well-Being Division. This division consists of mental health, school health, and wraparound services programs. During this presentation, the audience will learn about professional learning opportunities, communities of practice, technical assistance, and resources offered by this division. | Mary Lauren Salvatore, Assistant Director, Office of Whole Child Supports, Georgia Department of Education |
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM | Cumberland Ballroom – Salon D | Expansion and Replication | Should I Have a Back Office Partner? | Charter schools face unique challenges, balancing educational excellence with efficient operations. Enter the gig economy’s back-office service providers, offering a tempting proposition: specialized expertise without the expense of full-time staff. But is this silver bullet too good to be true? Join EdTec and one of our back office clients to explore benefits of the charter school-back office partnership, such as expertise, cost savings, scalability, and flexibility. | Terence Washington, Business Development Manager, EdTec |
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM | Cumberland Ballroom – Salon E | Operations and Finance | Hiring the Right Charter School Principal | This panel presentation explores the critical skillsets required for success as a startup principal in the dynamic landscape of charter schools. Seasoned leaders from diverse charter school backgrounds will share insights on essential competencies, ranging from visionary leadership and strategic planning to adept financial management and community engagement. Attendees will gain valuable perspectives on recruiting and retaining high-quality school leadership. | Dr. Brian Perkins, Director – Programs in Educational Leadership Department of Organization & Leadership Columbia University Teachers College |
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM | Grand Ballroom 4-6 | Policy and Advocacy | Advocating for Local Charter Authorization – Good Advice for When Everything Goes Wrong | A panel discussion with Katherine Kelbaugh (Museum School) and Barry Lollis (Savannah Classical Academy) regarding the circumstances that led to equity lawsuits against the schools’ authorizing districts, the rationale and strategy they employed, and the eventual outcomes of their efforts. | Rob Fortson, Partner, Gilbert, Harrell, Sumerford & Martin; Barry Lollis, CEO, Savannah Classical Academy; Dr. Katherine Kelbaugh, Executive Director, The Museum School |
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM | Georgia Ballroom | Operations and Finance | How Do I Own My School … and Grow?? | Tired of leasing your facility? Wondering what your short and long term options are to finance your new or expanded facilities? Whether you are a start up or a well established charter school network, join experienced public finance attorneys from Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP for a discussion of how to finance your facilities and expand. | Tom Sage, Partner, Public Finance Attorney, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP and Shaney Lokken, Counsel, Public Finance Attorney, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP |
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM | Grand Ballroom 4-6 | General Session | Empowering Educators: Harnessing AI in the Classroom | Join us for a riveting panel discussion titled “Empowering Educators: Harnessing AI in the Classroom.” In this engaging conversation, educators, technology experts, and thought leaders will delve into the innovative ways artificial intelligence (AI) can streamline tasks and enhance efficiency for teachers. From automating administrative duties to providing personalized teaching resources, AI offers transformative solutions to optimize teacher productivity. Our panelists will explore practical applications and strategies for integrating AI tools that empower educators to focus more on impactful teaching practices and student engagement. Discover how AI-driven solutions can alleviate the burden of repetitive tasks, freeing up valuable time for educators to innovate and inspire. Whether you’re a seasoned educator seeking new tools or an AI enthusiast interested in its potential in education, this discussion promises to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of harnessing AI to enhance teacher productivity. | Kolt Bloxson Pitts, ED.S – Found & Executive Director, Miles Ahead Charter School ; Michele J. Neely, President & CEO, State Charter Schools Foundation of Georgia Gregg Stevens, Interim Vice President for School Success, GCSA and Principal Consultant, 21Cobalt; Abby Hanson, US Microsoft Modern Work Sales Practice Leader, Ingram Micro; James Pope, Chief Revenue Officer, Technology Lab; Connor O’Neill, Sales Director, Technology Lab |
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM | Cumberland Ballroom – Salon A | School Performance | Reading Reimagined: We HAVE to Talk About Support for Developing Older Readers! | Many educators know that only one-third of American children read at grade level and results are far worse for students of color and experiencing poverty. There is a lesser-known truth: struggling readers often peak in grade four, after which, most school systems see declining results. In this session, we will discuss key research behind the literacy struggles of older students, the important intersection of decoding and reading comprehension, and offer solutions that impact progress for all. | Vaughn Thompson, Executive Director, Achievement Network (ANet) and Jessica Tzuker, Director – Partnership Management, Achievement Network (ANet) |
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM | Cumberland Ballroom – Salon B | Board Governance | Governing Board Recruitment and Succession | Being a new member of a charter board can be a whirlwind experience for the new member, the board, and school leadership. A strategic and deliberate approach to succession, onboarding, training, and development, can ease transition and promote success. This session discusses the strategies and tactics governing boards can implement to prepare the board and leadership for new board members. | Kelly Cadman, Educational Consulting and Principal Consultant, Hive180 and Interim VP of New School Development, GCSA |
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM | Cumberland Ballroom – Salon C | School Culture | Safeguarding School Culture to Support a Positive Environment | As school culture continues to evolve, protecting educators for a positive school environment must remain a priority. Positive school culture creates, improves and protects educators to shift focus on student success, thriving environments and elevated achievements. Attendees will learn national topics of concern, share local issues challenging educator success in the classroom and AAE will provide resources for school leaders to implement immediately. | Dana Williams, State Director of Georgia, AAE |
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM | Cumberland Ballroom – Salon D | Expansion and Replication | Field Investigation Integration Day | FII Day is an opportunity for teachers and scholars to engage in enriching experiences to effectively integrate agriculture, environment, and arts appreciation. Through our tri-focus instructional model, students cultivate the capacity to achieve a meaningful, healthy, flourishing lives that embody responsibility, stewardship, arts appreciation, sustainable agriculture, and environmental awareness in informed, imaginative, and rigorous ways. | Patrick Muhammad, Principal; Dr. Machelle Weems-Allen, Assistant Principal; Nadia Reese, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Specialist; Dr. Troynelius Waymon, Dean of Instruction – Chattahoochee Hills Charter School |
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM | Georgia Ballroom | Operations and Finance | Early-Stage Needs Beyond Year Zero | Opening a new charter school is an enormous task, and funding options have expanded to support to new schools’ unique challenges. After Year 1, there are far fewer resources. Charter schools at all levels of development still have many unfunded needs. This panel will explore some of the needs and funding gaps and will also ask you – what is missing from the existing Georgia charter school funding toolkit? | Amir Ali, VP, National Community Facilities Lending & New Markets Tax Credits, Low Income Investment Fund; Michele J. Neely, President & CEO, State Charter Schools Foundation of Georgia; Emily Castillo Leon, Associate Vice President of Schools, redefinED; Steven Quinn, Outreach Director, GeorgiaCAN |
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM | Cumberland Ballroom – Salon E | Policy and Advocacy | Just Sign on the Dotted Line: Everything You Need to Know About Contracts for Charter Schools | This session will examine some of the most common issues that arise in the contracts that charter schools enter. | Christopher Adams, Partner, Krevolin & Horst, LLC |
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM | Cumberland Ballroom – Salon A | School Performance | Fostering Special Ed. Compliance: Charter leaders and special educators’ role in understanding and supporting critical areas of special education compliance. | This session helps charter schools comply with federal and state special education requirements, including evaluations, IEP annual reviews, and discipline for students with disabilities. The facilitators will provide information from the authorizer/LEA and charter school special education administrator perspectives, guiding participants on how to monitor and support their special education departments. | Dr. Nicklaus Khan, Education & Student Support Services Coordinator, Atlanta Public School’s Office of Charter & Partner Schools and Jahannah Christian, M.Ed, Special Education Lead Teacher for The Kindezi Schools |
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM | Cumberland Ballroom – Salon B | Board Governance | Open and Transparent Governance | Exploring the Open Meetings and Open Records law, this session discusses the difficulty in effective governance amidst increasing politics in school and classroom management. How do charter school governing boards manage meetings and operations through open meetings, public comment, and arguments over library books? Participants will discuss case law and real-world scenarios to debate open governance under the First Amendment. | Gregg Stevens, Interim Vice President for School Success, GCSA and Principal Consultant, 21Cobalt |
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM | Cumberland Ballroom – Salon C | School Culture | Recruiting and Retaining Black Male Educators in our Schools and Districts | Particularly, 10% of students in public education are black male students. On the other hand, teachers in public education do not represent an exceptionally diverse group. Less than two percent of teachers are Black males. We feel and experience the importance of black male educators for our schools and communities on a regular basis. This session explores and discusses tangible actions steps and anecdotes that can positively impact the increase of black male educators in our school districts. | Dr. Donald Rucker, Principal, KIPP Metro Atlanta |
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM | Cumberland Ballroom – Salon D | Operations and Finance | Incorporating sustainability into facilities planning | Facilities present constant concerns. They are costly, require routine maintenance, and present physical constraints on a school’s ability to grow. This panel will discuss some of the challenges in developing sustainable facilities plans, and how new sources of capital can leverage environmentally friendly products and services to both decrease expenses and emissions. | Jonny Newburgh, Loan Officer, Community Facilities, Low Income Investment Fund; Cameron Quick, Founder, Facilities Resource Center; Rebecca Salvo, Senior Vice President, Charter Schools Development Corporation; Sarah Harvey, Sankofa Montessori; Jeffrey Houser, FRC |
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM | Cumberland Ballroom – Salon E | Expansion and Replication | Charter School Replication: Lessons learned from leaders who went from operating a single site to multiple schools | Replicating a successful charter school is no easy task and doing so in the manner that stays true to the original charter can be challenging in the best of circumstances. During this session we will talk about identifying and duplicating the essential elements of a school and the steps required to ensure it is done with fidelity. Join us for a discussion on how to actualize your dream of replication. | Kylie Holley, Superintendent, Pataula Charter Academy |
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM | Georgia Ballroom | Policy and Advocacy | Advocacy Communications: Data-Driven Talking Points Every Charter School Should Know | During this informative session, we will present the most recent research to dispel misconceptions and improve the positive perception of Georgia’s public charter schools. We will share effective communication strategies, messaging insights, and essential story themes to assist with advocacy, outreach, and engagement with families, elected officials, and the broader public. | Michelle Wirth, Sr. Director of Communications & Shabaaka Smalls, Digital Manager, Georgia Charter Schools Association |
3:45 PM – 4:45 PM | Cumberland Ballroom – Salon A | School Performance | THE I.E.P. TRAP Black Males, Segregated by Low Expectations, Imprisoned by Illiteracy! | America has a long history of segregation and inequality in public education. Public education seems to be divided into two different systems. General education and special education. In a perfect world they would work cohesively together to meet the needs of all learners but to be honest, it hardly happens. There is a serious over-representation of black males in special education. Black males are subject to disparities in SPED identification and discipline practices. | Craig Boykin, CEO, 180 Edu Group |
3:45 PM – 4:45 PM | Cumberland Ballroom – Salon B | Board Governance | Organizational Change in Charter Schools | Charter schools are flexible, responsive, and open to new approaches and changes in models or leadership. This session explores implementing various models for organizational change and how charter school leaders and governing boards can create and support a culture for continuous improvement. | Gregg Stevens, Interim Vice President for School Success, GCSA and Principal Consultant, 21Cobalt |
3:45 PM – 4:45 PM | Cumberland Ballroom – Salon C | Operations and Finance | Leadership that Lasts: Transition Planning for Sustaining What You’ve Built | During this session, StartOps founder Lauren Bryant will usher participants through a thoughtful process of planning for transitions, whether lateral role changes, promotions, or exits. | Lauren Bryant, Principal + Founder, StartOps |
3:45 PM – 4:45 PM | Cumberland Ballroom – Salon D | Operations and Finance | CARES Funding Expiration: Managing through the fiscal cliff | Participants will reflect on investments they’ve made with federal funds to ensure a thoughtful plan for the funding expiration. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, districts and schools around the country have been faced with unprecedented federal investments (ESSER/CARES) in the time of significant headwinds (inflation, enrollment, talent pipeline). With less than a year until funding expiration, leaders must be engaging with data, analysis, and communities on next steps. | Kelly Shields, Managing Director, Kelly Shields Consulting |
3:45 PM – 4:45 PM | Cumberland Ballroom – Salon E | Expansion and Replication | Skinny Strategic Planning: What High Performing Charter Schools Do Differently | Does strategic planning seem too overwhelming and time consuming? Is your strategic plan too cumbersome to monitor or rigid to execute? Do you find yourself creating most of the plan yourself? Skinny Strategic Planning Made Easy is designed to take the confusion and difficulty out of strategic planning. This practical workshop will provide you a simple and easy way to create organizational buy-in, building trust and capacity with your team; all while building a clear and sensible roadmap. | Thomas Miller, Charter School Strategist, Leaders Building Leaders |
3:45 PM – 4:45 PM | Grand Ballroom 4-6 | Policy and Advocacy | Important Updates on Charter Authorizer Standards | Georgia law requires that charter school authorizers adhere to quality authorizing practices, in accordance with the authorizer standards adopted by the Georgia Board of Education. The recent passage of HB 318, which establishes an Office of Charter School Compliance under the State Charter Schools Commission, will bring changes to the support provided to local district authorizers. The session will highlight the authorizer standards and actions taken so far to emphasis authorizer best practices. The presenters will then look ahead to the SCSC’s expected new role with local charter school authorizers, including authorizer evaluations and technical assistance for local authorizers by the State Charter Schools Foundation under Georgia’s CSP grant. Participants will be given a preview of online training for prospective new authorizers and tips for petitioners with local school boards. | Katie Manthey, State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia; Michele Neely, CEO, State Charter Schools Foundation of Georgia |
3:45 PM – 4:45 PM | Georgia Ballroom | Operations and Finance | Is GA TRS enough to Retire with Financial Dignity? | Attracting and Retaining “exceptional employees” by offering a significant value-added employee retirement benefit at No Costs to the GA Charter School. | Rodney Keyes, Executive National Director, Charter School Retirement Plans, ValuTeachers, Inc. |
Wednesday, March 13th
Time | Room | Strand | Title | Description | Presenter(s) |
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11:05 AM – 12:05 PM | Cumberland Ballroom – Salon A | School Performance | Creating a Culture of Literacy and Writing at KIPP Metro Atlanta Public Schools | Since 2019, KIPP Metro Atlanta Public Schools has been collaborating with Marco Learning to deliver targeted and individualized feedback on student writing in grades 3-12. Attendees will hear directly from KIPP staff about how this partnership has encouraged students to be more reflective and iterative in their writing, saved teachers’ time allowing them to focus more on instructional response, and given network leaders longitudinal student data as it relates to writing and literacy. | Kevin Snyder, Head of Sales, Marco Learning |
11:05 AM – 12:05 PM | Cumberland Ballroom – Salon B | Board Governance | Financial Accountability for Charter Boards | All board members have a part in successful financial oversight, and financial statements and audits are only the beginning. This session supports governing board members and leaders in understanding, developing, and assessing financial performance measures that promote financial success. | Gregg Stevens, Interim Vice President for School Success, GCSA and Principal Consultant, 21Cobalt |
11:05 AM – 12:05 PM | Cumberland Ballroom – Salon C | Operations and Finance | What Charter Schools Can Learn from the Barbie Movie’s Marketing Strategy | Even those who haven’t seen the movie would recognize that shade of Barbie pink anywhere! There are important lessons from the blockbuster hit’s marketing strategy that can be applied to almost any organization, including charter schools. Join EdTec’s marketing team as we explore how to enhance your branding, improve engagement with your community, and make a lasting impact with your message and mission. Though not required, Barbie pink attire is strongly encouraged! | Melanie Horton, Director of Marketing; Terence Washington, Business Development Manager – EdTec |
11:05 AM – 12:05 PM | Cumberland Ballroom – Salon D | Expansion and Replication | Ready for Takeoff: Preparing for Launch Without Building Mid-Air | In year zero, new charters and those replicating and expanding work diligently to plan for a successful launch, and yet, many leaders find themselves building the plane while flying it and under extreme stress in their first year of operations. 4 school founding leaders, 2 new and 2 with experience expanding and replicating, will offer insight into what they wish they had known in year 0, unforeseen challenges, and how they navigated forward. | Kelly Cadman, Educational Consulting and Principal Consultant, Hive180 and Interim VP of New School Development, GCSA; Kylie Holley, Superintendent, Pataula Charter Academy and Spring Creek Academy; Matthew Kirby, President, Liberty Classical Schools |
11:05 AM – 12:05 PM | Cumberland Ballroom – Salon E | School Culture | Girls & Pearls | Developing girls to be unique involves fostering their individuality, self-confidence, and sense of self-worth. Pearls are unique among gemstones because they do not arise from the depths of the earth but from the sea. They require no special cutting or polishing to maximize their lustrous beauty, which has been treasured since ancient times. | Charcia Nichols, Head of School, Ivy Preparatory |
11:05 AM – 12:05 PM | Georgia Ballroom | Operations and Finance | Hey…There Are Visitors In The Building…& We NEED Them! | We all know our schools have shifted over the years, particularly with COVID accelerating the trend of bringing in outside help to carry out our educational mission. Now, with a growing need for visitors in our buildings, it’s crucial to explore ways to maximize the relationship between schools and these visitors. In this workshop, we will cover four key objectives to enhance this dynamic. | Keedar Whittle, CEO, Educators Now |
11:05 AM – 12:05 PM | Grand Ballroom 4-6 | Policy and Advocacy | Updates from the Georgia General Assembly — 2024 Legislative Session | We’re nearing the end of another legislative session, and it’s once again been another hectic year of discussion and debate over education policy and funding. Bonnie Holliday, GCSA’s Chief Strategy Officer, will provide an overview of the General Assembly’s actions and efforts that impact charter schools, as well as the respective roles of GCSA and schools in advocating for policies that support charter schools and their students. | Bonnie Holliday, CSO, Georgia Charter Schools Association |