Frequently Asked Questions
- Why do we need an Ed Center and High School?
- How will the High School help students succeed?
- Why do we need a charter high school?
- What exactly is the Ed Center & High School?
- Has the decision definitely been made to build it?
- How much public support is there for this project?
- Is more public support needed?
- How can I help?
- Will tuition be charged?
- How will this proposed charter public high school differ from a traditional public high school?
- Will Foster City students have admission priority?
- What will the school capacity be?
- Will this school have Advanced Placement classes?
- What about the arts?
- How will the athletics programs be run and how will they be affiliated?
- What are the requirements for teachers?
- What is the status of the charter high school petition?
- What is the failure rate of charter schools?
- What are the funding sources to support student education and make this school a reality?
- What is the future of charter schools?
- How can I be kept informed on progress of our proposed public charter high school?
Why do we need an Ed Center and High School?
Our young people must have high-quality education to succeed in today’s rapidly changing global economy. Adults need access to courses for improving their job skills, updating their knowledge, and enriching their lives through their later years.
How will the High School help students succeed?
Envision Schools, which will operate the Arts and Technology High School in Foster City, uses proven educational approaches that hold high expectations for all students, gets them engaged in learning, and supports them academically and socially so that they are well prepared for success in college, career and life.
Why do we need a charter high school?
Charter schools have proven to be excellent alternatives for students who have difficulty in traditional high schools, for the students become very engaged in their learning and thrive. Charter school students are successful.
What exactly is the Ed Center & High School?
It is a public facility that will be located in the Civic Center area next to City Hall and the Library. The building will be used by the high school during the day and by the Ed Center in the evenings.
Has the decision definitely been made to build it?
No. So far, the City Council has only tentatively set aside land for the building. The Ed Center & High School will be built only after the City Council commits to building it.
How much public support is there for this project?
When asked, “What would make our town a better place to live, work, and visit?” 80 percent of Foster City residents responding to the City’s 2006 survey wanted a high school on the land next to City Hall.
Is more public support needed?
Absolutely! Without greater and stronger public support, this very likely will be a lost opportunity to establish a Community Education Center and public high school east of Highway 101.
How can I help?
- Support the Foster City High School Foundation.
- Keep up with our progress by signing up for the Foundation’s Newsletter at http://www.fchighschool.org/getinvolved/support/.
- Read the column on the Ed Center and High School that appears regularly in the Foster City Islander and posted on our our web site at: http://www.fchighschool.org/news/media/.
- Write to City Council members and tell them you support the building of the Ed Center & High School.
- See www.fostercity.org/city_hall/council/ for their contact information. Ask your friends to do the same.
Council members welcome public discussion and debate that is reasoned and informed.
Will tuition be charged?
No. This will be a state-funded public school. Although nearly all charter schools require additional fundraising, additional tax dollars will not be required.
How will this proposed charter public high school differ from a traditional public high school?
Each charter school is custom-conceived. Although details of the school’s physical design can wait, at the core of Envision Schools is an instructional model based on four specific principles:
- Rigor: Every Envision student engages in a rigorous, standards-based college-prep curriculum that meets or exceeds the course requirements for the UC/CSU systems – there is no second track.
- Relationships: Class size is no more than 27 students, and teams of teachers work with the same students for two consecutive years. Teachers and leaders guide students academically and socially in small advisory groups of 15 to 20 throughout a student’s high school career.
- Relevance: Interdisciplinary, project-based work and field studies are at the heart of the Envision learning experience. Students exhibit their projects to the entire school community, and art and technology is integrated into the curriculum.
- Results: Envision holds its students accountable to rigorous outcomes. Envision gradates must pass all mandated state tests, meet UC/CSU entrance requirements, and earn an acceptance letter from at least one four-year college or university.
Will Foster City students have admission priority?
- This proposed charter high school will give priority to students in the San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD) before admitting others from elsewhere. Because the school will be small, there can be no absolute guarantee that all interested Foster City students will be accepted.
- Envision recruits aggressively in socio-economically disadvantaged neighborhoods and enrolls students through a random lottery; 35% of total admissions are reserved for First Generation College Bound (FGCB).
- A 2002 survey prepared by the Foster City Education Committee determined that only 36% of families City-wide and 47% of parents of Bowditch Middle School respondents wanted all Foster City students to attend one high school. This suggests that the proposed school will not be flooded with applications from Foster City families.
- Because most students will likely attend a high school outside of Foster City, and also because the math/science emphasis will not be universally attractive, we anticipate with a high degree of confidence that there will be sufficient openings for those students who wish to attend.
- A previous City Council approved a proposed private high school that failed to proceed beyond the planning stage. The Council approved the school despite its high tuition that would have precluded many Foster City children from attending. They did so because of the educational benefits it would have brought to our City. The proposed public charter school is expected to provide similar benefits, but without paid tuition.
What will the school capacity be?
The school will house approximately 500 students, with each receiving a personalized learning plan developed cooperatively with the student, parents/guardians, and a teacher-advisor.
Will this school have Advanced Placement classes?
Yes. College credits will be offered. Remediation will be provided for under-performing students to ensure that ALL achieve at high academic levels.
What about the arts?
Arts are integrated into the curriculum.
How will the athletics programs be run and how will they be affiliated?
Although sports and physical education activities have not yet been defined, proximity to Foster City’s many parks, playing fields, biking/jogging paths, and water access suggest numerous exciting opportunities. Charter schools can offer physical education credits for activities such as American Youth Soccer Organization participation.
What are the requirements for teachers?
While there is some flexibility for teachers of non-core/non-college preparatory courses, charter school academic teachers must be equally qualified and as fully credentialed as teachers in all public schools.
What is the status of the charter high school petition?
It will be submitted to the SMUHSD early July 2007 with a proposed opening date of September 2008.
What is the failure rate of charter schools?
- The Center on Education Reform has information on over 4,000 charter schools that opened in the past 16 years nationwide, since the first charter school law was enacted. Only 11% of charters have closed because they did not perform at required levels or were unable to attract enough students to be financially viable. Compared with the failure rate of small businesses, which are usually not nearly as complex as schools to operate, this is a remarkably low percentage.
- Charter schools continue to expand at a double-digit rate, indicating their popularity with parents and students and their academic success.
- The RAND Corporation recently issued an Occasional Paper entitled “Making Sense of Charter Schools,” which reported that California students in start-up (as opposed to conversion) charter schools with project-based instruction have higher test scores than students in comparable traditional public schools. A recent 24-page research report from EdSource concluded that charter schools were 33% more likely to meet student performance goals in all grade levels than were traditional public schools.
What are the funding sources to support student education and make this school a reality?
- Because they are public schools, charters receive main operating funds from the State, based on attendance. Charters typically receive less money per student than do conventional schools. This is because, typically, they do not have large playing fields, swimming pools, etc., so their operating expense is lower.
- Charter Schools are eligible for many tax exemptions (e.g., on land use). They can apply for local and federal funds in the form of grants, school bonds, and low-interest start-up loans.
- Most charter schools support their start-up process through a combination of private and public funding. A few examples of such funding include: private donations; local business and organization partnerships; active fundraising; the US Public Charter School Grant Program through California’s Department of Education; the Charter School Revolving Loan Fund; and other Federal categorical grants.
- Other federal discretionary grants are available for such specific efforts, as professional development, small learning communities, technology in education, and after-school programs.
What is the future of charter schools?
- California has stipulated the number of charter schools that may be opened each year. Presently there are almost 600 operating throughout the State. Charters were inaugurated under State law with the Legislature’s intent “to provide vigorous competition within the public school system to stimulate continual improvements in all public schools.”
- Charter schools continue to expand at a double-digit rate, indicating both their popularity with parents and students and their academic success.
How can I be kept informed on progress of our proposed public charter high school?
Join our e-mail distribution list to receive news, alerts and other information on bringing a high school to Foster City.
Subscribe at: http://www.fchighschool.org/getinvolved/support/.
Get more information at:
- Our web site: http://www.fchighschool.org
- Envision's web site: http://www.envisionschools.org
- Foster City's website page on the 15-acre site: http://lists.fostercity.org/mailman/listinfo/15acre
Foster City High School Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 8146, Foster City, CA 94404 - (650) 349-5676
