| PASO DEL NORTE ACADEMY-VISTA DEL SOL | |||||||||||||||||||
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Welcome to Paso Del Norte Academy-Vista Del Sol! |
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| BACKGROUND ON THE PASO DEL NORTE ACADEMY AN OPEN-ENROLLMENT CHARTER SCHOOL APPROVED BY THE TEXAS STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION I. INTRODUCTION Charter schools are considered to be an experiment with school choice within the public school system. They receive state funding, but are not bound by the same regulations that apply to other schools. On the downside, they cannot collect property taxes, thereby restricting their funding. Charter schools also are considered open enrollment, open to whoever wants to apply, but their contracts with the state require that they set up an attendance zone. In general, students from outside these zones are allowed to attend only if the school has a slot available after the application deadline. In the spirit of decentralization and providing avenues for local school restructuring, the 74th Texas Legislature enacted Senate Bill 1 on May 30, 1995. The Texas Education Code (TEC), Sections 12.101-12.118 authorized the State Board of Education (SBOE) to establish up to 20 open-enrollment charter schools. By the end of 1996, the SBOE had granted 20 charters. Of the original 20 charter, 19 are currently operational; eleven of these cater to at-risk students. The 75th Texas Legislature authorized the SBOE to grant an additional 100 open-enrollment charter schools, and 41 of the 100 were granted at the March 6, 1998 meeting of the SBOE. At its September 11, 1998 meeting, the SBOE approved additional 59 charters plus approximately 50 additional charter schools intended to serve students at-risk of dropping out of school. Therefore, this brings the total number of open-enrollment charter schools in Texas to about 159 schools. According to the enabling legislation, the purpose of open-enrollment charter schools is to create high-performing learning communities, with improved student performance and other positive results through this new governance structure that is freed from many district and state regulations. Open-enrollment charter schools are intended to increase consumer choice within the public education system, and more importantly, these schools are meant to encourage innovation in teaching and learning practices in order to improve student performance. It was at its September 11, 1998 meeting, that the SBOE approved an application submitted by the Student Alternatives Program, Inc., to operate an open-enrollment charter school under Section 12.1011(a)(1) of the Texas Education Code. NAME OF SCHOOL LOCATION MAXIMUM ENROLLMENT __________________________________________________________________________________ Paso Del Norte Academy 801 North Stanton, 200 El Paso, Texas 79902 (915) 532-7216 Paso Del Norte Academy -2- The first day of school for the Academy was Monday, January 11, 1999 and the last day was on August 10, 1999. The calendar for the 1999 –2000 school year will run from August 30, 1999 through June 8, 2000. II.VISION AND MISSION The vision of the Academy is to offer educational programs in a community-based, non-traditional setting in which teachers are free to be creative and innovative and students are free to explore their full potential. The schools also envisions a school in which staff, students, parents, and the local community have a deep sense of ownership through the knowledge that they will have the ability to truly be a part of the educational community. The mission of the Academy is to teach students to become respectable, responsible citizens who value their self-worth, respect others and realize the importance of hard work and the continuation of learning throughout their lives. III. INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM The Academy uses an instructional program that is competency-based, student-centered, self-paced, individualized and flexible. This type or program allows for both remedial and accelerated instruction. SAPI has used this curriculum for the past six years in its alternative education programs. The competency-based program tends to work well with students who have difficulties functioning in the traditional classroom setting. Most of the students like this method of instruction because there are fewer homework assignments. Practically all instruction and learning is accomplished in the classroom. Most teachers like the instructional program because they do not have to be constantly preparing detailed lesson plans. The lesson plan is already prepared for them. Moreover, the instructional program is designed as an “open/open exit” and the curriculum complies with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) under Section 28.002 of the Texas Education Code, utilizing a foundation curriculum, as required in TEC Chapter 39, Subchapter B. In addition, the Academy will be offering instructional services for a high school equivalency/GED certificate to students for whom attainment of a high school diploma is not realistic due to their grade level and age. III.GEOGRAPHIC AREA SERVED The geographic area to be served by the charter are the same as boundaries for the El Paso Independent School District Paso Del Norte Academy -3- IV. ENROLLMENT PROCESS All students wishing to enroll in the Academy must live within one of the school districts noted above and must complete an enrollment application. Applicants from other school districts may be admitted only if the Academy has not reached it’s authorized enrollment limit of 150 students. Enrollment into the Academy is on first come first served basis. Once enrollment reaches 150 students, the enrollment process will then be changed to a lottery system. The enrollment process will be explained to all students applying for acceptance and enrollment in the Academy. Since the program is open entry/open exit in nature, the Academy will continue the process of taking applications from potential students in an attempt to maintain its maximum enrollment objective. All applicants must be classified as 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade students in order to be placed in the Accelerated Educational Program, or the Remedial Instruction Program. Students that have enrolled and will participate in High School Equivalency Program must be 16.9 years of age, be beyond the reach of obtaining a high school diploma within a reasonable period of time, and must demonstrate at least an 8th grade functional level in reading and math. All students must provide his/her student records transferred from the district in which they were last enrolled. Applicants who have a documented history of a criminal offense, juvenile court adjudication, or discipline problems under TEC, Chapter 37, Subchapter will be screened and the decision to accept their application will be on a case-by-case base with the approval of the local management board. Factors such as the nature of the offense and the type of disciplinary problem(s) the applicant has had will be taken into consideration in accepting or rejecting an application. V. HISTORY AND MISSION OF THE STUDENT ALTERNATIVES PROGRAM PROGRAM, INC. The Student Alternatives Program, Inc. (SAPI) was established in 1990 and is a private, non-profit community-based organization exempt from taxation under 26 U.S.C., Section 50l(c)(3). SAPI's corporate offices are located in San Antonio. Mr. Eduardo Gutierrez has been the CEO of the organization since its inception. Currently, SAPI's headquarters are in San Antonio, Texas. The primary mission of the Student Alternatives Program, Inc. (SAPI) is to serve at-risk and school dropout youth in Texas. Thus far, SAPI has drawn upon its seven years of experience in operating community-based alternative schools to establish and administer the open-enrollment charter school for high school students (grades 9-12). VI. SAPI’S EXPERIENCE IN OPERATING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS Since 1992, SAPI has operated community-based alternative educational services to students in at-risk situations, as authorized under the Texas Education Code (TEC), Chapter 29, Section 29.0819(e), and TEC Chapter 37, Section 37.008(b). During the 1998-99 school year, SAPI maintained 12 instructional centers supported through 17 performance-based contracts with school districts in Texas. The public school district provides funds for the operation of the educational program and reports PEIMS data on the students served under each contract. Paso Del Norte Academy -4- Between the 1992-93 and 1997-98 school years, SAPI has provided educational services to over 25,000 students. While enrolled in our open entry/open exit program, high school students have earned over 4,800 credits. In addition, over 500 students have graduated from high school with a high school diploma and over 100 students have earned a GED. As of January 11, 1999, SAPI was serving an average of 485 students per day. This does not include students enrolled in its four charter schools. During the regular school year, SAPI employs a cadre of over 70 professional and support staff at its independent alternative education instructional centers. All students enrolled in SAPI's alternative education programs meet the definition of student’s at-risk of dropping out of school as defined in TEC, Section 29.081(d)(1). __________________________________________________________________________________ NOTE: Persons interested in learning more about open-enrollment charter schools in Texas are encouraged to contact the Charter School Division of the Texas Department of Education. |
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Teacher Salary & Benefits |
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Additional Benefits Information Our charter schools are TRS eligible employers and offers a great retirement benefit. We also offer Paid Time Off (PTO), jury duty leave, military leave, extended leave of absence, FMLA leave (if qualified) |
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