1. What kind of school are you planning?
Given the need for new quality schools for all students, we are applying for a K-12 charter school. We plan to offer a rigorous curriculum that elevates diverse career opportunities and creates a strong school culture that allows and expects ALL children will learn and succeed at a high level.
2. Who decides if this school can open?
The Lincoln Academy will be an independent charter school, but it must be approved by the Office of Educational Opportunity (OEO) at the University of Wisconsin. The OEO will evaluate the school’s application, review its educational and financial plan, interview the Board of Directors and school leaders, and set specific requirements for how the school must perform.
3. Will this school be a part of the Beloit School District?
The Lincoln Academy will create a new public-school option available to all Beloit families, and while it is a public school, it will not be run by the Beloit School District. It will have its own Board of Directors and make independent decisions about how to serve students and families.
4. How is a public charter school funded?
As a proposed Office of Educational Opportunity authorized charter school, The Lincoln Academy will be funded directly by the State of Wisconsin. All students enrolled in The Lincoln Academy except those who have never previously enrolled in school (such as students who are entering K4, home schooled or attended a private school) will be counted as enrolled in the Beloit School District and the State will allocate the full per pupil amount $10,902 (The revenue limit for 2019-20 is documented https://sfs.dpi.wi.gov/SFSdw/). Before distributing that money to the School District of Beloit, the State of Wisconsin will reduce the District aid allotment by $8,911 for each student enrolled in The Lincoln Academy and send that money directly to The Lincoln Academy.
The School District of Beloit is allowed to keep the difference if needed, currently $1,991 per child, even though those children do not attend school in the district.
The School District of Beloit will not receive the full aid allotment. However, the district will continue counting these students, and receive the per pupil revenue limit for the duration of time they are enrolled at The Lincoln Academy and partially for three additional years after they leave. District students not previously enrolled (noted above) will be counted by the District beginning year two at The Lincoln Academy.
5. Who can attend?
As a public charter school, The Lincoln Academy will be a public school in every sense of the word. Any student with Wisconsin residency will be welcome to apply and eligible to attend. There are no admission requirements and charter schools are tuition-free. Parents cannot be charged for their student to attend.
6. Can students with special needs attend this school?
Yes. As a tuition-free public charter school, The Lincoln Academy will be committed to diversity and serving all scholars, including scholars with special needs and ELL scholars.
7. How do you determine who gets in?
Any student with Wisconsin residency will be welcome to apply and eligible to attend The Lincoln Academy. If the school receives more applications than there are seats available, a public random lottery is used to determine enrollment for those seats as well as waitlist order.
8. How many students will the school serve?
If the charter application is approved, in the first year of operation The Lincoln Academy will enroll K4-2 and 7-9 grades, with two classrooms in each grade. One grade on each side (e.g. 3rd and 10th in the next year) will be added every year following until the school serves all grades K4-12 with an enrollment of 700 students.
9. When will the school open?
If the charter application is approved, The Lincoln Academy will open in the Fall of 2021.
10. Who is in charge of this school?
The Lincoln Academy will be managed by its local non-profit Board of Directors and all the decisions about classroom instruction, staff, and school culture will be made at the school level by the school leader.
Dr. Kristi Cole has been selected as Chief Education Officer for The Lincoln Academy. Dr. Cole will be responsible for leading efforts to launch The Lincoln Academy and will oversee educational programming and operations for the school. Dr. Cole was unanimously recommended by a hiring committee composed of members of the Kids First Beloit Board, the Beloit 200 Education Committee and The Lincoln Academy Advisory Council. She currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer for Milwaukee College Prep, a high-performing K8 urban charter network serving 2,000 scholars in Milwaukee. Dr. Cole has worked as a consultant with Kids First Beloit on this project since August 2019.
Dr. Cole received her Bachelor Degree in Elementary Education from the UW-Milwaukee. She holds Masters’ Degrees in Library and Information Science and Administrative Leadership, a Ph.D. in Service and Leadership and a Wisconsin Superintendent’s License. In addition to her experience at Milwaukee College Prep, Dr. Cole served as a School Leadership Coach for Schools That Can Milwaukee. She was the Principal at Humbolt Park K-8 School, a premiere multi-cultural charter school in Milwaukee Public Schools, Project Director for the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative and the Director of Diversified Community Schools. Dr. Cole also served as the Chief Charter School Officer under the direction of the Milwaukee Board of School Directors.
Dr. Cole would like the community to know, “I have had the wonderful opportunity to engage with many community members n Beloit and I am excited to be part of this incredible city. My mission in life has been serving children to ensure they get a quality public education and I cannot wait to share my expertise and passion with the Beloit community. I am honored to be selected as the founding CEO of The Lincoln Academy and I look forward to establishing a highly successful, rigorous and joyful K-12 charter school where all children will be provided a quality education that prepares them for a choice-filled life.”
11. How will the community know how well students at the school are doing?
The Lincoln Academy will be required to administer all the same tests and assessments as all other public schools, it will receive a rating through the Department of Public Instruction Accountability system, and if it does not perform at a high level, it can be closed by the Office of Education Opportunity.
12. Will there be social promotion?
No, there will not be social promotion. Scholars will be expected to be fully ready for the upcoming grade.
13. How will you ensure students master skills?
Outstanding educators, focused curriculum and strong professional development will be the starting point of ensuring scholars master skills. There will be regular review of individual scholar data and reteaching will take place when scholars need extra support or time to learn a skill. Response to Intervention (RTI) will be used when necessary to provide more intense support to scholars in need.
14. How will you communicate with parents?
Every evening parents will have a folder or agenda that comes to them to see what is happening during the school day. Parents will be responsible to sign off to show they read the information. Parents will also receive weekly school newsletters and communication through emails, texts and phone calls, when needed. Teachers are expected to have open lines of communication with families to ensure every scholar is supported.
15. How will you set expectations?
Expectations will be developed during the planning year phase, along with support from the Parent Advisory Council and leadership. A culture of high expectations in both culture and academics is a clear focus at The Lincoln Academy. There will be a family handbook that will be created to ensure that all parents and scholars are clear on the expectations prior to enrolling.
16. How will you handle classroom disruption?
The classroom is the most important place in the school. There will be clear classroom management strategies that will be expected to take place as a proactive measure to limit classroom disruptions. However, in the event a classroom disruption occurs, it will be handled with expediency to ensure teaching and learning are not interrupted.
17. Will there be a discipline policy?
Yes, there will be a clear discipline policy. While the goal is to create a positive, supportive and academically rigorous environment to limit disruptions, there will be times when disciplinary measures will be necessary.
18. How will you create an environment of community and connectedness?
Joy factor is an important part of The Lincoln Academy. Scholars and their families will feel they are part of the community by regular communication and celebrations. Each day there will be morning assemblies where parents are welcome to attend to start the day. We gather as a community at The Lincoln Academy regularly to ensure all scholars, staff and families are part of the activities. Communication will also be clear and consistent to help build connectedness.
19. Will parents and family be welcome to be involved?
Absolutely! Parents and family members are an integral part of every scholar’s success. The Lincoln Academy welcomes support from families through activities such as: volunteering, participating in fieldtrips, cheering at sporting/after school events, attending parent/teacher conferences and participating on the Parent Advisory Council. Parents or guardians, scholars and staff will all be expected to sign a compact which commits them to specific expectations as a member of The Lincoln Academy.
20. Will the administration structure be supportive and reactive to teachers and parents?
Yes, administrators will be expected to be responsive to teachers and parents. They will provide support and prompt communication. They will also hold scholars, teachers and parents accountable in following the mission of The Lincoln Academy.
21. How will you find the right teachers for this school?
The most important aspect of a school is hiring the right staff. At The Lincoln Academy that means hiring staff who are mission aligned. They will believe that all children can learn and it is up to them to make that happen. There will be a rigorous hiring process to ensure talented staff who are aligned to the mission will be hired.
22. Will teachers teach fundamentals that are applicable to life, not just teach to tests?
Absolutely! The goal of The Lincoln Academy is to ensure that 100% of scholars graduate with the skills to either enroll in college, enlist in the armed forces or be employed in a living-wage job. We fully expect that all of our scholars will have the character and skills to live a quality choice-filled life.
23. How will teachers be evaluated?
Teachers will be evaluated several times throughout the year through a process that aligns with the instructional coaching model we will use. It will be aligned to classroom environment, mastery of content and rigorous instruction. Student outcomes will be looked at as part of the evaluation process as well.
24. Will teachers receive professional development?
Consistent and frequent professional development will be part of the educational model at The Lincoln Academy. It is expected that all staff participate in weekly professional development and have a desire to grow professionally. One of our mottos will be, “We will never rest until our good is better and our better is best.”
25. Will teachers be compensated competitively?
Yes, teachers will be compensated competitively. We will also build in a bonus structure for teachers who continually meet their goals and go above and beyond. We will celebrate teachers for the hard work they do.
26. How can I learn more about the school?
There will be a series of community meetings while we are planning the The Lincoln Academy. Please click on the “News and Events” link in the upper right-hand corner on our webpage for details on upcoming information sessions.
As the school moves through the approval process, we will let families know how they can learn more about enrolling in the school. In addition, we hope to provide small groups of parents the opportunity to tour other charter schools in Wisconsin so they can understand the kinds of programs charter schools can offer.
You can also contact us directly by clicking on the “Contact Us” link in the upper right-hand corner on our webpage.
27. Can I get a copy of your informational presentation?
