Charter School Facilities National Questionnaire

Date

Name

School

Address

City, State Zip

Subject: [INSERT STATE] Charter School Facilities Survey

Dear [Principal/Administrator], 

Time and time again, charter school leaders have told us that one of the most important and challenging issues for their school is access to adequate facilities and funding. We now have a chance to advance this issue for [INSERT STATE] Charter Schools. Because of [CSO’s] commitment to getting charter schools access to equitable facilities resources [INSERT STATE] has been selected to work with the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and the Colorado League of Charter Schools to gather the most comprehensive and reliable data for charter facilities in our state.

Charter schools across the county are spending a significant amount of operating dollars to cover facilities costs that could otherwise be spent on the students. Not only will the data you provide offer evidence of the enormity of the inequity in [INSERT STATE], it will also provide evidence of the magnitude of the problem nationally. The data from participating schools will be used to build a database of charter school facilities data; providing concrete evidence to all stakeholders and allowing researchers to study the potential impact that charter school facilities have on student outcomes.

Please help us to collect data and research to drive solutions to this issue by completing an important charter school facilities survey. Participation is voluntary and confidential. Your school’s name will not be mentioned in any published materials without your express written consent.

Survey Access

Below is the link to the survey and the school's user name and password to access the survey.

[INSERT LINK TO SURVEY] User name: [INSERT USER NAME] Password: [INSERT PASSWORD]

We will follow-up with you in the coming days to determine the support you need to complete this survey. In addition, a staff member or consultant from our office will be contacting you to set up an appointment so we can come to your school to take measurements of your building, answer any questions you may have, and assist you with completing the survey.

If you have any questions, or need additional information in order to get started on the survey, please contact: [INSERT NAME, TITLE, EMAIL ADDRESS AND PHONE OF CONTACT PERSON]

Thank You for Helping us Make the Case for Charter School Facility Funding and equitable access to local facility resources!

Sincerely,

CSO Executive Director

If you have not already been contacted by the STATE CSO to make an appointment to come measure your school’s facility, please contact CSO CONTACT immediately. If you have been contacted and have not yet set a time, please do so immediately. In addition to the information you have provided, measurement information on every charter school in the state will provide the best evidence to STATE policy makers that charter schools lack equitable access to quality facilities and capital funding.

Survey Tools & Tips 

In order to use your time efficiently, please gather the following before beginning the survey. Note: please provide this information for each individual school campus, not for an entire charter school network (if applicable).

1. Current enrollment information, including FTE count and total student count.

2. Actual utilities costs for [insert applicable year].

3. Ownership type and current facility loan and/or rent payments.

4. Information, including any funds received, about participation in local or state capital fund programs.

5. Information about facility condition and school use of the facility.

6. Create a list of all rooms in your school, and obtain a building (floor) plan and an emergency exit plan.

   1. On the list please indicate the grade(s) served and maximum number of students served at one time for each room.

   2. If a room is used for more than one purpose, that should be indicated on the list as well.

   3. Administrative spaces (front office, principal’s office, etc) do NOT need to be included in the list, as they will not be measured.

Public Burden Statement According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number.  Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 3 hours per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.  The obligation to respond to this collection is voluntary (Part B section 5201 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act). Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20210-4537 or email [email protected] and reference the OMB Control Number 1855-0024 Note: Please do not return the completed Charter School Facilities National Questionnaire to this address.