New Schools For Phoenix is committed to the expansion and growth of high quality public schools for low income students. The groups awarded a one million dollar grant to four Phoenix charter schools that have the potential to help students who need it the most. Eileen Sigmund, manager of New School For Phoenix talks about grant.
JOSE: NEW SCHOOLS OF PHOENIX IS AN ORGANIZATION COMMITTED TO THE EXPANSION AND GROWTH OF HIGH QUALITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOR LOW INCOME STUDENTS. THE GROUP AWARDED A ONE MILLION DOLLAR GRANT TO FOUR PHOENIX CHARTER SCHOOLS THAT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO HELP STUDENTS WHO NEED IT THE MOST. JOINING ME TO TALK ABOUT THE GRANT IS EILEEN SIGMUND, MANAGER OF NEW SCHOOLS FOR PHOENIX. EILEEN IS ALSO THE PRESIDENT AND C E O OF THE ARIZONA CHARTER SCHOOLS ASSOCIATION. TELL US ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION ITSELF AND THEN I WANT TO GET INTO DETAILS ABOUT THE GRANTS.
EILEEN SIGMUND: NEW SCHOOLS FOR PHOENIX STARTED TO MAKE SURE STUDENTS IN OUR PHOENIX URBAN CORE, OF WHICH WE HAVE 136,000 STUDENTS, HAVE ACCESS TO A QUALITY PUBLIC EDUCATION. LESS THAN 10% OF THE SCHOOLS IN THE PHOENIX URBAN CORE ARE A RATED CURRENTLY AND THAT IS WHAT THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE AND WE HOPE TO CHANGE THAT TRAJECTORY
JOSE: AND YOU ARE DOING IT IN TWO WAYS. ONE IS TRAINING AND THE OTHER IS PROVIDING GRANTS. LET'S START WITH THE TRAINING. WHAT IS THIS PEOPLE ARE GOING THROUGH?
EILEEN SIGMUND: THERE IS A FELLOWSHIP THAT IS AN APPLICATION TO BE IN THE FELLOWSHIP AND TO LEARN ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT TO DO IN STARTING YOUR SCHOOL. YOU HAVE TO HAVE EXPERIENCE ALREADY IN THE CLASSROOM AND AS A LEADER IN ORDER TO BE IN THE FELLOWSHIP. IT IS A TWO YEAR TRAINING THE FIRST IS ABOUT A SIX MONTH FELLOWSHIP WHERE THE LEADERS GO AROUND THE COUNTRY AND FIND OUT WHAT IS WORKING FOR STUDENTS LIVING IN POVERTY. HOW DO YOU CHANGE THE TRAJECTORY OF THE POVERTY THROUGH K 12 SYSTEM. HE WILL GO TO LOS ANGELES AND TEXAS AND SHOW THEM WHAT IS WORKING. THEN THEY WILL LOOK AT WHETHER THEY WANT TO START A CHARTER SCHOOL OR A SCHOOL TO MAKE SURE IT WORKS FOR STUDENTS AFTER THAT, THEY WILL THEY WILL GO INTO THE APPLICATION WRITING TO RECEIVE A CHARTER. TO RECEIVE A CHARTER IN ARIZONA, IT IS ABOUT A 500 PAGE APPLICATION PROCESS AND A HUGE ENDEAVOR THEY GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS AND THE LEADERS WE AWARDED THESE GRANTS TO THEY STARTED IN 2015 AND THEIR SCHOOLS WILL OPEN IN 2017.
JOSE: WE HAVE A LIST OF THE SCHOOLS RECEIVING GRANTS AND WE WILL PUT THAT UP ON THE SCREEN. I WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE DOING. THESE SCHOOLS HAVE EXPANDED OR YET TO COME ONLINE. LET'S TALK ABOUT THE ARIZONA AUTISM CHARTER SCHOOLS AND WHAT THEY ARE DOING.
EILEEN SIGMUND: DIANA DIAZ IS THE LEADER FOR AUTISM FOR ARIZONA. SHE IS A FORMER TELEVISION ANNOUNCER AND WAS WORKING FINE IN HER INDUSTRY UNTIL SHE HAD A SON WITH AUTISM AND REALIZED SHE WANTED TO SEE A BETTER PUBLIC SCHOOL. SHE TOOK THE TIME, WENT THROUGH TRAINING AND OPENED HER SCHOOL. NOW SHE IS OPENING HER SECOND SITE BECAUSE SHE WANTS TO BE A K 12 AUTISM FOCUSED CHARTER SCHOOL. TWO DIFFERENT FAMILIES FROM OUTSIDE OF ARIZONA HAVE MOVED HERE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ARIZONA AUTISM.
JOSE: AND SHE WILL HAVE $250,000 TO OPEN THE NEW LOCATION.
EILEEN SIGMUND: RIGHT. WHAT DIANA WANTS TO DO WITH THE $250,000 IS TECHNOLOGY SHE WANTS TO MAKE SURE HER STUDENTS HAVE ACCESS TO IPADS BECAUSE A LOT OF STUDENTS ARE NOT VERBAL. TECHNOLOGY REALLY HELPS TO COMMUNICATE AND FACILITATE LEARNING.
JOSE: I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE THREE OTHER SCHOOLS. SYNERGY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
EILEEN SIGMUND: RIGHT. IT IS LED BY TWO FORMER EDUCATORS. WELL THEY ARE EDUCATORS AT OTHER SCHOOLS NOW. ONE IS AN ADMINISTRATOR AND ONE IS A PRINCIPAL AND THEY ARE GOING TO BE RETIRING AND LIFTING THE SHACKLES OF THE DISTRICT RUN SCHOOLS AND THAT IS WHY THEY WANTED TO OPEN A CHARTER SCHOOL. THEY ARE OPENING A K 5 MODEL AND WANT TO OPEN IN MARYVALE AND THEY WILL FIND OUT IN DECEMBER WHETHER THEY GET THEIR CHARTER AWARDED AND THEN THEY WILL OPEN IN AUGUST OF 2017.
JOSE: AND VICTORY IS ANOTHER ONE
EILEEN SIGMUND: A CURRENT LEADER IN OUR CHARTER SECTOR. THAT IS A COMMUNITY BASED SCHOOL AND IT IS A K 8 AND LEARNING TO PARTNER IN THE COMMUNITY AND MOVE THAT FORWARD.
JOSE: AND VISTA COLLEGE PREP.
EILEEN SIGMUND: YES, IT CURRENTLY EXISTS. THEY WILL BE OPENING A NEW LOCATION IN 2017 IN MARYVALE TO SERVE AND THE RESULTS FOR THE STUDENTS AT VISTA COLLEGE PREP ARE OUTSTANDING BASED ON THE 2016 SCORES. REALLY SHOWING STUDENTS WHO CAME IN, COULD NOT READ ARE READING NOW, KNOWING THEIR MATH, IT IS A GREAT SCHOOL.
JOSE: AND FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO UNDERGO THE TRAINING HOW DO THEY GET IN TOUCH?
EILEEN SIGMUND: WWW.NEWSCHOOLSFORPHOENIX.ORG AND WHERE WE HAVE THE INFORMATION. IT IS AN APPLICATION PROCESS. TO BE ADMITTED AND RECEIVE THE DOLLARS THAT WERE AWARDED YOU HAVE TO APPLY.
JOSE: THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE
EILEEN SIGMUND: THANK YOU.
