A charter school is a public school that operates independently of the district board of education. In effect, a charter school is a one-school public school district. A group of people — educators, parents, community leaders, educational entrepreneurs or others — write the charter plan describing the school’s guiding principles, governance structure, and applicable accountability measures.
The charter leaders can make hiring and curriculum decisions that work best on its own campus rather than using curriculum from an administrative office of a large district. Charters are still held to the same standards as traditional public schools in terms of accountability for student learning of Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), are required to administer standardized tests such as the STAAR, and are rated using the same criteria the Texas Education Agency uses for all public schools.
Charters receive public average daily attendance funds per pupil to educate students. However, charter schools receive no facilities funding, as traditional public schools do, in accordance with state law.
Do charter schools have admission policies? Can they “pick” who attends?
Charter schools are public schools and therefore cannot “choose” which students attend. By law, charter schools must have a fair and open admission process, conducting outreach and recruitment to all segments of the community they serve. Like other public schools, charter schools are nonsectarian and nondiscriminatory in admission and employment practices. However, eligibility for enrollment at UT-UCS at The Settlement Home is solely based on the child’s residence at the facility.
What makes UT-UCS at The Settlement Home different from other public charters?
The school was created to serve students grades 6-12 living at The Settlement Home. Staff are trained in TBRI (Trust-based Relational Intervention) and school staff work closely with personnel from The Settlement Home to create plans to address needs in a wraparound model characterized by high-quality planning, problem-solving and collaboration.
Are you funded by The University of Texas?
You can find information on how The University of Texas is funded here: http://giving.utexas.edu/why-give/why-we-need-your-support/.
The University of Texas provides us an enormous wealth of intellectual resources in the form of faculty and staff who provide training, mentoring, and time to assist the school in its mission.
Do your students pay tuition?
No. Just like any other public school, our students are served free of charge.
If you have a question that is not on this list, please email Nicole Whetstone, Principal, at email@example.com