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FPCS Transition
Message from the Superintendent
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April 6, 2023
Good afternoon Family Partnership Families and Staff,
I am writing to make you aware that, effective May 4th, Family Partnership’s governance structure will change from being a correspondence charter school to a correspondence choice school within ASD. Please be assured that this shift will have minimal impact on the fantastic academic program that Family Partnership provides. Student allotments will remain unchanged, the school calendar will remain the same, and families will continue to be able to work with their sponsor teachers to create an individual learning plan that meets the needs of their child. Families will also still have the flexibility to select their sponsor teachers. This change in governance structure will not impact our high school seniors’ graduation and postsecondary plans. There is no action needed for families—your children will continue to be enrolled in Family Partnership.
This transition means that the Family Partnership Academic Policy Committee will be dissolved, and going forward, an Academic Advisory Council will be established. The council will empower students, families, and staff to have a voice on decisions that impact the school.
Now that the decision has been made to transition to an ASD correspondence choice school, it is time to shift our focus to ensure the continued success of Family Partnership for many years to come, as an ASD family.
My commitment to you is to minimize any impact on the classroom experience between now and the end of the school year. I want the rest of the school year to be seamless and successful for you. Even though the current charter contract ends on May 4th, this will not impact the academic programming of our school year. For example, our seniors will graduate from Family Partnership and receive the traditional honors they have worked so hard to earn. I recognize you may have concerns about this transition, but I am committed to partnering with you to ensure the long-term success of Family Partnership.
You can count on timely updates from Team ASD as well as information posted on the FPCS transition webpage. Topics will include:
- New FAQs
- The amendment added by the School Board to the transition recommendation
- The governance of Family Partnership
- The move from an Academic Policy Committee model to an Academic Advisory Council model and how you can be engaged.
Above all, I want you and FPCS to be successful. Your school offers something special and unique to Anchorage. Dissolving the Academic Policy Committee was an unfortunate but necessary step to double down on student outcomes and learning as our focus.
Again, thank you, and we will get through this together.
Sincerely,
Jharrett Bryantt, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Anchorage School District
FAQs
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Has the day-to-day operations of FPCS changed?
No. The current charter remains in effect. The District has only made a recommendation to the school board. A vote on the recommendation will take place during the April 3rd school board meeting.
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Will families still be able to choose the curriculum that best supports their students?
Yes, parents will be able to choose the curriculum best suited for their students, as long as it follows State statute (DEED Correspondence School Page).
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Will families be able to choose their partner teacher?
Yes. This process will not change.
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How will families still have a voice in the school?
ASD understands the importance of parental involvement in students’ education. As part of the restructure, an Academic Advisory Committee will be established to ensure families and staff have a voice and input.
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Will there be any change to student allotments?
No. There will be no changes to student allotments. Additionally, families will continue to have the ability to carry forward any unused money.
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Where will the funds go after FPCS is dissolved?
ASD will not be pulling any money away from FPCS. All FPCS funds will remain in an account to be used for FPCS.
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What would Family Partnership Correspondence School look like?
ASD is committed to ensuring the continued success of FPCS. We anticipate minimal changes for students, staff, and families.
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Would the student experience change in any way?
We do not anticipate any change in the student experience. All of FPCS’s teaching and support staff, as well as services to our correspondence families will remain the same. Our teachers and staff are committed to ensuring the same quality educational opportunities FPCS has offered.
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What about my allotment and reimbursements?
Students and families will see absolutely no change to the current student allotments and your reimbursements should take place as they normally have. There will be no changes here.
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Why is the ASD Administration making this recommendation to the School Board?
As a charter school, FPCS is governed by an Academic Policy Committee (APC), a group of volunteers that supervises the academic operations of the school. FPCS is a charter school within the Anchorage School District, and is subject to ASD board policies and the terms of its charter with ASD. For multiple years, there have been documented concerns regarding the APC’s ability to adequately govern the school. This past year, the actions of the APC have caused additional concerns, and in several instances have broken either state laws and/or district policies. The APC has also violated terms of its charter. Recently, actions of APC members have negatively affected the student experience. The Anchorage School District is no longer confident that the FPCS APC is able to provide the best possible educational decisions and experience for their students and families. As the authorizer of all charter school charters in the ASD, the school board and superintendent have the responsibility to ensure that all of our charter schools follow state and local laws, as well as school board policies and that our students are receiving the quality education that we expect in the ASD.
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What about the teachers and support staff, what will happen to them?
All of the teachers and support staff will remain in their current positions. FPCS teachers and support staff are protected by collective bargaining agreements, so their contracts will remain unchanged.
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How about the Principal and FPCS leadership team? What would happen to them?
It is our intent for the Principal, Dean of Students, and Business Manager to remain in their positions. District leadership will support these individuals through the process of transitioning to ASD collective bargaining agreements.
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What about next year and the years to come? What will be different?
We do not anticipate many changes next year. ASD Administration and school leadership will look at all aspects of Family Partnership Correspondence School to make sure all laws and guidelines are followed.
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Will we need to re-apply for the new school?
No. All students will continue their enrollment at Family Partnership Correspondence School unless they choose to transfer to another program. If you are interested in applying for another ASD lottery/application-based school, please submit a lottery application no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 6, 2023. Enrollment procedures will remain the same.
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What happens to the APC?
The APC will be dissolved once ASD has transitioned the contract and charter.
Media
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- Morgan Krakow, ADN: "Anchorage school board votes to take over district charter school" Published: April 4, 2023
- Lauren Maxwell, KTUU: "Anchorage School Board votes to eliminate Family Partnership homeschool charter" Published: April 3, 2023
- Morgan Krakow, ADN: "Anchorage School Board to vote on charter school takeover after district calls its committee ‘fundamentally dysfunctional" Published: March 26, 2023
- Lauren Maxwell, KTUU: "ASD requests board terminate charter for Anchorage Family Partnership school" Published: March 20, 2023
