Author Archives: Superintendent Johnson
Absences for Family Events: Clarification
I recently received a parent complaint regarding unexcused absences. I hope the following excerpt from my response will help clarify North Pointe’s policy on the issue and make the public aware of the accountability schools have when it comes to … Continue reading
Update: Charter Employee State Retirement
This morning, I received the following letter from the Center for Education Reform. At first glance, it appears to be saying the concern over the proposed IRS regulations was unnecessary. Call me a skeptic, but I believe the public outcry caused a shift … Continue reading
UPDATE: Charter Teachers’ Retirement Benefits
The Arizona Charter Association (ACA) announced this morning that the U.S. Department of Treasury extended the public comment period for the proposed regulation prohibiting charter employees from participating in state retirement systems to June 18th, 2012. The proposed change would affect … Continue reading
IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED – Charter Teachers’ Retirement Benefits
Charter schools are considered independent public schools. We are a hybrid – government entities for the purposes of Public Records, the Open Meeting Law, Arizona State Retirement, and Special Education, etc, but are treated as private companies in most other … Continue reading
School Choice Week
This week, communities across the nation are celebrating school choice and highlighting the need for every child to have access to effective education. In Arizona, charter school students make up 12% of the state’s public school students. Although Arizona enjoys … Continue reading
Charters…the “other” public school.
Have you ever been asked the question, “Do your kids go to a public school or a charter school?” If they go to a Pointe School, your answer should be…“Yes!” In Arizona, our funding comes from the state and statute … Continue reading
Play Rehearsals
If you haven’t heard, I was talked into writing this year’s Christmas play for North Pointe. As a lifelong science-fiction fan (yes, I’m a self-proclaimed nerd), theatre major, and perfectionist, I agonized for months over the script. I was able … Continue reading
New Relationships
Although it doesn’t always seem like it, the field of education can change rapidly. Things have changed a lot since Pointe Schools started 11 years ago. With the new Common Core Standards and the Race to the Top initiatives, there … Continue reading
Update: Arizona Learns Labels
The new Arizona Learns labels are being released to the public today. Although the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) delayed the release two extra weeks (it had already been delayed a month), they ultimately decided not to re-run the data. Therefore, the … Continue reading
AZ Learns Rankings
The new AZ Learns labels were the hot topic at the State Board of Education meeting this morning. Board members spent over an hour asking questions and raising concerns about the methodology used to compute the data used to rate … Continue reading
