New School: District-Managed

2022-2023 SCHOOL ACTION FUND

Applications are due  May 9, 2022
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Create a New School as a District-Managed Campus

Identify and support a high-performing, entrepreneurial leader with sufficient release time who is dedicated to planning the action, who will participate in an intensive school design program with a TEA-matched technical assistance provider, and who will design an ESF-aligned educational model for the new school. Districts must guarantee prioritized enrollment at the new campus for students attending or zoned to a Title I served Comprehensive or Targeted school (2019 ratings). Applicants must choose one of the SAF-supported new school models: STEM/STEAM, College Preparatory, or Montessori new schools. Campuses must apply for a new CDCN and Title I served status for SY 2023-2024.

 

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Create a new school

Why Choose this Action?

Satisfy community demand for a new, higher-performing option to serve the population of a struggling school.
Expand your district’s school portfolio with an innovative, research-based school model that uses new high-quality instructional materials, research-based instructional strategies, training, and culture.
Make use of a research-based slow grow model to scale the new school up gradually, providing more time for capacity building and continuous improvement.

Key Elements

  • New leader, new staff, district employees
  • Planning Year Leader with dedicated time to lead a new school design process facilitated by a TA provider
  • Choice of three codified, ESF-aligned school models:
    • College Preparatory
    • STEM/STEAM
    • Montessori
  • Research-based slow grow model in which the new school grows gradually by one grade level per year
  • Prioritized enrollment for students attending or zoned to SAF-eligible (Targeted D/F or Comprehensive) campus

Pre-Planning Considerations

  • What is the primary driver for this action (e.g. community demand, changing demographics, need for higher-performing option, etc.)?
  • How will you develop a multi-year leadership plan to support the process of growing your new school?
  • Which model will best serve your community’s needs?
  • Which pathway to creating a new school best suits your circumstances and community needs?

New School Pathways

There are multiple pathways to creating a new district-managed school depending on district circumstances and community needs:

Pathway

New Building

Description

Open a newly designed school in a building that was not used for that school or any version of that school in the past

Circumstances/Needs

Available new or empty facility and community demand for a new school model or option
Phase-In/Phase-Out
Use the slow grow approach to slowly close an existing, struggling school and replace it with a new, district-managed school
Demand for new high-quality option to serve population of a struggling school
Co-Location
Slowly grow a new, district-managed school in a shared space with an existing school while gradually reducing the size of the existing school
Opportunity to introduce new high-quality option while also scaling down a struggling school
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