FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a charter school?
Charter schools are public schools created by a group of parents, teachers or community leaders who see an educational need in their community and want to meet that need. To operate, charter founders must submit an application for approval by the State Charter School Board or the board of a school district. Like other public schools, charter schools serve students from kindergarten through the 12th grade.
How do charter schools and traditional public schools differ?
Excelsior Academy is another type of public school. It functions as its own district and reports directly to the State Office of Education. It is funded in the same manner as a traditional neighborhood public school. There is no additional tuition cost to students’ families, but since it is a school of choice, busing is not provided. As in traditional public schools, the teachers are required to be accredited, and the students take the standardized tests mandated by the state.
Is there tuition?
No. Charter Schools are public schools. They are free.
My child is on the waiting list. What are his/her chances?
At this point in time we do not know. In places where there are many different public and private education options available, such as in Salt Lake, we have been told that approximately the top 1/3rd on the list are likely to get in for the coming school year. However, because our school is the only charter school in the valley, we do not know if that will be the case for Excelsior. The best suggestion is to wait and see. We sincerely wish we could take every child; since we are unable to do so, we hope that others in the community will be inspired to create more charter schools and other educational options for the children in our valley.
Is Excelsior equipped to handle children with special needs?
Excelsior does have the capability of teaching children with special needs, in fact we are happy to do everything we can to assist them. At this time our Special Needs Department will be staffed according to the number of students who will require that extra help. We will not know how many teachers and aides will be part of this team until we have final enrollment confirmations. We are also required to meet IEP’s per state guidelines, and employ certified teachers, to ensure the best quality instruction and mentoring for your child.
Will kindergarten be full-day or half-day?
Excelsior will offer two morning kindergarten classes and two afternoon kindergarten classes.
I found out about Excelsior too late to meet the enrollment deadline. Can I still enroll my child?
The state rules regarding charter schools are dictating our lottery deadlines for this school year. You may still submit an application online for your child. Please be aware that since the lottery has already taken place, your child will be put on the waiting list. An opportunity will be given for students on the waiting list to be drawn to fill any available slots during each school year. A new lottery will be conducted each new school year for any available slots.
My 3rd grader got into Excelsior, but my 6th grader was placed on the waiting list. What does this mean for my 6th grader?
When the 6th grade lottery was done, your child was not given a spot, but when the 3rd grade lottery was done later, your younger child was. Because your 3rd grader has a sibling in the database, the 6th grader was then put on at the top of the waiting list along with other siblings in the same circumstance. This improves the older child’s chances, however, at this time it is not known how many slots will open up for the upcoming school year.
Are there still openings for founders? How do I improve my child’s chance of getting into the school?
Unfortunately there are no more openings for founders. At this point, the only thing to do is wait and see if slots become available for the school year. Excelsior was created and developed into what it is now through thousands of hours of work by many volunteers over the past two years. Utah state rules regarding charter school founding members called for those who were committed to achieving founder status to meet certain rigorous volunteer requirements. The amount of volunteers awarded this status was also limited to a very small number. Since this window of opportunity has passed, Excelsior is unable to offer any more places to students in exchange for volunteer work. We do appreciate any volunteer help we may receive for the benefit of our students from those in the community with talents to share.
What can I do to guarantee my child a spot in the school?
No child is guaranteed a spot at this time..
What is founder status?
The Excelsior Academy Governing Board must approve each person that receives preferential enrollment treatment. Potential founding members will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which outlines the commitment to spend 120 volunteer hours before the opening of the school and an additional 30 hours during the move-in phase in the fall of 2009 or “equivalent contribution” to the development of the school as determined by the Governing Board. Persons who fail to meet these requirements can have Founding Member Status revoked. Preferential enrollment shall be extended to not more than 15% of enrolled students.
Where is the school located?
Excelsior Academy is located a little west of the southwest corner of Erda Way and SR 36 at 124 E Erda Way.
For more information about charter schools click here.