Manara Academy

308 Pages·2010·8.63 MB·English

by  Manara Academy

Application Coversheet

Manara Academy Manara Academy, Inc.
Name of Proposed Charter School Name of Sponsoring Entity
Note: If the sponsoring entity is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the name must appear exactly as il appears in the Articles of Incorporation or any
amendments thereto.
The sponsoring entity is a (Check only one.):
^ 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization I I Governmental Entity I] College or University
Chairperson of Governing Body of Sponsoring Entity: Ehap Sabri
CEO of Sponsoring Entity: Ehap Sabri
CEO/Superintendent of Proposed Charter School:, To be determined
Representative Who Attended an Applicant Conference: Jaszeer Mohammed Date of Conference: Dec 3r
2067 ~~
Applicant Mailing Address: 4070 N Beltline Rd. Suite 110-140, Irving TX 75038
Physical Address of Proposed Administrative Offices (if different from above): To be determined
Number of Campuses Being Requested : One
Physical Address of Each Proposed Campus: To be determined
Contact Name: Michelle Alkhatib Contact E-mail Address: [email protected]
Contact Phone #: [phone] Contact Fax#: [phone]
Circle Grade Levels to be served and state maximum enrollment for each year:
By Year 3, at least one grade in which the state accountability tests are administered must be offered.
Yearl: Pre-K.3 Pre-K4 (5)6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Maximum Enrollment:_ 326
Year 2: Pre-K3 Pre-K.4 78 9 10 11 12 Maximum Enrollment:. 400
Year 3: Pre-K3 Pre-K4 8 9 10 11 12 Maximum Enrollment:_ 450
Year 4: Pre-K3 Pre-K4 '3X4*5^6 )f7*$) 9 10 11 12 Maximum Enrollment: 500
Year 5: Pre-K3 Pre-K4 'a^rsy/feKTjfS) 9 10 11 12 Maximum Enrollment: 500
I certify that 1 have the authority to submit this application and that all information contained herein is complete and
accurate, realizing that any misrepresentation could result in disqualification from the application process or revocation
after award. In accordance with TEC §12.120, I further certify that no members of the governing body of the sponsoring
entity or of the proposed charter school nor any officers or employees of the proposed school have been convicted of a
misdemeanor involving moral ttwpitude or of any felony. I understand that incomplete applications will not be considered.
Ehap Sabri
(BLUE INK) Signature of Chief Executive Officer of Sponsoring Entity Date Printed Name
Jaszeer Mohammed.
(BI.UK INK) Signature\pf Application Preparer Date
Manara Academy, Inc.
With what company is the application preparer associated? , W^s-^reparerpaid? f~l Yes No
701-07-116-003
Manara Academy 14it h Generation Charter Application
5.m Job description for PEIMS coordinator 79

5.n Salary ranges, benefits, and compensation for PEIMS coordinator 80

5.0 Professional development for PEIMS coordinator 80

5.p Evaluation of PEIMS coordinator 80

SECTIONS-GOVERNANCE 81

6.a Governing body of sponsoring entity 81

6.b If sponsoring entity is out-of state 81

6.c Attachment C, determination letter from IRS 82

6.d Attachment D, articles of Incorporation 82

6.e Attachment E, Bylaws 82

6.f Date sponsoring entity was incorporated 82

6.g Purpose for establishing sponsoring entity 82

6.h Activities of the sponsoring entity 82

6.1 Previous operations of the sponsoring entity 83

6.j Religious or faith based sponsoring entity 83

6.k Litigations for sponsoring entity 83

6.1 Sanctions by state regulatory agency for sponsoring entity 83

6.m Initial ^corporators of the sponsoring entity 83

6.n Recruitment of school organizers 85

6.0 Procedures for receiving and responding to complaints 85

6.p Elements of governance structure of the governing body 85

6.q Members of the governing body 87

6.r Powers or duties delegated to charter school by governing board 87

6.s Governance structure of the governing body 88

6.t Private entity involvement in charter school 88

SECTION 7-COMMUNITY SUPPORT 89

7.a Community where school will be located and reasoning 89

7.b Involvement by community groups 89

7.c Attachment F, Published notice of public hearing 90

7.d Number of community members in attendance at public hearing 90

7.e Attachment G, Synopsis of the public hearing 91

SECTION 8-GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDARY 92

8.a School districts for accepting students 92

8.b School districts for transfer students 92

8.c Attachment H, Certified mail receipts for Statement of Impact 92

SECTION 9-ADMISSIONS POLICY 93

9.a Period for which applications will be accepted 93

Manara Academy 14l Generation Charter Application
9.b Procedures for lottery 93

9.c Categories of applicants that will be exempt from lottery 93

9.d Approximate date of lottery 93

9.e Procedure for waiting list 93

9.f Applications submitted outside of acceptance period 94

9.g Non-discrimination statement 94

9.h Specializing in performing arts 94

9.i Admission of students with documented misconduct 94

9.j Information required for admission consideration 94

9.k Procedures to enroll students 95

9.1 Procedures for reporting transfer students 95

SECTION 10-SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS AND PROGRAMS 96

SECTION 11-BUSINESS PLAN 97

11.a Sources of funding to startup operations 97

ll.b Current assets of sponsoring entity 97

ll.c Current liabilities of sponsoring entity 97

ll.d Liens, litigations, or sanctions of sponsoring entity 97

1 l.e Current open-charters held currently by sponsoring entity 97

1 l.f Attachment I, Audit report 97

1 l.g Attachment J, Credit report of sponsoring entity 97

ll.h Attachment K, Internal Revenue Service Form 990 98

1 l.i Non-charter operations related to charter school 98

ll.j Plans to operate non-charter operations 98

1 l.k Non-charter operations program location 98

11.1 Projected amounts of start-up funding 98

I l.m Attachment L, Documentation verifying all sources of funding 99

I1 .n Process by which annual budget will be adopted 99

ll.o Attachment M, Start-up budget 99

1 l.p Attachment N, First year of operations budget 99

1 l.q Conduction of annual audit 100

I l.r Identify who will provide financial services for the charter school 100

1 l.s Qualifications of organization or individual to provide services 100

ll.t Attachment O, Copy of negotiated service agreement 100

1 l.u Adoption of the provisions of the Texas Education Code 100

1 l.v Capabilities of financial accounting software 101

1 l.w Identification of student attendance accounting software 101

11.x Suitability of facility site 101

1 l.y Accessibility of facility for disabled persons 101

1 l.z Necessity of renovating and/or repairing facility 101

Manara Academy 14th Generation Charter Application A
REVISED DURING CONTINGENCY PROCESS
SEE INSERT.
1 l.aa Acquisition of facility and/or land 102

11.bb Attachment P, Negotiated lease agreement 102

11.cc Individuals negotiating lease agreement 102

11.dd All organizations using the facility 102

ll.ee Provisions for transportation of students 102

11.ff Provisions for food service 103

SECTIONS-ATTACHMENTS 104

Attachment A- Notarized biographic affidavits 105

Attachment C -- 501(c)(3) determination letter from the IRS 125

Attachment D - Original Articles of Incorporation 126

Attachment E - Bylaws 133

Attachment F - Copy of the published notice of public hearing 142

Attachment G- Synopsis of the public hearing 144

Attachment H - Certified mail receipts 147

Attachment I -Audit report 162

Attachment J- Credit report 167

Attachment K- Internal Revenue Service Form 990 168

Attachment L - Letter of Credit, Letters from donors 169

Attachment M- A start-up budget 217

Attachment N - First year of operations budget 231

Attachment O- Copy of negotiated service agreement 245

Attachment P - Negotiated lease agreement 246

iECTION 13-APPENDICES 2j
Appendix AA -Expeditionary Learning Schools-Outward Bound....^^^r^T. 248

Appenctk. BB -Manara Academy's Technology Program Sampled. 310

Appendix ^Foreign Language Curriculum ..^^[.. 312

Appendix DD le-Gender Schooling ReseafehTT. 355

Appendix EE - Scope aftdSequence K-S^-^r^T. 373

Appendix FF -- National St^ffi^e^nent Council (NSDC) 433

Appendix GG - Dietary Plap^^T^^..^ 435

Appendix HH - Comrjiwriity Partnership.^7^^. 436

Appendix II - ara Academy Survey Template**^*^. 445

Appendix JJ-^ ELS Teacher Assessment Methodology^*^. 446

AppendixKK - Consultants and Founders Biographies ^T^*^.. 454

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Manara Academy 14 Generation Charter Application
APPROVED DURING CONTINGENCY PROCESS
Other • Remove Section 13 from the application.
Please remove Section 13.
Applicant Checklist
Manara Academy Manara Academy, Inc.
Proposed Fourteenth Generation Charter School Name Sponsoring Entity Name
This checklist MUST be completed and submitted as part of the application to ensure that the applicant has provided all of the information required by the RFA.
Application
13 Attended Applicant Conference: Date _12/03/2007 ; Board Member Who Attended Jaszeer Mohammed
^ Application Coversheet
^ Table of Contents
^ Applicant Checklist (this document)
Application Sections (All questions in each section must be answered completely.)
£3 1 Statement of Need ^ 6 Governance
^ 2 Vision of the School ^ 7 Community Support
^ 3 Educational Plan ^ 8 Geographic Boundary
^ 4 Student Goals ^ 9 Admissions Policy
^ 5 Human Resources Information ^ 10 Special Needs Students and Programs
Attachments A­ P £3 11 Business Plan
E*3 A Notarized Biographical Affidavits for members of the governing body of the sponsoring entity or of the charter school
(if any) and any identified officers of the charter school
13 B Organizational Chart reflecting all of the sponsoring entity's operations, including the proposed charter school
^ C 501(c)(3) Determination Letter from IRS or statement that it is not required if sponsoring entity is an institution of higher
education or a governmental entity
^ D Articles of Incorporation filed with Texas Secretary of State or a comparable document if the sponsoring entity is an out-of­
state nonprofit corporation or a statement that this not required if the sponsoring entity is an institution of higher education or a
governmental entity. (If the sponsoring entity has amended its Articles of Incorporation, it must submit both the original Articles of
Incorporation and the documents reflecting amendments to the original Articles of Incorporation. The failure to submit all of these
documents will render this attachment incomplete.) If incorporated after January 1, 2006, substitute with Certificate of Formation and
Certificate of Tiling
^ E Corporate Bylaws or statement that it is not required if sponsoring entity is an institution of higher education or a governmental
entity
^ F Published Notice of Public Hearing showing name of the newspaper and date of publication and slating the proposed school
name, sponsoring entity name, date, time, and place of meeting, and names of sponsoring entity board members
^ G Synopsis of Public Hearing
D*y H Signed Certified Mail Receipt Cards showing that relevant school districts and charter schools received statement of impact
forms (In the absence of signed certified mail return receipt cards, the certified mail receipt showing each addressee, fees paid, and the
date mailed will be accepted.)
1X1I Audit Report or one of the following; (1) unaudited financial statements (consisting of an unaudited statement of financial position;
an unaudited statement of activities; and an unaudited statement of cash flows including a notarized acknowledgement signed by the
chief executive officer and chief financial officer of the sponsoring entity attesting to the accuracy and completeness of the information
provided) or (2) a statement that no documents are being provided because the sponsoring entity was incorporated after January 1, 2006
and has less than $5.000 in receipts and total assets.
Ixl J Credit Report or a statement that no report is provided because the sponsoring entity was incorporated after January 1, 2006 and has
less than $5,000 in receipts and total assets.
iXl K IRS 990 Filing or a statement explaining why it is not available.
[Xl L Documentation Verifying All Sources of Funding or a statement explaining that there are no sources of funds (General letters
of support should NOT be included).
13 M Start-Up Budget
Exl N Budget for Year One of Operation (Budgets for Years Two and Three are required in some cases where escalating enrollment is
planned.)
1x1 O Negotiated Service Agreement(s) or a statement explaining why no agreements are being provided.
^ P Negotiated Lease Agreement(s), Deed(s) to Property, Earnest Money Contract(s), or Purchase Agreement(s) or a
statement explaining why no documents are being provided
^ 12 Attachments (Mark here to indicate that all attachments have been included in the order required.)
Jaszeer Mohammed Ehap Sabri
Name of Application Preparer (Typed) Name of CEO of Sponsoring Entity (Typed)
plication Preparer Date Signature of CEO of Sponsoring Entity Date
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Manara Academy 14 Generation Charter Application
Manara Academy Charter School
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14 Generation Application
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Manara Academy 14 Generation Charter Application
Section 1-Statement of Need
a) Discuss why members of the sponsoring entity believe that the proposed school is needed and
why they believe that sufficient demand exists to make the school viable
The idea of establishing Manara Academy as a charter school in Irving has been the result of
extensive research and discussions among parents, teachers and community members. We
strongly believe that there is a sufficient demand for an innovative school in Irving due to the
following reasons.
• The public schools in the area are overcrowded according to the Dallas Morning News
article on August 23, 2007. The district's average peak enrollment was 762 at
elementary schools and 1,015 at middle schools.
• Local charter schools in the Irving area have long waiting lists such as North Hill
School.
• TAKS scores are key indicators for school and student performance. In the 2007
academic year, the performance of Irving ISO (All Tests) compared to Region 10 and
State of Texas is shown below:
Grades
State
H Region 10
• Irving ISO
Grade 3 Source: TEA website
O% 1O% 2O% 3O% 4O% SO% 6O% 7O% 90% 1OO%
Irving ISO has consistently scored lower than both Region 10 and the State. Based on
2007 data, there are only three recognized and no exemplary schools in Irving ISD.
This illustrates a clear need for an innovative charter school such as Manara Academy
in the Irving area.
Over the past few years, Irving has matured dramatically as an international city.
According to the 2007 US census, the percentage of Irving's population born in
foreign countries was 33.6%, far above the figure of 12.5% for the country as a whole.
Instead of educational institutions, the need has emerged for educational communities
that support academic achievement as well as address the needs of the students, their
families and their communities. Building on the strengths of students' cultural
heritage and life experiences will help them become successful members of the
community and enable them to compete globally.
Manara Academy 14 Generation Charter Application
How Manara Academy will address the demand
The academy will address the above four challenges and be able to add significant value to the
Irving community and the existing school system in the following areas:
1) Academics:
Innovative teaching methodologies allow students to compete with other students around the
globe especially in the fields of science and math. They accommodate individual learning styles
and critical thinking skills to facilitate the realization of each student's full potential. The
Expeditionary Learning Schools-Outward Bound (ELS) use proven innovative teaching
methodologies. Manara Academy will be the first charter/public school to implement the
Expeditionary Learning Schools'-Outward Bound (ELS) method in DFW (Dallas/Forth Worth)
area. This methodology incorporates hands on project-based learning into the curriculum and puts
big emphasis on character education, ethics, leadership development, and parental and
community involvement. Expeditionary Learning was selected among the top 7 school design
models in the nation by the Department of Education.
Another feature of Manara Academy will be the implementation of teacher looping where
students would stay with the same teacher for a two year span. This proven approach has shown
to improve academic results and Manara Academy will also be the first school to implement that
in the area.
2) Foreign Language Program:
Manara academy will provide a unique foreign language program. Language acquisition research
shows that second language acquisition helps improve students' cognitive skills, broaden their
perspectives and bridge the cultural gaps between students, parents and teachers. We have
selected the Elementary School Foreign Languages (ESFL) Model for our program. It is the best
model in the Nation according to the Center of Applied Linguistics (CAL) in Washington, DC.
Based on our research, Manara will be the first public and charter school in Texas to implement
this program in all grades.
3) Character Building:
There is much more that can be done to strengthen students' sense of responsibility towards their
immediate family, extended family, community and society. Manara Academy will provide a
school environment where high moral character is engendered, and it will pervade the entire
school culture where teachers are the role-models for their students, parents are the role-models
for their children and older students are role-models for younger ones.
4) Stakeholders Support:
This application is the combined effort of volunteers who believe that the innovative educational
methods implemented by Manara Academy will improve our community, complement the
existing public schools and promote civic and environmental responsibility in our area. As
founders, we look at the needs of the child in order to gain perspective and guidance. This
promotes trust and co-operation and a spirit of joy in our work and meaning in our lives.
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Manara Academy 14 Generation Charter Application
The values of Manara Academy have been explained to the public at large through town hall
meetings and visits to homeowner's associations, area apartment complexes, local neighborhoods
and businesses. Every response has been resoundingly positive to all the benefits that Manara
Academy would bring to community children. We have collected over 700 surveys and petitions
including parents, neighbors and community business leaders who support Manara Academy.
Additionally, several community members have supported Manara Academy through donations
and the volunteering of their time. This enthusiastic support response substantiates our ability to
fill the academy with the children from this community. Overwhelming community support is
a clear evidence for the demand for innovative school in Irving area and Manara Academy
will be able to fulfill the need.
b) Explain why the charier school model is appropriate
The Manara Academy model provides a small school environment with several advantages over the
larger public elementary schools:
1) Innovative teaching methodologies aligned with the ELS model
2) Individualized attention through students' choice in expeditionary learning
3) Lower teacher/pupil ratio
4) Timely academic intervention for struggling students through the Student Support Team
(SST)
5) Frequent communication between parents, teachers, administrators and students
6) Opportunities for more parental involvement
7) Ability to recognize individual differences and adjust accordingly vs. Generic (one size fits
all)
8) A balance between autonomy and accountability
Charter schools offer,.
Autonomy Accountability
Manara Academy 14it h Generation Charter Application
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[ACADE MYJ