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What is Spark Charter School?
Spark Charter School is a K-8 school organized by a group of Sunnyvale parents with assistance from a team of education experts. Spark Charter plans to open in Fall 2015 with grades K-6, and increase by one grade level until 2017 when it reaches K-8.
Spark Charter will utilize hands-on projects, social-emotional learning, and family participation to create a rich and academically rigorous educational program that will foster deeper learning, encourage creativity, and cultivate strong critical thinking, collaboration and communication skills. The arts, foreign language instruction, and physical education will be integrated into the academic program. Spark is committed to creating a school that is racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse, reflecting the diversity of our community. Spark Charter is a non-profit organization formed by Sunnyvale parents. Start-up costs are currently being financed through garage sales and out-of-pocket donations by our founding parents. We are also in the process of organizing some larger fundrasiers for the near-future.
Donate to the CauseStart-up costs are mostly being financed through garage sales and out-of-pocket donations by our founding parents. We would greatly appreciate your donation in any amount!
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Click here for FAQ Regarding SSD's Rescission of Spark Approval
A MESSAGE FROM THE SPARK BOARD
Dear Spark Applicants & Supporters,
In a most disappointing turn of events, the Sunnyvale School District voted 4-1 on April 29th to rescind their "conditional approval" of our charter.
Education Code Section 47605 requires a district board to either approve or deny a charter within 60 days of submission. The law does not give an option for a middle ground, conditional approval. To do so would lead to the absurd results we see in this case--- a charter submitted in a timely manner, met with initial staff objection, and then approved with conditions that cannot be negotiated and which effectively stall the petitioners ability to receive funds, apply for loans, make hiring decisions, enroll students, or appeal a denial in a timely manner.
In short, our charter went far above and beyond that of any other charter we've reviewed for surrounding schools. The District staff, in concert with their historically anti-charter law firm, used this legally-undefined "conditional approval" to stall Spark from opening in 2014.
Spark will now appeal to the County Board of Education where we anticipate a fair review. According to the California Charter Schools Association and our legal counsel, we've written such a detailed and solid charter that we should be able to submit our appeal in the next few weeks. Our intent is to update the charter in order to open in Fall 2015 with grades K-6, rather than this coming Fall with grades K-5. We will update you as we progress.
Although we are deeply disappointed that the District stalled our timeline by one year, the good news is that we will be that much more prepared to open in 2015.
We deeply appreciate all of your support throughout this arduous process. To those of you who have signed our petitions, shown up to the hearings and spoken from your heart, volunteered your time, and trusted in Spark's vision, an enormous "Thank you!" Spark remains profoundly dedicated to serving the community with our vision in Fall 2015!!
Sincerely,
The Spark Board
Dear Spark Applicants & Supporters,
In a most disappointing turn of events, the Sunnyvale School District voted 4-1 on April 29th to rescind their "conditional approval" of our charter.
Education Code Section 47605 requires a district board to either approve or deny a charter within 60 days of submission. The law does not give an option for a middle ground, conditional approval. To do so would lead to the absurd results we see in this case--- a charter submitted in a timely manner, met with initial staff objection, and then approved with conditions that cannot be negotiated and which effectively stall the petitioners ability to receive funds, apply for loans, make hiring decisions, enroll students, or appeal a denial in a timely manner.
In short, our charter went far above and beyond that of any other charter we've reviewed for surrounding schools. The District staff, in concert with their historically anti-charter law firm, used this legally-undefined "conditional approval" to stall Spark from opening in 2014.
Spark will now appeal to the County Board of Education where we anticipate a fair review. According to the California Charter Schools Association and our legal counsel, we've written such a detailed and solid charter that we should be able to submit our appeal in the next few weeks. Our intent is to update the charter in order to open in Fall 2015 with grades K-6, rather than this coming Fall with grades K-5. We will update you as we progress.
Although we are deeply disappointed that the District stalled our timeline by one year, the good news is that we will be that much more prepared to open in 2015.
We deeply appreciate all of your support throughout this arduous process. To those of you who have signed our petitions, shown up to the hearings and spoken from your heart, volunteered your time, and trusted in Spark's vision, an enormous "Thank you!" Spark remains profoundly dedicated to serving the community with our vision in Fall 2015!!
Sincerely,
The Spark Board
| spark_response_to_sunnuvale_district_recommendation_to_rescind.pdf |
A MESSAGE FROM SPARK'S 30 FOUNDING FAMILIES:
Spark Charter: Reasons to Believe
1. Seasoned leadership: Spark's founders are not new to the charter school process. The effort began five years ago when several founders approached the Sunnyvale school district about a charter school. The District offered a magnet program at Fairwood Elementary known as the Explorer program. There are many delighted families there. Another Spark founder started the Synapse School, an independent school in Menlo Park, which in many ways is a role model for the type of constructivist learning Spark aims to deliver for free. Synapse hosts school administrators from as far away as Japan who are eager to learn from it. Spark is uncommonly fortunate to have such expertise in developing a visionary curriculum.
2. Spark went above and beyond the District's demands: There is a lot of attention on the conditions Spark allegedly did not meet. Spark's revised petition far exceeded what other charter schools have submitted, according to CalCharters, an organization that coaches those hoping to establish charter schools. In denying Spark's 583 page petition document, the District alluded to a series of conditions no charter application could meet. Please take a moment to read Spark's response to the conditions in question to understand why: http://www.sparkcharter.org/uploads/2/1/7/9/21793226/spark_response_to_sunnuvale_district_recommendation_to_rescind.pdf . As an example, consider Spark's curriculum maps, one of the main areas cited in the recommendation to deny. Spark studied the petitions of two successful Bay Area charter schools that were approved in 2013. Both petitions had curriculum maps for only the grades served at school opening. The stronger petition had 24 pages of curriculum maps. Spark delivered a total of 272 pages of curriculum maps to assuage the unprecedented level of detail required by the Sunnyvale District. Spark has just gifted the Sunnyvale school district with a world-class interpretation of Common Core at no charge.
3. Integrity: There were some District conditions that would have required Spark to compromise its vision. Rather than sell out, Spark stood firm at great risk. That is a lesson in social emotional learning in itself.
Please support Spark for all of these reasons and the simple fact that charters are engines of change. We see that spirit of innovation everywhere in the Bay Area — it's time to do the same in public education. It takes a village to raise a child and we urge you all to come together and support us.
We will be organizing a community meeting very soon and would like to hear your feedback on the next steps. Come be a part of the solution. Stay tuned!
Sincerely,
The Spark Founding Families
Spark Charter: Reasons to Believe
1. Seasoned leadership: Spark's founders are not new to the charter school process. The effort began five years ago when several founders approached the Sunnyvale school district about a charter school. The District offered a magnet program at Fairwood Elementary known as the Explorer program. There are many delighted families there. Another Spark founder started the Synapse School, an independent school in Menlo Park, which in many ways is a role model for the type of constructivist learning Spark aims to deliver for free. Synapse hosts school administrators from as far away as Japan who are eager to learn from it. Spark is uncommonly fortunate to have such expertise in developing a visionary curriculum.
2. Spark went above and beyond the District's demands: There is a lot of attention on the conditions Spark allegedly did not meet. Spark's revised petition far exceeded what other charter schools have submitted, according to CalCharters, an organization that coaches those hoping to establish charter schools. In denying Spark's 583 page petition document, the District alluded to a series of conditions no charter application could meet. Please take a moment to read Spark's response to the conditions in question to understand why: http://www.sparkcharter.org/uploads/2/1/7/9/21793226/spark_response_to_sunnuvale_district_recommendation_to_rescind.pdf . As an example, consider Spark's curriculum maps, one of the main areas cited in the recommendation to deny. Spark studied the petitions of two successful Bay Area charter schools that were approved in 2013. Both petitions had curriculum maps for only the grades served at school opening. The stronger petition had 24 pages of curriculum maps. Spark delivered a total of 272 pages of curriculum maps to assuage the unprecedented level of detail required by the Sunnyvale District. Spark has just gifted the Sunnyvale school district with a world-class interpretation of Common Core at no charge.
3. Integrity: There were some District conditions that would have required Spark to compromise its vision. Rather than sell out, Spark stood firm at great risk. That is a lesson in social emotional learning in itself.
Please support Spark for all of these reasons and the simple fact that charters are engines of change. We see that spirit of innovation everywhere in the Bay Area — it's time to do the same in public education. It takes a village to raise a child and we urge you all to come together and support us.
We will be organizing a community meeting very soon and would like to hear your feedback on the next steps. Come be a part of the solution. Stay tuned!
Sincerely,
The Spark Founding Families
Enrollment
Spark's Open Enrollment period concluded on March 15.
Please mail applications to:
Spark Charter School PO Box 60416, Sunnyvale CA 94088
Spark Charter School PO Box 60416, Sunnyvale CA 94088
Lottery Results
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OPEN ENROLLMENT LOTTERY RESULTS:
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SECOND LOTTERY RESULTS:
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