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| Kay Atchison served as the Administrator of the Placer Nevada Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) since its inception in 1980 until 2000. She spent the last twenty years creating and implementing some of the state’s leading education programs and SELPA trainings. Prior to taking her position with the Placer Nevada SELPA, Kay was a speech therapist in Sonoma County and held numerous administrative positions in Contra Costa County. She began her career with Placer Nevada as a Coordinator with the Placer County Office of Education. Kay is past chairperson of the State SELPA Director’s organization and has served on numerous state task forces. She is a frequent speaker at local, state and international conferences. Since her retirement, Kay has consulted to the State Department of Education, written a manual for Charter Schools, and provided consulting services particularly on the topic of IEP Coaches. Most recently, she was the Interim Assistant Superintendent of Special Education for the Tustin Unified School District for five months. |
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| Laurie Gardner is nationally known for her expertise in charter school development, accountability, governance, personnel, standards, curriculum, and assessment. Author of numerous articles, "tool kits," and other charter school publications, Laurie was an early pioneer in the charter school movement when the law passed in Massachusetts in 1993. An experienced public school educator, she has been an administrator, teacher, and coach in charter-like schools in Boston's inner city. Laurie recently left her post on the Alumni Board of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and currently sits on the board of Gateway Charter School in San Francisco. |
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| Jayna Gaskell is the Executive Director of Prosser Creek Charter School in Truckee. She has been in education for seventeen years, teaching in both private and public schools and serving as Admissions Director and Director of Academics at specialized day and boarding schools. Prior to helping form Prosser Creek Charter School, Jayna owned an educational consulting business, offering college counseling, placement for troubled youth, and assistance to charter schools seeking accreditation from The Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accreditation Commission (WASC). Jayna also works as a consultant on various projects with CSDC. |
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| Francisco Gutierrez is the Principal and Executive Director of Oakland Charter Academy, the first charter school in Oakland, and one of the first charter schools in the state, now in its tenth year of operation. Prior to his position at Oakland Charter Academy, he served as educational non-profit organization administrator in San Francisco. He enjoys sharing his experiences with other charter school administrators and planners. |
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| Joe Lucente is Co-Director and CFO of Fenton Avenue Charter School in Los Angeles, a nationally renowned California Distinguished School in its tenth year of operation. Joe is the Immediate Past-President of the Board of the California Network of Educational Charters (CANEC) and is on the board of numerous civic and educational organizations in Southern California. Joe was one of five charter school directors from across the nation invited to the White House for a First Lady Hilary Rodham Clinton/USDE sponsored conference for new D.C. charter school in August 1998 where he was asked to share his success and experiences as the only invited California charter school director. Joe is always willing to share his experiences with charter school developers and operators. |
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| Katherine Merseth is currently the Director of Teacher Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Former Director of the School Leadership Program, she has trained hundreds of graduate students on charter school and other critical school reform issues. Former Dean for Program Development, she was also the Founding Executive Director of the Harvard Children's Initiative, the university-wide program focusing on the needs of children. In addition, she has served as a curriculum developer, teacher, and administrator in K-12 schools. Kay's research and writing concentrate on school reform, charter schools, school leadership, teacher education, case method instruction, mathematics education, computer networks, and leadership. She serves on several charter and private school Boards of Trustees and other non-profit agency boards. |
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| Paul Minney is a partner of the law firm of Spector, Middleton, Young and Minney, LLP and has been involved with California charter schools since the adoption of the Charter Schools Act in 1992. Paul has drafted charter petitions, bylaws, administrative service agreements, and other ancillary documents necessary to successfully operate a charter school. Paul has negotiated settlement agreements between districts and charter schools and has negotiated with labor unions challenging charter school petitions. Paul currently acts as the spokesperson for the charter schools in the San Diego Unified School District. Paul is a frequent speaker at local and state charter school conferences and seminars. |
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| Eric Premack is a nationally recognized expert in charter school development, finance, operations, legal issues, and policy. Author of The Charter School Development Guide and Charter School Finance, he has been involved with charter schools since their inception in his native state of Minnesota in the 1980's. In 1993, Eric helped pioneer charter school "technical assistance" in California. Previously, Eric advised school districts in a leading school district management-consulting firm and was an education policy and finance analyst for the California Legislature. |
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| Peter Thorp is the founding principal at Gateway High School in San Francisco, recently named a California Distinguished School (the second charter high school to have earned this honor). Prior to starting Gateway, Peter worked in independent schools for 23 years, including 5 as the headmaster of Cate School near Santa Barbara. A graduate of Williams College, Peter earned his Master's Degree from Boston State College and has done advanced study at the University of Colorado and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Peter is married to Donna Williamson, a specialist in school law, and has two daughters, Elyssa, a recent graduate of UCLA, and Amy, who has just finished her first year at Northeastern University in Boston. |
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| Johnathan Williams is the co-founder of The Accelerated School (TAS) and has served as the school's Co-Director since its inception. He began his teaching career in the Los Angeles Unified School District in 1990. He was elected as the teacher's union (United Teachers of Los Angeles) chairman in 1990 and to their House of Representatives in 1993. In 1994, he, along with Co-Director Kevin Sved, has secured over 25 million dollars in cash and facilities, as well as national recognition by current and former U.S. Presidents and Secretaries of Education and the Governor of California. He currently serves on the CANEC Board of Directors and the SB 740 Advisory Committee for Charter Schools. In spring of 2001, TAS was named the "Elementary School of the Year" by TIME Magazine. |
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| James Young, firm principal, has exclusively represented public and private schools and employers throughout California for nearly a decade. While his practice involves all matters relating to charter schools, his focus is labor and employment law, student matters, board governance, constitutional issues and the investigation/resolution of parent, community and employee complaints. Most recently, he successfully defended a local educational agency before the California Court of Appeals on a student discipline matter. |
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Charter Schools Development Center
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