October 18, 2024 – The excitement is palpable as the School Leaders Fellowship, Cohort 4/Class of 2025, kicked off their journey with a dynamic training session! Dubbed “Charter Schools 101,” this workshop dove deep into the heart of charter school operations, exploring essential topics often overlooked in traditional leadership programs. Attendees were captivated by presentations from field experts Dr. Andy Binns, Christine Mentis, and Maria Alba, who shared invaluable insights on everything from fostering strong charter/district connections to innovative enrollment growth strategies, savvy budgeting practices, and effective governing board relations.
More about Session 1 presenters:
Maria Alba is the Chief Academic Officer at Charter School Solutions. A former Principal of South Point Scholars Academy in Homestead, Ms. Alba also served as vice principal at Miami Community Charter School. In 2021, Governor DeSantis appointed her to the Council for Early Grade Success.
Dr. Andy Binns, the governing board chair for Palm Beach Maritime Charter Schools. He has taught finance/budgeting courses over the last 20 years at several universities and has developed curricula for Graduate and Doctoral level programs. Since retiring in 2011 as the Director of FTE & Student Reporting for the School District of Palm Beach County, Dr. Binns has been an invaluable consultant to charter schools across the state addressing their student scheduling and data reporting.
Christine Mentis is an educator with over 20 years of experience — from a K-8 classroom to school principal of Title I school, and Executive Director of a system of four charter schools in southern and central Florida. She is currently the Governance Program Director at the Florida Charter Institute (formerly the Charter Support Unit). In this role, she supports school leaders throughout Florida, with an emphasis on leaders of schools within their first five years of operation with various aspects of operations and governance practices, including finding dynamic community members who would like to make an impact in their community by serving as a charter school board member.
But the journey doesn’t end here! The Fellows will reconvene in November at the highly anticipated Florida Charter School Conference + School Choice Summit, where they’ll continue to expand their knowledge and network. With 24 passionate individuals ready to step into transformative leadership roles upon completing the program, the future of charter school education leadership is looking brighter than ever!
About the School Leaders Fellowship: Florida Charter School Alliance is thrilled to announce the creation of the School Leaders Fellowship in partnership with the Florida Department of Education through a U.S. Department of Education’s CSP grant. The program is developing a robust pipeline of strong, effective, and visionary charter school leaders. This tuition-free program was designed specifically for individuals working at a public charter school in operation for five years or less and who are passionate about education and interested in leading a high-quality school in a high-need area. Now in its fifth year, 36 Fellows have graduated from the program. Many have taken on charter school leadership positions.