Authorizer
VOA Charter School Authorizing Program
Main contact: Stephanie Olsen, Manager
VOA-MN Education Center
9220 Bass Lake Rd Ste 255
New Hope, MN 55428
Phone - 612-345-8271
Email - voamncharterschools@gmail.com
Authorizing, Accountability, and Relationship
Harbor City International School has been sponsored by Volunteers of America-Minnesota (VOA-MN) since 2002. In May of 2014, VOA renewed the HCIS contract through June 2020. Three essential questions drive VOA’s accountability of charter schools:
Is the school’s Learning Program a success?
Is the school financially viable?
Is the organization effective and well run?
HCIS benefits from a strong, supportive relationship with the charter authorizer. Volunteers of America-Minnesota’s role as an authorizer goes beyond the compliance based model set forth in state law.
VOA actively participates in the HCIS process of continuous improvement and vigilantly monitors financial and academic performance through visits and reviews of reports and data. Several times each year the sponsor liaison visits the school, observes classes, staff meetings, and board meetings, and provides feedback to the director and the board. VOA-MN also receives testing results, financial reports and various communications from the school and in return provides feedback to aid in the growth of the school. VOA’s emphasis on service learning has led HCIS in its development of programs that serve the greater community and provide leadership opportunities for students. VOA’s approach to shared accountability sets a tone and mindset for ongoing improvement which is a key ingredient to the success of HCIS as it focuses the school’s efforts on genuine, school-wide continuous improvement.