Operations Resources
OPERATIONS RESOURCES FOR MARYLAND PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS
The On-Demand Operations Resource Page, which was created in partnership with StartOps, provides tools and resources for operations professionals. Including a tutorial and tool to track and implement key operational compliance details that can be used for both the first pre-opening/first few years, as well as for those that have been in operations for many years.
Maryland Planning Year Operations Playbook
MAPCS, in partnership with StartOps, has prepared a tutorial and tool to track and implement key operational compliance details that can be used for both the first pre-opening/first few years, as well as for those that have been in operations for many years.
This webinar accompanies the Google doc workbook and provides a walkthrough of the tool and additional details and examples that will help your operations team make the best use of the workbook.
Planning Tool
This tool translates the vision of your charter school application to the operational and compliance details that will prepare your school's operations for excellence throughout your first year. By adapting and using this tool with your staff and board, your founding team can thoroughly explore the operational elements of launching your school, all the while developing central project management and operations documentation processes that will be critical to long-term collaboration and sustainability.
Existing Operators
Refine your school's operations by using this tool as a baseline to self-audit systems and processes, identify priorities, clarify roles, and capture the full breadth of operations work. As your team continues to tune and replicate operations work, it will become critical to centralize and document the processes, contacts, and role designations in an evergreen operations manual. This tool can evolve into a manual if you have not yet started one or identify any missing elements if your school does have a manual.
Facility Analysis
Facilities Checklist and Guidance
The checklists and guidance are designed to assist charter school founding groups and existing operators as they navigate facilities acquisition; please note that these checklists and worksheets provided by the Maryland Alliance of Public Charter Schools are introductory information and not intended to replace the assistance of hired consultants and professionals.
Facilities Space Calculator Tool
This worksheet allows you to do a quick calculation of physical space needs and provides a range of space adequate for your enrollment for real-estate searches. The second part of the worksheet provides a more detailed calculation and incorporates square footage requirements based on grade level and other details to refine your facilities search.
Quick Budget Tool
Basic Budgeting Illustrator
This spreadsheet allows you to quickly see the impact of enrollment changes, adding additional staff and/or changing classroom size.
Operations Calendar
This month-by-month Operations Calendar was developed by the MAPCS Operations Roundtable and Networking Group, in partnership with Premier School Operations, and outlines activities by role for each month. You can copy and personalize it for your own school operations.
Resource Links
Maryland Operations Listserve
If you work at a Maryland Public Charter School on the operations and business side, you can ask to join the MD Charter Operations Listserve Group. School operation is a crucial and multi-faceted part of charter schools. This group is for operations professionals from across many areas to share best practices and resources, share obstacles and triumphs, questions and concerns, and everything in-between. Please indicate your role and charter school in your request.
Fiscal Oversight Toolkit-Board
Operations staff need to understand the types of Financial reporting, knowledge, and oversight that their Board of Directors should be undertaking. This toolkit developed by the Charter School Resource Center helps finance staff prepare the appropriate reporting packages, and understand the questions their board may be asking about the financial health of the school.
You can find more operations and compliance resources on this government-funded charter school resource website at National Charter School Resource Center.
Help make this webpage and its resources even better for charter leaders by emailing us suggestions.