We received wonderful news this week: On July 16th we have another chance to convince the State Board of Education to grant us a charter.

There are two ways in which we can win a charter for Austin Community School: 1) the legislature can raise the cap on charter schools during the Special Session to give us more openings or 2) a charter closes, leaving an opening for us. We’ve just learned that #2 has occurred and we will be presenting the case for ACS before the Board on July 16th. This is excellent news because we will be competing against only 7 other schools....

Here is how you can help:

1) Donate $10. The State Board wants to see money in the bank. Just ten dollars from all of our supporters would boost our bottom line quickly. Keep in mind that a) we are a non-profit, so your donations are tax deductible and b) many companies match non-profit donations, so check with your employer. (Paypal button at www.AustinCommunitySchool.org)

2) Spread the word. Send 2 people (or more) information about ACS. Link them to our website, our Facebook & Twitter accounts, or give them our flyer. Keep in mind that our content is in Spanish and English, so don’t hesitate to contact Spanish speakers.

3) Send the State Board a letter. Tell them you want this school. Use our form letter or, better yet, your own words. (see below)

4) Come to our presentation! July 16th at 1 p.m. in the Room 1-111 of the William B. Travis Building. We need to show the Board that ACS has community support. Having a group behind us during our 10 minutes will tip the decision in our favor. (click here for the map).

We are almost there!

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(send the following to sboesupport@tea.state.tx.us)

Dear State Board of Education Members,

I am very interested in having Austin Community School improve our educational choices in Austin. This dual language (DL) and international baccalaureate (IB) school brings two highly effective educational programs together to develop all students—regardless of their home language and economic status-- into English- and Spanish-speakers who can read, write, and work in both languages. The IB curriculum supports DL by equipping students with the skills to learn and acquire knowledge, individually or collaboratively, and to apply these skills and knowledge across a broad range of areas. ACS students become life-long learners, who are well prepared for college and our changing global workplace. Many universities require the ability to think creatively and problem-solve but also call for a second language. In addition, multiple language fluency is increasingly required to work in business, the military, the government, or education.

Children from diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, and races will work together in the same classroom at ACS, becoming resources for each other. This program is based on the ideal 50/50 enrollment of Spanish- and English-speaking students. Research proves that African-American, Latino, and Caucasians from all demographics who have completed dual language programs become academically and conversationally fluent in Spanish and English, graduate, and go on to college at high rates.

Facts About Dual Language (DL) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs:
· DL and IB schools employ specially trained high quality teachers
· ACS replicates long-successful European and Canadian DL and IB programs
· Public DL programs are now offered and successful in most major cities in the USA including San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, El Paso
· DL students exhibit increased cognitive skills and self-esteem
· Longitudinal studies show DL dramatically increases state test scores
· Only DL closes the achievement gap for 2nd language English-learners
· DL is more effective for students below grade level than remedial ESL programs
· DL is structured to accommodate the fact that we learn languages best as children

I want a DL IB program for the future of my family, Austin and Texas. Please vote for Austin Community School on July 16th.

Sincerely,

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