Austin – Jonas Chartock, Founding President and CEO of the Charter School Policy Institute (CSPI) in Austin, Texas has been named by the State University of New York Board of Trustees as Executive Director of the SUNY Charter Schools Institute. The New York Charter Schools Act of 1998 granted SUNY the power to authorize 100 charters, offering instruction in Kindergarten through 12th grade. There are currently 43 SUNY authorized charter schools operating across New York State, serving just over 14,000 students.
The SUNY Charter Schools Institute is responsible for evaluating initial applications for the opening of charter schools; providing technical assistance; requiring schools to take remedial action or placing schools on probation; conducting a comprehensive evaluation when a school applies to renew its charter; and reporting to the school and the public on each school’s performance and progress. Chartock will be based in Albany and lead a staff of fourteen.
“Jonas has been instrumental in driving the discussion about quality charter school policy in Texas and he has built a national reputation based on his leadership of CSPI. New York’s gain is clearly a loss for Texas,” said Charles Miller, CSPI Chairman. Chartock is currently leading the Next Step Campaign, an effort to create a robust statewide association of charter schools in Texas, one of the few large states without a well funded and professionally led association for charter schools.
“It was an extremely tough choice for me, but Texas charter schools are now coming together under a diverse member-led association, unified behind the common goal of creating quality choices for parents and students. I take great pride in the work CSPI has done to help accomplish this,” said Chartock. “For the past three years CSPI policy and communication work has built the foundation for the association’s success. Now I’m honored to join the outstanding work underway in New York.”
"Jonas Chartock is a highly regarded leader in the national charter school community,” said SUNY Board of Trustees Chairman Carl T. Hayden. “We are delighted that he will be bringing his expertise to the Charter Schools Institute—itself broadly recognized for high quality authorizing practices—to build on the Institute’s successes and move this important organization to the next level.”
About the Charter School Policy Institute
The Charter School Policy Institute, founded in 2005, is an independent authority on quality public charter schools in Texas and across the country. The Institute is governed by a non-partisan board of directors from business, academic, and civic life. An advisory board of stakeholders from across the nation also informs the work of the Institute. Funded through grants from the Walton Family Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, the Houston Endowment, the Wachovia Foundation, Powell Foundation, and the Rockwell Fund, the Institute proactively provides timely high quality information, analysis, and opinion to policymakers, thought leaders, and key stakeholders. It is currently leading the process to create a robust statewide association for charter schools.
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