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Fister charter renewal wins unanimous first reading after presentation on instruction and community input
Summary
Fister (presented as 'Fister' in the record) presented its renewal petition and said it received 521 survey responses from 842 families and that about 60% of students are English learners; the board advanced the petition on a unanimous first reading and asked for follow-up details on literacy programming and evaluation cycles.
Rosario Villarreal, executive director of Fister, presented the charter school's renewal petition during the Nov. 13 meeting and described the school's programs, community engagement and fiscal projections.
Villarreal said Fister began on F Street in 1950, converted to a charter school in 1997 and later added dual-immersion and middle-school classrooms. The renewal process, she said, took two years and included broad community outreach: the committee reported receiving 521 responses out of 842 families and about 560 follow-up phone calls. Villarreal told trustees Fister serves a high proportion of English learners, stating "tenemos aproximadamente 60 por 100 de estudiantes que están aprendiendo inglés." She described literacy interventions (a team of 12 teachers and daily instructional aide time for small-group support), socioemotional supports added after COVID and professional-development plans for staff.
On finance, Villarreal said the school projects being financially solid through 2027'8 and referenced a projected reserve described in the presentation (transcript renders the figure as "5.6 1000000 de dólares," which is interpreted here as roughly $5.6 million). Trustees asked detailed questions about ELPAC results, the literacy team, program evaluation cycles and exact budget assumptions. Board members praised the school's community-school model and unanimously advanced the petition on a first reading for later action and monitoring.
The board recorded the first reading vote and asked staff and Fister to supply additional documentation on literacy outcomes, program timelines and the five-year evaluation cycle for further review.
