Happy New Year! Celebrating National Mentorship Month
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Creating Long-Term Homes for High-Quality Charter Schools
JANUARY 2023
In this Issue
FEATURED:
Our Commitment to Racial Equity
OUR PEOPLE:
Board Updates
OUR PARTNERSHIPS:
LA Promise Fund/The Intern Project
Why Not You Academy
Green Dot Public Schools
Happy New Year!
We are excited to welcome in 2023 and have much to be thankful for as we embark on new projects and initiatives this year.
Over the last two years, PCSD staff have been diligently working through our monthly DEI meetings to identify ways we can further engage in our ongoing racial equity work. After many internal and external conversations and some trial and error, we have landed on a new “Commitment to Racial Equity.” You can read more below about our three areas of focus: Our People, Our Work, Our Partnerships.
In the spirit of National Mentorship Month, we're excited to share one way we'll be honoring our commitment to racial equity -- by increasing our partnerships and providing opportunities for charter school students from historically marginalized groups. With that, we are excited to announce that PCSD will be launching its first-ever high school summer internship program. You can read below to learn more about our program, our partner, and ways to get involved along with our other mentorship initiatives.
We are thrilled to welcome Delphine Sherman as our newest board member. And be sure to check out James Heugas' blog from WA Charter School Association on facility financing for your charter school.
Warmly,
John Sun
FEATURED
PCSD's Commitment to Racial Equity
PCSD’s new “Commitment to Racial Equity” is an effort to further our mission and be more intentional about our role in dismantling systemic racism. We have set a strategic goal to increase diversity while addressing racial and educational inequity through three key areas: our people, our work, and our partnerships.
Our People: PCSD ensures equitable and fair hiring and recruitment practices, which is reflected in our diverse staff, leadership team, and Board.
Our Work: PCSD seeks to increase facility financing access and opportunity to Black-led schools educating a majority of Black students through The Advancement Fund.
Our Partnerships: PCSD uses our role in real estate development and our relationships with our partners to provide mentorship, job shadowing, work site visits, and summer internships for students from our charter school partners.
PCSD is thrilled to announce the appointment of our newest board member, Delphine Sherman. Delphine is the EVP and CFO of BRIDGE Housing Corporation, a nonprofit affordable housing developer. Previously, she served as the CFO at University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business and as the CFO at Aspire Public Schools.
OUR PARTNERSHIPS
PCSD Partners with LA Promise Fund to Launch High School Internship Program
PCSD is thrilled to announce our partnership with LA Promise Fund/The Intern Project (LAPF/TIP). PCSD will host two high school students for six weeks onsite in the LA office this summer. We will be providing opportunities to see development of a project first-hand from site selection to completion. We look forward to providing more details as we get closer to the summer.
Get Involved! In the meantime, if you are interested in volunteering this spring, LAPF has a number of engagement opportunities. You can learn more and sign up here.
Learn More About Our Partner! If you are a business and interested in joining LAPF as a partner, you can learn more here.
Spread The Word! If you are a charter school in Los Angeles and would like to share LAPF/TIP opportunity with your high school student, you can have them fill out the application.
WCSD Job Shadow Day with Why Not You Academy Student
WCSD has been working closely with Why Not You Academy (WNYA), a single-site charter high school located in Des Moines, WA, from their founding in 2021 when we delivered phase I of their current charter school facility. One of the highlights of our partnership has been to connect with their high school students through WNYA’s Leaving to Learn Program. Most recently, the WCSD team had the opportunity to provide a job shadow day for one of their students.
Second Year as a Green Dot Mentor
PCSD is in its second year of partnering with Green Dot Public Schools National Mentorship Program. We have six members of our team who have been serving as mentors to mentees at City of Champions in Los Angeles, CA and Hillcrest High in Memphis, TN. Recently, we completed sessions with our mentees on developing a purpose statement. Learn more about Jennifer Afdahl Rice’s first-hand account of serving as a mentor since our partnership began in fall 2021.
James Heugas on Facility Financing
Read James Heugas blog at the Washington Charter School Association as he discusses the current facility lending and financing landscape, building relationships with lenders and inviting them to invest, and what he wished schools knew about facility lending.
