Constitution

CONSTITUTION - DRAFT - WORKING - AS OF 10-26-23

USASB UNSCHOOL ACADEMY OF ART, SCIENCE, AND BUSINESS - DENNIS FRAYNE


Preamble

Understanding that students are the primary stakeholders with respect to their education, that teachers are the secondary stakeholders within educational processes, purposes, and institutions intended to primarily benefit students, that students and teachers are each learners, teachers, and collaborators in learning and teaching, that children have agency in the enactment of their own childhoods, and that students and teachers of every age and ability are full and dignified human beings who are to be valued, trusted, honored, and respected, the undersigned herewith establish the USASB Unschool Academy of Art, Science, and Business, and adopt this constitution for its organization and operation.

Article I: Name

The name by which this learning environment shall be known and incorporated is USASB Unschool Academy of Art, Science, and Business.


Article II: Purpose

The primary purpose of the Academy is to serve the community of students and teachers who attend and work within the learning environment.

The Academy is charitable in its nature, and its purpose is to recognize and operate, without profit, one or more learning centers, private schools, or other non-traditional, activity-based educational spaces, each striving to provide inclusive, immersive, positive, and forward-thinking learning environments and educational opportunities to students and teachers that honor, celebrate, and value the home cultures, languages, beliefs, and individual needs, desires, interests, and abilities of all students. Our vision and mission is that every student develops freely and authentically as a mature human being, participating in, shaping, and renewing our world.

Consistent with the truth that all mankind are created equal and that love, dignity, respect, freedom, and worthiness are impartial and complete for all human beings, USASB Unschool Academy of Art, Science, and Business encourages and accepts students for admission regardless of gender, race, color, or national or ethnic background.

Article III: Statement of Principles

The Academy asserts the goal of education is to:

1. Include each and every student.

2. Serve the needs, desires, and interests of each and every student.

3. Respect and honor each and every student.

Therefore:

All education offerings, activities, opportunities, and spaces must be open to and accessible by each and every student, irrespective of any student attribute or characteristic, including but not limited to all of the statutory categories, plus age, ability level, effort, behavior, language, location, household, and other circumstances, so that each and every student is included. No student shall be excluded.

Teachers must develop positive and meaningful relationships with each and every student, and listen to, work with, study with, learn alongside, and advocate for each and every student, so that each and every student’s needs and desires can be identified, understood, and planned for.

Teachers must identify, understand, and plan for the needs, desires, and interests of each and every student so that appropriate offerings, activities, opportunities, and space can be provided to each and every student.

Teachers must provide offerings, activities, opportunities, and space, including but not limited to facilities, materials, equipment, resources, curriculum, teaching and learning strategies, instruction, assistance, tutoring, coaching, guidance, and counseling, to each and every student, so that each and every student’s needs, desires, and interests are met, satisfied, and fulfilled.

Teachers must learn each and every student's home language, value that language, and offer instruction in that language, in addition to English and any other language requested by each student, so that each and every student’s home language is respected and honored.

Teachers must learn about each and every student’s home culture, value that culture, and offer instruction in and activities related to that culture, in addition to any other culture requested by each student, so that each and every student’s home culture is respected and honored.

Teachers must learn about each and every student’s home life, value that home life, and take each student’s home life into account relative to all offerings, activities, opportunities, and space, so that each and every student’s home life is respected and honored.

Teachers must respect and honor each and every student’s home language, home culture, and home life, so that each and every student is respected and honored.

Teachers must advocate for each and every student, do the right thing for each and every student, and demand the right thing be done for each and every student, so that each and every student is respected and honored.

Teachers should spend a portion of their work schedule teaching, and another portion of their work schedule should be freed up, so that they have time available to develop positive and meaningful relationships with, and learn alongside, students.

Teachers must be able to request and receive money and resources so that they can develop positive and meaningful relationships with, and learn alongside, students.

Teachers must have time, money, and resources to learn each and every student’s home language, to learn about each and every student’s home culture, and to learn about each and every student's home life, so that each and every student’s home language, home culture, and home life is honored and respected.

Teachers should spend a portion of their work schedule teaching, a portion of their work schedule developing positive and meaningful relationships with and learning alongside students, and another portion of their work schedule should be freed up, so that they have time available to be involved, to the extent desired, in the oversight, governance, administration, and operations of the Academy and of education in general.

Teachers must be able to request and receive money and resources so that they can be involved, to the extent desired, in the oversight, governance, administration, and operations of the Academy and of education in general.

No teacher should be excluded from the governance, administration, and operations of education. All teachers must be included.

Everyone involved in the school will foster and nurture a learning environment and community atmosphere that is supportive of all students, that values, respects, and honors each and every individual student and their needs, desires, interests, beliefs, abilities, personal choices, content and curriculum choices, participation choices, and preferred pacing of learning and doing.

Article IV: Organization

To handle the business of the Academy effectively, this constitution establishes or acknowledges the following two bodies to which various individuals report and in which the administrative and legislative powers reside.

The Board of Directors/Trustees (the Board).

The Faculty/Student Assembly (the Assembly).

The Academy Constitution and Bylaws shall describe and explain the overall powers and duties of these two bodies. Operational Handbooks may discuss policies and procedures not covered within the Academy Constitution and Bylaws.

Article V: Amendments

  1. Passage.

    Any amendment to the Constitution must be passed by 75% of the full complement of the Board of Directors/Trustees, and

    Ratified by 75% of the full complement of the Faculty/Student Assembly.

  2. Operation of New Amendments.

    Ratified amendments to the Constitution will go into effect at the beginning of the next calendar quarter, unless another date is established along with the amendment and is passed and ratified in the same manner as the amendment.

  3. The Statement of Principles in this Constitution shall not be amended or added to.


Article VI: Irrevocable Dedication

In the event of the dissolution of the Academy, and after the payment of all debts of the Academy, all of the property and assets then held by the Academy shall be distributed to an organization with similar beliefs and purposes as specified in Articles 2 and 3. None shall be distributed to any private individual or to any business corporation, nor for the personal or private benefit of any person.


Article VII: Academy Governance, Administration, Operations

The Academy is composed of students and teachers, which as a whole comprises the Faculty/Student Assembly (the Assembly).

To the extent possible and allowed by law, the Academy shall be (self-) governed by the Assembly, in the spirit of democracy and by employing democratic principles. All decisions not outlined in this constitution and/or the corporate bylaws shall be made by the Assembly, through procedures established herein and/or designed and defined by the Assembly.

The Assembly shall be required to hold at least four (4) meetings in each school year (generally one per quarter). At least 75% of the members of the Assembly shall constitute a quorum. In conducting all meetings, the latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall be used to decide any parliamentary question not covered by this Constitution and the Bylaws.

In matters requiring a vote, each member of the Assembly (each student and each teacher) shall receive one vote. Voting procedures shall follow a method using rankings or ratings of choices or preferences.

All teachers are employees of the Academy and all employees of the Academy are teachers. All employees-teachers shall be full-time employees and shall receive the same compensation, which at the opening of the Academy shall be $75,000 annual salary plus appropriate and meaningful health, retirement, and vacation benefits (and will remain so until amended according to the procedures established herein).

The Assembly can elect to hire specialized professionals and service providers (outside contractors), for specific purposes, who are not employees and therefore are not part of the Assembly.

The Assembly may establish permanent and non-permanent committees as necessary and agreed to.

Operations

The Academy is a full-day, year-round learning center, divided into operating quarters (three-month periods), which are Jan-Mar, Apr-Jun, Jul-Sep, and Oct-Dec. Each quarter shall have two (2) weeks off from normal activities and instruction. One (1) of these weeks shall be vacation time for both students and teachers. One (1) of these weeks shall be vacation time for students but non-instructional work time or free time for teachers. In total, students receive eight (8) weeks of vacation each year, and teachers receive four (4) weeks of vacation each year. In addition, teachers will receive reasonable paid time off for personal use.

The typical full day of activities at the Academy shall be eight (8) hours plus a one (1) hour lunch, equaling nine (9) hours total time. Some afternoon, evening, and weekend activities and events may result in longer or extended days or weeks, or revised or modified schedules.

Facilities and other resources permitting, the Academy can host and incorporate boarding students, full-time day students, and part-time day students.

The Academy will strive toward an approximate comprehensive student-teacher ratio of 10:1.

Responsibilities of Teachers

Teachers can be Cohort Teachers or Elective Teachers. In the early years of the academy’s founding and start-up, it may be helpful to utilize Roaming Teachers, including the Director, who help where needed.

Cohort Teachers operate in co-teacher pairs who together take responsibility for one age-level student cohort and follow this cohort through their entire tenure/residence at the Academy, age/year 5 through 17. Student age/year is determined by the year in which they were born (Jan 1 - Dec 31).

Elective Teachers operate individually and/or in co-teacher pairs or groups who alone or together take responsibility for a domain. A domain is an area of specialization. Examples of potential domains include but are not limited to performing arts, fine arts, music, theater, dance, film and video, technology, science, research, language arts, cultural, ethnic, and religious studies, mathematics, library science, finance and investing, business, engineering, communications, sports/athletics, recreation, culinary arts, nature and outdoors, farming, trades, and many others. At start-up, there should be minimum of three domains: Art, Science, and Business.

Teachers shall teach content and provide learning opportunities to students as determined by a) teachers, b) students, and c) teachers and students in collaboration. Teachers shall teach and provide learning opportunities using teaching and learning strategies best suited to the teachers and for their students.

Teachers shall include and involve students in the selection and designing of projects and content, as well as of the teaching and learning strategies employed. (Sometimes teachers will select and design projects, content, and strategies; sometimes students will select and design projects, content, and strategies; sometimes teachers and students in collaboration will select and design projects, content, and strategies.)

Teachers shall learn about and understand each student's goals, and help them to achieve their goals. Student testing and assessment are optional at the request of students. A system of certification will be developed for specific needs and purposes with respect to determining student readiness for a task, content, project, role, the use of tools and equipment, or other authorization.

Teachers as learners and students as teachers: Teachers shall nurture a collaborative learning environment where students and teachers both teach and learn.

Cohort Teachers shall learn the home languages of each student in their cohort, and to the extent desired by students, communicate with each cohort student and their families in their home languages as well as in English.

Cohort Teachers shall learn about the home cultures of each student in their cohort, and to the extent desired by students, help them to honor, cherish, celebrate, and learn more about their own home cultures, and to share them with other interested students.

Cohort Teachers shall be responsible for teaching and learning activities in the morning hours; and have free time in the afternoon hours.

Elective Teachers shall be responsible for teaching and learning activities in the afternoon hours; and have free time in the morning hours. Sports electives shall start later in the day so that students may participate in both sports and non-sports electives.

Example Teaching Schedule:

Cohort Teachers
Open from 8:00am to 12:00 noon
Lunch 12:00 noon to 1:00pm
Closed from 1:00pm to 5:00pm (free time)

Elective Teachers (non-sports)
Closed from 8:00am to 12:00 noon (free time)
Lunch 12:00 noon to 1:00pm
Open from 1:00pm to 5:00pm

Elective Teachers (sports)
Closed from 10:00am to 2:00pm (free time)
Lunch 2:00pm to 3:00pm
Open from 3:00pm to 7:00pm

Other events and activities may take place in the evenings, as desired, necessary, and agreed to.

Free time is intended for some or all of the following activities:

  • Learning about your students, their home languages, and their home cultures, including, to the extent desired by students, visiting their homes and participating in their communities.

  • Professional development and participation in the life and development of your profession and fields of expertise.

  • Research and creative work.

  • Self-funding their cohort or domain through fundraising, business operations, and other revenue sources.

  • Academy leadership and governance.

  • Facilities, equipment, and program maintenance, design, planning, and development.

  • Teacher self-care.

Teachers, acting from their own needs, interests, and desires, as well as out of the needs, interests, and desires of their students, shall strive to provide education and learning opportunities that are student-centered, project-based, entrepreneurial, artistic, problem-solving, cross-disciplinary, critical, democratic, multicultural and inclusive, autonomous and self-directed, and within a community of learners, scholars, leaders, and doers.

Teachers will be highly qualified as defined by the Assembly, which may or may not include specific credentials, degrees, experience, knowledge, and/or ability. Teachers are also learners.

Operating Projects and Businesses at the Academy

Teachers shall engage in fundraising and revenue-generating activities, projects, and businesses that strive to self-fund their cohorts and domains. In the spirit of teaching and learning in project-oriented, entrepreneurial, and creative environments, teachers will use, as appropriate and possible, fundraising and revenue-generating activities, projects, and businesses in educational ways to facilitate student participation and learning.

Students may engage in fundraising and revenue-generating activities, projects, and businesses.

Teachers as leaders of their domain(s) may define criteria to evaluate student readiness for a particular activity, project, task, learning, or responsibility, including but not limited to the use of tools, equipment, gear, products, substances, machinery, technology, and facilities, off-site activities and events, the handling of money, budgets, and finances, the supervision and leadership of others, access to media and materials, and the understanding of safety procedures, lawfulness, integrity, and accountability.

Student readiness may be certified by the awarding of certificates, licenses, badges, or other means and documentations as defined and established by the Assembly.

Off-site activities, events, and field trips must follow procedures to be determined by the Assembly, shall maintain safety, integrity, and lawfulness, shall consider student readiness and accountability, and shall require parental approval and permission.

Legislative, Justice, and Judiciary Systems

The Academy shall establish legislative, justice, and judiciary policies and procedures to be adopted, enacted, and overseen by the Assembly. To start, at the opening of the Academy, the Academy shall adopt the legislative, justice, and judiciary policies and procedures as defined by the Sudbury Valley School in Farmington, MA, in its current revised version or edition. These policies and procedures can then be revised and amended according to rules and guidelines set forth by this Constitution and the Assembly.

Employment of Teachers

The first faculty at the opening of the school shall be determined by the Executive Director of the Board. Afterward, the employment of teachers shall be determined by the Assembly.

Parents

Parents are welcome at the school at all times, following guidelines and restrictions to be established by the Assembly.

Tuition / Membership

Although the school will charge tuition / membership, our organization is committed, over time, to creating a self-funding model that will rely on a combination of donors (endowments), investments, and profits from partnered business enterprises that will enable an even more significant population of traditionally socioeconomically marginalized children and youth to attend the school at no cost or with substantive financial assistance.

Tuition / membership will be calculated on a sliding scale based on age/grade level and family financial ability. The estimated full tuition amount for younger ages will be $12,000, for median ages $14,400-$18,000, and older ages $16,800-$24,000. These amounts will be adjusted as needed and determined by the Assembly. (Potential) boarding students, where applicable, will cover all costs related to boarding (TBD). Part-time tuition / membership will be computed as a percentage of full-time membership / tuition.

Graduation and Diploma

The Academy will offer a diploma program for graduating students. This program will allow for student choice and design in its implementation, timing, and requirements, which can include project work, student portfolios of written and creative work, assessments, awards and achievements, self-evaluations, diaries, presentations, publications, and other options.

Accreditation and Oversight

The Academy will strive to maintain freedom from government oversight, to the extent allowed by law, as well as its autonomy, freedom, and self-directed philosophy and operations.