A New Paradigm Russell Lee Jones Charter High School Presented by: Mr. Ron Shepherd/COO Russell Lee Jones Vocational Training Inc.

What is a Charter School? A Charter School is a Public School. It complies with State DPI regulations. It is overseen by a Board of Directors who are NOT elected Public Officials. It is funded by the State in a manner very similar to any other “Traditional” Public School, BUT does NOT receive public (subsidy) funding for their Building OR Transportation Services.

Who Is Eligible To Be Served ? Russell Lee Jones Charter High School intends to locate in the region identified as “Southern Mecklenburg” County in August 2015 (Minimum Requirement): Young people who are on track to qualify as “Rising 9 th Graders” by August 2015 Those students who complete an Admission Survey and agree to the terms of the Russell Lee Jones Charter High School Code of Conduct

Graduation Requirements Russell Lee Jones Charter High School will exceed the graduation requirements set by the NC-DPI, by requiring 24 credits (Same as CMS). The NC-DPI requires a minimum number of credits in Math, Science, English, and History with the remaining credits earned as “electives”. Russell Lee Jones Charter High School will follow the same requirements and allow for a wide variety of “Non-Traditional” electives.

A Differentiated Product Q. How will Russell Lee Jones Charter High School differentiate itself from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools? Why should I consider it as an option? A. We are committed to “deliberately and systematically provide” a wide selection of CTE- Vocational Course electives that have been “deliberately and systematically eliminated” by CMS. We also are committed to examining and offering electives driven by “student request”.

Proposed School Calendar Russell Lee Jones Charter High School will operate on a Two Semester Schedule. Students will complete Four Courses during the first semester PRIOR to Christmas Break. Students will complete Four Courses during the Second Semester PRIOR to Memorial Day. A full copy of the schedule is available on request as a (pdf) file attachment via by contacting

Challenges From An Employer’s Perspective Let’s pretend for a while that you are looking to expand your company’s skilled workforce: Would YOU recruit a high school dropout? Who within your company would you assign to “mentor” recruits and provide for their training? How will you overcome the costs associated with the “mentor’s” temporary “lowered” productivity? How would you reduce the risk of a “bad fit”?

Reducing the “Risk” Professional Sport teams have the opportunity to see athletes train/develop for free because they rely on College Programs and Coaches to provide the training for potential “employees”. This process minimizes the “risk” of investing time and money in a “new hire” because the “new hire” has demonstrated their potential already. Short –Term Internships can further test the “goodness of a fit” of a potential candidate.

Middle-Skills Training What if employers had an opportunity to observe (for free) the training of Middle-Skilled Trainees, using curriculum designed by the National Center for Construction Education Research, presented by Professional Tradespeople? This process minimizes the risk because trainees have demonstrated their potential already. Short –Term Internships can further test the “goodness of a fit” of a potential candidate.

Our Proposal: A Bold Initiative Offer training targeted to High School students. Arrange for internships during these formative years and upon completion. Send the trainees out as Semi-Skilled potential employees for companies in the region. The student wins! The employer wins! The community wins!

Tangible Benefits Studies have shown that students who “complete” a series of CTE (minimum 3 related) courses: Have a higher High School Graduation Rate. Have a lower Absentee Rate. Have a lower Suspension Rate. Achieve a higher GPA. Report a greater sense of “belonging”, “accomplishment”, and “sense of purpose”.

Where Do We Stand? The curriculum is in place and Certified NCCER Craft Instructors have been identified Facility sites have been identified The “Blessing” of the Carolina’s ABC and the Carolina’s AGC has been secured A marketing plan has been developed A Charter application for is being prepared for submission on December 6, 2013 with a final answer scheduled for July 2014

More Information Available If you seek additional information you may view our website: Our CEO, Maurice Jones can also be reached by at: Our CFO, Ed Guy can be reached by at: Our COO, Ron Shepherd can also be reached by at: