Utah Charter School Conversations

Utah Association of Public Charter Schools
  • 5.0 (3)
  • EDUCATION
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

We do a little training, speak with charter school leaders, and touch on issues that affect Utah charter schools.

  1. 12/19/2025

    Part 1: Grant Readiness: Foundation & Accounting Best Practices

    How do you know if you are ready to apply for the CSP grant? This episode will guide you through identifying the foundational core capabilities that must be in place to be ready to apply. We also cover baseline application elements. We end with a quick discussion of accounting best practices, including time and effort tracking and internal controls that are required in grant reports. Please download the corresponding handout HERE. If you have any questions, visit utahcharters.org/csp-grant. The Utah Association of Public Charter Schools is a non-profit organization that promotes excellence in Utah's public charter schools through advocacy, training, and technical support. Our podcast is produced, hosted, and edited by Gina James. Original music was composed by James Valentine. Please subscribe to this podcast and visit us on Facebook and Instagram. Find student stories and training videos on our YouTube channel.

    7 min

  2. 12/19/2025

    Part 2: Grant Readiness: Writing a Strong Project & Budget Narrative

    This episode will address how to craft a persuasive project narrative and aligning your budget to your proposal so your organization is grant-ready. Your project narrative isn’t just paperwork. It's your opportunity to show reviewers that your vision is strategic, your goals are measurable, and your plan is realistic. This episode covers key strategies to make your narrative stand out. We also address the budget narrative and making sure your budget includes expenses that are allowable, reasonable, necessary, and allocable (ARNA).  Please download the corresponding handout HERE. If you have any questions, visit utahcharters.org/csp-grant. The Utah Association of Public Charter Schools is a non-profit organization that promotes excellence in Utah's public charter schools through advocacy, training, and technical support. Our podcast is produced, hosted, and edited by Gina James. Original music was composed by James Valentine. Please subscribe to this podcast and visit us on Facebook and Instagram. Find student stories and training videos on our YouTube channel.

    5 min

  3. 12/18/2025

    Part 1: Is the CSP Grant Right for Your School? Background, Purpose & Eligibility

    In this episode, you will learn about the Utah Charter Schools Program, CSP, Grant and help you determine whether applying is the right step for your school. We will answer: What is the CSP Grant? Why does this grant exist? How much funding is available? Who is eligible to apply? What can CSP funding be used for and not used for? We have also created a handout to help you remember all the key points. You can find the handout HERE. Visit utahcharters.org/csp-grant for more information. The Utah Association of Public Charter Schools is a non-profit organization that promotes excellence in Utah's public charter schools through advocacy, training, and technical support. Our podcast is produced, hosted, and edited by Gina James. Original music was composed by James Valentine. Please subscribe to this podcast and visit us on Facebook and Instagram. Find student stories and training videos on our YouTube channel.

    6 min

  4. 12/18/2025

    Part 2: Is the CSP Grant Right for Your School? Requirements, Process & What to Expect

    In this episode, you will learn about the Utah Charter Schools Program, CSP, Grant and share the application process, required documents, review criteria, and what it takes to submit a competitive application. We will cover the following: Step 1: Eligibility Verification Step 2: Mandatory Technical Assistance Step 3: Application Submission Step 4: Application Format & Required Components What Happens after you submit? Post-Award: What CSP Expects How do you know if you're ready to apply? We have also created a handout to help you remember all the key points. You can find the handout HERE. Visit utahcharters.org/csp-grant for more information. The Utah Association of Public Charter Schools is a non-profit organization that promotes excellence in Utah's public charter schools through advocacy, training, and technical support. Our podcast is produced, hosted, and edited by Gina James. Original music was composed by James Valentine. Please subscribe to this podcast and visit us on Facebook and Instagram. Find student stories and training videos on our YouTube channel.

    5 min

  5. 05/03/2024

    Expressing Your Learning at Ascent Academy with Wade Glathar, Executive Director

    Join our discussion all about Ascent Academies of Utah and the Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM). With 5 campuses (Lehi, Saratoga Springs, West Valley, West Jordan, and Farmington), Ascent Academies provides an education not only geared to a student's learning type but to their expression type of learning through SEM. Developed at the University of Connecticut, Ascent teachers receive deep training in SEM to help children become engaged, self-motivated learners.  In our discussion, Wade talks about how the students thrive with this learning style by taking charge of their own education with careful guidance from trained teachers. Wade has been in education for over 20 years as a teacher, principal, and now executive director over several campuses. We talk about how education has changed, including his optimism about the remarkable children in school now. He shares how Ascent has cross-campus collaboration for teachers and students to strengthen the community. We also talk about the role of schools in society.  We hope you enjoy our discussion! The Utah Association of Public Charter Schools is a non-profit organization that promotes excellence in Utah's public charter schools through advocacy, training, and technical support. Our podcast is produced, hosted, and edited by Gina James. Original music was composed by James Valentine. Please subscribe to this podcast and visit us on Facebook and Instagram. Find student stories and training videos on our YouTube channel.

    38 min

  6. 04/25/2024

    Your Money Made Simple with Able & Strong, Investment Partners of UAPCS

    UAPCS partners with several companies to offer shared services at better rates and with more options that a school may be able to receive on their own. Able & Strong, formerly Verapath, offers financial services including retirement investment options including a 401K program. In this podcast, we speak with Greg Misener, Chief Compliance Officer, and Sarah Cox, Director of Business Development and Client Relations. We cover it all: Budgeting tipsDetermining how much to take out of your paycheck for retirementDetermining how much money you need for retirementDifferent long term saving optionsWe had a great time (really!) talking all things finance! The Utah Association of Public Charter Schools is a non-profit organization that promotes excellence in Utah's public charter schools through advocacy, training, and technical support. Our podcast is produced, hosted, and edited by Gina James. Original music was composed by James Valentine. Please subscribe to this podcast and visit us on Facebook and Instagram. Find student stories and training videos on our YouTube channel.

    38 min

  7. 03/29/2024

    Everyone is Important at Athenian eAcademy with Jared Ferguson, Executive Director

    Join our conversation with Jared Ferguson, Executive Director, at Athenian eAcademy. Athenian has six campuses in Tremonton, Delta, Ephraim, Nephi, Richfield, and Ballard in addition to a blended program that combines home learning with school supports.   Jared believes in the importance of each person at school from students to parents, and support staff to teachers. Athenian strives to provide differentiated learning for their multi-grade classrooms to meet each student at their level. Teacher training is targeted to be meaningful and highly pertinent. Jared believes in building trust and sees lack of trust as one of the big problems in education. To combat that, he values each person's perspective and advocates for using agency to be deliberate in interactions with others.  A former high school biology teacher, with a particular interest in entomology, Jared makes time to visit each campus and give a presentation on insects that is a highlight for students, and for him. Listen to learn more about this school that caters to rural Utah. The Utah Association of Public Charter Schools is a non-profit organization that promotes excellence in Utah's public charter schools through advocacy, training, and technical support. Our podcast is produced, hosted, and edited by Gina James. Original music was composed by James Valentine. Please subscribe to this podcast and visit us on Facebook and Instagram. Find student stories and training videos on our YouTube channel.

    43 min

  8. 03/17/2024

    2024 Legislative Wrap-Up with Royce Van Tassell, Executive Director UAPCS

    Join Royce Van Tassell, Executive Director, Utah Association of Public Charter Schools as we discuss what bills passed, what was discussed, and how much money we'll get for education in the coming year. Please take a look at the summary document on our website HERE. You can also see all the updates during the session on our website at https://www.utahcharters.org/legislative-updates.  Some key bills discussed include the following (link to bill): HB 221, Student teacher stipendsHB 105, Classroom supplies reimbursementsHB 173, Teacher bonusesHB 29, Sensitive materials HB 303, Classroom neutralityHB 182, Student survey requirementsHB 499, Adjusts training requirements for educatorsHB 413, Mental health screener notification requirementsHB 84, School safety amendmentsHB 415, Curricular and co-curricular feesWe have also provided a detailed HB 84, School Safety Amendments, summary document HERE. The Utah Association of Public Charter Schools is a non-profit organization that promotes excellence in Utah's public charter schools through advocacy, training, and technical support. Our podcast is produced, hosted, and edited by Gina James. Original music was composed by James Valentine. Please subscribe to this podcast and visit us on Facebook and Instagram. Find student stories and training videos on our YouTube channel.

    34 min
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About

We do a little training, speak with charter school leaders, and touch on issues that affect Utah charter schools.

Information

  • Creator
    Utah Association of Public Charter Schools
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2025
  • Episodes
    45
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Utah Charter School Conversations
  • Show Website
    Utah Charter School Conversations