RFP # 1011072 Educational Management Organization REP to be opened At; 12:00 PM On: May 13,2011 Name of Bidder: Address: Contact Person: Phone Number: Fax Number: e-mail: ADVERTISE: for service delivery at #204 Craig Koeppel Director of Purchase 816 City Hall 65 Niagara Square Buffalo, New York 14202 WEBSITE BUFFALO NEWS CHALLENGER RFP TERMS AND CONDITIONS‘Supplier Default — Failure of the supplier to comply with any of these provisions may be considered reason for rejection of proposal. 1 The issuance of this Request for Proposals (RFP) constitutes only an invitation to submit a response to the Buffalo Public Schools (District). Itis not to be construed as an official and customary invitation to bid, but as a means by which the District can facilitate the acquisition of information related to the purchase or implementation of ser S. Any and all information presented herein, including drawings, specifications, instructions, policies, engineering guides, questionnaires, methodologies, etc., which is a part of this RFP package, or disclosed during the selection process, is the property of the District, and shall not be duplicated or disclosed except to those employees of the recipient who have a need to know in order to prepare the response. The District neither makes nor assumes any contractual obligations by issuing this RFP, receiving and evaluating supplier response, or making preliminary supplier selection. Providing a response as provided herein shall heither obligate nor entitle a Responder to enter into a contract with the District. This RFP does not commit the District either to award a contract or to pay for any costs incurred in the preparation of a submission. Responders shall bear all costs associated with submission preparation, submission and attendance at presentation interviews, or any other activity associated with this RFP or otherwise. The District reserves the right to determine, in its sole and absolute discretion, whether any aspect of the submission satisfactorily meets the criteria established in this RFP, the right to seek clarification from any Responder (s), and the right to cancel and/or amend, in part or entirely, the RFP, at any time prior to a written contract. Responses should be directed to Craig Koeppel, Director of Purchase, at Room 816 City Hall, 65 Niagara Square, Buffalo, New York 14202 no later than the time and date stated on the cover sheet, for the opening of the RFP with title and number RFP on envelope. The District is not obligated to respond to any submission submitted nor is it legally bound in any manner whatsoever by the submission of a response. Upon submission, all responses become the property of the District. The, District reserves the right to use the information and any ideas presented in any submission in response to this RFP, whether or not the submission is accepted.BACKGROUND The Buffalo Public Schools (BPS) is demonstrating leadership in the creation of innovative new schools. Therefore, BPS is soliciting proposals for Educational Management Organizations (EMO) and/or Educational Partnership Organizations (EPO). The process for tumaround schools is overseen by the district Turnaround Office, whose task is to transform Persistently Lowest Achieving schools, implement the district's school improvement plan and ensure that students in Buffalo have access to high quality schools. Consequently, these schools propose to provide students with exceptional academic opportunities and look forward to continuing to offer innovative school models and move beyond traditional barriers to create high quality educational opportunities for all students throughout the city. Therefore, Buffalo is seeking local and national education management/parinership organizations, for profit and non-profit institutions from Buffalo and nationwide to respond to this Request for Proposals (RFP) and demonstrate the capacity to implement @ high quality turnaround school model. Through a rigorous review process, BPS will evaluate the RFP responses in order to identify those parties with the capacity to transform one or more of Buffalo's Persistently Lowest Achieving (PLA) schools. This RFP is calling for submissions for the following: Lafayette High School #204 Lafayette High School a tumaround model high school and includes the following elements: + Itwill become the Intemational High School at Lafayette. + Grade configuration: change to grades 7-12 (7th and 8th grade from 45) + Will include bilingual, SIFE and ESL and district newcomer center 7-12. + Replace principal. + Successful bidder will work with the district curricula to ensure alignment to the Common Core Standards and Assessments. + Ensure alignment of ESL/Bilingual curricula to ELA Common Core Standards And Assessments; as well as provide intervention where appropriate, + Staff will be screened and hired by the EMO. TIMELINE 4/29/2011 REP Advertised 5/13/2011 Proposals due 5/31/2011 Proposals review completed 6/10/2011 Award of Contract, 6/30/2014 Work completed per contractEVALUATION Bidders will be evaluated on the following criteria: + size, capacity and experience io complete the proposed activities within the specified timeframe; ‘+ experience in delivering timely, high-quality pre-K through 12 educational products and services, experience working with the Buffalo Public Schools is preferred; * specific expertise in the delivery of research-based curriculum design, instruction, professional development and/or systemic organizational improvement; and + demonstrated understanding of NYS Leaming Standards in the identified content area(s); + familiarity with New York State regulations on increasing the academic achievement of at risk, low income, Limited English Proficient students and Students with Disabilities. Al RFP submissions will be reviewed by a team of individuals from BPS administrative team. The review team will utilize transparent rubric criteria, which will be shared with applicants and available on the BPS website shortly following the release of this RFP. tin general, the RFP review will be focused on two broad areas: demonstrated track record of student achievement and capacity to design and manage a high quality school. Track Record: The RFP submission must demonstrate that the applicant has a strong track record of driving significant academic gains with similar student populations RFP submission review; only vendors that have demonstrated strong performance will be successful in this process. Vendors with schools outside of Buffalo must also demonstrate strong results across their campuses. Teams who do not currently operate a school must provide data from past experience leading a school/classroom, extracurricular activity, professional development program, or other service that significantly increased student outcomes, Capacity: Applicants should clearly demonstrate that they have the capacity to develop a high quality proposal and, if approved, manage a high quality school. While the RFP submission will not include all components of a new or tumaround school proposal, vendors must represent an entrepreneurial spirit and the diversity of skill sets and experience necessary to ensure a school’s success, including academics, culture, finances, operations, and community engagement. Please highlight the key components that are most important for BPS to establish that ‘the organization has a track record of driving student outcomes, as well as the capacity to develop a high quality school. RFP Submission Instructions The RFP submission is due by 12 PM (noon) on May 13, 2011. It consists of two parts— a cover letter and RFP Narrative—both of which are required before BPS will review the submission.REQUIREMENTS: RFP submissions should total no more than 9-12 pages (not including Cover Letter, Résumés, Performance Data, and any other attachments requested below) and should ‘emphasize the education plan. 1, Cover Letter: Complete a cover letter. Provide a summary of the proposed school model and your capacity to implement the model. 2. Mission and Vision: State the mission and vision of the proposed school model. 3. Student Population: Describe the student population that you expect to serve, and discuss your team’s experience serving similar student populations. 4. Education Plan: Identify and describe the key strategies and practices that the schoo! will use to drive student achievement. 5. Accountability and Performance Goals: Briefly discuss how your organization will set and annually update targets for the assessments. 6. School Culture: Describe the culture that your team envisions for the proposed school and, if identified, any social-emotional supports necessary to create that culture. 7. Community/Local Connections: If your organization is selected briefly describe how you will engage the community in your implementation plan. 8. Leadership and Track Record: Describe the proposed school leadership team (2.9. team leaders, board members, Principal candidate, key leadership staff, teaching staff, advisors, consultants) and provide evidence to support why this team has the collective capacity to manage a successful school. Provide evidence that the team has a track record of successful performance. Include specific accomplishments and/or performance data that demonstrate that the team will operate a successful school. Attach additional data, if necessary. Please describe the staff and resources your team will establish in Buffalo to ensure a successful launch and on-going management of the school. 9. Operational Budget: Include a proposed budget to implement the model for the schools) selected in year one. In addition, include a budget plan for years two and three detailing sustainability following the grant period 10. Please attach the following appendices * Attach a list of the members of the individuals filing this proposal. * Attach résumés of Design Team members and any other individuals who have made substantial contributions to this submission (e.g. board tnembers, Principal candidate, key leadership staff, teaching staff, advisors, consultants). Label each résumé with the individual's affiliation with the proposed school. If your organization currently operates one or more schools: * Attach a summary of the schools / campuses within your portfolio, including the following: 1. Number of school(s)/campus(es) and total number of students served 2. Cities served 3. Grade levels served 4. Unique school themes or models in your organization’s portfolio 5. Type of schools in your portfolio (e.g. Charter, Contract, Private, etc.)* Attach the following information on each school that your organization operates : . Schoo! information . Schoo! name City Year opened Grades at capacity Current grades Current enrollment % low-income : 9. Whether or not your organization wholly employs staff and/or manages operations at the school ji, Performance data from assessments that measure student growth and achievement in math and reading/English/language arts. Include comparative local district data, where available. eNoOmseNe SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: Alll applicants should respond to the RFP by 12 PM (noon) on May 13, 2011, BPS will not accept late submissions. Applicants should also follow these guidelines when preparing the RFP Narrative: + Narratives must be typed with at least 1-inch page margins and at least 11 point font. + Copy and paste the RFP question before each answer in the Narrative (questions may be pasted in smaller font). Sub-parts of questions should be clearly referenced in the answers. + All requested attachments should be provided in an appendix submitted with the Narrative. Appendix items should be clearly labeled at the top or bottom of each page. Please label each résumé with the individual's affiliation with the proposed school (e.g. Design Team member, board member, Principal, teacher, etc.). In order for a submission to be considered by BPS, both a Cover Letter and RFP. Narrative must be complete and submitted on time. Submissions that are late or missing responses to questions or required attachments may not be considered for further review. Notification of Results Each applicant will be notified of next steps regarding thelr RFP submission within 3 weeks of the submission deadline. Applicants will receive written notification that could include next steps in the new or tumaround school application process Please note vendors may be asked to submit additional information or attend a meeting to clarify their submissions. Contact Information For questions regarding this RFP, please email dbuckley@buffaloschools.org or call the Office of Federal and State Programs at (716) 816-3966. Proposed Cost to implement model: