Benjamin Franklin Charter School was one of Arizona’s first 50 charter schools approved in 1995.

When the charter school law was passed in 1994, the founders of Benjamin Franklin Charter School saw an opportunity to build a program based on a popular and successful “back-to-basics” model in the Mesa school district. The desire to undertake this project was driven by the observed general decline in educational excellence in public schools and a growing inclination of parents to seek alternatives to the status quo for their children. At the time, programs like the one in Mesa were becoming more popular with parents but very few school districts were willing to respond to that desire. The Benjamin Franklin Charter School founders believed that the time-tested program from Mesa could be improved and strengthened by taking it from a district setting to a charter school setting where it would be available to anyone who wanted it regardless of school district residence or boundary.

For those who read this history, you may be wondering, “What exactly is a charter school?” Well, a charter school is a public school operated by a private organization under a contract (charter) with an authorized state sponsor. The relationship between the charter school and its state sponsor is very similar to a private company that contracts with the state to provide goods or services. In the case of charter schools we contract with the state to provide a public education or a specific educational program. The state sponsors authorized by Arizona statute to approve charters are: the State Board of Education, the State Board for Charter Schools, or a school district.

For an individual or corporation to be considered for a charter, they must submit an application to one of the sponsoring bodies, provide detailed educational (curriculum, scope and sequence, structure, methods, etc.) and business plans, submit to background investigations, hearings, and agree to abide by all federal and state laws, regulations, and requirements that apply to operating a public school. The chartered school receives its operating authorization from the approving sponsor and its’ funding from the Arizona Department of Education. The charter school must also submit to annual financial audits, state-mandated testing of students, and regular reports and educational audits of their programs on a periodic basis.

The Arizona Charter School law was passed by the legislature in 1994. The State Board for Charter Schools granted Benjamin Franklin Charter Schools’ charter on June 12, 1995. The initial approval was for our first campus in Mesa, AZ. The Mesa campus was built on the grounds of the Mesa Historical Museum, which is housed in what was one of the first elementary schools in Mesa. When we took over the site in August of 1995, it was a grass field with sheep grazing on it. Five weeks later, we opened for our first year and had “gone from a field of sheep to a field of dreams.”

A year later, as a result of parent demand, we applied to open a second campus in Queen Creek, AZ. On May 13, 1996 we received a charter from the Ganado School District to open the Queen Creek campus. In September of that year, we opened the school year to an enrollment of about 350 students.

A year later, once again resulting from parent demand, we applied to the State Board for Charter Schools to add a third campus in Gilbert, Arizona and consolidate all of our schools under one charter. In May of 1997 our application was approved and the Gilbert campus was added to the Benjamin Franklin Charter School family. In August of that year, we opened temporary classrooms at a local church to begin the school year. In October we moved into our permanent facilities at the current Gilbert campus on Warner Road.
After the rapid growth in the first three years, the charter school industry started to become much more competitive. In addition, as was predicted by the authors of the original legislation, school districts became more competitive and began adding more choices for families. While we continue to entertain inquiries from parent groups in other communities that want the Benjamin Franklin Charter School program, timing, enrollment, and financial considerations determine feasibility of future sites.

The organizational structure of the Benjamin Franklin Charter School program is similar to a small school district but with a much smaller “district-level” support staff. This enables us to maximize the funding available for classroom instruction and teacher salaries. Each school site has a traditional principal and office staff including a school nurse. Additionally, staffing includes: classroom, special ed, music, and physical ed teachers, academic and playground aides, clerical staff, custodians, and food-service staff.

At Benjamin Franklin Charter Schools we celebrate the spirit of parental involvement and high expectations that gave birth to those earlier programs by offering a solid educational choice to parents without the limits of a school boundary. Benjamin Franklin Charter Schools, are the result of parents getting involved with their children’s education, utlizing the opportunity that the charter school law provides, and delivering a sound, successful, and exciting educational choice for other parents who have similar expectations and desires for their children. Although our charter allows us to have multiple campuses throughout the state, the decision to add grades and/or sites has been and will continue to be governed by the availability of facilities, parent interest, and funding. We will continue to grow and accommodate student demand to the best of our abilities.

On behalf of the parents and students who will have the opportunity to experience this program, we are grateful to the teachers, administrators, and staff who make this program possible.