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We are proud to present our very first impact report, which highlights our achievement and progress over the last 18 years creating long-term homes for charter schools in California and Washington along with our continued commitment to racial equity and the belief that every child deserves the opportunity to learn in a vibrant and inspiring school facility.

We have developed over 100 facilities, provided opportunities for over 43,000 charter school students, and leveraged philanthropy with private and state financing to invest $985M+ in high quality schools. Further, we’ve expanded to support the needs of both growing school networks and early-stage operators as well as partnered with school districts.

We look forward to continuing to work together on expanding our reach and supporting charter schools in providing educational opportunities for students in under-resourced communities.

 

On a beautiful afternoon in late March 2022, Impact Salish Sea Elementary School proudly celebrated Brian Perry’s art installation – a set of traditional Cast Salish carvings entitled “Remember the Teachings.” The work is a suite of three works that include a prominent welcome pole flanked by two canoe-forms that act as benches. Brian was selected to develop an original public artwork for the school which is located at Othello Square in South Seattle. He is a member of the S’Klallam tribe and a representative of the Coast Salish people.

The event was co-sponsored by WCSD and Impact Public Schools and brought students along with members of the S’Klallam tribe and the Othello community to a joyous celebration. WCSD senior project manager, Anna Johnson, emceed, Principal Egypt Burton Charles welcomed everyone, Brian’s tribal family honored the day with traditional performances, and Brian spoke about the artwork.

“Remember the Teachings” depicts creatures of the Salish Sea that serve as precious knowledge keepers for her people. The primary welcome pole is titled “Guardians of the Salish Sea” and features q̕ɬúməčən (killer whale), sčánnəxʷ (salmon), and k̕ʷə́yŋsən (eagle). The salmon represents endurance and renewal. The salmon weathers many perils at sea to return to its home waters and provide nourishment for the people. Overlooking the creatures of the Salish Sea is the eagle, who embodies wisdom. The eagle gazes far to the horizon, where new challenges and opportunities await. And the killer whale centers this post, carrying the faces of the ancestors on its back.

Following the ceremony, everyone gathered outside to view the artwork. Students and guests enjoyed the story pole and welcomed the artwork as part of their community. Thank you to Brian for bringing the stories of the Salish Sea creatures to the school and local community.

I “sat down” with Cecilia Melgares, Managing Director of Operations for Equitas Academy, a charter management organization based in Los Angeles and partner of PCSD since 2010. Cecilia has been with Equitas for almost seven years.

Can you tell me about Equitas? What makes Equitas unique and what inspires you about working there?

What inspires me: The commitment that we have to our scholars and our families to go above and beyond. The emphasis on building character. In education we often focus on the academics, but all the other pieces are just as important in order to create generational change.

What is unique about us and inspires me on a day-to-day basis: The commitment as a staff that we all have to meet scholars and families where they are at. I grew up in LA and went to LAUSD schools. I was an English language learner from a single-family home. Education changed my life! That opportunity is so important. With that perspective I know what it is that our scholars need to be successful.

I understand that Equitas was instrumental in supporting the community surrounding one of your schools. How did you get started and how were you able to sustain the program? Are you still supporting the community in this way and/or has it evolved?

During the pandemic, we felt it was important to meet the basic needs of our families. As soon as we closed down, we were able to serve 200,000 meals by the end of the 2019-2020 school year. In addition, we delivered technology, computers, and internet access. Education is the heart of our mission but students can’t learn if their most basic needs aren’t met.

Although most of the staff were working remotely, the operations team was working on site. We provided breakfast and lunch to the community, including some of our families, at Equitas Flagship (EQ), the headquarters and our flagship school at Pico. All seven of our schools are within 2 miles of each other so the flagship school was easily accessible for all of our families. We were surprised by the number of meals we were serving and had to increase the numbers to meet the needs of the community. We stopped the program in June 2021 when the funding stopped and free breakfast and lunch were offered to all students starting in the 2021-2022 school year.

The response from the community was enormous. We had people who were unhoused who came to pick up food. We had grandparents pick up food. It provided a sense of community for everyone that we were working with. And it showed the community that we were going to be there for our families and community at large.

This year, we have hosted vaccination sites for all our schools over the weekend. It’s open to anyone in the community. We are really mindful of how we bring resources to the community at large.

I would love to hear about your experience working with PCSD. What has been your involvement in working with PCSD? What has surprised you the most?

I worked with PCSD first at Equitas #2 then in 2018, on Equitas #3. We got our Temporary Certificate of Occupancy on Saturday of Labor Day weekend and school started on Tuesday. We had 3 days to get ready. We are now working with PCSD on [Equitas] #5 and #6.

We love working with Joe and previously with Mishelle. They have been an integral part of our project.

Anything else you would like to add?

We are grateful for the partnership [with PCSD] and for the work!! Joe goes above and beyond and always imagines how this is going to impact the scholars and the end work!

James Heugas, Executive Director of Washington Charter School Development, partnered with Homesight CEO Tony To to design and develop Impact Salish Sea Elementary for the New Holly Community. The new facility is an outgrowth of the Othello Square project, a community-based initiative that empowers Southeast Seattle residents by expanding access to healthcare, housing, education, and economic opportunity.

For Women’s History Month, PCSD highlighted the many extraordinary women who guide our charter school partners through the complex facilities development process so our partners can focus on what matters most – teaching and learning.

How long have you worked at PCSD?

4 1/2 years

How did you get into the field of facility development and education?

During high school and college and coming out of college, I worked in a lot of educationally focused organizations: outdoor education, international education, etc.. I was always interested in education.

After college, I decided to go to law school but not with the intent to practice. So once I graduated law school, I pursued charter school roles since I was interested in the various models and thought that charters were doing interesting work to serve students beyond what traditional public schools were providing. I became the founding Director of Operations at a high performing charter school in Washington, D.C. which was a great experience. Eventually I wanted to return to Oregon, where I am from originally, and I assumed I would not be able to continue to work in charter schools. But there happened to be a charter school finance organization that was based in Portland and I ended up joining their team. They had a facility arm that was growing and it was something that I was interested in doing more of after being involved in various facility acquisition and expansion projects in my previous role. I also did some consulting work with a charter school outside of Portland that was looking to acquire and develop a long-term facility. It was then that the job at WCSD became available. I was looking for this type of project management role and was also interested in staying on the west coast. It was the perfect opportunity at the right time

What advice would you give young women entering this field?

If I had to do it over again, I would have gotten a Masters in Real Estate instead of a law degree. If you are interested in this industry, I would try to shadow people and identify what you like about it and what you don’t and what role you may want to play. There are so many different roles involved in real estate development that there are a lot of opportunities.

For Women’s History Month, PCSD highlighted the many extraordinary women who guide our charter school partners through the complex facilities development process so our partners can focus on what matters most – teaching and learning.

How long have you worked at PCSD?

4 years

How did you get into the field of facility development and education?

I was always interested in real estate so after college, I got my real estate license and started temporarily at a commercial property management firm. There were a lot of technical issues and problem solving along with some interaction with the clients and customer service practice. I was exposed to a lot of construction projects but not a full building development project. And I realized I was really interested in that side and that is how I landed at PCSD. I had not worked at a nonprofit or mission-driven organisation before, but I have always been passionate about education. My mom was a public school teacher and it’s always been something close to my heart.

What advice would you give young women entering this field?

One thing that I learned is that you really need to stand up for yourself and set your own boundaries. Even if you have a good mentor or a good boss, you still need to set those boundaries for yourself and then stick to them. Additionally, I got a lot out of volunteering for different groups, or being on committees in the industry, going to networking events and learning about different parts of the industry and what’s going on outside the field as well. It helps you to stay connected and meet more people. There are so many different jobs in the field that it helps you to learn about the opportunities and what you may best interested in.