Advocates for Innovative Schoolsinc

Overview

Mission

The educational program is designed to facilitate learning and develop scholarship in a safe and non-stigmatizing environment. Our focus is the development of the whole child academically, socially, physically, and emotionally.

What it reported doing in 2022

Advocates for innovative schools, inc. Opened a charter school to improve the quality of education for children in orleans parish. 1. The special education department at robert mussa moton charter school has consistently maintained compliance in identifying and providing services to our scholars. With over 70% of the scholars demonstrating academic and social progress, it is clear that our robust and rigorous program is making a significant impact. Our dedicated staff ensures that all scholars' needs are met daily contributing to their overall success. 2. Through our war on literacy initiatives, we have engaged all stakeholders within the owl community by hosting various events throughout the years. As a result of active family engagement activities, such as family literacy night. Officer nipple's reading program, scholastic book fair, after-school tutoring, lsu institute of reading, and our quarterly book giveaway, we have see an improvement in our scholars' overall performance in reading on our standardized assessments. 3. We have continued to find innovative ways to ensure that the whole child is being addressed. This academic year, we added three additional staff members as social emotional learning coaches. Their primary focus was to provide developmentally appropriate enrichment activities to the entire student body, as well as small group and individual sessions as needed for students who needed additional support. We have seen a decrease in the number of discipline referrals this academic year as a result of the implementation of the social emotional learning coaches.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 79% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
204230899
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2022
Forms available
Form 990 2022
Headquarters
New Orleans, LA, USA
Phone
5042454400
Rating
65
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Primary, Elementary Schools

Official website

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of total spending goes to programs and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 53
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 13
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 65.7%; rating input score 66
  • Program expense ratio: 49.6%; rating input score 50
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -32.5%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.25; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.39; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.7%; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -8.9% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.4% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1.8% per year; rating input score 100; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 65.7% of revenue deployed · 49.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $3.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $159K · 10 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 5 annual filings from 2009 to 2022
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • JOHN McCRARY (CEO): $158,649 total reported compensation
  • CHERYLLYN BRANCHE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION): $126,088 total reported compensation
  • TERRACENIA RODNEY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF STUDENT SUPPORT): $104,989 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2022.