The Milburn Difference
Flexible Scheduling
School-to-Work Courses
Support Services
Smaller School Setting
Attentive Teachers
Alternative Learning Environment
Online High School Courses
Giving Students Options
Every child has the right to a quality education, but the traditional public school does not work for every student. Milburn Schools provide individual attention from teachers and a smaller, family-like environment to help ensure student success.
Transferring Credits?
FAQs for Richard Milburn Academy
- What is Richard Milburn Academy (RMA)?
- What is a charter school?
- If charter schools are not governed by the school district, how is RMA governed?
- How is RMA different from other charter schools and alternative programs?
- Who is eligible to attend RMA?
- Does RMA offer services to students with special needs or disabilities?
- How much does it cost to attend RMA?
- Do other high schools accept credits earned at RMA?
- Is it possible for a student who has fallen behind to graduate on time?
- How safe is RMA?
- What are the teachers like at RMA?
- How involved are parents at RMA?
- How does a student enroll at RMA?
- Why is RMA the right choice?
1. What is Richard Milburn Academy (RMA)?
Richard Milburn Academy is a public charter high school for students who have not been successful in a traditional public high school setting. RMA motivates and challenges students to achieve academic excellence, employment success and social responsibility by providing a nontraditional educational program that helps them increase their self-confidence, self-worth, self-discipline and self-acceptance. RMA believes that all students are capable of achieving success in a positive educational environment that stimulates their interests, channels their energies and develops their abilities. RMA helps students succeed in high school and in life.
A charter school is a public school that is independently operated by an entity other than the school district. Parents, community members, teachers and management companies are just some of the groups that may run a charter school. Because a charter school is not operated by the district, it has the freedom to shape its curriculum and services to better accommodate its students. Charter schools are designed to enhance learning, to provide parents with more educational choices for their children and to establish an alternative learning environment that ensures academic improvement and accountability. Charter schools do not compete with public schools or try to manage them; they partner with the public school district to provide quality academic programming and to increase the number of options available to students. During the 2005-2006 school year, more than 1 million students enrolled in approximately 3,625 charter schools nationwide (Source: The Center for Education Reform). The first charter school opened in Minnesota in 1992.
3. If charter schools are not governed by the school district, how is RMA governed?
RMA has a five-member governing board that holds open meetings at the school throughout the year. Three board members are elected to the board and two are appointed. The board is responsible for ensuring that RMA implements its charter in full accordance with the law. Additionally, the board has fiduciary responsibilities and oversees school operations, including selecting and providing guidance to the school director, setting policies, approving annual budgets and approving school procedures. The board is also responsible for evaluating the policies the school adopts. The board does not supervise teachers. Parents are encouraged to serve as school board members.
4. How is RMA different from other charter schools and alternative programs?
RMA offers students a safe, supportive, friendly environment in which to earn their high school diploma. Students receive individual attention from certified teachers who are committed to helping them achieve personal and academic success. RMA's school-to-work courses, small class sizes, support services and nontraditional environment help students accomplish their goals and prepare for a successful future. Flexible scheduling makes it possible for students to fulfill personal responsibilities while attending school. More than 85% of RMA students achieve success, meaning they stay in school or graduate. Students often say that their success was made possible by their teachers' dedication, the flexible, adaptive nature of the program and their personal determination to earn their high school diploma. Richard Milburn Academy offers students a safe, supportive environment in which to achieve personal and academic success. RMA is more than a school to its students and staff members -- it is a family.
5. Who is eligible to attend RMA?
RMA is designed to assist students who have experienced difficulty in a traditional public high school as exhibited by a variety of situations including but not limited to failing courses, being suspended, having poor school attendance or being retained in a grade during the past four years. RMA also serves students who lack demonstrated proficiency in English, perform better with fewer distractions, have earned low scores on standardized tests or are transitioning from other alternative learning environments.
Richard Milburn Academy does not discriminate on the basis of sex, national origin, ethnicity, religion, disability, academic, artistic or athletic ability or the district the child would otherwise attend in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, athletic programs and other school-administered programs. No student shall be denied the rights, privileges, programs and activities RMA offers based on any of these factors.
6. Does RMA offer services to students with special needs or disabilities?
RMA accommodates students who are considered to have special needs or disabilities as defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in its current or reauthorized form. To ensure that students with special needs or disabilities receive the appropriate public education to which they are entitled, RMA provides counseling and tutorial services, employs bilingual staff members to assist students whose first language is not English and hires teachers certified in Special Education to address the needs of each student's Individualized Education Plan (IEP).
7. How much does it cost to attend RMA?
As a public school, Richard Milburn Academy does not charge tuition or enrollment fees.
8. Do other high schools accept credits earned at RMA?
Students may transfer the credits they earn at RMA to a traditional public high school, a private school or another public charter school. Many students who enroll at RMA with the intention of recovering credits and transferring them back to their home school decide to stay and graduate from Richard Milburn Academy.
9. Is it possible for a student who has fallen behind to graduate on time?
RMA's unique program allows students to work at a pace that is comfortable and appropriate for them to achieve their graduation goal, whether it is to graduate from their home school or to earn a diploma directly from RMA. Many students who once struggled in school excel at RMA and graduate on time or ahead of schedule.
The safety of its students and staff is one of RMA's top priorities. All RMA staff members are assigned Hall Duty shifts to ensure students are in their classes and that no visitor is unaccompanied. Where appropriate, RMA has on-site security guards and works with the local police department to maintain the safety of all students.
11. What are the teachers like at RMA?
RMA carefully selects dedicated, qualified professionals to instruct its students. All teachers at RMA are certified or eligible for certification. RMA teachers recognize the students' need for nontraditional methods of instruction and design their lesson plans accordingly. Small class sizes allow teachers to work one-on-one with students, giving them the opportunity to identify students' strengths, weaknesses, learning styles and needs. RMA's teachers are compassionate, innovative instructors who are committed to helping students achieve success.
12. How involved are parents at RMA?
RMA welcomes and encourages parental involvement in the school. Parents' support of and involvement in their child's education is one of the biggest indicators of student success. Parents are invited to visit the school to speak with the staff and voice their opinions and concerns at any time. Parents are encouraged to run for election to the charter school board and are invited to attend all board meetings. RMA constantly seeks to increase parental involvement.
13. How does a student enroll at RMA?
Applications for enrollment are available at the school. Potential students will be admitted to RMA based on the date of the application for enrollment up to the maximum capacity of the school as stated in its charter. If a school is at its maximum capacity a waiting list will be established respective to the date and time at which a student registers. If more students apply, than there are spaces in the school, RMA is required by state law to hold a lottery in accordance with the procedures set by the state.
14. Why is RMA the right choice?
Every child has the right to a quality public education, but the traditional public school does not work for every student. Richard Milburn Academy is an option for students who need things that other schools do not offer; flexible scheduling, individual attention from teachers and a smaller, family-like environment are just a few program components RMA offers to help ensure student success. RMA is not just a choice; it is an opportunity for a student to change his or her life.
