HomeMy WebLinkAboutRes 08-28 Ratifying an Agreement with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and FeldTOWN OF WESTLAKE r�
RESOLUTION NO. 08-28
RATIFYING THE ACCEPTANCE AND EXECUTION OF AN AGREEMENT WITH
AKIN GUMP STRAUSS HAUER & FELD, LLP FOR LEGISLATIVE SERVICES
RELATED TO THE ACADEMY.
WHEREAS, Interim Town Manager accepted and executed an agreement with Akin
Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld, LLP on March 14, 2008; and
WHEREAS, the Board of Aldermen finds that the agreement is acceptable and
beneficial to the Town;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN OF THE
TOWN OF WESTLAKE, TEXAS:
SECTION 1. The above findings are hereby found to be true and correct and are
incorporated herein in its entirety.
SECTION 2. The Board of Aldermen of the Town of Westlake, Texas, hereby ratifies
the acceptance and execution of the agreement with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld, LLP
for legislative services as outlined in the attached Exhibit "A".
PASSED AND APPROVED ON THIS 5th DAY OF MAY 2008.
ATTEST:
4—,4
utter, TRMC, Town Secretary
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
ScottBradle , Mayor
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Pr
IN GUMP
Attorneys at Law
March 13, 2008
Joe Hennig
Interim Town Manager
Town of Westlake
3 Village Circle, Suite #202
Westlake, TX 76262
JODY RICHARDSON
512.499.6238/fax: 512.703.1112
jrichardson@akingump.com
Re: Proposal for 2008 Legislative Work Relating to Charter School Improvements
Dear Joe:
Pursuant to our conversations, this letter is our proposal for managing the Town of Westlake's
("Westlake") involvement with the charter school community in preparation for the 2009
Legislative Session. As we have discussed, in the past, the business arrangement with Westlake
has been that the law firm charges by the hour for my work in even -numbered years. You and I
have agreed that arrangement can be improved upon by establishing a set fee so that the year's
legal fees will be known, and contained. It is our hope that Westlake will engage me in 2009 as
it has in the past under a separate retainer for the legal and legislative work performed during the
Legislative Session, and I will make such a proposal later in the year.
Accordingly, we propose that Westlake pay Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP ("Akin
Gump") legal and legislative fees in the amount of $15,000 for the year 2008. This fee will
include work in connection with the following tasks:
(1) identify stakeholders and determine most effective alliances for Westlake
(listed in Exhibit "A", attached to this Proposal), and coordinate with
them;
(2) monitor activity of Senate Education Committee, with particular focus on
its charge related to public school facilities funding (described more fully
in Exhibit `B", attached to this Proposal);
(3) determine appropriate witnesses to appear at Senate Education committee
hearing on behalf of Westlake Academy and assist in preparation of
testimony;
(4) communicate with elected officials as necessary and effective; and
(5) prepare full and complete periodic reports to Westlake on activities related
to charter school issues.
300 West 6th Street / Suite 2100 / Austin, TX 78701-2916 / 512.499.6200 1 fax: 512.499.6290 / www.akingump.com
AKIN GUMP
Attorneys at Law
Joe Hennig
March 13, 2008
Page 2
Akin Gump's payment policy includes a goal of receiving payment for our work in the year the
work is perfonned, which means that we bill in advance of each payment period. Thus, this
Proposal is that Westlake pay Akin Gump quarterly, in advance, in the amount of $3750. In this
manner, the law firm will be paid in full by Westlake before the end of fiscal year 2008, for 2008
work. If this payment structure is acceptable to you, we would like to bill you immediately for
Q and will send you an invoice at the end of March for Q2. The following two invoices would
be sent to Westlake in June and in September, respectively.
If this Proposal is acceptable to you, please sign as indicated and return to me, retaining a copy
for your files. We very much appreciate Westlake's business and we look forward to helping
with this important initiative.
Very truly yours,
Jody Richardson
F-reffifirdlIFIFF •
By:
Title:
Bate:
Attachments: Exhibit "A" and Exhibit "B"
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Texas Charter C.H.O.I.C.E -- Founded by charter school educators, Charter C.H.O.I.C.E.
provides charter school administrators, teachers, parents, and students a unified voice, in so
doing, Charter C.H.O.I.C.E. serves as a conduit through which individuals may join with others
in showing their unified support of Texas charter schools.
Association of Charter Educators of 'Texas -- ACE began as an outgrowth of an informal
working group that arose around the common interests of our diverse community of schools.
ACE incorporated in January 2001 as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit and now operates as the statewide
membership organization serving open -enrollment and college or university charter schools.
ACE serves its member schools through the following:
Offering technical assistance by hosting workshops and trainings throughout the
State of Texas; acting as an advocate and liaison for charters with the Texas
Education Agency through its bimonthly meetings with the Commissioner of
Education and senior staff of the Texas Education Agency;
Providing statewide and regional networking opportunities for charter educators
in Texas; and
Serving as the voice of Texas charters by providing information to the Texas
Legislature.
ACE is governed by a 19- member board with 15 of those members elected by member school
sponsoring entities in each region. The remaining 4 members are At -Large Representatives and
are elected by ACE Board Officers.
ACE serves charters throughout the state through member -elected ACE Board representation in
each of 7 distinct geographic areas across Texas.
There are 84 ACE charter members representing approximately 165 charter campuses in Texas.
The Alliance of Charter Schools of Texas -- This is a combination of Charter C.H.O.I.C.E. and
ACE. The Alliance of Charter Schools of Texas is an alliance of charter schools that share a
common goal of serving and supporting the breadth and depth of effective charter schools in this
state. This includes but is not limited to working toward the E's of Equitable Funding, Equitable
Due Process, and an accountability system that accurately demonstrates a school's Effectiveness
in serving students and meeting its mission.
Charter School Policy Institute -- The Institute proactively provides timely high quality
information, analysis, and opinion to policymakers, thought leaders, and key stakeholders in
Texas and across the nation. By elevating policy discussions above the noise of day-to-day
charter school operator issues, CSPI is a resource for independent information about quality
public charter schools.
The Institute's efforts stem from the belief that the power of credible and unbiased information in
the hands of key stakeholders can influence the direction of Texas charters and increase the
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quality of public school choice. CSPI works to ensure the new generation of public charter
schools fulfills their potential to transform public education. The Institute convenes academic,
business, school, and civic leaders in discussion forums, facilitates and promotes policy reports
and research on issues critical to school improvement, and offers analysis and opinion to the
media and key stakeholders.
The Institute is located in Austin and led by Jonas Chartock, President and CEO. The staff
includes a Policy and Research Director, an Executive Assistant/Office Manager, and Research
Fellows who advance the work of Institute. When appropriate, CSPI collaborates with
universities, foundations, government, and other policy centers in the fulfillment of its mission.
CSPI has nine focus areas during the launch of the organization. The Institute delivers much of
its content virtually through our website. CSPI will also host live events.
Next Step -- Formed by CSPI (see above). The Next Step campaign is an effort to build a
robust, highly effective statewide association for Texas charter schools. The Charter School
Policy Institute is providing the forum and process for building this world class organization
Texas Charter Coalition -- This organization operated during the 2003 and 2005 Texas
Legislative Sessions. It appears not to currently be operating.
Coalition for Effective Charters -- While many charter schools are excelling, some are not.
The Coalition for Effective Charters (CEC) was formed to advocate for effective public charter
schools as a means of providing a strong and tuition -free education for all Texas children,
regardless of income.
CEC is comprised of high -performing charter school leaders, concerned parents, business
leaders, and other members of the community who are working for legislative change in Texas.
The changes would provide facilities funds as incentives to high -performing public charter
schools, equitable support for charter schools, and a process to close poor -performing charters so
all Texas children receive the education they need to succeed in life.
TEACH -- Formed by the Texas Charter Coalition and the Coalition for Effective Charters,
TEACH will advocate in conjunction with the Charter School Policy Institute's "Next Step",
which is a membership organization.
The Resource Center for Charter Schools -- The mission of the Resource Center is to improve
public education in Texas by supporting the successful operation of high-quality charter schools.
This is done by providing information, access to professional expertise, and direct technical
support. The primary goal of the Resource Center is to see that a significant number of
established charter schools remain strong, viable, and effective. In addition to daily technical
assistance, the ROCS offers conferences, workshops, a website and numerous publications for
each charter.
The Resource Center was formed in 1997 as a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization by a group of
Texas business leaders who understood the vision of Texas charter schools and the significant
impact these schools could have on improving the state's public education system. These leaders
realized that charter schools may need access to a variety of resources in order to be effective.
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Review and make recommendations that address the state's facility infrastructure needs for
public schools, ensuring that funding remains stable, reliable, and equitable. Examine the need
for funding adjustments for factors that affect the need for facilities such as fast growth, age and
condition of facilities, adequacy of space, construction and land costs and concentration of
students requiring smaller class sizes. Assess the impact on property taxpayers of "rolling
forward" the Existing Debt Allotment each session, and the change in biennial appropriations for
the Instructional Facilities Allotment.