SHOW NOTES
GUEST INFO
Episode Guest:
Racheal Sewards, Founder of Solare Collegiate Charter School
Website:
https://www.solarecollegiate.org/
EPISODE SUMMARY
What if staffing decisions weren’t just about qualifications—but also about personalities, team dynamics, and leadership potential?
In this energizing episode of The Charter School Insider Podcast, host Daniel Casselli, President at BuyQ, sits down with Racheal Sewards, Founder and Executive Director of Solare Collegiate Charter School. Racheal shares how her school is challenging traditional staffing models by redistributing leadership roles to classroom teachers and aligning teams based on interpersonal chemistry—not just credentials.
With a bold blend of restorative justice, teacher stipends, and grade-level leadership teams, Racheal is redefining what it means to lead in a post-COVID charter school world. Whether you're scaling your school, dealing with high turnover, or reimagining your org chart, this episode is packed with real strategies and innovative thinking you can borrow (and steal!).
EPISODE TAKEAWAYS
Staffing with strategy: Why Solare Collegiate eliminated certain mid-level admin roles to empower teachers.
Personalities matter: The school matches staff based on interpersonal synergy, not just subject certifications.
Budgeting differently: How repurposing admin salaries created stipends and leadership roles for teachers.
Attendance success: Teacher-led initiatives made a bigger impact on chronic absenteeism than a full-time liaison.
Hiring smarter: A new, multi-step interview process reveals how candidates handle coaching and feedback in real time.
Teacher retention through leadership: Empowering teachers with real responsibilities—and compensation—boosts engagement and culture.
Flexible structures: Solare builds a staffing model that works for its people, not one that follows outdated norms.
Professional learning matters: Racheal credits thinkers like Brent Madden for pushing innovative staffing conversations nationwide.
300 is the magic number: Why scale matters when building sustainable staffing systems.
Founder's advice: Be confident in your school’s identity. The right people are looking for it.
RESOURCES
Research and professional learning: Brent Maddin Arizona State University
Video: It's time for the Next Education Workforce, an information session with Brent Maddin
Strategic school staffing models: Next Education Workforce
CHAPTERS
00:00 Rachael's Educational Journey
03:31 Innovative Staffing Models at Solari
07:58 Empowering Teachers Through Leadership
12:50 Building Strong Grade Level Teams
17:22 Refining the Hiring Process
21:59 Key Learnings and Future Directions
ABOUT OUR GUEST
Rachael Sewards was introduced to charter schools early in her career, when she headed to Memphis, Tennessee as a member of Teach For America in 2006. She taught sixth grade language arts at The Soulsville Charter School, during that time 94 percent of her students scored proficient or higher on the TCAP. Rachael moved to Columbus, Ohio and joined KIPP Journey Academy as a founding teacher. In 2011, she joined the team at The ASK Academy Charter School, a project-based STEM school in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, as a founding teacher in the middle school.
After four years at ASK, she began teaching middle school literacy at Cochiti Middle School, a rural, traditional public school. At Cochiti, her students have averaged 1.4 years of reading growth and a 1.845 value-added growth score on the PARCC assessment, earning her the distinction of Exemplary on the rigorous New Mexico teacher evaluation system. In addition to teaching, Rachael participated in the inaugural New Mexico Teacher Leader Network, a group of the state’s most effective teachers working to foster clearer means of communication between the Public Education Department and classroom teachers.
ABOUT OUR HOST
Daniel Casselli is a life-long learner whose passion for education has driven his professional endeavors. He is a former classroom teacher and youth ministry director whose entrepreneurial spirit landed him in the world of education technology. At EVERFI Inc., Daniel helped run the business development efforts for EVERFI’s Financial Education Program and the company was eventually sold to Blackbaud for $750M in 2021. Shortly before EVERFI’s acquisition, Daniel joined Class Technologies as one of the earliest sales hires and went on to lead K12 Enterprise Sales and helped the company land its first 100+ K12 customers across public, charter, and private schools. Daniel brings his unique experiences to BuyQ where he is focused on growth, operational excellence, business strategy, and client satisfaction. He is a graduate of Grove City College where he studied Religion and History.
You can listen to Charter School Insider: Lessons from the Nation's Top Charter School Operators on your favorite podcasting platform...