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Episode #65 How to develop your people using a competency based framework ft. Cynthia Leger, Sr. Director of Ops Leadership Development
SHOW NOTES
3 min read
SHOW NOTES
GUEST INFO
Episode Guest:
Jason Mellen, Network Director of Operations and Compliance at AppleTree Institute for Education Innovation
Website:
https://www.appletreeinstitute.org/
EPISODE SUMMARY
Running a charter school network requires a delicate balance: empowering campus leaders while maintaining the systems that keep an organization running smoothly.
In Episode #66 of The Charter School Insider Podcast, host Daniel Casselli, President at BuyQ, sits down with Jason Mellen, Network Director of Operations and Compliance at AppleTree Institute for Education Innovation in Washington, DC.
Jason oversees operations across 13 micro-campuses serving early childhood learners, where each school operates with unique needs—but must still align with network-wide standards.
In this episode, Jason shares practical strategies for balancing autonomy and accountability, building operational guardrails, and strengthening the principal–operations partnership that drives operational excellence.
From designing smarter budget systems to improving team collaboration and reducing campus conflict, this conversation offers valuable insights for charter school leaders responsible for scaling systems without stifling innovation.
EPISODE TAKEAWAYS
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Autonomy Without Systems Creates Operational Risk - Allowing campuses full independence without documented systems can cause knowledge loss when staff turnover occurs. Clear procedures and expectations ensure continuity.
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Guardrails Enable Innovation - Instead of controlling every decision, networks can create guidelines, budgets, and accountability checkpoints that empower leaders to innovate within defined boundaries.
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Budget Frameworks Improve Financial Discipline - Providing campuses with clear spending ranges and quarterly tracking helps normalize financial expectations and prevents both overspending and underspending.
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The Principal–Operations Relationship Is Critical - Operational success often depends less on technical expertise and more on the working relationship between school leaders and operations staff.
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Communication Systems Reduce Conflict - Tools like weekly meeting templates, shared agendas, and working norms exercises help create alignment and prevent operational friction across teams.
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Systems Take Time to Normalize - Even well-designed operational frameworks require time, training, and iteration before teams fully adopt them.
WHY THIS MATTERS FOR CHARTER SCHOOL LEADERS
Charter school networks face a unique operational challenge: they must maintain consistent standards across schools while allowing individual campuses to adapt to local needs.
Without strong operational systems, networks risk:
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Inconsistent student experiences across campuses
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Budget mismanagement
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Operational confusion between leadership roles
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Knowledge loss due to staff turnover
This episode highlights how thoughtful operations leadership can create scalable systems that support both innovation and accountability.
For charter school executives, COOs, and operations leaders, the insights from this conversation provide a roadmap for building high-functioning operational teams that support school success at scale..
EPISODE RESOURCES
Principal and Operations Working Norms Exercise
School Safety Campus Checklist
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction to Apple Tree and Operations
03:14 Balancing Autonomy and Consistency in Operations
06:51 Establishing Guardrails for Budgeting
10:03 Empowering Principals with Autonomy
11:45 The Principal and Operations Specialist Relationship
13:51 Addressing Interpersonal Conflicts
17:03 Progress in Conflict Resolution
22:22 Creating a Culture of Safety
26:04 Final Thoughts on Operational Excellence
ABOUT OUR GUEST
Dr. Jason Mellen has served as a charter school operations leader for the last decade in Upstate New York and Washington, D.C. He currently serves as the Network Director of Operations and Compliance at AppleTree Early Learning PCS and oversees 13 campuses in the District. Jason is passionate about developing the leadership capacity of school operators, and recently received an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential from the International Coaching Federation. When not in school, you can find Jason by The Wharf taking his miniature dachshund 'Miss Hazel' for a sniff. You can connect with him on LinkedIn, especially if you have a tool that would be useful to add to his operational excellence toolbox.
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...
