Tom Torkelson is the CEO of IDEA Public Schools, the Austin Independent School District's newest in-district charter program.

Controversy has surrounded Torkelson and IDEA since the decision that six of the nine board members made in voting to allow AISD to collaborate with IDEA. Even now that the vote has passed, many parents and teachers are still expressing discontent with that decision and have vocalized their displeasure during AISD meetings' citizens communication.

With the nonprofit charter school system getting ready to begin interviewing for 60 positions at IDEA Allan, Torkelson made himself available to give answers to some issues that many individuals expressed during the December 2011 board and community meetings, as well as some questions about the future of IDEA in Austin over the next year.

What did you think about the concerns brought up at the Dec. 19 AISD board meeting? Specifically, the opinion by trustees Annette LoVoi, Robert Schneider and Tamala Barksdale that the contract between IDEA and AISD screamed mediocrity?

We are focused on the upcoming school year, and I am not harboring concerns raised two months ago. Ultimately, our students will be successful because IDEA has a simple, proven formula for success that we are able to execute with an amazing degree of consistency: excellent teaching, a college-going culture that helps us get the best from each child, a laser-like focus on data that helps us ensure no child slips through the cracks and the right mix of insanely effective high-dosage tutoring, and safe and orderly schools.

Have you spoken to those trustees individually and discussed those concerns?

No, I have not, but I am certainly open to sitting down with them to ensure that I understand their concerns and hopefully can clear up any misunderstandings.

Many parents complained that the community meetings held to inform district families about IDEA were not conducted in an "objective" way—furthermore, that the meetings actually hosted by IDEA did not adequately address questions those community members had about IDEA. Can you speak to that?

Several of the parents who complained were not representatives of the affected schools. Over the course of several months, we have hosted nearly 10 informational sessions throughout the community, and we continue to host them to address any outstanding concerns.

Much attention was brought to Dr. Ed Fuller's report "Are IDEA charter schools a good idea for Austin?" I know you've addressed this report before: Did you think it was fair and objective? If you could sit down with Fuller and talk about the report, what would you say?

The report was misleading and inaccurate. It's a weird alternate reality where an Exemplary-rated school system with 100 percent college matriculation that has been cited as Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Bill Gates as examples of what is possible in low-income communities is attacked as not being high-achieving enough. University of Texas professor [Michael] Marder basically said that the report was a bizarre piece of fiction that didn't follow any normal research methodologies that he was familiar with.

Should parents be concerned about the statistic in Fuller's report that said the 100 percent graduation rate doesn't account for the 35 percent of IDEA ninth graders that drop out of IDEA before making it to graduation?

Dr. Fuller's argument is built on the incorrect assumption that if a student leaves IDEA (for whatever reason), there is no chance for that student to go to college. If his methodology were applied to the some schools in Austin ISD, the percentage of students not making it to 12th grade would be around 65 percent in some cases. It's just a very strange methodology he used that is flawed in so many ways. Every parent should be very vigilant to ensure that their child successfully completes school in four years and goes onto college.

Do you feel that IDEA has something to prove to the community? If so, what?

Of course—we want to prove that with the right combination of quality teaching, focus, discipline, and a powerful school culture, students from East Austin, in the aggregate, can perform just as well as students from the most affluent neighborhoods throughout Austin and across Texas.

If you could go back and approach the whole thing again, what would be done differently?

We poorly defined who we are, what we are about and why care so deeply about the students and future of East Austin. We are working to fix that now, but it's going to be a long process, and ultimately, our students' success may be the most powerful way for us to break through the background noise.

You were present at the Dec. 19 meeting, correct? Did you stay in Austin to sign the contract or how was that handled?

I was in Austin at the board meeting on Dec. 19, but the AISD board-approved changes weren't quite ready by the time I departed. The contract was FedEx-ed to me, and I signed it then and shipped it back before AISD people went on vacation.

Changes can be made to the contract even after it has been signed, correct? Does IDEA have any authority to amend the contract? If so, what are some things IDEA might look to change?

Right now, nothing comes to mind—I think that as the partnership evolves, it is possible that both IDEA and AISD will discover that there might be some potential improvements—but if we knew what those were right now, we'd have already incorporated them into the agreement.

The new state-mandated standardized tests (STAAR) are supposed to be more stringent. How will IDEA approach these new tests now that they have more "bite"?

Like Austin ISD and districts across the state, IDEA is working to integrate STARR benchmarks into our college-prep curriculum. Our schools performed well on the TAKS, and we anticipate our students will continue to excel on state benchmark exams, including STARR.