From Policy to Practice: What’s Currently Shaping Charter School Credit Quality?
The panel will discuss the latest trends in education funding, federal and state policy, and the role of management in navigating the shifting charter school credit environment. The discussion also offers our insights into the evolving school choice landscape, state budget pressures, and regulatory developments, as well as our views on debt and rating trends and various credit issues.
- State funding environment for charter schools in light of various federal policies impacting state budgets
- Sector debt and credit trends, as well as our approach to credit issues, including covenant breaches
- Enrollment trends and the impact of evolving school choice options, including the expansion of voucher programs
- The state and federal regulatory environment
- The role of management in navigating uncertainty while maintaining academic performance and financial strength
Speakers
Geordie Thompson
Associate Managing Director
Moody’s Ratings
Dan Simpson
Vice President- Senior Analyst
Moody’s Ratings
Alex Rawlings
Assistant Vice President -Analyst
Moody’s Ratings
Andrew Van Dyck Dobos
AVP - Analyst
Moody's Ratings
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Geordie Thompson leads the Charter School and Municipal Supported Products Teams. Prior to this role, Geordie was an analytic lead for the Methodology Development Group (MDG), where he specialized in developing the analytical frameworks used by MIS in assigning ratings to US public finance, project finance and corporate finance issuers and obligations. In this role, Geordie lead a broad range of projects, including updates to the Higher Education and US Special Tax sector methodologies, several Housing Finance and MSPG methodologies, and the Financial Statement Adjustments in the Analysis of Non-Financial Corporations cross-sector methodology, which serves as a foundation for our analysis of financial metrics.
Before joining MDG, Geordie spent 16 years in the US local government group as an analyst and managing a local government team, with overall responsibility for ratings and research on local government credits in most of the eastern US. Before joining Moody’s in 2000, Geordie worked in non-profit fundraising in Chicago, including as manager of Corporate & Foundation Giving at public television station WTTW. Geordie has a bachelor’s degree in English from Columbia University and a master’s degree in public administration from Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs.
Dan Simpson is a vice president/senior analyst for the Charter School Ratings Team covering a diverse portfolio of charter schools across the US. Prior to rejoining Moody’s in 2022, Dan was a Vice President at Northern Trust Asset Management where he conducted credit analysis and provided investment recommendations for credits in the charter school and higher education sectors in addition to state and local government credits in the Northeast. Previously, Dan was an Assistant Vice President/Analyst for Moody’s Midwest Ratings Team covering local government credits and a banker at a regional municipal bond underwriter focusing on debt financings for local governments in Illinois. Dan holds a BS in Economics from the University of Utah and a MS in Applied Statistics from DePaul University. Dan is also a member of the National Federation of Municipal Analysts and the Chicago Municipal Analysts Society.
Alex Rawlings is an Assistant Vice President – Analyst on the charter school ratings team, working out of the Dallas office and primarily covering charter schools located in the western United States. He’s previously worked as a local government ratings analyst at both Moody’s and S&P Global Ratings where he rated cities, counties, school districts, and special purpose districts. Alex holds a Master of Science in Applied Economics with Predictive Analytics, a Bachelor of Science in Economics with Finance Applications, and a Bachelor of Arts in Markets and Culture, all from Southern Methodist University.
Andrew Van Dyck Dobos manages a nationwide portfolio of charter schools. Prior to joining the dedicated charter school team, he worked as a local government analyst, serving as the state lead for Michigan, Ohio, South Dakota, and Nebraska. Andrew holds a Master of Public Policy (MPP) from the Harris School at the University of Chicago and dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and Sociology from Michigan State University.