CASI December 2024 Charter Chat Resource Page

Charter Chat Topics

1. Legislative Updates by Santa Clara County Office of Education
2. Program Hot Topics
3. Fiscal Hot Topics
4. California Department of Education and State Board of Education Updates
5. Upcoming Events
6. Q&A from Previous Charter Chats and CASI Email

Disclaimer

The information contained on this page is provided as a reference only. Charter schools and chartering authorities are encouraged to review the laws and regulations and consult with their own legal counsel regarding the application to their specific situations.

Legislative Updates by Santa Clara County Office of Education

The legislature recessed for this year. The new two-year legislative session will begin January 1, 2025.

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Program Hot Topics

• Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) Midyear Update
  The following guidance has been added to the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) FAQs as of October 2023:
  • What are the requirements for the mid-year update to the LCAP?
    All charter schools, school districts, and county offices of education (COEs) are required to present a report on the annual update to the LCAP and the LCFF Budget Overview for Parents on or before February 28 of each year at a regularly scheduled meeting of the governing board or body of the local educational agency (LEA). The mid-year report must include the following:
    • All available mid-year outcome data related to metrics identified in the current year’s LCAP, and
    • All available mid-year expenditure and implementation data on all actions identified in the current year’s LCAP (California Education Code [EC] sections 47606.5, 52062, and 52068).
  • Is there a required template for the mid-year update?
    No, there is no requirement for LEAs to use any particular template. It is up to the LEA to determine how to present and report the required information to their local governing board or body.
  • Will the mid-year update report be included in the LCAP?
    No, the mid-year update will not be included in the LCAP; however, the information presented may inform the development of the following year’s LCAP.
• 2024 California School Dashboard Posted
  SB 114 included new statutory deadlines for the publication of the California School Dashboard (Dashboard) and related data submission deadlines. The Dashboard was published this year on November 21, 2024. The California Department of Education (CDE) has begun to report Long-Term English Learner (LTEL) students as a new student group beginning with the 2024 California School Dashboard , for an overview of the LTEL definitions used for data reporting please visit CDE LTEL Students. Additional resources are available on the CDE Dashboard Communications Toolkit.
  
• 2024 Charter School Differentiated Assistance (DA) Determinations
  The list of charter schools that qualify for DA is available at 2024 LCFF Charter School Assistance Status Spreadsheet (XSLX). The State Board of Education (SBE) November 2024 Information Memorandum includes an “Update on the Implementation of the Local, State and Federal Accountability and Continuous Improvement System: Local Control Funding Formula Eligibility for Differentiated Assistance for Districts, County Offices of Education, and Charter Schools.” General information related to systems of support for which charter schools may be eligible, including differentiated assistance, are available at CDE System of Support.
• Oversight of Charter School Enrollment and Disenrollment
  Charter schools are not allowed to discourage a pupil from enrolling or seeking to enroll in the charter school because the pupil exhibits any characteristics such as students with disabilities, academically low-achieving, English learners, neglected or delinquent, homeless, socially economically disadvantaged, foster youth, or based on nationality, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Charter schools are not allowed to request a pupil's records before enrollment or encourage a child who is enrolled in a charter school to disenroll or transfer to another school. A parent, guardian, or pupil (18 years or older) may file a Charter School Complaint Form(PDF) to the authorizing entity if they suspect the charter school is in violation of EC sections 47605(e)(4)(A)–(E). Additional information is available at CDE Charter School Complaint Notice and Form.
  
  CDE DataQuest provides meaningful data and statistics about California's transitional kindergarten (TK)/K-12 public educational system that supports a wide variety of informational, research, and policy needs. Summary and detailed data reports are available for multiple subject areas at the school, district, county, and state levels.

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Fiscal Hot Topics

• First Interim
  Pursuant to EC Section 47604.33(a)(3), the First Interim Report is due to the chartering authority and COE by no later than December 15 for the reporting period ending October 31.
• Audit Report
  Pursuant to EC Section 47605(m), a charter school shall transmit a copy of its annual, independent financial audit report to the CDE, the State Controller’s Office, the local County Superintendent of Schools and, if applicable, the chartering entity, by December 15 of each year. If the audit of the charter school is encompassed in the audit of the chartering authority, EC Section 41020 will apply.

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California Department of Education and State Board of Education Updates

• The Advisory Commission on Charter Schools (ACCS) meeting was held on December 10, 2024. The agenda included: renewal for High Tech High, an SBE-authorized school. The next ACCS meeting will be held on February 4, 2025.
• The SBE meeting was held on November 13, 2024. The next SBE meeting will be held January 15–16, 2025.

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Charter Chat Q&A

We have just received a renewal petition. Does CASI have any resources or tools?
Please see the CASI Road to Renewal training resources at CASI April 2024 Quarterly Training.

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