CASI August 2024 Charter Chat Resource Page
Information and resources from the August 2024 Charter Chat, presented by the Charter Authorizer Support Initiative (CASI).Charter Chat Topics
- Legislative Updates by Santa Clara County Office of Education
- Program Hot Topics
- Fiscal Hot Topics
- California Department of Education and State Board of Education Updates
- Upcoming Events
- 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
- AB 1913 (Addis)
Pupil safety: child abuse prevention: training - To follow current legislation at the California Legislative Information
website:
- Under "Quick Bill Search," select either "Bill Number" or "Keyword(s)"
- Enter the bill number or keyword, respectively
- Once the desired bill is located, click "Add to My Favorites." This will prompt the user to create a profile and receive email updates on the status of the desired bill.
Program Hot Topics
- Charter School Certification of Information
In spring 2024, charter schools reported and certified their information with the California Department of Education (CDE) for fiscal year (FY) 2024–25 through the Charter School Certification of Information (COI) for the purposes of informing state and federal policy, supporting charter school authorization and oversight, and promoting transparency of the state’s public school system. The COI provides charter schools with the opportunity to verify and update their information, including their fund type, for the upcoming school year. Data collected via the COI for FY 2024–25 are provided under the Data Results section of the Charter School Certification of Information web page. All data are provided as reported by the authorized representative of the charter school. - Williams Monitoring
Per California Education Code (EC) Section 47604.32, the authorizer shall visit each charter school at least once annually. During this visit, authorizers may review the school’s operations, academic performance, governance, compliance documentation, and fiscal viability; and meet with educational partners (parents, teachers, students, staff, etc.). A best practice is to provide a report to the governing board of the charter school. As the new school year begins, here is a collection of recommended resources previously shared at CASI events:
- Plan 2024–25 Oversight Activities (Document Requests, Annual Visits, etc.)
- Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) Review
- Some authorizers review the LCAP to determine that (1) the correct template is used, and (2) all the components of the document are present in the correct order.
- Some authorizers also use the California County Superintendents LCAP Review Form (for district LCAPs)
to provide feedback to the charter schools, as Charter School LCAPs are approved by their governing boards.
- Maricopa Unified School District recommends the following LCAP Review Checklist Tools
, which were modified from templates provided by Kern COE.
- Website reviews
- Teacher Credential reviews
- July 2022: CASI Virtual Training on Teacher Credentialing Requirements, presented by San Diego COE
Fiscal Hot Topics
- Unaudited Actuals
Unaudited Actuals is the process of closing out previous fiscal year accounts and preparing a report to submit for auditing. Charter schools that do not report in the Standardized Account Code Structure (SACS) must use the Alternative Form. The Unaudited Actuals must be completed by charter schools and submitted to their authorizing agencies by September 15, 2024. Authorizers then review and need to submit the forms to their county offices for review, who will then submit the forms to the CDE by October 15, 2024.
California Department of Education and State Board of Education Updates
- The Advisory Commission on Charter Schools (ACCS) meeting was held on August 6, 2024. The next ACCS meeting will be held on October 8, 2024. Nonclassroom-based funding determinations and a material revision for a California State Board of Education (SBE)-authorized charter school were reviewed. The 2025 meeting dates for the ACCS have been posted on the ACCS Meetings web page.
- The next SBE meeting is scheduled for September 11–12, 2024.
Upcoming Events
CASI
- Monthly CASI Charter Chat, September 25, 2024, 10–11 a.m.
- October Quarterly Training on October 4, 2024, 9–11 a.m. on Authorizer Governing Boards: Renewal 101
- This virtual training will include best practices for authorizer staff to provide training on the roles and responsibilities of authorizer board members in the charter school renewal process.
- Register in advance at CASI October 2024 Quarterly Training Zoom Registration
- Authorizing 101 and/or Fiscal 101
Reach out to CASI at CASI@cde.ca.gov to arrange additional training on Zoom or in-person.
Other Charter Authorizer Events
Charter Connection Professional Learning Series—presented by Fresno COE, San Bernardino COE and San Diego COE
- Charter Renewals 2.0: Emerging Insights from the Field
- October 11, 2024, 9–11 a.m.
- Join us for an engaging 2-hour workshop where legal experts and practitioners come together to untangle the complexity of charter renewal. The session will begin with a comprehensive overview from a distinguished legal expert, who will explain key legal principles and emerging trends in charter renewals. This will be followed by a panel of experienced practitioners sharing early experiences from this new season of charter renewals. Participants will gain valuable insights into the intersection of theory and practice, enhancing their understanding of renewal challenges and solutions. No matter your role in charter oversight, this workshop will offer a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between legal theory and real-world application.
- Register in advance at Charter Connection Professional Learning Series Charter Renewals 2.0 Registration
, Password: SBCSS
- For more information, contact Dr. Jeffrey Hunt at jhunt@fcoe.org
Charter Chat Q&A
Previous Charter Chats and CASI Email
What are the requirements for authorizers charging oversight fees? How are authorizers tracking their oversight costs?
Per EC Section 47613
, authorizers may charge for their actual oversight costs not to exceed one percent of a charter’s revenue. If an authorizer is supplying the charter school with substantially rent-free facilities, then the authorizer may charge for their actual oversight costs not to exceed three percent of a charter’s revenue.
As a best practice, authorizers may utilize a variety of ways to track oversight costs, including time accounting, full time equivalent positions conducting the oversight processes, etc.
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Questions: Charter Authorizer Support Initiative | CASI@cde.ca.gov | 916-322-6029
Last Reviewed: Tuesday, September 24, 2024
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