CASI March 2023 Charter Chat Resource Page
Information and resources from the March 2023 Charter Chat, presented by the Charter Authorizer Support Initiative (CASI).Charter Chat Topics
- Legislative Updates
- Program Hot Topics
- Fiscal Hot Topics
- Annual Survey
- State Board of Education Updates
- Upcoming Events
- Q&A from Previous Charter Chats and CASI Email
- Q&A from the March Charter Chat
Legislative Updates (As of March 29, 2023)
- Assembly Bill (AB) 533 (Fong)
This bill proposes to change California Education Code (EC) Section 47605 to allow charters to appeal directly to county offices within 30 days if the district fails to take action within statutory timelines - AB 984 (McCarty)
This bill recommends adding the completion of a semester course in personal finance to the graduation requirements for 2028–29 for all schools.
- AB 1299 (Jackson)
This bill requires all schools to have police officers which report to the principal, and makes it a reason for denial of a charter school if police officers are not included in the charter safety plan.
- AB 1555 (Quirk-Silva)
This bill extends the credential requirements for transitional kindergarten from August 1, 2023, to August 1, 2028.
- Senate Bill (SB) 10 (Umberg/Cortese)
This bill requires that opioid overdose training and prevention be included in the safety plans for all schools.
- SB 426 (Niello)
This bill recommends changing the name of nonclassroom-based (NCB) charters to “flex-based instruction” and defines a “flex-based charter school” as a charter school that receives a determination for funding from the State Board of Education (SBE). The bill would expand the description of flex-based instruction to include, but not be limited to, part-time classroom instruction, personalized learning, hybrid, career-focused, college-ready, adult reengagement, constructivist, content-focused, and synchronous or asynchronous distance and computer-based education, or any combination of these types of instruction.
- SB 739 (Alvarado-Gil)
Amends EC Section 47607.2, clarifying that a chartering authority is only required to consider “verified data” if it is provided by the charter school. The bill also amends EC Section 47607.4, requiring all charter schools whose term expires on or between January 1, 2024, and June 30, 2027, inclusive, to have their term extended by an additional 2 years.
- SB 810 (Alvarado-Gil)
This bill creates attendance and credential exceptions for “at-promise” charter schools
- 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
- Form 700 The Statement of Economic Interest (Form 700) was due April 1. Additional information regarding Form 700 is available at the Fair Political Practices Commission
.
- Renewals The 2023–24 renewal season begins July 1, 2023. A best practice suggestion is to meet with any charter schools that will be up for renewal and discuss your expectations and process. Remember to review the October 13, 2022, California Department of Education (CDE) Updates on Data for Charter School Appeals and Renewals and the CASI January 2023 Quarterly Regional Training: On the Road to Renewal.
- Enrollment Data Request Process The CDE has updated the Enrollment Data request process under EC Section 47607(d)(1). This is the process by which an authorizer may request enrollment and testing information for students of charter schools to determine whether the charter school is serving all students who wish to attend.
Fiscal Hot Topics
- Charter School Declining Enrollment Relief Apportionment Section 123 of Assembly Bill 181 of the 2022–23 Enacted Budget provided unrestricted funding to classroom-based charter schools that experienced declining enrollment in Fiscal Year 2021–22. On March 15, 2023, the CDE submitted the apportionment to the State Controller’s Office for allocation and posted the apportionment letter, schedule, and detailed allocation amounts for each classroom-based charter school. These documents are available at CDE Funding Results - Charter School Declining Enrollment Relief.
- Auditor Selection Form Per EC Section 41020, the governing board of each charter school shall provide for an audit of the books and accounts of the school. In the event the governing board of a local educational agency (LEA) has not provided for an audit of the books and accounts of the LEA by April 1, pursuant to EC Section 41020(b)(3), the County Superintendent of Schools shall provide for the audit and the cost of the audit shall be chargeable to the LEA.
- The Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) has provided the following sample documents:
- Supplemental Audit Guide On March 1, 2023, the Education Audit Appeals Panel published the Supplemental to the 2022–23 Audit Guide that reflects changes to conditions of apportionment that affect the current fiscal year. Included in the 2022–23 Supplemental Guide for Annual Audits of K–12 LEAs and State Compliance Reporting
(PDF) is
guidance that relates to school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools are auditing procedures for Transitional Kindergarten.
- Unemployment Insurance Rate For schools that participate in the School Employees Fund (SEF), the Employment Development Department (EDD) announced that the Unemployment Insurance contribution rate (Rate) for the 2023–24 fiscal year will be 0.05 percent. The rate of 0.05 percent is locked in for one fiscal year and the EDD will provide a new Rate for the 2024–25 fiscal year by April 1, 2024.
Annual Survey
- Please take eight minutes to complete the 2023 Annual CASI Authorizer Survey
.
State Board of Education Updates
- The April Advisory Commission on Charter Schools (ACCS) meeting will be held on April 18, 2023.
- The March SBE meeting was held on March 8–9, 2023. The agenda included requests for nonclassroom-based funding determinations and the possible issuance of a Notice of Violation to T.I.M.E. Community Charter.
Upcoming Events
| Event Date | Event and Registration Information |
|---|---|
April 14, 2023 9 to 11 a.m. |
|
April 19, 2023 9 a.m. to noon
|
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April 20, 2023 9 a.m. to noon
|
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April 26, 2023 10 to 11 a.m. |
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June 13–16, 2023 |
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Charter Chat Q&A
Previous Charter Chats and CASI Email
We have a charter school in our district that just contracted with a new vendor for financial back office support. This charter has been using the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) standards, but the company wants to change them to Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) standards. Has anyone dealt with this before? What are the pros and cons of this change?
FASB standards are created by the Financial Accounting Standards Board that apply to all public companies to ensure that they properly conduct their financial and accounting reporting activities to provide accurate and reliable information to their shareholders and investors. GASB standards were developed by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board and apply to state and local governments to ensure that they properly conduct their accounting activities, so they can provide accurate and reliable information to the public. There are differences in accounting practices that exist between FASB and GASB, such as balance sheet, net assets, and cash flow statement.
Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) finds most of their charter schools use FASB on Final Audit Reports. The report includes information on new accounting pronouncements of leases. In February 2016, FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842)
(PDF). The objective of the ASU is to increase transparency and comparability in financial reporting by requiring balance sheet recognition of leases and note disclosure of certain information about lease arrangements. To SCCOE, both GASB and FASB are similar in financial statements reporting. Charter schools seem to prefer to use FASB as it is more applicable to them.
Do charters bring the Standardized Account Code Structure (SACS) report or the Charter School Alternative Form to present to the board with each interim reporting period? Or is this something done after the fact?
Charter schools must have the board approve of all financial reports, such as budget, interim reports, unaudited actuals, and final audit report. Request the Board add to the agenda an action item of approval of these reports. Only unaudited actuals are required to submit in either SACS or Alternative Form, unless otherwise specified in a Memorandum of Understanding.
March Charter Chat
How can we search for charter schools statewide?
The California Department of Education provides several methods for locating California charter schools via the Charter School Locator. To search for specific information, including charter term expiration date, please use the Charter School Database.
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Questions:
Charter Authorizer Support Initiative | CASI@cde.ca.gov | 916-322-6029
Last Reviewed: Thursday, April 13, 2023
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