CASI April 2026 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. CASI Annual Survey
6. Upcoming Events

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

• Senate Bill/Assembly Bill 121 Education finance: education omnibus budget trailer bill
• AB 2496 Local educational agencies: reports: school accountability report card: California School Dashboard: local control accountability plan: local control funding formula budget overview
• 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.

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Program Hot Topics

• 2026–27 Charter School Certification of Information (COI)
  It’s that time of year. The California Department of Education (CDE) Charter Schools Division (CSD) will soon be releasing the 2026–27 Charter School Certification of Information. Charter schools will have a two-week window in May to report, review, and certify their information that is on file with the CDE for the 2026–27 fiscal year through the COI. The information reported and certified by charter schools will be used to inform state policy, create reports for the U.S. Department of Education, support charter school authorization and oversight, and promote transparency of the state’s public school system. Additional details regarding this certification will be provided by the CSD shortly. The CSD recommends subscribing to the Charter-Schools Listserv to stay abreast of updates and details regarding the COI. Information about how to subscribe can be found on CDE Charter-Schools Listserv. Information regarding previous years’ COIs is available at CDE Charter School Certification of Information. Questions may be directed to the CSD by email at charters@cde.ca.gov.
  
• Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) Preparation
  LCAPs are to be updated annually and approved by their board and submitted to their authorizer and to the county office by June 30 each year.
• Apportionment Withholding for Charter School LCAP and Budget Noncompliance
  As of June 27, 2025, all charter schools are required to complete multiple items related to their LCAP and financial reporting. Failure to comply with these requirements, which are outlined below, will result in the withholding of the charter school’s state, local, and county apportionments until all requirements have been met (Reference: California Education Code (EC) Section 42128).
  1. On or before July 1, a charter school’s governing board must hold at least one public hearing to solicit recommendations and comments from the public regarding the LCAP (EC Section 47606.5).
  2. A charter school’s governing board must formally adopt the LCAP and show this action on their public board agenda and minutes (EC Section 47606.5).
     1. Both 1 and 2 listed above, must be two separate items on the charter school’s governing board agenda. The order in which the items are placed on the board agenda must be as follows:
        1. Public hearing for the LCAP
        2. Action for the LCAP
     2. Please ensure that the correct LCAP template and correct fiscal year are used
  3. All charter schools must submit reports pursuant to EC Section 47604.33.
     1. On or before July 1, submit the charter school’s LCAP;
     2. On or before July 1, submit the charter school’s adopted budget;
     3. On or before September 15, submit the charter school’s prior year unaudited actual report;
     4. On or before December 15, submit the charter school’s first interim report;
     5. On or before December 15, submit the charter school’s prior year audit report;
     6. On or before March 15, submit the charter school’s second interim report.
• 2026–27 LCAP Electronic Template
  The CDE released the 2026–27 LCAP electronic template system (eTemplate) for local educational agencies (LEAs). The LCAP eTemplate assists LEAs in developing and updating their LCAPs and allows LEAs to create, edit, and submit their LCAPs for review, as applicable. The eTemplate also allows LEAs to transfer information from the 2025–26 LCAP into their 2026–27 LCAP, if the eTemplate was used to complete the 2025–26 LCAP. The eTemplate is part of the myCDEconnect unified system; therefore, LEAs should complete the registration form in the myCDEconnect system. The eTemplate Functionality Guide(DOCX) can be found at CDE Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), under the Electronic Template subheading.

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Fiscal Hot Topics

• Charter School Third Interim Reporting
  Although not required under California Education Code, a Third Interim Report can be requested by authorizers when there are significant fiscal concerns.

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California Department of Education and State Board of Education Updates

• The next Advisory Commission on Charter Schools meeting was held on April 7, 2026. The agenda included: nonclassroom-based funding determinations and the appeal of a State Board of Education (SBE)-approved charter renewal denial. The next ACCS meeting is scheduled for June 2, 2026.
• The next State Board of Education meeting will be held May 12–13, 2026.

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CASI Annual Survey

We love feedback! Please complete the CASI Annual Authorizer Survey if you have not already done so.

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Return to Monthly Charter Chats

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