CASI June 2022 Charter Chat Resource Page
Information and resources from the June 2022 Charter Chat, presented by the Charter Authorizer Support Initiative (CASI).Charter Chat Topics
- Legislative Updates
- Program Hot Topics
- Fiscal Hot Topics
- Q&A from Previous Charter Chats and CASI Email
- Q&A from the June Charter Chat
Legislative Updates (As of June 29, 2022)
- Assembly Bill (AB) 2774
This bill would reconfigure the Local Control Funding Formula unduplicated count. Currently, students who qualify for free and reduced-priced meals, English learners, and homeless and foster youth are included in the unduplicated counts for supplemental and concentration funds. If AB 2774 is approved, students in the lowest academic performance category (Red on the California Schools Dashboard) for both English Language Arts (ELA) and Math would also be identified for additional funding. - AB 2484
This bill proposes that if a charter school closes, the district in which it is located would be responsible for the distribution of net assets if there is no other entity available. The charter school would also have to update the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) prior to closure and report the number of displaced students to the California Department of Education (CDE). The bill would additionally impose new Charter School Facility Grant requirements regarding leasing property owned by a related party.
- Senate Bill (SB) 1343
This
bill proposes that a charter school, authorized after January 1, 2023, would be required to participate in the California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS) and/or the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS). The bill has been amended to exclude existing 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
- Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) All local educational agencies (LEAs) are required to submit an approved LCAP by July 1 each year to their authorizer and to the local county office of education (COE), unless the COE is the authorizer. The 2022–23 LCAP must follow the approved template and include the following items assembled into one document in the following order:
- Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) Budget Overview for Parents
- Supplement to the Annual Update to the 2021–22 LCAP (the completed midyear update from this past February)
- Plan Summary
- Engaging Educational Partners
- Goals and Actions
- Increased or Improved Services for Foster Youth, English Learners, and Low-Income Students
- Action Tables
- Instructions
- The budget and the LCAP are to be approved by the Governing Board at the same meeting by June 30. Additionally, the board must hold a public hearing to solicit feedback from the educational partners prior to the approval by the Board.
- Planning for Next School Year Charter
authorizing staff should prioritize the following tasks in preparation for next year:
- Prepare the annual document requests. Update your list of documents and your files for the coming year. Create a tickler system for yourself or find a project management software that will manage the document submission process for you (e.g., Epicenter, Canvas, Document Tracking Service [DTS], or Monday.com).
- Create a calendar of events. Include your annual visit schedule, and consider the process and procedures for conducting site visits for the coming year. The Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) has shared a sample calendar
(PDF) for the 2022–23 school year.
- Review your Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Make sure what was promised was delivered, and see if there is anything which might need to be updated or addressed due to any new laws that take effect July 1.
- Update the Annual Report template to reflect new laws that have come into effect since the prior year.
Fiscal Hot Topics
- Planning for Fiscal Oversight Create a calendar of events or timeline for collecting fiscal documents. SCCOE has shared a sample calendar
(PDF) for the 2022–23 school year.
- Consider collecting the following in addition to the Board approved annual budget:
- Board Adopted Annual Budget, 1st & 2nd Interim
- Unaudited Actuals & Annual Financial Audit
- LCFF Calculator
- Copies of bonds and contracts other debt documents
- Proof of Insurance
- Accounting & Financial Policies & Procedures
- List of Fiscal Contact(s)
- Lease and/or Facility Use Agreement
- Form 990
- Monthly Financials
- Consider collecting the following in addition to the Board approved annual budget:
- Standardized Account Code Structure (SACS) Software Become familiar with the reporting format charter schools use to submit their financial data.
- The SACS Web System Overview Webinar
(Video; 1:59:01) was recorded on March 14, 2022. This webinar introduces the SACS Web System that will be released in April 2022 by the CDE’s School Fiscal Services Division. This video provides SACS Web System release information, explains user roles and setup process, discusses dataset types and states, and showcases a demo of the new system.
- Charter School Alternative Form
- Other relevant information
- The SACS Web System Overview Webinar
Q&A from Previous Charter Chats and CASI Email
What are the renewal criteria with regards to comparing schools against the state academic average?
California Education Code (EC) sections 47607 and 47607.2 establish the renewal criteria to which schools are compared. Using the criteria set forth in statute, the California Department of Education (CDE) compares the schools to the state average and determines whether the school falls into the high, middle, or low performing tier. Once a performance tier has been identified for a school, low performing schools are presumed denied, unless the authorizer decides to make an exception based on the “second review” opportunity for low performing schools set forth in the statute. An authorizer using the second review exception is required to make written factual findings in two areas:
- First, the charter school is found to be taking meaningful steps to address the underlying cause or causes of low performance as reflected, or will be reflected, in a written plan adopted by the charter school’s governing body, and
- Second, there is clear and convincing evidence that the charter school has either achieved measurable increases in academic achievement, as defined by at least one year’s progress for each year in school, or the charter school has demonstrated strong postsecondary outcomes such as college enrollment, persistence, and completion rates equal to similar peers
The California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) provides the guide, Understanding Your Renewal Track
, to assist California charter schools in determining the performance tier to which it belongs.
How are Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAP) reviewed by authorizers?
Most authorizers simply review the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) to determine that: (1) the correct template was used, and (2) all the components of the document are present in the correct order. Some authorizers also use the review form included as part of the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCSESA) LCAP Approval Manual
(for district LCAPs) to provide feedback to the charter schools, as charter school LCAPs are approved by their governing board.
Is there new information regarding Williams monitoring?
The California Department of Education (CDE) has adjusted the list of charter schools that will be monitored for Williams during school year 2022–23 and updated its Williams Monitoring and Charter Schools FAQs. The FAQs include questions such as the following: Are charter schools subject to Williams monitoring? How are charter schools included on the Williams list? Are county superintendents required to monitor charter schools for all aspects of the Williams list? Where is the monitoring list published? Are charter schools subject to the Williams Uniform Complaint Procedure monitoring, complaint, and posting requirements for Williams?
Q&A from the June Charter Chat
Do charter schools need a board resolution for sufficiency under Williams?
California Education Code Section 1240, as revised by Assembly Bill 599, does not require board resolutions for sufficiency for charter schools to address requirements under the Williams Case. The determination of whether or not a board resolution is beneficial for demonstration of sufficiency is a local decision to be made by charter schools, chartering authorizers, and county offices of education conducting monitoring.
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