CASI August 2023 Charter Chat Resource Page

CalSAAS reports are generated through a comparison of California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) assignment data and the Commission’s Credential authorization data. The CALPADS Report 4.3: Staff Teaching Assignments - Detail provides a school’s courses and teaching assignments, which may be reviewed against a school’s master schedule and other oversight data, in order to ensure accurate data from CALPADS is used to generate the CalSAAS reports.

Per California Education Code (EC) Section 47613 , effective June 20, 2014, authorizers may charge for their actual oversight costs, not to exceed 1 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 3 percent of a charter’s revenue.

Authorizers may utilize a variety of ways to track oversight costs, including time accounting, full time equivalent (FTE) positions conducting the oversight processes, etc.

Per California Education Code 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. California Charter Authorizing Professionals (CCAP) created an annual visit toolkit and the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) also maintains annual visit resources, which may be of use to California authorizers.

• CCAP Annual Report Toolkit
• The documents listed below can be found at SCCOE Annual Visit Resources
  • Human Resources File Review Document (PDF)
  • Special Education File Review Document (PDF)
  • Student Cumulative File Review Document (PDF)
  • SCCOE Annual Charter Schools Data Book (PDF)
  • Annual Document Requests from Charter Schools (PDF)
    

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) is a program designed for eligible youth, ages 14 to 24, who face one or more specified barriers to employment. The youth program emphasizes the attainment of basic skills competencies, enhances opportunities for academic and occupational training, and provides exposure to the job market and employment. Charters that partner with WIOA may be created under California Education Code (EC) sections 47605, 47605.1, or 47605.6.
Per EC Section 47612.1 , charter school programs that provide instruction exclusively in partnership with the following programs are not subject to the jurisdictional and locational limitations of EC Section 47612:

1. The federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. Sec. 3101 et seq.)
2. Federally affiliated Youth Build programs
3. Federal job corps training or instruction provided, pursuant to a memorandum of understanding with the federal provider
4. The California Conservation Corps or local conservation corps certified by the California Conservation Corps, pursuant to Section 14406 or Section 14507.5 of the Public Resources Code

WIOA and other partnership charter schools are reviewed in the same oversight process as other charter schools.

For a countywide charter authorized under California Education Code (EC) Section 47605.6 , there is no mechanism for appeal of a denial by the county to the SBE. As provided by EC sections 47605.6(k) and 47607.5(a) , a charter petitioner who has sought to either establish or renew a countywide benefit charter may not appeal the decision of the county to deny the establishment or renewal of the charter.

For a charter school which a county authorized under EC Section 47605 on appeal after denial by a district, the school could appeal a denial of its charter petition renewal by the county to the SBE under EC Section 47607.5(a). If a charter petition renewal was only reviewed and denied by the county, the SBE would only review the actions of the county and could reverse the appeal based on a finding of abuse of discretion by only the county.

Senate Bill 114 amended California Education Code (EC) Section 47607.4 to automatically extend the terms of charter schools that expire on or between January 1, 2024, and June 30, 2027, by one additional year. The extensions to charter terms permit renewals based upon the most current, post-pandemic assessments, and allow charter school renewals to be based on the renewal tiers set out in EC sections 47607 and 47607.2. In order to ensure the availability of sufficient data, charter renewals may be heard beginning in fiscal year 2024–25 and/or at the conclusion of the year immediately preceding the final year of the charter school’s term.

The California Department of Education (CDE) recommends the process begin with sufficient time for appeals, if needed, before the charter term has expired. Please note that, consistent with past practice and the law, the CDE will not accept an appeal of a renewal decision before the final year of the charter school’s term. For additional guidance, please visit the CDE Charter School Renewals web page.

There are proposals to address this in the Budget Trailer Bill Cleanup Bill that are in process and not finalized at this time. The California Department of Education is planning to include a presentation on DA at next month’s State and Federal Program Directors (SFPD) Meeting on September 22, 2023, from 9 a.m. to noon. For additional information, please visit the CDE SFPD Meetings web page.