NCDPI Office of Charter Schools (OCS) Updates
LEA/Charter
School Cash Management System Update
One
of the largest concerns NCDPI heard during the LEA School Business System
Modernization Committee meetings was the amount of time it takes to process and
receive Federal and State funds. The committee asked NCDPI to look at
shortening the window and a better way to automate this process. NCDPI
will begin to work on this initiative in phases.
The
first phase, planned for rollout the first quarter 2018, will focus on
shortening the window between requests and deposits. As part of the development
and testing effort, NCDPI needs to stop the practice of processing emergency
cash requests. We need to be able to run testing parallel with
production to ensure we can get the same results in a shorter timeframe.
To do this, we need your help.
Starting
Feb 19, 2018, NCDPI will not be able to process emergency cash requests.
Please plan accordingly.
Please
contact Sam Fuller at 919-807-3741 or Samiel.Fuller@dpi.nc.gov with
questions.
 State Employees Credit Union Foundation (SECU) High School Scholarship Opportunity - Reminder
Since the SECU Foundation was established in August 2004, it has awarded annual $10,000 “People Helping People” four-year scholarships – increasing from two to three in 2014 – to graduating seniors attending North Carolina Charter Schools. These scholarships will be awarded to students attending one of the 16 constituent campuses of the University of North Carolina. These funds are made possible through the contributions to the Foundation by members of State Employees' Credit Union.
Below are the steps for applying for this scholarship opportunity:
- Review the ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA and share scholarship information with eligible students and their parents. New for 2018: The SECU People Helping People Scholarship is only available to graduating public high school seniors who are either members of SECU or the child of a parent/guardian who is a member of SECU.
- Develop a school-level scholarship selection committee comprised of three or more members who will make the final decision on the school-level nominee. The scholarship selection committee must also identify an alternate (runner up) for each school-level nominee in the event the named nominee becomes ineligible (i.e., receives a full scholarship, declines the scholarship, chooses to attend a private or out of state university, etc.).
- Submit the following information for the school-level nominee:
-
Completed Student Application and Essay. Note: This document must be sent as a Word Document only. The document is enabled to allow SECU Foundation to import student data into our database directly. Please do not send this document as a PDF or Google Doc.
- Copy of University Acceptance Letter
- Photo of Nominee (head shot only)
- A Brief Bio Written by Nominee with Accomplishments and Awards Noted. A guide for writing them bio is provided HERE.
- Written Scholarship Selection Committee Statement (signed by all committee members verifying the selection of the nominee). In this letter, include the name of the selected school-level alternate nominee.
-
Signed Consent Form. Each recipient of the scholarship and their parent/guardian must sign the Consent Form to release their names and images for press releases to the local news media as well as within State Employee’s Credit Union and the SECU Foundation. In addition, the nominee and their parents are asked to complete all the information on the Consent Form which will be used to verify their eligibility as an SECU member.
- Scholarship recipient information from each school must be received by the NCDPI Office of Charter Schools by 5:00 pm EST on March 9, 2018. Application information must be sent via email to Dr. Deanna Townsend-Smith at ocs@dpi.nc.gov. Schools should only submit application information for the school-level nominee. Application information should be collected for the alternate nominee, but the information should not be submitted until requested.
- Schools should notify the Office of Charter Schools if the school-level nominee or alternate are no longer eligible for the scholarship.
The Office of Charter Schools appreciates the dedication and hard work by the members of each school’s Scholarship Selection Committee. Please contact Dr. Deanna Townsend-Smith @ ocs@dpi.nc.gov if you have any questions or concerns about the scholarship opportunity.
Note:
SECU Foundation also provides each North Carolina Community College two (2) $5,000 scholarships. Recipients are selected by the Scholarship Selection Committee at the community college. If you have a student who will be attending a community college and exemplifies the membership philosophy of credit unions, “People Helping People”, please direct them to the Financial Aid office at the community college.
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2018 Charter School
Performance Framework Submission Dates
OCS collects evidence of
operational, financial, and academic compliance through the Charter School
Performance Framework (PF). March 2018 begins the collection process for
the 2018 Charter School Performance Framework.
Submissions for the
2018 PF are divided over two months. Please review the 2018
PF submission schedule:
Deadline- March 31,
2018- All Schools
A6- Admissions Policy and Lottery Application
A11- Board Meeting Schedule
A12- Board Residency
A17- EMO/CMO Public Records Request (only for schools contracting with
EMO/CMO)
2019
Renewal Schools Only
B1- Graduation Requirements
B2- Student Promotion Requirements
B7- Student Discipline Policy
Deadline- April 30,
2018- All Schools
A1- School Report Card and Letter Grade
A1- Parent Letter (only for schools receiving D/F in 2017)
A8- Grievance Policy
A9- Conflict of Interest Policy
A10- Nepotism Policy
A13- Evidence of Fire Inspection
A14- Certificate of Occupancy
A15- Civil and Liability Insurance Certificate for 2017-18
A16- Criminal History Policy
A20- Evidence of Dissolution Funds (only for schools
who participate in the NC Retirement
System)
A21- School Improvement Plan (only for schools identified
as Low-Performing and Continually
Low-Performing)
Please submit information
into the SharePoint system in pdf format only using previously
established credentials. Additional details on document labeling,
instructions for upload, etc. will be released once SharePoint opens for
submissions. Attached are PF resources for your review and use.
All schools must submit
the required documents per the established reporting timelines.
While the submissions are divided over two months, schools are invited and able
to submit all items at once if preferred.
For questions regarding the
2018 Charter School Performance Framework, please contact Ms. Stephenie Clark
at (919)807-3492 or stephenie.clark@dpi.nc.gov.
Attachment:
2018
Performance Framework Resource Documents
NC Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) Updates
US
Dept of Education Webinars on Student-Centered Funding Pilot
The U.S.
Department of Education (Department) will host two webinars regarding a new
pilot to afford local educational agencies (LEAs) flexibility to create
equitable, student-centered funding systems Wednesday, February 21
from 2:00 to 3:30 PM Eastern Time and Thursday, February 22
from 12:30 to 2:00 PM Eastern Time. The intended audience is LEAs, though
other interested parties are also welcome. The webinars will include
identical information, and the Department will take questions using the chat
feature. To join a webinar, please select the link for the relevant
session. Pre-registration is not required. The webinars will be
recorded, and the recordings as well as the slides will be posted at https://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/essa/scfp/studentcentered.html.
The webinars
will clarify the opportunity interested LEAs have to apply for flexibility to
implement a student-centered funding system as part of a pilot authorized by
section 1501 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as
amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The official application became available on
Friday, February 9 on the Department's web site, and the application deadline
is Monday, March 12 for those LEAs planning to implement in school year 2018-19
or July 15 for those LEAs expecting to implement in school year 2019-20. The
Department anticipates posting frequently asked questions at https://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/essa/scfp/studentcentered.html as soon as possible in
the coming days, so please check back for that information.
With this
flexibility, LEAs can combine eligible federal funds with state and local funds
to create a single, student-centered funding system. In the context of
the pilot, a student-centered funding system is a system based on weights that
allocate substantially more funding for students from low-income families,
English learners, and other educationally disadvantaged student groups. The Department can approve not more than 50 LEAs to participate in this
pilot.
The Department
is eager to receive applications from interested LEAs who share their
enthusiasm about the program, the flexibility it gives local leaders, and its
potential impact on equity and transparency in resource allocation. The
upcoming webinars will help clarify the requirements in the application.
If you have questions about the webinars or the application, please
contact WeightedFundingPilot@ed.gov.
 Professional Learning Opportunity
Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS), NCStar and the South Service Support Staff have teamed
up to offer a “new” training opportunity to support District and School MTSS
Implementation and use it as a School Improvement Tool.
NCSTAR &
MTSS CONNECTIONS. The session will be facilitated by: Angie Cloninger,
MTSS Sandhills Consultant and Alessandro Montanari, NCStar Consultant. Educator
Support Services (ESS) staff will be present to support districts.
WHEN: Wednesday,
April 11th
TIME: 9:00
AM – 12:00 PM
LOCATION: Blue
Creek Elementary, multi-purpose room, 1260 Burgaw Hwy, Jacksonville, NC 28540
REGISTRATION
LINK
Registration
is Limited by space and will be closed when capacity is reached; a District can
send 1 Team, up to 5 members
Team
Composition:
- 1 member of the district MTSS Team
- 1 district level person who works closely
with schools in developing their SIPs
-
up to 3 principals/designees who lead the work of the SIT in their schools
Please contact
Dr. Gerri Martin at gerri.martin@dpi.nc.gov with questions or concerns.
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Revised NC Q&A about Early Childhood
Educational Settings
Please see the attached Revised
NC Questions and Answers about Early Childhood Educational Settings.
If you have any questions, please
contact Dr. Vivian James at 919 218-8485 or Vivan.james@dpi.nc.gov.
Attachments:
 Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) Updates
Last week, you were reminded of the idea that MTSS is a total school improvement framework, NOT a process for struggling students. This framework is grounded in the support of all teachers and all students in order to achieve strong academic, behavior and social emotional outcomes, installation must be slow and very intentional.
A Cohort 4 school in the West Region has used their MTSS team to discuss universal screening, as well as the implementation of a classroom walkthrough document now providing feedback on defined core instruction. Teachers from this school share in this video how the shift in understanding MTSS as a framework for school improvement is bringing positive change to an already well functioning environment. While data systems, instructional practices and school charters may vary across the state, each and every team has had to begin with creating common language about installation of a Multi-Tiered System of Support. Consider how the example seen in this video can inform communication about MTSS in your school.
Details for how to join Cohort 5, can be found here. If you have other questions about MTSS please contact us at integratedsystems@dpi.nc.gov.
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Charter Schools In the News
Piedmont
Community Buying Land for New High School
On Tuesday,
February 20th, the Piedmont Community Charter School board voted unanimously to
purchase 43 acres of land for a new high school campus to be built at 2540
Robinwood Road in Gastonia.
For the
past two years, Piedmont’s board has led planning sessions focused on the
following: academics, teacher satisfaction, finance, planning, growth, parent
and student satisfaction, teamwork and governance. The process included
researching community need, space for separate middle school and high school
athletic programs, expanding enrollment and waiting lists, operating budget,
test score trends, available land, rental space, etc. The hard work
reviewing this data led to the creation of a long term school plan that
included a new high school campus that will hold a total of 600 students.
Head of
School, Jennifer Purdee, shares, “Michael Satterfield, a parent and local
architect, has generously given Piedmont his time and talents. Our school
performance grade of B and our excellent performance framework evaluation make
me so proud of our staff and students. I am confident that our current
administrative and board leaders are absolutely prepared to lead Piedmont
through this new chapter of growth. With our high school trending
positively across the board, it is a great time to build and expand our high
school. Our high school enrollment and academic growth is reflective of
the leadership of our Secondary Director, Ernie Bridges.” Mr. Bridges
retired from Gaston County Schools to join Piedmont’s staff in July of 2015.
The new
60,000 square foot high school campus will aim to have 150 students per grade
level. Michael Satterfield says, “We have maximized use of the secondary
campus. The clearest indicator that we have of the community’s need to
expand our tuition-free school is that Piedmont’s enrollment and waiting lists
have steadily grown over the past few years. It seems the community is
seeing the results of a fantastic administration and staff.”
At Piedmont
students are well-rounded. Offering consistent quality K-12, Piedmont
students are better prepared for high school thanks to the K-8 Core Knowledge
curriculum which is rich in content. Piedmont provides each student 3rd
grade and up with access to a laptop, and have since 2012. Laptop access
has made it very easy for students to take advantage of dually enrolling at
Gaston College to earn college classes, tuition-free through the Career and
College Promise (CCP) program. Thus 46% of Piedmont’s juniors and seniors
are taking CCP classes.
All NC
residents are able to apply for Piedmont’s enrollment lottery. This gives
parents the freedom to choose what is best for their child. The upcoming
deadline for the 2018-19 enrollment lottery is March 29th at 3:30pm.
Piedmont aims high to achieve their mission to provide a tuition-free K-12
school that offers a superior college preparatory educational option for this
community and its families.
NC Homeless Education Program (NCHEP) Updates
Please see the attached updates from NCHEP.
Attachment: Reminder
- Learning Institute Registration
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