Office of Charter Schools Weekly Newsletter for March 22, 2019

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Office of Charter Schools

6307 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-6307  •  919.807.3491

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER  –  MARCH 22, 2019



Upcoming Events

 

April 6, 2019

NCETA Spring Literacy Symposium

 

Action Items Due

 

March 29, 2019

Reviews of 2018 Performance Framework Reports (within Epicenter)

 

March 31, 2019

NC ACCESS Subgrant Program Applications Due

 

March 31, 2019

March Performance Framework Submissions Due

 

Future Action Items 

 

April 30, 2019

April Performance Framework Submissions Due

 

June 1, 2019

Annual Charter School Health Report Due

 

June 30, 2019

Resubmission Deadline for Performance Framework

 

 

NCDPI Office of Charter Schools (OCS) Update


Follow the Office of Charter Schools on Twitter 

 

Contact: ocs@dpi.nc.gov

 

The Office of Charter Schools is officially tweeting! Follow us @NCCharterOffice for news, updates, and to see the great things happening at charter schools around the state.

 

twittericon

2018 Performance Framework Reviews

 

The 2018 Performance Framework Reports have been submitted to each school through Epicenter. All schools should receive a “Performance Framework Report Data Verification” task in Epicenter. If you did not receive that task, please contact performanceframework@dpi.nc.gov.

 

Please review the 2018 Performance Framework Report and follow instructions in the submission task. All schools have the opportunity to submit a data review/correction request for this report by emailing performanceframework@dpi.nc.gov. Reviews of 2018 Performance Framework Reports within Epicenter must be complete by Friday, March 29, 2019.

 

Mark your Calendar

2019 Performance Framework March Submission

 

OCS collects evidence of operational, financial, and academic compliance through the Charter School Performance Framework (PF). Please find the submission criteria due on Sunday, March 31, 2019. 

Deadline- March 31, 2019 - All Schools

 

A01.2 – Parent Letter for Schools with a D or F

A13 – Fire, OSHA, and Other Required Health or Safety Inspections

A15 – Civil and Liability Insurance Certificate

A16 – Board Criminal History Check Policy

A19 – EMO/CMO Public Records Request

A21 – School Improvement Plan

 

For more information, please check out to the March Submission Guide linked here. This guide contains Frequently Asked Questions, submission instructions, and general guidelines for the PF evidence documents due by March 31, 2019. [Note: for optimal use of the links within the document, it is best to download a copy of the PDF]

 

All schools must submit the required documents per the established reporting timelines. Please submit information through the web-based tool Epicenter; to view the webinar training recording click here. Submission tasks have been assigned to all schools, including items that may be deemed Not Applicable. Please read the instructions provided in Epicenter for each submission task carefully.

 

Users are invited to the Epicenter by NCDPI OCS staff. To request a user for your school, the lead administrator must send an email to ocs@dpi.nc.gov with the following information of the requested user: 1) first and last name, 2) school email address, 3) position at the school, and 4) the name of the school.

 

Web-based Resources:

March Submission Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

 

For questions regarding the 2019 Charter School Performance Framework, please send an email to performanceframework@dpi.nc.gov

 

For technical support, please contact the Epicenter Support Center at (855) 899-1624 or support@epicenternow.org.

 

Deadline

Teacher Licensure Requirements – Reminder

 

Per NC General Statute 115C-218.90(a1) and State Board of Education (SBE) Policy CHTR-006, a charter school is required to maintain certification of at least fifty percent (50%) of its teachers.

 

As a reminder, per SBE Policy CHTR-006, charter schools shall maintain compliance with the law regarding licensure percentage requirements from December 31 of each year through the end of the school calendar year. Failure to do so is noncompliance with the statutory requirement, which shall result in a school’s placement on Governance Cautionary Status for the remainder of the 2018-19 school year.

 

The Office of Charter Schools receives a monthly licensure report on each school’s current licensure percentage utilizing data from the PowerSchool schedule and the NC Online State Licensure System. Correspondence regarding governance noncompliance for failure to meet at least fifty percent (50%) licensure ratio has been delivered to the applicable schools in the month of January.

 

Please note that this report is checked monthly and that charter schools are required to comply with the state law regarding licensure through the end of the school year. It is important that schools continue to monitor and address licensure compliance for the months of February through June to avoid the designation of noncompliance for the 2018-2019 school year.

 

Please be aware that expired, out-of-State, out-of-area, or out-of-grade level licenses do not count towards your school’s licensure percentage.  Also, be aware that improper coding of teachers or courses, or lack of student assignment, or teacher social security numbers entered incorrectly could be affecting your licensure percentage calculation.  Finally, teachers that work as “pull-out” instructors will not be picked up by the data because they are not connected to a course code. For those teachers, and for any other data assistance issues, please contact Mike Cash, NCDPI Data Analyst, at 919-807-3338 or Mike.Cash@dpi.nc.gov. The Office of Charter Schools does not have access to the data used to generate these reports.

 

If you have any specific questions regarding licensure, including how to obtain or renew a license, please contact the DPI Licensure Section at (919) 807-3310 or asklicensure@dpi.nc.gov

 

Please direct any additional questions to Ashley Baquero, Office of Charter Schools Consultant, at 919-807-3457 or Ashley.baquero@dpi.nc.gov

 

***Statutory and Policy Links***

https://stateboard.ncpublicschools.gov/policy-manual/charter-schools-administration/copy_of_policy-for-charter-schools-on-financial-and-governance-noncompliance

https://www.ncga.state.nc.us/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/BySection/Chapter_115c/GS_115C-218.90.pdf

 

In Case You Missed It

Regional NCStar Trainings in March & April – Registration NOW OPEN

 

From 8:30am – 1:00pm at each location, beginner training will be conducted and then from 2pm-4pm each location will have a Q&A session for experienced users. Registration is open at www.ncstar.weebly.com. Space is limited and registration for each site will close once site capacity is reached. Please remember that any school identified in a federal or state list will be required to use NCStar to create and manage their school improvement plan.

 

  • SANDHILLS o March 29th – Sampson County Schools Boardroom at 437 Rowan Road in Clinton
  • NORTHWEST o April 12th – Olive Hill Resource Center at 509 West Concord Street in Morganton
  • WESTERN o April 5th – Burrell Building at Southwestern Community College at 447 College Drive in Sylva
  • SOUTHWEST o April 3rd – Linda Rader Staff Development Center at 240 Eighth Avenue in Cramerton
  • NORTH CENTRAL o April 10th – Harnett Health Sciences Center at 51 Red Mulberry Way in Lilington
  • SOUTHEAST o March 26th – New Hanover County Schools Board of Education Center at 1805 South 13th Street in Wilmington
  • NORTHEAST o March 28th – Sadie Saulter Educational Center at 400 Spruce Street in Greenville
  • PIEDMONT-TRIAD o April 11th – Workforce Development & Continuing Education Building at 629 Industrial Park Avenue in Asheboro, NC

Don't Miss This

NCETA Spring Literacy Symposium

 

The NCETA Spring Literacy Symposium will take place on April 6th and we have a great day planned for this event, with Melissa Smith from #teachinglivingpoets, Jennifer Mangrum from the National Paideia Center, and NC poet Tyree Daye.

 

Check out our schedule of events here to see descriptions of concurrent sessions, including one session featuring the poetry of Tyree Daye, another led by Melissa Smith, and a session on getting your own writing published in our journal, Fringes. We'll also have tables set up with information about teacher awards, student writing awards, and classroom grants. We still have plenty of space for you to attend the symposium, and you can sign up here.

 

Jay Whalen

NC ACCESS Program Administrator 

NC Department of Public Instruction

6307 Mail Service Center

Raleigh, NC 27699-6307

Jay.Whalen@dpi.nc.gov

(919) 807-3495 (p)

 


NC Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) Update


School Leaders:


Please see the memo linked below, "1 percent Justification Letter," from LaTeesa Allen, Tammy Howard, and Sherry Thomas.

 

1pcJustification Letter_LA_TH_ST_031919.pdf

 


 

K-12 Education Legislative Update - Sunday, March 17, 2019

 


Federal Personnel Report - Overdue

LATE- Federal Personnel Collection - Was Due Friday - March 15, 2019

 

You are receiving this message because your LEA/Charter School/SOP has not turned in their The Table 2 - Federal Personnel report for the 2018-19 school year.  This count is based on personnel that served students with disabilities as of the December 2018 child count.  All LEAs, Charters and State Operated Programs that submitted a December 2018 child count are required to submit personnel data via the survey.

 

The survey will collect the number of Special Education Teachers, Special Education Paraprofessionals and Related Service Personnel by age and certification status.  The instructions for the table are on the first page of the survey link.  This report is specifically for personnel who work with Exceptional Children regardless of funding source.

 

The link to access the survey is https://ncdpi.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_797txrW4PSsPWrH. You may need to copy and paste this link into your browser to access the survey.  The due date for the federal personnel chart has changed to March 15, 2019. Your cooperation in meeting the deadline for data submission is greatly appreciated.  If you have any questions regarding this data request, please contact Kelley Blas at Kelley.blas@dpi.nc.gov.

 

 

Kelley Blas 

IDEA - Part B Data Manager

Special Programs and Data

Exceptional Children Division

Phone: 919-807-3967 


 

MTSS is about students, but it is also about the staff. The IABS team believes the path to all students achieving is through well prepared and supported educators. As your leadership team considers how staff are being supported around an MTSS, here are a few questions to consider:

 

  • How is our teamcommunicating the essential elements of MTSS to school staff?
  • How do we gather information on beliefs, knowledge, and skills of our staff in order to develop a professional development plan to support MTSS?
  • How do our schedules permit staff to access professional development and coaching support based on their needs?
  • How is our leadership team ensuring opportunities for collaborative, data-based problem-solving and decision making among staff?
  • The MTSS School Based Modules provide an in-depth look at the critical components of this school improvement work. Please contact your IABS Consultant with additional questions about MTSS or the use of the FAM-S.  

mtss

Greetings HR Directors:

 

In an effort to keep you all better informed about changes to state policy, NCDPI will begin offering monthly webinars closely following State Board of Education meetings.  The purpose of the webinars is to provide you with the opportunity to hear about proposed and approved changes to state policy that have an impact on Human Resources departments.  

 

Because we anticipate many participants, the webinar will not offer a "Q & A" session.  We will, however, have a chat feature enabled and will try to answer the most common questions raised from the field.  Additionally, we will record these webinars and place those recordings online so you will be able to hear the information even if you are unable to attend.  Attendance is, of course, optional, but we hope you all will join us for the webinars.

 

DPI will send out calendar invites to all Personnel Administrators listed in EDDIE.  If your EDDIE account is not up to date, please update it as soon as possible.  HR Directors may forward the invitation to any staff member they feel would benefit from attending. 

 

Here is a list of the dates we are planning to schedule the webinars:  

 

April 5

May 7

June 7

July 15

August 12

September 6

October 4

November 8

December 6

 

Specific times and the login for the webinar will be provided in the invitation.  Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

 

Thomas Tomberlin

Director, Educator Recruitment and Support

Office of the Deputy State Superintendent of District Support

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction

 

(O) 919-807-3440


Do you want to change the climate and culture of your school? Are you seeking strategies to enhance your character development efforts?

 

Join NCDPI for a FREE Workshop Session on April 30, 2019 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM(EDT) @ Ridgewood Elementary | 3601 South Bend Rd Winterville NC 28590 | Media Center 

Workshop participants will:

  • Learn how to use the 11 Principles of Effective Character Education as a tool to evaluate your school, district and/or community climate.
  • Understand how State and National Schools of Character have implemented effective initiatives and practices.
  • Understand how to develop a "Plan of Action" for your school/district using the 11 Principles of Character.org.

The deadline to register is April 22, 2019.  Please contact Justyn Knox at Justyn.Knox@dpi.nc.gov or 919-807-3835 for additional questions.

REGISTER TODAY 

 

Justyn Knox, M.Ed., NBCT

NC Department of Public Instruction 

K-12 Social Studies Education Consultant

State Schools of Character Coordinator

K-12 Standards, Curriculum, & Instruction Division 

6307 Mail Service Center 

Raleigh NC 27699-6397

(919) 807-3835 (P)

 

Character Matters

IDEA 611 and 619 Grant and BAAS Submissions

 

Attached is a Memorandum regarding grants and budgets online submission compliance. If you have any questions contact Amanda Byrd, Section Chief, Special Programs and Data at 919-807-3948 or amanda.byrd@dpi.nc.gov.

 

IDEA 611 and 619 Grant and BAAS Submissions.pdf

 

EC Division Header

FY 2019 Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) Grant Application

 

Dear Rural Educational Agency Contact,

 

The FY 2019 Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) grant application is now open in Grants.gov. To access the application package, click this link: https://www.grants.gov/view-opportunity.html?dpp=1&oppId=313089. SRSA-eligible local educational agencies (LEAs) have until April 26, 2019, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time to submit an SRSA application.

Applicants must complete the following pre-application actions in order to complete and submit an FY 2019 SRSA application in Grants.gov:

  1. Check Column K on the FY 2019 REAP Eligibility Spreadsheet for your LEA's SRSA eligibility status. Only those LEAs listed as eligible on this spreadsheet can receive an FY 2019 SRSA grant award.
  2. Make sure you accurately record your LEA’s NCES ID number from Column A of the spreadsheet. You will need this number to successfully complete the SRSA application in Grants.gov.
  3. Make sure your LEA’s DUNS number is active and registered in SAM.gov.
  4. Register in Grants.gov as an Organization Applicant.
  5. Create a Workspace profile in Grants.gov for your SRSA application.

 FY 2019 SRSA Application Walk-Through Webinars

The REAP Team will offer SRSA APPLICATION WALK-THROUGH WEBINARS again this year.

 

To register, click the hyperlink under any of the dates listed below for the webinar session you plan to attend:

 

Tuesday, April 10, 3:30-4:30 p.m. EST

https://educateevents1.webex.com/educateevents1/onstage/g.php?MTID=e481002b22dafe6e3e19ebc51bfb18262

 

Please send any questions regarding this email to REAP@ed.gov.

 


School Business Newsletter

 

SRO and Mental Health Grants (Charters and LEAs)

 

School Resource Officer Grant – The SRO grant is funded with recurring funds and unless there is legislative action to end the grant, funding will continue in 2019-20. Grant recipients are required to submit a Grant Program Report in April of 2019. Grantees who submit the required reporting will have their grants automatically extended into the 2019-2020 school year. Those who do not will have to reapply.

 

Mental Health Grant – This grant is funded with non-recurring funds. We are hopeful that the grant will continue but legislative action is required for this to happen.

Note: Current year grant funds do not carryover and any unspent funds at June 30, 2019 will expire and revert to the State.

 

If you have questions related to the program administration of the SRO or Mental Health grants, please contact Erika Berry at Erika.berry@dpi.nc.gov.


 

EDDIE Update Reminder (Charters and LEAs)

Please ensure that your LEA or school contact information for Staff Titles reflects the most current and accurate information. School Business regularly sends communications to these individuals and wants to ensure that the information reaches its intended audience.

  • Director (Charters)
  • Finance Officer (LEAs)
  • Student Information Coordinator (Charters & LEAs)

These and all other staff titles in EDDIE should be kept current as multiple areas of DPI use them to send communications.

Information about EDDIE, including a list of subscribed users who can update your data, is available at www.ncpublicschools.org/fbs/accounting/eddie/.

If you have any questions about EDDIE, please email eddie@dpi.nc.gov.


Healthy Schools Logo

Other News

 

The Annual Charter School Health Report will open May 1, 2019 and must be completed no later than June 1, 2019.  A preparation worksheet is provided with the reporting criteria.  All schools are encouraged to download the worksheet and mark the appropriate responses before beginning the online report survey. You may  Click Here  to access the worksheet.  Once you have prepared your responses, save the document to your local computer. This worksheet cannot be accepted as your report requirements. You will use it as a tool to enter your information into the online survey system once the report opens.   

 

North Carolina’s charter schools are required to comply with the Care of Students with Diabetes and with the School Supply of Epinephrine Auto-Injectors laws. Annually, charter schools report on compliance with each law, providing information that identifies staff educational and support needs related to compliance and student safety. 

 

The Charter School Health Report is designed to assist schools in addressing the healthcare needs of students.  Responses will be used to inform future training topics and to report on compliance with required legislation and policies such as Care of Students with Diabetes (§ 115C-375.3.) and School Supply of Epinephrine Auto-Injectors (§ 115C-375.2A ).  The summary will open May 1, 2019 and be completed no later than June 1, 2019.

 

 

Please contact Ms. Annette Richardson at annette.richardson@dhhs.nc.gov with questions or concerns. 

 

Annette Darden Richardson, MSN, RN, NCSN

Charter School Health Nurse Consultant

Division of Public Health - Children and Youth Branch

NC Department of Health and Human Services

 

Office: 252-339-3009 

 


NCHEP 2019 Learning Institute Reminder

 

NCHEP 2019 Learning Institute

 

April 2-3, 2019        8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (daily)

 

Hilton Charlotte University Place

 

8629 JM Keynes Drive Charlotte, NC 28262 (704) 547-7444

 

Registration for the Learning Institute is required (by March 26th).

Go to the registration page. The special hotel rate for NCHEP has been extended until March 13th. Reserve your room before March 13th to receive the special rate. 

 

 

The North Carolina Homeless Education Program's Annual Learning Institute is intended for Homeless Liaisons, Migrant Education Consultants, and other Educators in NC districts and schools, including charter, lab, ISD, and virtual schools, who work directly with children and youth experiencing homelessness. Sessions are designed for participants to learn about the McKinney-Vento Act and ensure compliance in school districts, including charter, lab, ISD, and virtual schools. The Learning Institute provides opportunities for professionals to acquire strategies and best practices in identifying, enrolling, and serving children and youth who are experiencing homelessness. This is a free professional learning event for NC Educators in districts and schools, including charter, lab, ISD, and virtual schools, who serve children and youth experiencing homelessness.

 

If you have questions about this event, please contact your regional program specialist: Paullett Wall - email: pwall@serve.org or phone (336) 315-7407 (Regions 1, 2, 3, 4) Patricia Lentz - email: plentz@serve.org or phone (336) 315-7402 (Regions 5, 6, 7, 8)

For more information, visit the NCHEP Learning Institute web page.

 


Job Vacancies

 

Casa Esperanza Montessori

 

Head of School

 

Casa Esperanza Montessori is a Charter School grades K-8; and a private preschool located in Raleigh, NC.  We offer a stimulating, enriching curriculum emphasizing academic core subjects, independence and organizational skills. At Casa, students develop a world view that is both practical and thoroughly inspirational. Because of our Montessori philosophy our students are creative, independent learners and self-directed problem solvers. With our multicultural options, families may choose a Spanish immersion speaking curriculum, or a significantly useful Spanish enrichment curriculum

 

Casa Page Link: http://www.cemcs.org/careers/

or

 

State Direct Link: https://nc.teachermatch.org/applyteacherjob.do?jobId=446721

 

 

The Learning Center

 

Head of School- in training

Open Position

2019-20 school year

 

 

The Learning Center Charter School, located in the mountains of western North Carolina in Murphy, seeks a Head of School- in training who is interested in becoming the Head of School.   The HOS-in training will have the opportunity to work alongside the current Director to advance the school’s vision as a national benchmark in educational excellence through an integrated E-STEAM open approach to learning.  To apply send a letter of intent and curriculum vitae by  April 1 to employment@naturallygrownkids.org.   

 

The full job description is available on the school’s website, www.naturallygrownkids.org, then scroll down to News and Newsworthy.