2019 Performance Framework – April Submissions

OCS collects evidence of operational, financial, and academic compliance through the Charter School Performance Framework (PF). 

Please find the submission criteria due on April 30, 2019.

Deadline- April 30, 2019- All Schools

                A1- School Report Card and Letter Grade

                A1- Parent Letter (only for schools receiving D/F in 2018)

    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 2018-19

    A16- Criminal History Check 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)

All schools must submit the required documents per the established reporting timelines. Please submit information into the SharePoint system in Epicenter pdf format only using previously established credentials.

For questions regarding the 2018 Charter School Performance Framework, please contact performanceframework@dpi.nc.gov.

For technical support, please contact the Help Desk at (919) 807-4357.

A20- Evidence of Dissolution Funds

This section outlines the qualifications for schools to maintain the funds reserved for closure proceedings as described in G.S. 115C-218.100(a).

• Applies only to charters that are members of the North Carolina Retirement System (TSERS)

• New Charter Schools:
• Received approval for the initial charter application on or after August 2014.
• Must have the $50,000 dissolution funds if there was a request to participate in TSERS at the initial application or within the first year.
• Schools that apply after the initial year of operation are waived from the closure funds requirement.

Applicable to schools that opened in 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18 and elected to participate in the TSERS during the initial application or within the first year of operation.

Q. How long must we have the dissolution funds?

A. Each year until the school receives a 10-year renewal.

• Renewal Schools:
• Received a renewal of the charter on or after August 2014.
• Must have $50,000 dissolution funds if the school did not receive a 10-year renewal.
• Schools that received a 10-year renewal on or after August 2014 are waived from the closure funds requirement.

Applicable to schools that received a renewal in 2016 and 2017 that was less than 10-years.

Q. How long must we have the dissolution funds?

A. Each year until the school receives a 10-year renewal.

Q. What if my school received a renewal in 2018 and it was less than 10-years?

A. Schools receiving a renewal of less than 10-years in 2018 will have until the 2019 Performance Framework submissions to secure the $50,000 dissolution funds required.

Q. What if my school is up for renewal in 2019?

A. If the school is applicable to having the dissolution funds through the New Charter School section, then the funds are required. When schools receive renewal recommendation and State Board approval for 2019, that may determine whether the school will need to secure the $50,000 dissolution funds required by the 2020 Performance Framework. 

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 is delivered to schools monthly. 

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 January 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.

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 919-807-3979 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

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.

Cash Management and MSA Training (Charter Schools):

We will have a Cash Management and MSA training class for Charter Schools on Friday, April 26, 2019 at the Department of Public Instruction in Raleigh, NC, Room #564 from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm.  There is no registration fee for the class, but you must register to attend.  The class is designed for those who work in the charter school’s finance office.  The class consists of "Hands-on" training with the emphasis on understanding the monthly financial reports, a brief lecture on Compliance & Monitoring, and a brief overview of the Cash Management System.  Instruction is geared to the beginner or new user and as a refresher for others.  There are only a certain number of seats in the training room, so limited space is available on a first come, first serve basis.

The above training date is for current charter schools.  New charter school training will be given later and the information will be sent out very soon.

If you would like to attend this class, please provide your name, email address, charter school name and charter school number.  Please email Roxane Bernard at roxane.bernard@dpi.nc.gov.  If you have questions, please call Roxane Bernard at 919-807-3725.  You will be notified by email when you have been successfully registered for the training class.

Refund State or Federal Program Report Code (PRC) overages

Review your monthly financial reports, Budget Balance Reconciliation Report (JHA705EG) and Cash Balance Report (JHA714EG) for overages.  Refund any state and federal overages.  If you are expecting additional allotments, please contact the program administer and the Allotment section.  You should not be recording expenses if you do not have an allotment for those expenses.

If you have questions, please contact Roxane Bernard at roxane.bernard@dpi.nc.gov  

MTSS Communication

Last Thursday evening, April 4th,  the IABS Division hosted a Twitter Chat, “Preparing for the FAM-S”. We have put together a transcript of the chat responses which highlight some practical implementation strategies for use of the Facilitated Assessment of MTSS-School Level. As your school team plans school improvement conversations around this tool, the #ncmtsschat transcript will be beneficial in learning more. If you have not yet participated in a Twitter Chat, we would encourage you to use this graphic as a resource and then plan to join us for our MTSS chat coming up on May 2nd.

If you have additional questions about your MTSS Cohort or would like technical assistance regarding the FAM-S, please contact your IABS Consultant.

69th Conference on Exceptional Children - Call for Proposals

Please see the attached invitation for 69th Conference on Exceptional Children Call for Proposals and Poster Displays.  Please share this information with staff.  

If you have Instructional Session questions, please contact ECConfProposals@dpi.nc.gov.

If you have Poster Display questions, please contact Crystal Patrick at crystal.patrick@dpi.nc.gov.  

• Memo - Call for Proposals .pdf

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:  

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

NCHE Webinars: Professional Development

Opportunities

Supporting the Education of Unaccompanied Homeless Students under ESSA

Understanding Doubled Up

NAEHCY Conference   

November 2 - 5