5 NC Charters Awarded the Purple Star Recognition
299 NC Schools Receive Recognition for Extraordinary Support of Military Students, Families
NC Local AIG Plans 2022-2025
Stephanie Cyrus and Beth Cross, State Consultants in the Division of Advanced Learning and Gifted Education shared the process for writing a local AIG plan during the Office of Charter Schools Office Hours on Monday, February 21. You can find the recording from this session in Epicenter.
If interested in revising a current local AIG plan or developing a local AIG plan for the first time, please complete the form at this link: https://ncdpi.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bgvIzLp4VPCOAke
This information will provide Stephanie and Beth what they need to be able to reach out and support your needs.
RTO Item Due
Cohort 2022 Ready to Open Schools-Enrollment Report One Due on February 25th.
Schools in the Planning Year are required to submit the first of several application/enrollment reports on 2/25. The template and instructions for completion have been sent to each school. Reach out with questions to: claire.porter@dpi.nc.gov
OCS Office Hours
Dear charter school leaders,
Effective March 1, 2022, Charter School Office Hours will be held on the 1st and 4th Mondays only! The 4th Monday remains dedicated to Dr. Stegall.
Important MEMOs:
Charters & Medicaid
Psychological and counseling evaluation services:
Division of Health Benefits (DHB) LEA Policy 10-C was updated on February 1, 2022, to expand the list of practitioners considered qualified by Medicaid/DHB to be reimbursed for psychological and counseling evaluation services.
Section 6.0 Provider(s) Eligible to Bill for the Procedure, Product, or Service (page 20) now reads that all providers of psychological and counseling services “shall provide documentation of appropriate training and experience, which qualifies them to work with students in an educational setting. All providers shall function within the scope of practice of their state license and certification.”
Charter Schools enrolling as Medicaid Providers, pursuant to SL-2021-180.105 9D.21:
On Feb. 3, 2022, DHB posted a bulletin outlining enrollment requirements to begin participation in the LEA reimbursement program. This bulletin should be read carefully to understand DHB requirements and ensure efficient procedures for Charters who participate in Medicaid reimbursement programs. To support charter school representatives as they begin, NCDPI will host:
- Four Medicaid overview webinars. Building administrators, EC coordinators, and school business/finance officers for charters should attend:
- Medicaid office hours (open time for anyone to come and ask questions) will held on April 7, 11, 18, 25 from 3-4p at https://ncgov.webex.com/meet/lauren.holahan
Please submit your questions for that time here
- A Medicaid in Education CANVAS course will be available in early March
Meanwhile, charter schools are encouraged to investigate the resources at: https://www.dpi.nc.gov/districts-schools/classroom-resources/exceptional-children/program-and-fiscal-monitoring/medicaid-education. On-going technical assistance is available from Bill Hussey at william.hussey@dpi.nc.gov and Laurie Ray laurie.ray@dpi.nc.gov
Sherry H. Thomas
Director
Exceptional Children
Office of Educational Equity
NC Department of Public Instruction
NCDHHS/DPI
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For those who couldn't join our February call, click here to access the recording with integrated chat and transcript.
Additional links and resources referenced in the call:
2.1.22 DHHS Slide Deck
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NCDHHS Announces Upcoming Changes to Mask Guidance - Effective March 7
Superintendents, Charter Leaders, PIOs:
Thursday Governor Cooper and Secretary Kinsley announced that NCDHHS will update their guidance on March 7th to focus on the most effective tools to reduce the risk of COVID-19. NCDHHS is announcing this now so that schools and school leaders have time to prepare.
NCDHHS’ guidance below is effective March 7, 2022.
Schools
- Promote vaccination for students and staff.
- Participate in the School Testing Program.
- Consider moving to voluntary masking, at the discretion of local authorities, as universal masking is a less important tool in lower risk settings like schools.
Child Care
- Promote vaccination for students and staff.
- Consider moving to voluntary masking, at the discretion of local authorities, as universal masking is a less important tool in lower risk settings like childcare
Individuals
- Stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccines and booster.
- Get tested if you have symptoms or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 and stay away from others if you are sick or test positive, following isolation guidance.
- Get treatment early if you are at risk for severe illness.
- Wear a mask if you are at high risk for severe illness or if you want an added layer of protection.
- Wear a mask if you have a COVID infection or exposure.
- Wear a mask if you are not up-to-date on your vaccines.
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NCCAT Charter School Conference
NC Colleagues,
Are you ready to grow your network of charter school educators and learn innovative strategies for your classrooms? If so, join NCCAT for our annual Charter School Connections Conference held March 7-9th on our Cullowhee Campus. Come ready to share, collaborate, and grow new ideas for your school. Lodging and meals are provided for this event. Click here to apply.
OCR/CRDC - State Certification Progress Report - February 21, 2022
Note: PSUs which were not open in the school year 2020-2021 are not required to participate in this collection.
Attached is the most recent State Certification Progress Report. The CRDC submission end date is March 11, 2022.
Please be aware that the Percent Complete column does not indicate the report has been functionally certified. If you are unable to certify due to an incorrectly listed school, please contact Partner Support using this link: https://crdc.communities.ed.gov/#program.
Get Ready for the 2022 NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey!
Dear Charter Leaders:
Please sign-up for one of these webinars accordingly. Superintendent Truitt’s goal for this year is 95% participation. OCS pushed really hard with the team to ensure appropriate representation and input from our charter educators. Let your teacher’s voices be heard when the survey is released.
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Get Ready for the 2022 NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey!
The NCTWC Survey is administered to every teacher and licensed school-based educator in our public schools every 2 years. For almost two decades, educators have been using NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey (NCTWC) results to drive decision-making in school and district improvements. In addition, our legislators and State Board of Education use data from the survey to help inform policy. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction will once again provide this anonymous, online teaching conditions survey from March 1-31, 2022. Results will be accessible on www.nctwcs.org. We encourage you to participate in one of the webinars below to become familiar with all aspects of the 2022 NCTWC Survey.
2022 NCTWCS Dates to Remember (click to print)
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February 9 & 10
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February 17-24
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Prior to March 1
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March 1 - 31
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Plan to attend one of the Survey Webinars
(See below for registration links)
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Watch for your Survey Packets to arrive at your school(s)
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Distribute codes to Educators and contact Survey Support for any code issues
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The NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey is open! Be sure to encourage participation!
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February 9, 2022, 4:00 PM: Pre-Survey Webinar for State, District, and School Administrators Register Now!
This webinar will share details about the latest research and provide the larger context of the NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey as related to the work of the North Carolina State Board of Education and NC Department of Public Instruction. Information will be shared for accessing this year’s survey.
February 10, 2022, 4:00 PM: Pre-Survey Webinar for School Representatives Register Now!
This webinar will guide you through details about the 2022 North Carolina Teacher Working Conditions Survey, including background, key talking points, and frequently asked questions. You will also have an opportunity to ask questions to clarify your role.
If you have any questions regarding the North Carolina Teacher Working Condition Survey email Alessandro Montanari at Alessandro.Montanari@dpi.nc.gov.
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Social Studies Leaders' Institute
We are excited to invite you to attend the Social Studies Leaders’ Institute. This year’s institute will consist of two half-day virtual sessions. The theme of the institute is Supporting the Implementation of the Social Studies Standards. It will take place from 9 AM - 1:30 PM on Tuesday, March 29, and 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM on Wednesday, March 30.
The NCDPI Social Studies Leaders' Institute is a meaningful way to increase the capacity of social studies leaders to build strong curricula support. It is also an excellent opportunity for district leaders to network and interact with other leaders across the state.
The tentative program includes sessions focused on standards implementation, elementary social studies, civic literacy, and financial literacy. Please use the link below to register for the Institute. Once you get to the WebEx site, click on the link by Session Status (circled in the screenshot below) to register for the institute.
Registration Link: https://ncgov.webex.com/ncgov/k2/j.php?MTID=t338b539ab449fdea76b490b55e770af2
Best,
The NCDPI K-12 Social Studies Team
Tom Daugherty
K-12 Social Studies Education Consultant
Division of Academic Standards
NC Department of Public Instruction
(W) (984) 236-2824
Thomas.Daugherty@dpi.nc.gov
Compliance Forums for McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaisons in Charter Schools
Registration is now open for the annual NCHEP Compliance Forums for Charter Schools, which will take place during March 2022. All charter school homeless liaisons are required by the State Coordinator to attend one Compliance Forum annually. This year’s Compliance Forums have been structured by topic rather than by region. Charter school liaisons may choose the forum which best suits their program’s needs. All Compliance Forums will be held virtually and will run from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM on each designated date.
Please click here for dates and registration links. Questions about the Compliance Forums should be directed to your Program Specialist, Tricia Lentz (336-681-7561).
EC Division
Please see the attached newsletters.
Office of Charter Schools (OCS) Updates
Letter of Intent to apply for the Charter School Transportation Grant Program due in Epicenter February 28th
A new Epicenter task appeared in the queue of all operating schools on Thursday, 2/10/22. This is not a compliance requirement, but is necessary for eligible schools to receive the Transportation Grant funds. A template document will be included as a resource on the submission task, to be filled and uploaded signed. Any school's completed and signed form not received as of 2/28/22 will be marked Not Applicable. On the form, Nonprofit Name can be the same as Name of Charter School, but both fields require content per the grant requirements.
OPEN NOW: 2022 NC Charter Applications
The 2022 North Carolina Charter School Application is now open, as of Friday, January 28th at 5 pm. The 2022 charter application window will close on April 29, 2022 at 5pm. Applicants who are interested in opening a charter school in 2023 under the accelerated timeline, or in 2024 under the standard timeline must submit their charter applications on or before the April 29, 2022 application close date.
Both the online application and $1,000 application fee must be submitted on or before April 29, 2022 at 5pm.
The link to the 2022 NC Charter School application is posted on the NCDPI Charter Schools Application page found here.
For questions about the charter application process, please reach out to Melanie.Rackley@dpi.nc.gov.
2022 NC OCS SECU PHP Scholarship Information
The 2022 North Carolina SECU People Helping People Scholarship Application is now Open! Final submissions should be returned to Dr. Darian C. Jones, darian.jones@dpi.nc.gov no later than March 18th, 2022 by 5:00 p.m. with all of the requested information. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Dr. Jones at the above email.
New Charter Leaders Institute
Registration link for the New Charter Leaders Institute, June 8th & 9th, 2022.
This is an institute for school leaders in the Ready to Open year but is also open to schools who have new leadership.
OCS Consultant Sites:
The NC ACCESS Program has added more professional development opportunities for this spring. Visit the NC ACCESS [ncaccessprogram.com/learn]website to learn more and register!
A VIRTUAL VISIT TO THE HOUSE OF SEESAW!
with Dr. Vickel Darby
Attention Amazing Teachers! Looking for a platform for student engagement? Have no fear! Seesaw is here! Learn how you can empower your students to create, reflect, share, and collaborate.
Mar 22, 2022
EVERYONE NEEDS A HERO! KAMI IS OUR HERO!
with Dr. Vickel Darby
Explore, Engage, Execute on how Kami provides super powers to empower learning! Learn how to gain your super powers by driving engagement, streamline academic feedback and assessment to improve learning outcomes!
Apr 13, 2022
NC ACCESS ASPIRING MINORITY SCHOOL LEADERS PROGRAM
SEEKING INTERESTED PARTICIPANTS FOR A FALL 2022 COHORT
The NC ACCESS Program is looking to potentially offer two cohorts of the Aspiring Minority School Leaders Program with only 20 slots available! One track for applicants WITH a master’s degree to complete a MSA Add-on Licensure program AND one track for applicants WITHOUT a master’s degree to complete a Masters in School Administration program. Learn more about the Add-on Licensure Program here. The full MSA program would be a new offering.
PLEASE SEND THE NAMES AND EMAIL ADDRESSES OF POTENTIAL CANDIDATES FOR THE PROGRAM TO DR. BARBARA O’NEAL.
Other Resources from DPI:
Leadership Opportunities:
Whom Should I Contact at the Office of Charter Schools?
Please note that response times to voicemails left on our phones will be much slower than usual due to the COVID-19 response efforts. Sending us an email is ideal. Clicking the link on our names will bring up an automatic email prompt. Thank you!
OCS Main Number: (984) 236-2700 / Email: ocs@dpi.nc.gov
Dave Machado 984 236 2702
Director of the Office of Charter Schools
Shaunda Cooper 984 236 2707
Consultant, Stakeholder Support
Claire Porter 984 236 2709
Consultant, Renewals, Planning Year & Ready to Open Process
Ashley Baquero 984 236 2708
Consultant, Amendments & Compliance
Joseph Letterio 984 236 2703
Consultant, Epicenter Tech Support & Performance Framework
Darian Jones 984 236 2705
Consultant, Professional Development
Melanie Rackley 984 236 2712
Consultant, Charter Applications
Jay Whalen 984 236 2711
Program Administrator, NC ACCESS Program
Barbara O'Neal 984 236 2706
Program Coordinator, NC ACCESS Program
Davida Robinson 984 236 2878
NC ACCESS Subgrant Program Manager
Lakisha Robbins 984 236 2704
NC ACCESS Finance Administrator
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