NC FOSTER CARE EDUCATION PROGRAM
Lisa “LJ” Von Dohlen, MSW, LCSW, is the new NCDPI Program Coordinator for Foster Care Education. Ms. Von Dohlen will be providing training and support to North Carolina school districts, charter schools, educational partners, community organizations, and state and national agencies as it pertains to Foster Care Education. She began her service in public education in 1992 as a school social worker and has worked with or on behalf of students in foster care throughout her career. She has served in administrative capacities as a coordinator of social work services, McKinney-Vento liaison, and lead social worker. She is a licensed clinical social worker and is licensed by NCDPI as a school social worker, principal, and superintendent.
Under ESSA it is required that all LEAs appoint a Foster Care Point of Contact (POC) to support the needs of their students in the foster care system. To ensure that your Foster Care POC is receiving all correspondence regarding Foster Care Education please review the NC Foster Care POC List. If the contact information for your charter is incorrect or not listed, complete the Foster Care POC Contact Information Form.
Ms. Von Dohlen will be hosting a virtual training session for charter school Foster Care POCs titled Foster Care Education 101: Understanding ESSA. This training will be held Wednesday, September 27, 2023, from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM and is intended for Foster Care POCs who have less than three years’ experience in their role. Foster Care POCs can register for this training HERE.
If you have any questions or concerns surrounding Foster Care Education, please contact Ms. Von Dohlen at lvondohlen@serve.org or 743-208-3686.
School Business
School Business – September 22, 2023
The FBS website continues to be updated with information related to School Business and our ongoing operations. Please check the FBS homepage regularly for updates.
2023-24 Budget – All PSUs
The Appropriations Bill has moved through the House and the Senate, and will head to the Governor’s desk. Governor Cooper has stated that he will allow the bill to become law without his signature. This process will take 10 calendar days. With this information, we are proceeding with preparing the public school allotments.
School Business has posted budget information on their website.
Full Appropriations Bill - We are in the process of preparing a full summary of all special provisions that will impact K-12, but in the meantime, the summary posted provides information on items that will impact your major allotments. The budget includes many new and continuing grant programs for which we will provide more information after we have the initial allotments recalculated with the budget changes.
Full Committee Report - To facilitate the understanding of the Committee Report, we have posted a workbook with the K-12 money items. This workbook also provides tabs with the salary schedules for teachers and principals.
Use of Federal Fund - Subscriptions – All PSUs
“When can a subscription for services be obligated and what period of the contract can be paid for with Federal funds?”
A subscription for products or services is made based on a contract or other agreement. The obligation is generally met at the time of the contract. While a subscription may extend beyond the period of performance, federal grant funds may only cover the cost of the subscription services received through the 90-day liquidation period following the period of performance related to the grant.
This questions and answer can be found along with other information regarding obligations, liquidations and reversions in the ‘Overview and Frequently Asked Questions Related to Federal Grants - Fiscal Obligations, Liquidations and Reversions’ on the DPI website.
Paid Parental Leave Substitute Reimbursement – Charter Schools, Lab Schools and Regional Schools Only
An IPS that is approved to opt in to paid parental leave for substitutes, by their board of directors, will be required to submit evidence of substitute costs to School Business.
Refer to the FAQs relating to the paid parental leave substitute reimbursement for charter schools, lab schools and regional schools.
Required Annual Reporting Due October 31, 2023
The SS200 and SS300 reports are due by October 31, 2023 and will be available by the end of September on the Financial and Business Services website under “What’s New” or by accessing https://schools.nc.gov/ss200 and https://schools.nc.gov/ss300 directly.
An annual subscription (request to access) is required to access the reports. The individual submitting the report will also need an active North Carolina Identity Management identification (NCID) login. If you (or your staff) need an NCID, you must contact your own NCID administrator to set up an account for you. A directory of the local NCID administrators is available here. DPI cannot assign an NCID or reset NCID passwords.
If you have questions related to the SS200 or SS300, please contact student accounting at studentaccounting@dpi.nc.gov.
SS200 Full-Time Personnel Report – All PSUs
The SS200 Full-Time Personnel Report is an online system that collects race/ethnicity, gender and fund source of full-time personnel employed through October 1 of the current school year. A Full Time Employee is defined as a person employed to fill a vacancy whose regular work week is the number of hours established as full-time for the class of work assigned, but not less than 30 hours per week. All Public-School Units (PSUs) and Independent Public Schools (Charters, Regional, UNC Lab Schools ) must complete this report.
Please share this information with other staff that may be involved with data collection and reporting of either of these reports.
Reminders
Retro Pay Related to ESSER II Salaries – All PSUs No State budget will be in place on September 22, 2023; an alternative source of funds must be considered
Details are in the September 8, 2023 newsletter *
Textbook Warehouse not accepting textbook orders from September 18th through October 10th
Details are in the September 8, 2023 newsletter *
September PSBCF, and PSBRRF, are due September 25, 2023
Details are in the September 1, 2023 newsletter *
2022-23 ABC Transfers Template due on October 15, 2023
Details are in the September 8, 2023 newsletter *
FINANCIAL STATEMENT AUDITS – All PSUs must submit the audit by October 31st
Details are in the September 15, 2023 newsletter *
PSUs Required to Liquidate and Closeout Federal Grants are expiring on September 30, 2023 with a liquidation period of December 29, 2023
Details are in the September 15, 2023 newsletter *
*View prior newsletters online: Newsletters and Guidance | NC DPI
NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey (NCTWC)
The NC Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) needs your feedback and input to improve the validity and reliability of the NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey (NCTWC). Your participation will help us understand the needs of teachers across the state, improve work environments, and shape policies that directly impact educators and education stakeholders like you.
To learn more about our survey revision process, please:
- See our 1-pager available here and additional information included below.
- Join NCDPI staff at our "Overhauling the NCTWC" Session at the AIM Conference on Tuesday, October 10 from 10:10 AM - 11:30 AM.
To complete the NCTWC feedback form, please click on this link. Your responses will be anonymous and only used for NCTWC survey improvement.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please feel free to contact Jeni Corn, Director of Research and Evaluation at the NC Department of Public Instruction at jeni.corn@dpi.nc.gov
Thank you for your dedication to education and your commitment to improving the teaching and learning experiences of our public school educators and students in North Carolina. Your insights will contribute to creating a more supportive and conducive working environment for all educators.
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NCDPI needs your feedback and input in our efforts to improve the validity and reliability of the NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey while reducing the number of items and data collection burden on our educators, schools, and districts.
We have divided the survey into 12 domains, each focusing on different aspects of the teaching experience. You will have the opportunity to provide feedback on one domain at a time. Your responses will be anonymous. Your participation is instrumental in helping us understand the needs of teachers across the state, improve work environments, and shape policies that directly impact educators like you.
Purpose of the NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey:
The NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey is a critical tool for assessing the various aspects of the teaching profession, including classroom environment, school leadership, professional development, and more. Its primary purpose is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the conditions under which teachers work, allowing us to identify areas of strength and areas that may require improvement. The insights gathered from this survey enable us to tailor policies and initiatives that better support teachers, enhance their work experiences and ultimately contribute to improved educational outcomes for our students.
We value your perspective as a member of the NC education community, and your feedback on the individual items within the survey is crucial to our continuous improvement efforts. We have divided the survey into 12 sections, each focusing on different aspects of the teaching experience. You have the opportunity to provide feedback on one section at a time. Each section includes all related items for your consideration.
Access the Survey: To ensure a clear and organized process, we have created this Feedback Form.
In this form, you can review each item within a section and choose from the following options for each item:
- Keep: If you believe the item accurately represents your experience and is important for assessing working conditions.
- Edit: If you think the item needs modifications or adjustments to better reflect your reality.
- Delete: If you believe the item is irrelevant or should be removed from the survey.
Additionally, we encourage you to provide a brief explanation for your choices. Your reasoning will provide us with deeper insights into your perspective and guide any necessary changes.
Please note that to provide feedback on multiple sections, you will need to complete the survey more than once.
Improving Validity, Reliability, and Fairness:
With efforts to enhance the NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey, we are dedicated to refining the survey's validity and reliability while maintaining its established structure. We strive to gather insights that accurately represent the diverse experiences of educators statewide, ultimately leading to well-informed policy decisions that positively impact teacher work environments. Your participation and feedback are integral to this continuous improvement process.
Jeni Corn, Ph.D.
Director
OCR/CRDC - SY2021-2022 - Announcement from OCR
Note: PSUs that were not open in the school year 2021-2022 are not required to participate in this collection.
The CRDC Partner Support Center (PSC) has announced the release of SY2021-2022 collection documentation. Specifically, the LEA and School forms (links contained in this email). All required federal documentation is located at the Civil Rights Data Collection Resource Center. PSC is still making updates to other supporting documents for the collection. The PSC message is attached and will be published on the NCDPI CRDC website.
OCR expects to announce the submission open date in Winter 2023. NCDPI will notify PSUs with dates when the Federal Submission Tool is open when the information is available. PSUs are encouraged become familiar with the federal site prior to the opening of the Federal Submission Tool.
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Verify the PSU CRDC contact records in EDDIE by November 1, 2023.
Staff documented in EDDIE for the CRDC as of November 1, 2023, will receive accounts to the Federal Submission and can provision accounts to others at the local level at the time of the collection.
- Download and begin reviewing the updated required documents for CRDC Coordinators, which include:
These forms contain the complete set of survey questions that the PSU must complete for itself and its school(s).
- Begin gathering data not collected by NCDPI
More detailed information will be provided for data PSUs will be required to collect on their own.
Examples include but are not limited to:
- STAF-1: Teachers – FTE Count and Certification
- STAF-6: School Counselors Number FTE
- STAF-7: Support Services Staff Number FTE
- SECR-1: Security Staff
- OFFN-6: Offenses -Allegations Against School Staff (Resignation or Retirement)
- OFFN-7: Offenses -Allegations Against School Staff (Determined Responsible)
- OFFN-8: Offenses -Allegations Against School Staff (Determined Not Responsible)
- OFFN-9: Offenses -Allegations Against School Staff (Determination Pending)
- OFFN-10: Offenses -Allegations Against School Staff (Duty Reassignment)
Please email nc.ocr.crdc@dpi.nc.gov with any questions you may have.
More information will be provided on the collection as it is made available.
Want information about the CRDC, but are not the CRDC Coordinator contact? Add your information here: 2122 CRDC – Info Only Contacts List
In-person Regional Training for the 2023 K-12 Science Standards
Greetings colleagues!
We are excited to announce that we have scheduled a full day of in-person training for each region this Fall to share explore the newly adopted 2023 NC K-12 Science Standards. We will share an overview of the new standards, including the Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) and the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy (RBT). Participants will engage in strategic conversations and work collaboratively to plan for local implementation in 2024-2025.
Please see the link below, with more details, date/location for each regional training and a link to the registration. We are encouraging each district to send teams of 5 and for each charter school to send teams of up to 3.
We are excited to be able to be in-person with you and your staff! Please let me know if you have any questions. A copy of this email will also be shared with each districts CAO.
We hope your school year has started off as smoothly as possible. Thanks for everything you do to support science instruction in our classrooms!
Respectfully,
Charles Aiken, Ed.D. Section Chief Mathematics, Science and STEM Office of Academic Standards NC Department of Public Instruction P: (984) 236-2837 charles.aiken@dpi.nc.gov
Center for Safer Schools
National Preparedness Month
September is National Preparedness Month. This yearly observance raises awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies that could happen at any time.
This year’s theme is “Take Control in 1, 2, 3,” which empowers everyone, especially older adults, to 1) assess their needs, 2) make a plan and 3) engage their support network to stay safe when disaster strikes.
Older adults can face greater risks in extreme weather events and emergencies, especially if they are living alone, are low-income, have a disability or live in rural areas. By 2035, the U.S. Census Bureau projects that there will be more Americans over 65 than under 18. Over the next decade, it is imperative that the growing older adult population becomes more aware of their risks and better prepared for them.
For more information about National Preparedness Month, visit Ready.gov.
Great Southeast ShakeOut
The Center for Safer Schools and N.C. Emergency Management invite school districts and charter schools across the state to participate in the 2023 Great Southeast ShakeOut on Thursday, Oct. 19 at 10:19 a.m.
The ShakeOut is an annual public earthquake drill where millions of people in schools, organizations and homes simultaneously practice “Drop, Cover and Hold On,” which is the recommended action for people to take during an earthquake to reduce the risk of injury.
Although Oct. 19 is the official ShakeOut date this year, school districts and individual schools can choose their own date (or multiple dates) to accommodate as many people and schedules as possible. The drill can be completed together in person or at home via videoconferencing and offers your schools and community an opportunity to consider how they would respond to an earthquake while identifying potential refinements to your district’s emergency response plan.
Visit https://www.shakeout.org/southeast/register/ to register and perform a “Drop, Cover and Hold On” drill on Oct. 19 at 10:19 a.m. (or a date and time that works best for you). Once registered you will:
- Learn how your schools can be more prepared for earthquakes.
- Be counted in the world’s largest earthquake drill.
- Receive ShakeOut news and other information about earthquakes and preparedness.
- Make a difference by motivating others to participate and be prepared.
The ShakeOut website includes drill planning resources, general preparedness information, mitigation guidance and educational activities including lesson plans. The Great Southeast ShakeOut is organized by the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium and its member and associate state emergency management agencies. While infrequent, damaging earthquakes can occur at any time across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.
If you have questions, contact Laura Silver with N.C. Emergency Management at laura.silver@ncdps.gov or 984-272-7002.
Executive Director Tours
During the fall semester, Center for Safer Schools Executive Director Karen W. Fairley will continue her tours of North Carolina school districts and charter schools. She would like to see anything public school units want to showcase regarding school safety. For school districts, include stops at an elementary school, a middle school and a high school. Fairley also would like to take time to talk with a small group of students. To request a tour, send an email to cfss@dpi.nc.gov.
The NCCAT 2024 NC Beginning Teacher of the year Nomination Form is due October 2nd!
The NCCAT Beginning Teacher of the Year Award celebrates the creativity and enthusiasm of beginning teachers, their mentors, school teams, and communities. The award recognizes the unique challenges and achievements that new teachers experience during their first year in the classroom. Selected from over 7,000 new teachers, the annual award recipient is chosen through a special competitive selection process, culminating in naming 27 regional and charter finalists, one winner, and one runner-up.
Data shows that nearly half of North Carolina’s new teachers leave the profession in their first five years of teaching. In recognizing excellence among new teachers and providing programs that support them from the start of their careers, NCCAT not only honors their achievements but also strengthens their connection to the profession, one another, and the resources they need to succeed. Supporting and encouraging new teachers is paramount to developing the caring, strong professionals we all want instructing our North Carolina Students.
For 35 years, NCCAT has provided support for teaching excellence and is proud to partner with North Carolina school districts and charter schools to identify and recognize the best of the beginning teacher corps from across the state.
Please complete this form by Monday, October 2nd to nominate a Beginning Teacher from your school. For information on criteria for consideration, prizes, and timeline, please visit www.nccat.org/btoy
Career and Technical Education (CTE) Trainings
Are you new to offering Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs or do you want to know more about CTE? Check out our Charter Schools: Getting Started with CTE guide (https://bit.ly/CTEcharter) to connect with CTE resources, including course standards, required CTE proofs of learning, credentials, and reporting requirements.
The CTE Regional Services team is implementing a charter school user group during the 2023-2024 school year to provide training and support for charter schools who offer CTE programs or have student enrollments in CTE courses through NCVPS. Our charter school user group will meet quarterly to provide CTE updates, information about CTE programs, and training for administering and reporting student results for CTE proofs of learning, credentials, and CTE concentrator status for WorkKeys participation. We invite you to mark your calendar for the following dates and plan to join us online to learn more about CTE.
*This session will include a CTE State Assessment training refresher and full training required for schools administering spring administrations of CTE State Assessments who did not attend fall training
Questions may be directed to Misty Wolfe (misty.wolfe@dpi.nc.gov) or your CTE Regional Coordinator.
New Charter Amendment Process
As of August 1, 2023, OCS has implemented an updated charter application amendment request process via epicenter. Please refer to the "Epicenter Steps for Charter Application Amendment Request 0723" document linked here for instructions. Any material change to the charter application must be approved pursuant to State Board of Education policy CHTR-014, North Carolina Administrative Code 16 NCAC 06g.0510 and 16 NCAC 06g.0511. Questions? Contact Nicky Niewinski, OCS Consultant, at nicole.niewinski@dpi.nc.gov
New ML[ELL] Data Compliance Library
This repository provides resources for supporting administrators, data managers, testing coordinators, and teachers to access throughout the academic school year. The range of resources allows users to determine their specific needs and find the appropriate materials.
If you have any questions, please email susan.walz@dpi.nc.gov.
Please review the attached Exceptional Children communication updates and Guidance.
Important MEMOs:
Office of Charter Schools (OCS) Updates
OCS presented some updates at the NCAPCS Charter Conference. In case you missed it, or want the presentation, please find it linked HERE.
Office of Charter Schools' 2023-2024 Open Office Hours
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Date
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Time
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Topic
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Link
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September 13, 2023
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11:00 AM
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Read to Achieve Tonya Parrish
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https://ncgov.webex.com/ncgov/j.php?MTID=m797428923a415b22158519bcab1284de
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October 12, 2023
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10:00 AM
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School Safety Dr. Karen Fairley
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https://ncgov.webex.com/ncgov/j.php?MTID=mb99d630a2fb94629201c837ab858a2bb
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November 28, 2023
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10:00 AM
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North Carolina Homeless Education Program Savannah Gay
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https://ncgov.webex.com/ncgov/j.php?MTID=mb2c987d2a54af5279aa891b5c7ce3273
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December (TBD)
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10:00 AM
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Home Base, NCEES, Mental Health docs Matthew Mayo, John Mair, Cami Narron
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https://ncgov.webex.com/meet/natasha.norins
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February 14, 2024
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10:00 AM
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School Leaders Inspire Us All Dr. Andrew Smith, Dr. Erika Shoulders- Royster, Tabari Wallas, ED.S.
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https://ncgov.webex.com/ncgov/j.php?MTID=mdb3a6a7f2dee947d09e1f406965ee97b
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March 20, 2024
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10:00 AM
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SEL (Social Emotional Learning) Anne Nixon and Dr. Natasha Norins
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https://ncgov.webex.com/ncgov/j.php?MTID=m9411d8ddf32bf2e7aea39b760d63594f
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April 17, 2024
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10:00 AM
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MTSS - Addressing Misconceptions
Ashley Springs + Rhonda Harrell (IABS)
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https://ncgov.webex.com/ncgov/j.php?MTID=m8c2cab43d4e6628256bf5f97a73fcbcd
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 The North Carolina Advancing Charter Collaboration and Excellence for Student Success (NC ACCESS) Program and Teach like a Champion have partnered to provide a series of workshops for NC Charter Schools to help improve the academic achievement of students and support the leadership and professional development school leaders and teachers. One of the trainings that is being offered will be held in-person on January 18 -19, 2024, 8:00am – 4:40pm at the McKimmon Conference and Training Center at NC State University in Raleigh, NC.
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Reading Reconsidered
Train-the-Trainer
In-Person Workshop in Raleigh, NC
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Join the TLAC Team for this in-person workshop on January 18-19, 2024, 8:00am - 4:30pm EST in Raleigh.
This practice-intensive workshop provides instructional leaders with materials and guidance to deliver high quality training on literacy instruction and provides teachers with tools to implement research-based literacy instructional practices with their students, both with the goal of driving literacy results in schools.
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HR Webinar Information - Licensure requirements, resources, and more for Charter School leaders
Once a month, Dr. Tom Tomberlin and his team provide State Board of Education and legislative updates to the human resources contacts in Public School Units (PSUs) across the state.
All sessions are 10:30-11:30AM
October 6
November 3
December 8
Other Resources from DPI and beyond
Charter School Job Postings
If you have current teaching/leadership positions open and wish to share them in this newsletter, reach out to Joseph.Letterio@dpi.nc.gov and provide a link to the posting/s.
Whom Should I Contact at the Office of Charter Schools?
OCS Main Number: (984) 236-2700 / Email: ocs@dpi.nc.gov
Please forward
School leaders, we encourage you to forward this newsletter on to your staff so they can subscribe to DPI bulletins directly through this link. They will enter their email and then it will bring them to another page where they can select “Charter School Comms Contacts” and any other public listserv to sign up for.
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