Clarification on recent legislation:

Are charters included in the new computer science requirement for graduation?

YES. The new graduation requirement is written to include all public school units, so charter schools are required to participate. Computer Science coursework may be completed in either middle or high school to fulfill the requirement.

Are charters required to offer a 3-year graduation option?

NO. Charter are not required to offer a 3-year graduation option (though they may do so).

Are charters allowed to offer more than state requirements for graduation?

YES. Charters are not prohibited from establishing additional requirements beyond the minimum SBE requirements.

This information will be clarified in policies and rules as they go forward. The most recent legislative session was extremely busy in terms of education legislation and DPI staff is working as quickly and diligently as possible to make sure requirements are clear and resources available. Continue to reach out to our office with questions as we navigate changes and know how much we appreciate your patience and support.

Updated Principal Bonus FAQ

2023 School Safety Grant

The 2023 School Safety Grant application opened Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, at noon and closes Monday, Nov. 13, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. This funding is available only for public school units (school districts and charter schools) in North Carolina.

The grant categories included in this application are Safety Equipment, Services for Students in Crisis and Safety Training. Please note that funding for the hiring and training of school resource officers is not included in this application.

School districts and charter schools can access the School Safety Grant application through CCIP under “FY 2024, Funding application: Safer Schools.”

Before applying for this grant, make sure to read N.C. Session Law 2021-180 (https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2021/Bills/Senate/PDF/S105v8.pdf) and Parts II and III of N.C. Session Law 2019-222 (H75v7.pdf (ncleg.gov)).

The funding application must be submitted at least through the “Chief Administrator Approved” status by the closing time. No exceptions.

If you have questions, please submit them to schoolsafetygrants@dpi.nc.gov.

School Business – October 20, 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.

SALARY UPDATE – All PSUs We have posted the updated Salary FAQ to the website under our What’s New within the budget section. Please reference that document for the most current information we have available. Here is the link: Salary FAQ.

Please remember that the intent of the any retroactive salary payment is to make employees whole as if we had the budget information on July 1st annually.

To that end, here is the latest information from the State Retirement System:

Retirement rates go into effect immediately when the budget bill becomes law and are also retroactive per legislation. The Retirement Division is under the Office of the State Treasurer. They issue a retirement monitor newsletter that typically provides their instructions for implementing any retirement rate adjustments.

• Typically, correcting any July checks need to be completed in October, any August checks in November and any September checks in December to correct those checks. The State Treasurer has a 90-day window in which pay adjustments can be made without penalty.
• If you have questions/concerns you may contact the retirement office at 919-814-4590 or oer@nctreasurer.com.
• For FY 2023-2024 these newsletters are relevant: You can also refer to the newsletter below that references what to do with a late budget in future years as well. Retirement Monitor - Special Edition: Contribution Rates TSERS, CJRS & LRS 2023 | My NC Retirement
  
  Retirement Monitor - September 2023 | My NC Retirement

Principal Legislated Bonus FY2023-24 – Charter Schools Only

The Principal Bonus FAQ posted to the School Business Website under “What’s New” has been updated to correct some confusion regarding the Principal Bonus for Charter Schools. The guidelines that are in legislation apply to ALL PSUs, this means that the Charter School must have had a principal employed for the “majority of the year” (6 months), and that they are still a principal on October 1, 2023. The only difference is the board of the charter school has leeway on who they designate as the acting school administrator in the event that they don’t have a designated Principal.

From the Office of the Center for Safer Schools

School Safety Grant – All PSUs

The 2023 School Safety Grant application opens Friday, October 20, 2023, at noon and closes Monday, November 13, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. This funding is available only for public school units (school districts and charter schools) in North Carolina.

The grant categories included in this application are Safety Equipment, Services for Students in Crisis and Safety Training. Please note that funding for the hiring and training of school resource officers is not included in this application.

School districts and charter schools can access the School Safety Grant application through CCIP under “FY 2024, Funding application: Safer Schools.”

Before applying for this grant, make sure to read N.C. Session Law 2021-180 (https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2021/Bills/Senate/PDF/S105v8.pdf) and Parts II and III of N.C. Session Law 2019-222 (H75v7.pdf (ncleg.gov)).

The funding application must be submitted at least through the “Chief Administrator Approved” status by the closing time. No exceptions.

If you have questions, please submit them to schoolsafetygrants@dpi.nc.gov.

Reminders

The Legislated Survey for Federal Use of Funds is due for all PSUs on October 27, 2023
Details are in the October 13, 2023 newsletter *

The SS200 (All PSUs) and SS300 (LEAs only) reports are due by October 31, 2023
Details are in the September 22, 2023 and October 13, 2023 newsletters *

FINANCIAL STATEMENT AUDITS – All PSUs must submit the audit by October 31, 2023
Details are in the September 15, 2023 newsletter *

School Nutrition Annual Financial Report (FC1-A) are due October 31, 2023
Details are in the September 29, 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.

Immunization and Health Assessment Compliance Reporting

Each year, all schools are required to report the immunization status of their kindergarten and 7th grade students, according to G.S. 130A-155(c) and G.S. 130A-440. The purpose of these reports is to ensure that all children enrolled in North Carolina schools are protected against vaccine-preventable diseases and to determine the number of children who meet state immunization requirements. Additionally, all North Carolina public and public charter schools are required annually to report on the status of Health Assessments for those students who are enrolling for the first time in a North Carolina public or public charter school (G.S. 130A-441(c)).

Report submission can take place after the 30^th calendar day from the school’s official first day. A combined compliance report must be complete, by school name and ID number on-line at this link: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7475444/2023-2024-NC-HA-and-Immunization-Report. You may use the link to access instructions as well as worksheets to gather your responses prior to entering the online report. Compliance reports are due no later than November 1, 2023, but may be completed at any time prior to that date.

Required EL Headcount Details

ML Headcount: Due Friday, November 10th, 2023

Reminders:

• Work in your sql Headcount reports in PowerSchool as these reports are the ones with the information that is pulled to report your headcount numbers.
• Only students enrolled by November 1st with a Current EL status in PowerSchool will be included in the 2023-24 EL headcount
• EL headcount will be pulled from PowerSchool on November 12th, 2023
• The Submit button in PowerSchool appears on November 1st

Headcount Information can be found here: 23-24 Slides

Any corrections for Headcount requiring an RCR are due by November 1st.  RCRs submitted after November 1st will be completed as time allows. 

Headcount Office Hours start Monday, October  23rd. We will host office hours daily through November 2nd, from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. Registration is not required.  Join here: LINK 

ELA Data Review Committee (DRC) Applications

Applications are open through Thursday, November 30th

DRC members review the data collected and compiled from Standard-by-Standard surveys, regional focus groups, and interviews, as well as research, policies, and legislation that pertain to English Language Arts (ELA).

*Note: The DRC analyzes the feedback and makes recommendations that help drive both the review and revision phases, so individuals chosen for the DRC cannot serve on the Standards Writing Team (SWT) that is convened during the revision phase.

Applications can be submitted through November 30, 2023. The ELA DRC will consist of a range of external stakeholders, including: K-12 educators, educational leaders, university professors, content professionals, experts from partner organizations, and community members. The DRC members will be chosen from across the state’s eight regions and represent varying perspectives and experiences regarding the current ELA Standard Course of Study.

PSU Standard-by-Standard Survey

Surveys Close November 10, 2023

State Board of Education policy specifies that the NC Department of Public Instruction will formally collect feedback on the current standards from educators, administrators, parents, students, institutions of higher education, business/industry representatives, national organizations, and other education agencies. The purpose of this survey is to obtain input from each public school unit (PSU) on the English Language Arts Standard Course of Study (SCOS) in order to inform revision decisions, which may include changes, clarifications, additions, deletions, or replacements to the current standards.

The English Language Arts team in the Office of Academic Standards requests  your thoughtful input and comments on the current academic standards for English Language Arts to inform the review and revision process. 

Please convene your PSU review team consisting of educators in your PSU familiar with the English Language Arts SCOS.  This survey is estimated to take about 30-45 minutes to complete, depending on how you choose to deploy within your PSU. 

The State Board of Education's (SBE) expectation is 75% of North Carolina's districts submit the PSU survey. View the PSU surveys tally, which shows PSUs in green that have submitted, along with the number of surveys from each district.

We thank you for your time and input. Your feedback is extremely valuable to the English Language Arts standards revision process. In addition to this survey, there will be several opportunities for you to provide feedback on the standards throughout the revision process. To stay updated on these opportunities, please subscribe to our listserv.

K-5

6-12

Invitation to Review & Provide Feedback on Our New Mental Health Care Toolkit for Schools

Rural Opportunity Institute (ROI) is partnering with the NC DPI and an expert named Sarah Broome to create a toolkit aimed at helping schools provide mental health care services and bill Medicaid for the cost. Our aim is for this toolkit to help schools greatly expand the availability of mental health care to their students at little to no additional cost.

To ensure this toolkit is as useful as possible, we are hoping to have one or more charter schools vet a draft and provide feedback. We would use the feedback to ensure the Toolkit is as useful as possible for schools like yours once it is finalized. If you would be interested in this opportunity, please email Graham Palmer, ROI's Director of Systems Innovation & Policy, at graham@ruralopportunity.org. Graham is happy to answer any questions you may have, and your initial email is not a commitment to provide feedback.

In-person Regional Training for the 2023 K-12 Science Standards

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.

• February 2, 2024, 9:00-11:00 a.m.  (Meeting link)

• April 26, 2024, 9:00-11:30 a.m.  (Meeting link)  

*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.

• North Central: Bob Gantt (bob.gantt@dpi.nc.gov)
• Northeast: Pam Taylor (pam.taylor@dpi.nc.gov)
• Northwest: Karen Boyles (karen.boyles@dpi.nc.gov)
• Piedmont-Triad: Lynn Hartley (lynn.hartley@dpi.nc.gov)
• Sandhills: Suzanne Lujan (suzanne.lujan@dpi.nc.gov)
• Southeast: Amanda Dixon (amanda.dixon@dpi.nc.gov)
• Southwest: Robert Filter (robert.filter@dpi.nc.gov)
• Western: Anna Hair (anna.hair@dpi.nc.gov)

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

Arts Education Standard Course of Study Review - Draft 1

We are excited to announce the Standards Writing Teams have released their first draft of the new Standard Course of Study for K-12 Dance, K-12 Music, K-12 Theatre Arts, and K-12 Visual Arts. Now, they need your feedback! You will notice some significant structural changes to the standards, which are reviewed below. District Arts and Chief Academic Officers will receive separate instructions on how to complete the PSU survey. 

Structural Changes

ALL four arts disciplines are now aligned to the National Arts Standards strands of Connect, Create, Present, and Respond. It is our sincere hope that aligning these strands across arts disciplines will provide the opportunity for higher quality professional development and cross-curricular support. 

To remove confusion about the “Proficient” level of our proficiency-based standards, we have aligned with the National Standards by renaming this level “Accomplished.”

In Theatre Arts, Technical Theatre Courses have been added in both non-honors and honors levels.

Music has had significant changes, with K-8 General Music standards being extended into high school in both non-honors and honors levels. These standards will support courses like general music, music appreciation, songwriting, digital music production, and other non-instrument-based explorations of music. 

Five proficiency levels of Vocal and Instrumental Music have been created for students exploring band, choir, orchestra, piano, ukulele, guitar, or other instruments and ensembles. These have been created to meet the needs of students wherever they are - even if they are beginning the trumpet as a junior in high school. 

Survey Guidance

This is the stakeholder survey, separate from the Public School Unit Survey. All North Carolinians are encouraged to provide feedback on the first draft of the revised Arts Standards through this survey. 

• Rearrangement: Because the Standards Writing Team realigned many of the former objects if you feel that an objective is clear but perhaps more appropriate under a different strand, please provide that feedback by marking "change" and use the comment box to provide a recommendation to where the objective best aligns with the strand or standard
• Consolidation: If there are two or more objectives that could be combined into a more succinct objective, please mark "change" for both of the objectives and note the numbers to be combined in the comment box
• Measurable Objectives: Should objectives appear to be immeasurable, please mark "change" and provide suggestions for more measurable verbs in the comment box
• Remove:  If an objective is redundant or unnecessary, please mark "remove" and leave a comment

To facilitate your ability to provide feedback preview the standards through the following links:

• New Dance Standards
• New Music Standards (both General and VIM)
• New Theatre Standards (Including Technical Theatre)
• New Visual Arts Standards

Access the survey HERE

------

English Language Arts Review Phase

 

All-Stakeholder Surveys: Standard-by-Standard and General

State Board of Education policy specifies that the NC Department of Public Instruction will formally collect feedback on the current standards from educators, administrators, parents, students, institutions of higher education, business/industry representatives, national organizations, and other education agencies. The purpose of these surveys is to obtain input from educators and stakeholders familiar with the English Language Arts Standard Course of Study in order to inform revision decisions, which may include changes, clarifications, additions, deletions, or replacements to the current standards. 

The English Language Arts team in the Office of Academic Standards requests your thoughtful input and comments on the current academic standards for English Language Arts to inform the review and revision process.

Any individual who wishes to provide input on the English Language Arts SCOS may complete these surveys.  The surveys are estimated to take about 10-20 minutes to complete, depending on the survey and/or grade-band you choose. If you would like to give feedback on more than one grade-level, you can return and submit another survey.

All-Stakeholder Survey for K-5

All-Stakeholder Survey for 6-12

All-Stakeholder General Survey

Holocaust Elective Writers Wanted! - PDF Flyer

Important MEMOs:

• Memo: Legislative items HB 259 & SB 49

• MEMO.HB11.Reporting.9.14.23.pdf
• MEMO - 2023–24 Annual Testing Program and Accountability Requirements 7/18/23
• MEMO: Key Dates for 2022–23 Reporting 5/2/23
• MEMO: Every Student Succeeds Act State Plan Amendment 4/18/23
  
• MEMO: 2023–24 Alternative Schools’ Modified Accountability System Options 4/4/23
  
• MEMO: 2023–24 Accountability and Testing Training
  
• MEMO: Justification Required for Exceeding 1.0 Percent Participation in the Alternate Assessment
• MEMO: 2022–23 Annual Testing Program and Accountability Requirements
• MEMO: Alternative Accountability Model Options 4/5/22
• MEMO - ACT Minimum Composite Score Update 12/13/21
• MEMO: Lawful Student Absence 11/8/2021
• MEMO: Legal Restrictions for Cancelling School Days for Students and Staff 10/29/2021
• Important Notice from Karl Logan: Senate Bill 654 and Drivers Ed
• Economically-Disadvantaged-Student Count Guidance from Karl Pond 12/9/21

Office of Charter Schools (OCS) Updates

RTO 2024 Cohort- Planning Year Session II

The Office of Charter Schools will host the second of five planning year sessions required for all Ready to Open schools (boards and school leaders) on October 25, 2023, in person at NC DPI. Please Register Here for Session II: Fiscal & Student Accountability.  These Sessions are geared to support approved applicants from the 2022-23 cycle. A select few of current charter school leaders requesting to attend may be considered and must contact Dr. Norins to share interest. Dr. Natasha Norins natasha.norins@dpi.nc.gov.

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.

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

 

Link to Join:

Kim Evans' Personal Room

https://ncgov.webex.com/meet/kimberly.evans

Meet virtually with Cisco Webex. Anytime, anywhere, on any device. Simple, modern video meetings for everyone on the world's most popular and trusted collaboration platform. ncgov.webex.com

 

Other Resources from DPI and beyond

• Weekly Top Ten - October 19, 2023
• OEL Friday Memo for Charters 10/20/23
• All Stakeholders Standard-by-Standard Survey for Draft 1
• School Business – Website
• Economical disadvantaged student calculation information and instructions
• Updated SASA-Manual-Nov2022
• E-rate and School Connectivity Updates
• K-12 Education Legislative and Community Affairs Update - Friday, October 20, 2023
• ELA Standards Update: Surveys & Focus Groups (K-12)
• Registration for WIDA Workshops for ML/Title III Stakeholders!
• Call for Visual And Performing Student Artists for NCDPI's Spotlight on Arts Education
• Arts Education #SettingTheStandard Update
• NC Students to Gain Computer Science Skills with Passage of House Bill 8
• Protect Our Students Act Prioritizes Student Safety Against Sexual Misconduct
• Superintendent Truitt’s Statement on Budget
• October Science Update
• New Resource Alert: Standards-Based Sentence Stems!
• Safer Schools October Newsletter
• ELA Standards Update: Reminders & DRC Applications (K-12)
• October 2023 K-12 Monthly Mathematics Update
• North Carolina Public Schools - School Social Work October Update
• World Languages Newsletter for October 11, 2023
• Portrait of an ARTS EDUCATION Graduate Webinar October 30th!
• ML/Title III PD Opportunities and Updates
• October 2023: Social Studies Update
• Character Education News & Updates: October 2023
• October Arts Education Newsletter
• Calling ELA Educators: Apply for the DRC!

NCAPCS Huddles: Free to all charter schools. Registration is requested through this link. 10/25 in Asheville

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. 

• Alamance Community School - Multiple Opportunities

• Aspire Trade High School is currently accepting applications for Math teachers (7-12) for the 2023-2024 school year.
• Aspire Trade High School - CTE Teacher
• Brevard Academy - Multiple opportunities!
• Cape Fear Center for Inquiry - 7th & 8th Grade Science Teacher  Academic Intervention Specialist  EC Teacher Assistant  Teacher Assistant

• Carolina Charter Academy - K-4 teacher, MS ELA, MS Math

• Carter G. Woodson - Principal/School Administrator
• Casa Esperanza Montessori Charter School - Multiple opportunities
• Charlotte Lab School - Multiple Opportunities
• Doral Academy - Multiple Opportunities

• Evergreen Community Charter School - Executive Director,  and Middle School Math Teacher

• FernLeaf Community Charter School - Multiple Opportunities
• Global Scholars Academy - School Nutrition Director
• Henderson Collegiate - Multiple Opportunities

• KIPP North Carolina Public Schools – Multiple Opportunities!

• Lakeside Charter Academy - School Business Manager
• Next Generation Academy - Exceptional Children's Teacher
• Northeast Academy for Aerospace and Advanced Technologies (NEAAAT)-multiple opportunities
• Roxboro Community School - Managing Executive Director

• Southeastern Academy - EC Teacher

• Sugar Creek Charter School - Finance Officer 

• Triad Math and Science Academies - Multiple Opportunities!

• Union Academy - CFO and COO

• United Community School - Multiple opportunities!
• Uwharrie Charter Academy -- Multiple Opportunities
• Voyager Academy - Muliple opportunities
• Charter One Opportunities
• Charter Schools USA has several openings in North Carolina. Applicants must send completed linked forms to cporter1@charterschoolsusa.com and ppennthomas@charterschoolsusa.com; Principal, Assistant Principal, CSUSA Senior Financial Analyst  Grant writer Instructional Support Specialist
• Lab School Opportunity - 
  Academy at Middle Fork (App State lab school)

  • Assistant Principal
  • Speech Language Pathologist
  • EC Resource Teacher
    

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.

IMPORTANT REMINDER – EDDIE is the authoritative source for NC public school numbers and demographic information, is used by multiple NCDPI technology systems including: Accountability, PowerSchool, NC School Report Cards, and is used to meet federal reporting requirements. LEAs and charter schools are responsible for ensuring their data in EDDIE are complete, accurate, and current. EDDIE is located at: http://apps.schools.nc.gov/eddie