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MEMO: 2024–25 Accountability and Testing Training
School Leaders,
Please find the attached memo, 2024–25 Accountability and Testing Training, from Dr. Michael Maher, Dr. Tammy Howard and Ms. Ashley Baquero.
Annual Charter School Health Services Report and Section Two Worksheet
Annual Charter School Health Services Report and Section Two-Worksheet
The Annual Charter School Health Report will open May 1, 2024, and must be completed no later than June 20, 2024. 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 survey will open May 1, 2024, and should be completed no later than June 20, 2024.
OPEN NOW: 2024 NC Charter Applications
The 2024 North Carolina Charter School Application is now open, as of Friday, January 26th at 5 pm Eastern. The 2024 charter application window will close on April 26, 2024, at 5pm Eastern. Applicants who are interested in opening a charter school in 2025 under the accelerated timeline, or in 2026 under the standard timeline must submit their charter applications on or before the April 26, 2024 application close date.
Both the online application and $1,000 application fee must be submitted on or before April 26, 2024 at 5pm Eastern. Applicant boards will be expected to appear in-person for interviews at the Department of Public Instruction in Raleigh, NC that will commence during the monthly meetings of the Charter Schools Review Board meeting beginning September 2024.
For questions about the charter application process, please reach out to Melanie.Rackley@dpi.nc.gov.
The link to the 2024 NC Charter School application is posted on the NCDPI Charter Schools Application page found here.
School Business APRIL 5, 2024
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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. Please review the upcoming deadlines for due dates.
SBS Summer Conference Save the Date and Hotel Group Rate
Our annual summer conference will be Thursday, July 25, 2024, at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel Raleigh-Durham Airport at RTP. Please hold that date.
The discounted Room Block is open and will be available until June 24th, so please jump on those rates and secure your room. Thank you for your continued participation in our conference. We will send out more information in the coming weeks.
Updates to the Allotment Policy Manual
The following changes were approved by the NC State Board of Education during their monthly meeting on
April 4, 2024. The adjustments have been made in the allotment policy manuals posted to our allotments
webpage.
21st Century Community Learning Centers (PRC 110)
Amended to increase the maximum allowed allotment from $400,000 to $500,000. Special provisions were added to outline attendance guidelines and how funding will be distributed in three installments. Funds recovered from reduced enrollment can be redistributed to other grant recipients. Summer program funds will be sent in one installment after April 1 each year.
School Improvement Funds (PRC 115)
In the current model, federal school improvement funding supports Comprehensive Support and Improvement Schools and Innovative Partnership Grant Schools. The amendment broadens the flexibility within the policy to allow funding support for Targeted Support and Improvement Schools.
Middle School Reading (PRC 257)
Updates the funding formula from $250 per ADM to $201.80 per ADM to align with the Best 1 of 2 average daily membership report.
New Guidance from USED on Notice of Federal Interest for ESSER Funded Construction or Real Property Projects - All PSUs
On March 21, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education (USED) issued new guidance on ESSER funded renovations, major remodeling, construction, or other real property projects. (USED Recording and Reporting Federal Interest)
Per the new guidance, all grantees and subgrantees that have a renovation, major remodeling, construction, or real property project (Project) using $1 million or more in Federal funds must record the notice of Federal Interest (NFI) by January 28, 2025.
Projects which cost less than $1 million are generally exempt unless situations or circumstances exist which may require recording of the NFI as a “prudent safeguard to further protect the Federal interest from other liens that could prevent the building from being used for its educational purposes.” Examples given in the new USED guidance:
• Project may require recording NFI if the Federal funds represent a vast majority of the total value
• Project may require recording NFI if the Public School Unit (PSU) or LEA is in high-risk status.
For additional guidance, please review the updated Frequently Asked Fiscal Questions Related to ESSER and GEER, Includes Construction Related Questions section on construction and related questions.
Please note: This exemption does not apply to other construction or annual real property reporting. All grantees and subgrantees are still subject to annual reporting on the status of construction or real property projects.
Please contact either Albert Woelfle (Albert.Woelfle@dpi.nc.gov or Jane Seo (Jane.Seo@dpi.nc.gov) with questions.
SylogistEd ERP Demo for K-12 - All PSUs
SylogistEd will be holding a Live Demo of their cloud-based integrated Finance and HR/Payroll Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution for K-12 Public School Units starting at 9AM on Monday, April 15, 2024, in DPI in room 150.
This demonstration will start with a 2-hour session covering SylogistEd ERP finance modules including AP, Purchase Requisition and more, followed by a 1-hour break for lunch. The second session will cover SylogistEd ERP Payroll/HR modules including Payroll, Personnel (HR) and more.
Please RSVP online.
NCDPI building is located at 301 N. Wilmington Street, Raleigh NC 27601. There is free on-street parking within 2 blocks of our building, with street level spaces on N. Blount Street and east of Blount Street. Please visit the Downtown Raleigh Visitor Parking Map & Lot List on the NC DOA website for more information.
From the Office of Federal Programs - All PSUs
ESSER Prepayment
North Carolina has revisited its stance on allowing pre-payment of subscriptions and software licenses. Based on the latest presentations from Bruman and the current wording of ESSER FAQ guidance, prepayment of subscriptions and software licensing will be allowed with ESSER III funds. Prepayment can extend through the 2025-26 school year, not extending beyond June 30, 2026.
Prepayment is different from a liquidation extension.
- Prepayment - requires that the subscription or software license be obligated by September 30, 2024 and paid in full prior to the end of the liquidation period.
- Liquidation Extension - a request to extend the time beyond the liquidation period due to circumstances that prevent the project from being completed. This is intended for impacts due to unforeseen circumstances or delays and market impacts.
It is important to note that prepayment flexibility is only extended for ESSER III funds. If you have any questions regarding prepayment, please contact your regional federal program administrator. Additional guidance will be provided in the Frequently Asked Fiscal Questions Related to ESSER and GEER, Includes Construction Related Questions.
From the Center for Safer Schools - All PSUs
School Safety Grant Eligibility
To be eligible for funding from the School Safety Grant Program (contingent upon the passage of appropriations from the General Assembly), public-school units must have a complete and updated School Risk Management Plan, anonymous reporting system and panic alarm (hardwired or app).
For more information, send an email to schoolsafetygrants@dpi.nc.gov.
Datafile Contacts – All PSUs
It is important for DPI to know who to contact for data file errors. Please check our current list to ensure we have the correct information, including a back-up data file contact for your PSU.
Charter, Lab and Regional Schools located under Data Transfer as of March 2024.
Please contact SchoolFinancialReporting@dpi.nc.gov.
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*View prior newsletters online: Newsletters and Guidance | NC DPI.
Guidance for School Threat Assessment Teams
On behalf of State Superintendent Catherine Truitt and Executive Director Karen W. Fairley, the Center for Safer Schools thanks you for your patience during the process of crafting “Best Practice Guidance for North Carolina Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management Teams for Harm Prevention.” This document is intended to be a reference for North Carolina public schools as they craft the threat assessment teams mandated by Session Law 2023-78/House Bill 605.
The guide and accompanying documents are not checklists that can be quantified. Instead this document is designed to assist with behavioral threat assessment, which is a fact-based process of identifying, assessing and managing individuals who may pose a risk of violence or other harm to self or others, and to assist school districts in development of a comprehensive behavioral threat assessment and management plan. Furthermore, as circumstances change, an individual’s potential for violence may increase or decrease.
This guide aims to provide a framework and resources for public school units while emphasizing the importance of local adaptation and legal compliance. This guide should be adapted based on specific needs, legal advice and evolving best practices. This document is a resource and not a definitive word. Each PSU should seek direction from its legal counsel.
Click here to access “Best Practice Guidance for North Carolina Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management Teams for Harm Prevention.” A link to the document is posted on the homepage of the Center for Safer Schools website as well.
The CFSS will offer training sessions for school threat assessment teams in May, as well as at the 2024 RISE Back to School Safety Summit. Registration information will be announced as it becomes available.
If you have questions, send an email to cfss@dpi.nc.gov. Thank you for your cooperation as we work together to make schools safer.
Required PD Survey for ML/Title III (Formerly known as the EOY Survey)
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) ML/Title III team is responsible for collecting specific information from Public School Units (PSUs) and reporting it to the U.S. Department of Education, NC State Board of Education, and NCDPI leadership. To simplify this process, NCDPI has consolidated these collections into a single survey. All PSUs serving one or more students identified as English Learners are mandated to complete this survey anytime between March 1st through May 1st, 2024.
This year, the survey has been moved out of PowerSchool and into Qualtrics for your convenience. You can now access and complete all survey questions directly through Qualtrics. To assist you in preparing for and completing the survey, the ML/Title III Team has developed a comprehensive worksheet with step-by-step instructions. We strongly recommend completing this worksheet before accessing the survey in Qualtrics. This will ensure a smoother and more efficient process.
New to the survey for 23-24 SY? Please note that the US Department of Education mandates Language Instruction Educational Program (LIEP) counts. You will find this requirement in the second section of the survey, where you'll be prompted to input the number of students in the selected program(s).
If you encounter any issues accessing the survey icon in PowerSchool, please reach out to Susan Walz at susan.walz@dpi.nc.gov for assistance. Thank you for your cooperation in completing this important survey. Your participation is crucial in providing valuable data for our educational programs.
If you encounter any issues accessing the survey icon in PowerSchool, please reach out to Susan Walz at susan.walz@dpi.nc.gov for assistance. Thank you for your cooperation in completing this important survey. Your participation is crucial in providing valuable data for our educational programs.
NCSBE Rulemaking Information
Below is a link to the website where we post information about SBE Rulemaking. It typically gets updated on the Friday the week after the SBE proposes a rule.
 RISE Call for Proposals
The 2024 RISE Back to School Safety Summit – the Center for Safer Schools’ signature event – will be held in Wilmington from Monday, July 29-Friday, Aug. 2. If you or someone you know has a school safety workshop that would be appreciated by participants at the summit, please complete the Call for Proposals form for each presenter and each topic.
The submission deadline is Friday April 12, 2024, with notifications going out in late April. If you have questions, send an email to cfss@dpi.nc.gov.
Important MEMOs:
Office of Charter Schools (OCS) Updates
A Reminder about Driver's Education and Charter School Students
Charter School students who reside within a district but are enrolled in a North Carolina Charter School or Virtual Academy may enroll in the driver education program within a district school. The student is required to follow the fee structure established by the district. Districts should provide services and document these students accordingly on their quarterly reports.
If you have questions or concerns, please contact Karl Logan (karl.logan@dpi.nc.gov)
 We often hear about numerous vacancies in our NC schools. OCS has organized a Lunch+Learn to share innovative ways to support instruction during a teacher shortage. On Monday, April 22, we will hear from Dr. Jason Wray (Paul R Brown Leadership Academy) and Jill Thompson ( Education Elements) on covering vacancies and retaining teachers. To help school leaders as they plan for the hiring season, NCDPI Licensure will also share the dos and don'ts of NC Licensure. North East Carolina Preparatory School has agreed to host and provide lunch!
Other Resources from DPI and beyond
NCAPCS Conference 2024: Registration and Keynote Speaker
Visit the conference section of our webpage HERE to get more information and register, sponsor or submit a proposal for a breakout session! It is literally one-stop shopping. We cannot wait to see you all in the Queen City as we celebrate the charter community's #CrowningAchievements! State Board of Education Approves ESSER III Funding for Summer School 2024
At the March meeting, the State Board of Education approved $2,000,000 in ESSER III state reserve funding for NCVPS Summer School 2024. The funding will assist with offsetting the cost of student participation in summer school courses as part of DPI’s strategy for fostering student achievement and access to quality learning opportunities. Program enrollment will be equitably distributed based on a model of PSUs 6-12 ADM. Our summer school kicks off on June 25.
This remarkable opportunity offers students who might not typically have access to summer classes a chance to excel. Each summer, we witness a diverse range of students participating in our courses for various reasons. We are confident that this initiative will have a profoundly positive impact on North Carolina school communities. Learn more on our website.
NCSSM Connect provides NC public high school students the opportunity to take tuition-free, honors-level, and AP NCSSM courses via interactive video conferencing. This format makes it possible for students to take advanced courses in STEM and humanities subjects while remaining at their local home schools. There isn't an application process to take NCSSM Connect classes.
School Counselor Cohort resource
Any school counselors who wish to network may share their information in this form.
You may also view the current list through this link.
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?
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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