A Back to School Message from Charter School Principal of the Year, Dr. Sarena Fuller
Dear fellow school leaders,
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! There’s nothing quite like the energy and limitless potential of a new school year. You’ve spent your summer preparing to welcome back your students, staff, and families. Now, you trust your work, your team, and let the magic unfold.
Every school year is a journey marked by surprises, challenges, triumphs, and struggles. While you cannot predict every twist and turn that lies ahead, you can find reassurance in knowing that every day that you show up, you are making a real, powerful difference for your students. This year at ArtSpace Charter, we’re focused on the word "navigate." To navigate is to chart a course and pursue our goals with confidence, skillfully adapting to any detours or opportunities that come our way, like a sailor who adjusts their sails to harness the winds.
As we dive into this new year, I encourage you to lean on and contribute to the network of school leaders who share your dedication and passion. We are stronger together. Lastly, amidst the busyness of our roles, don’t forget to take care of yourself. Make time to recharge, find moments of joy, and celebrate the small victories along the way. If you need a reminder or just want to connect, my contact info is below - don’t hesitate to reach out.
Here’s to a year of navigating with purpose and positivity. Together, let’s make this year a journey of growth and achievement for all.
All my best,
Dr. Sarena Fuller
2024 Wells Fargo NC Charter Principal of the Year
Executive Director, ArtSpace Charter School
sarena.fuller@artspacecharter.org
School Attendance and Student Accounting (SASA) Manual UPDATE - Must have resource for attendance and enrollment/withdraw questions!
The SASA Manual was amended to implement pertinent legislation, funding in arrears, and the new Student Information System (SIS). Revisions include the admission of out-of-state and foreign exchange students to charter schools, withdrawing students from school, coding attendance on individual student make-up days, the class size waiver request process, guidance about eligibility for use of a modified school calendar, retention of digitized student records, and assignment of Student User Identification numbers. Information about the addition of Pre-K ADM to the K–13 ADM for purposes of school principal salary calculation was added as well; changes to the Principal Salary Schedule are effective January 2025 and will be brought before the Board in the fall for final approval.
2024 Updated SASA-Manual
School Business - August 9, 2024
|
|
|
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.
|
|
FY2024-25 State Initial Allotments - IPSs
Independent Public Schools (IPSs) will receive a budget adjustment for the per pupil share of the Legislated Salary Increase (LI) allotted in PRC 036 for Charters and PRC 038 for Lab Schools. This budget adjustment is $111.47 per ADM and represents all adjustments to all initial allotments. Note that the LI associated with Exceptional Children’s (EC) and Limited English Proficient (LEP) funds are allotted separately. The LI associated with the EC funds was included in the EC allotment in revision 006. The LI associated with LEP funds will be distributed in revision #013.
Additional Allotment Updates- All PSUs
A budget adjustment was completed in revision 010 to adjust the Low Wealth Supplemental Funds (PRC031) to reflect the full formula funding.
All PSUs located in a low wealth county received their respective portion of that funding in that revision.
Several allotments that are related to restricted allocations or grants will be distributed next week along with the "kitchen sink" allocations, which includes various allocations that are not included in initial allotments.
We will provide further updates after those distributions are completed. Thank you for your patience as we execute the FY24-25 budget.
August State Board Meeting Update
The NC State Board of Education (SBE) approved the changes to the Manuals below during its monthly meeting on August 1, 2024. The adjustments have been made in each manual and posted to our What’s New webpage.
Allotment Policy Manual
The updates below will reflect new legislation and SBE policy changes, as well the new leading zero PRC coding for the expanded Chart of Accounts and systems modernization efforts. Following is a summary of the changes:
Federal Allotment Policy:
- PRC 082 IDEA Special Education State Improvement Grant - Strikeout language to ensure funds do not revert but are available for the full 60-month period. It is a competitive grant.
State Allotment Policies:
- PRC 034 Academically Gifted - Updates to reflect the SBE definition of AIG.
- PRC 002 Central Office Administration – Authorizes DPI to reduce the Central Office administration allotment for the salary and benefits for an interim superintendent appointed by the State Board of Education per G.S. 115C-105.39.
- PRC 032/PRC 063/PRC 089 Children with Disabilities Programs - NEW PRC 089 for the various Special State Reserve funds. Updates PRC 063 to include only Developmental Day Centers, which is the largest part of those funds currently. Updates PRC 032 for these changes and codified legislation. Will facilitate NCDPI and the PSUs in managing the various funding streams required for the Children with Disabilities Programs.
- PRC 085 Literacy Interventions - Clarifies language for the next phase of the Science of Reading work.
- PRC 087 Stop Arm Enhancement Funds - Removes language related to the grant option as the grant funds were not continued in FY 24-25.
- PRC 071 Supplemental Funds for Teacher Compensation - 2024-25 language for the supplanting calculation and provides a remedy option for 2024-25. Provides the requirements to remedy any deficiency to be eligible to receive an allotment in FY 2024-25.
- PRC 083 CTE – Credential Program Support – Includes a formula change to allow for 25% of the funding to be executed prior to the final enrollment of students to allow PSUs to procure credential licenses and materials.
NC Public School Personnel Salary Schedules and Manual
Updates were made to implement the 2nd year of the biennium, including Salary Schedules for Public School Employees (Session Law 2023-134, SL 2024-39, and other legislation). This includes a change to the Superintendent's Schedule to align with legislation and allow the LEAs to determine the ADM ranges associated with the legislative salary levels.
School Attendance and Student Accounting (SASA) Manual
The SASA Manual was amended to implement pertinent legislation, funding in arrears, and the new Student Information System (SIS). Revisions include the admission of out-of-state and foreign exchange students to charter schools, withdrawing students from school, coding attendance on individual student make-up days, the class size waiver request process, guidance about eligibility for use of a modified school calendar, retention of digitized student records, and assignment of Student User Identification numbers. Information about the addition of Pre-K ADM to the K–13 ADM for purposes of school principal salary calculation was added as well; changes to the Principal Salary Schedule are effective January 2025 and will be brought before the Board in the fall for final approval.
Reminder About Inclement Weather Closures
In response to your questions about instructional days and inclement weather, please note the following. Additional information is in the SASA, which has been posted to our What's New page.
School Closings and Instructional Time
Be sure to follow your PSU's Inclement Weather policies in addition to these reminders.
If school is closed in advance of inclement weather (school closed the day before), follow your PSU's plan for making up missed days.
If school is closed early due to inclement weather, the day and the scheduled amount of instructional hours count toward the required minimum number of days and instructional hours.
If school buses are in route to schools when school is canceled for the day, then the day and instructional hours scheduled for that day will count toward the required minimum.
The NCSIS team has provided refreshers on updating these changes in the SIS.
- How to Adjust an Instructional Day in NCSIS
- How to Adjust an Instructional Day in PowerSchool
EDDIE Current Grade Levels Update Reminder - IPS Only
Please check your school's records in EDDIE. Pay close attention to the Current Grade Levels field and make sure that it is accurate for FY2024-25. I.e. If you have added a grade(s) in 2024-25 ensure that the Current Grade Level in EDDIE is updated. This will prevent unnecessary audit exceptions with Student Accounting and Accountability. Contact EDDIE@dpi.nc.gov if you have any questions.
Reminder Federal Grants Ending on or Before Sept 30, 2024
Please be reminded that there are several federal grants that are now allocated and must be accounted for by grant year whose period of performance ends on or before September 30, 2024. The list of grants has also been posted to our What's New page. Please review your federal allotments to ensure you have expended those funds before those grants end. This includes ensuring you have recorded all expenditures and if needed eligible encumbrances to the appropriate grant year in your system.
Reminder grant year reporting means that expenditures and cash drawn are all accounted by grant year for the federal grant funds. These must align. Please work with your software vendors if you are still unclear how to appropriately account for these funds using the new grant year code segment in the Chart of Accounts (COA).
Reminder State Carry Forward Funds Ending on or Before December 31, 2024
Please be reminded that there are several state grants that were allowed to have carry forward funding from FY 23-24 balances into FY 24-25. The table below reflects those PRCs and their ending dates for these carryforward funds. Please ensure you have expended those funds as may be eligible or each of those programs within this time frame.
PRC #
|
PRC Name
|
Expires
|
|
016
|
Summer Reading Camps
|
October 31, 2024
|
|
023
|
CTE Modernization and Support Grants
|
December 31, 2024
|
|
040
|
School Safety Grants
|
June 30, 2025
|
|
069
|
At Risk Student Services
|
August 31, 2024
|
|
079
|
CTE – Education & Workforce Innovation
|
Until expended
|
|
253
|
Health Career Promotion Grants
|
Until expended
|
|
254
|
Increasing Engagement in STEM Grants
|
December 31, 2024
|
|
257
|
Middle School Reading Grants
|
December 31, 2024
|
|
258
|
Plasma Games
|
Until expended
|
|
|
|
|
Important Resources for Charter Schools: (Please Read)
Please click on each link.
Charter School Epinephrine Memo
Charter School Diabetes Memo
RALC Reminders for August 2024
-
Charter School experience updates for 2024 renewals are due to your designated RALC beginning August 1, 2024 through September 30, 2024. A notification will be sent to confirm receipt and completion of these requests.
-
Residency Renewal requests for Year 2 and 3 for the 2024-2025 school year may be submitted to your designated RALC beginning July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025
-
-
2024 School-Based Mental Health Policy Report
Dear Charter School Contact,
In accordance with North Carolina SL 2019-245 and SL 2020-7 and with State Board of Education Policy SHLT-003, each K-12 school unit is required to upload a copy of their School Mental Health Improvement Plan and answer questions in the School Mental Health Policy Report.
In the online reporting portal, you will indicate that you are a charter school, and you will be directed to the SMH policy questions. To make it easier for you to assemble your report information prior to going online, a Word version and PDF of the online survey is attached to this email. Please complete the online survey to submit your report.
The survey platform is setup to allow respondents to leave the survey and resume their progress later, so long as they return on the same browser where they started the survey and do not wait longer than a month to return to the survey. This feature works by placing a cookie on the respondent’s browser that keeps track of the survey progress.
The information needed to complete the SMH progress report will come from your School Mental Health Improvement Plan, which is required to upload and must include the mental health training program and suicide risk referral protocol.
Please note the deadline to complete the HAC Progress Report / School Mental Health Policy Report is September 15, 2024.
You can access the reporting portal through the link below.
2024 Healthy Active Children Policy Progress Report / School-Based Mental Health Policy Report
If you have questions or challenges in completing this online survey, please contact Les Spell at Les.Spell@dpi.nc.gov.
We appreciate the time and energy spent in completing this report and look forward to reading each submission.
Regional Standards PD/Direct Admissions Dates and Registration
A new school year is on the horizon and wishing each of you a successful 2024-25 school year as you lead school counselors in their work! Below you will find the registration links for the regional professional development sessions for the new NC Student Success Standards. Again, we will train district leadership and/or designated appointees by the districts, utilizing a "train the trainer" model. We ask that all districts send one designated designee for each grade level (elementary, middle, and high school) who will be responsible for training their district school counselors for that level. District leaders are also able to join this session if you are not already the designee. Please sign up for dates that are for your region due to limited facility capacities.
In addition, we will provide afternoon sessions for the new admission initiative for NC that will begin its roll out phase in the fall on the same day. Be prepared for a full day, from 9-3pm of training.
|
DATE
|
REGION
|
LOCATION
|
|
September 4th
|
Sandhills
|
Dr. William 'Bill' Harrison Educational Resource Center
396 Elementary Drive Fayetteville, NC
28301
Room 3
|
|
September 9th
|
Northeast
|
Martin County Innovation Campus
411 East Blvd, Williamston, NC 27892
|
|
September 17th
|
Northwest
|
Olive Hill Resource Center
509 W. Concord St.
Morganton 28655
|
|
September 18th
|
West
|
Western RESA
200 Ridgefield Ct. Suite 206
Asheville, NC 28806
|
|
September 24th
|
Southwest
|
Mooresville Intermediate School
1438 Coddle Creek Hwy
Mooresville, NC 28115
|
|
September 25th
|
Piedmont-Triad
|
JB & Claire Davis Corporate Training Center at Randolph Community College
413 Industrial Park Ave, Asheboro, NC 27205
|
|
October 1st
|
Northcentral
|
North Carolina Department Public Instruction
301 N. Wilmington Street, Raleigh NC
Room 150
|
|
October 2nd
|
Southeast
|
Spencer Board Room
New Hanover County Schools
Dale K. Spencer Building
1802 South 15th Street
Wilmington, NC 28401
|
Continue have a wonderful week!
Kisha Bryant, Ed.D.
School Counseling Consultant
Healthy Schools and Specialized Instructional Support
Office of Academic Standards
NC Department of Public Instruction
P: (984) 236-2820
kisha.bryant@dpi.nc.gov
Mastering the Magic of ML/Title III for Charter Schools
We are excited to invite you to our upcoming workshop specifically designed for stakeholders in charter schools who are new to working with Multilingual Learners. This virtual session will be an excellent opportunity to gain practical knowledge that you can implement immediately in your schools and classrooms. Your participation is vital to ensuring that all students receive the support they need to thrive.
Our topics will include:
-
Federal and State Requirements - Understand the regulatory landscape and ensure compliance with essential guidelines
-
Students Identification - Dive into the home language survey ans the steps to to identifying MLs
-
ML Data - learn how to manage your ML data in your students information system
-
Instructional Practices - Discover proven instructional strategies and best practices for teaching English learners.
-
Resources - Access a range of resources and tools to support your English learners and enhance your teaching practices
Wednesday, August 21st
12:30 - 3:30 pm
NCDPI Joint Statement on Approval of Arts Education and World Languages Standards
|
|
|
The Office of Academic Standards is proud to announce the approval of the 2024 North Carolina Standard Course of Study for K-12 Arts Education and K-12 World Languages. The newly approved K-12 Arts standards aim to provide a Comprehensive Arts Education while developing students as artists in the fields of Dance, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts, and the K-12 World Languages standards are intended to cultivate proficiency and intercultural competence in a classical, heritage, or modern language and help develop globally collaborative students.
Key features of the 2024 North Carolina Standard Course of Study for K-12 Arts:
- ALL four arts disciplines are now aligned to the National Arts Standards strands of Connect, Create, Present, and Respond
- Continuous Throughlines ensuring vertical alignment of K-12 objectives
- To remove confusion about the “Proficient” level of the proficiency based standards and align with the National Standards this level has been renamed “Accomplished”
- In Theatre Arts, Technical Theatre courses have been added in both non-honors and honors levels
- K-8 General Music standards are extended into high school in both non-honors and honors levels
- 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
Key features of the 2024 North Carolina Standard Course of Study for World Languages include:
- Objectives organized by proficiency level using the ACTFL proficiency scale
- Streamlined strand structure and objectives, including a new Intercultural and Communities Connections (ICC) strand
- Reordered standards emphasizing target language input and output
- Inclusion of the Advanced High proficiency level increasing the rigor of student outcomes
Note: The current 2010 Arts Standard Course of Study and 2010 World Languages Standard Course of Study will remain in place for classroom instruction and assessment for the 2024-2025 school year.
Please see the Arts Crosswalks for Dance, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts located on the Arts Education resource hub, and the World Languages Crosswalk for a general comparison of the current and newly adopted Standard Course of Study. They provide initial insight into similarities and differences between these sets of standards.
Public School Units (PSUs) are expected to implement the 2024 North Carolina Standard Course of Study for Arts and World Languages starting in the 2025-2026 school year. Professional learning and resources to support PSU implementation will begin to be shared in fall 2024.
The NCDPI Arts and World Languages Teams express their gratitude to the educators, language experts, and community members who contributed to the development of these standards. Their collaboration and expertise have been crucial to ensure the standards set expectations that will allow students to be innovative thinkers and competitive in post-secondary pursuits-- college, career, or military-- and throughout their lives.
For resources and more information about K-12 Arts, please visit the NCDPI Arts Education webpage and resource hub or contact Brandon Roeder or Dr. Laura Stauderman, Arts Education Consultants.
For resources and more information about K-12 World Languages, please visit the NCDPI World Languages webpage and resources hub or contact Dr. Ann Marie Gunter, World Languages Consultant.
|
|
Charter School Virtual Math Standards Focus Group
Human Capital Monthly Webinars held by the Office of Licensure and Educator Preparation
Hosted by Dr. Tom Tomberlin, Senior Director, Educator Preparation, Licensure, and Performance, NCDPI
Dates:
September 6
October 4
November 8
December 6
Time: 10:30-11:30am
Virtual Link:
Kim Evans' Personal Room
Important MEMOs:
|
