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January 21, 2025

Upcoming Dates of Note:
See below for details

• January 21st - Meeting with PowerSchool CEO Today
• January 30th - Office Hour; Infinite Campus and Charter Schools
• January 31st - The 2025 application for founding a new charter school goes live
• January 31st - Mid-Year Homeless Data Collection Survey due

SECTION I: OCS PRIORITY REMINDERS

REMINDER: Meeting with PowerSchool CEO Today

Dear Superintendents, Charter School Leaders, Public Information Officers and Technology Directors,

Hardeep Gulati, CEO of PowerSchool will be meeting with superintendents, charter leaders, public information officers and technology directors TODAY, January 21, at 4:30 p.m. for an update and to share identity protection steps. Click the button below for the link to the meeting.

OCS Virtual Office Hours The purpose of the OCS Office Hours is to allow Charter School Leaders to connect with NCDPI departments to share information and resources. The Office of Charter Schools is excited to connect with you. If you have questions, contact Julie Whetzel at julie.whetzel@dpi.nc.gov January 30th at 9 am Infinite Campus and Charter Schools

2025 NC Charter Applications

The 2025 NC Charter School Application will open on Friday, January 31st, at 5 PM (EST) and will close on April 25, 2025, at 5 PM (EDT). Applicants interested in opening a charter school in 2026 under the accelerated timeline or in 2027 under the standard timeline must submit their charter application and payment by the April 25, 2025, deadline.

The online application and $1,000 application fee must be submitted by April 25, 2025, at 5 PM (EDT). 

Additionally, applicant boards must attend in-person interviews at the Department of Public Instruction in Raleigh, NC, during the monthly Charter Schools Review Board meetings starting in September 2025.

The 2025 NC Charter School application link will be posted on the NCDPI Charter Schools Application page.

For any questions regarding the charter application process, please contact Melanie.Rackley@dpi.nc.gov.

North Carolina Homeless Education Program

Mid-Year Data Collection Survey

Annually, the State Coordinator’s office requires all homeless liaisons to submit a mid-year homeless data collection report. This is required even if you have “0” students to report at this time. The deadline for the submission of the requested information is no later than 5:00 PM on January 31, 2025. No extensions will be granted.

Complete the survey that reflects your PSU’s SIS:

• Infinite Campus Mid-Year Data Collection Survey

• PowerSchool Mid-Year Data Collection Survey

Please note: The provision of the mid-year homeless data survey does not replace the annual homeless data submission that is conducted at the end of the school year.

If you have questions about the data collection survey, contact your EHCY Program Administrator, Savannah Gay .

Charter School Compliance Forums

NCHEP will be hosting virtual Compliance Forums for charter and lab school homeless liaisons to expand their knowledge on the McKinney-Vento Act as well as develop practices to best support the needs of their students who are experiencing homelessness. All homeless liaisons are required to attend the annual Compliance Forums. Homeless liaisons are to attend at least three out of the four meetings listed below and are welcome to participate in all four sessions. Registration is required.

If you have questions about registration or these meetings, please contact your EHCY Program Administrator, Savannah Gay.

OCR/CRDC - SY23-24 - NCDPI Upload Status, 2025 NCED Connect and Error Workshops

SECTION II: SCHOOL BUSINESS UPDATES

School Business January 17, 2025

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 Allotment Update - All PSUs

The following items of interest are scheduled for allotment by the end of the week:

• State PRC 0032 – Children with Disabilities– Headcount Transfer Allotments per the Office of Exceptional Children
• Various Federal PRCs
  • Approvals received as of January 14, 2025
  • Reallocation of waived Grant Year 2025 funding

Past Due Legislated Surveys - All PSUs

SBS uses surveys to collect any data required by the General Assembly that is not available in PSU monthly reports. This information is frequently used in budget development or other critical tasks. As a result it is imperative that we receive your timely response to data requests. We will be following up with individual PSUs, but if you have not completed any of the required surveys below please do so as soon as possible.

• Days Missed Survey - Hurricane Helene and PTC8 Impacted PSUs Only
• Charter School Membership Survey - LEAs Only
• Athletics Survey - All PSUs

Charter School Average Daily Membership (CSADM) - IPSs Only

All Charter, Regional, and UNC Lab Schools with current year enrollment and new charter schools
approved to open July 1, 2025 are required to report their projected ADM for the upcoming 2025-26 fiscal year in the CSADM system.

We anticipate opening the platform next week and will send out instructions and further information at that time. Please prepare your data to be submitted quickly as your numbers are used in budget development with the NC General Assembly in preparation for the upcoming legislative session.

Questions? Contact SBS

Deadline Reminders

ALL PSUs

IPS ONLY

SECTION III: RESOURCES + EVENTS

Infinite Campus Virtual Training

AP teacher performance bonus information

Important information regarding the AP Teacher Performance bonuses: District/Charter schools have the funds to distribute these bonuses by the end of January 2025. Please review the FAQ from NCDPI School Business Services regarding teacher eligibility – you will find it posted on the Advanced Coursework webpage.

NCDPI does not receive teacher names with the qualifying scores each year, yet with access to the online score reports, school AP Coordinators have the information needed to complete this task. Navigate to AP Score Reports for Educators from a College Board account, and follow these steps:

• Select ‘Subject Score Report -by school’
• Select school
• Select any subject
• Select ‘All Sections’
• (You must complete all steps for this to work)
• Then you can click ‘Run report’ – and this will give you the choice to Download Report, and choosing csv as the type of file will give you the spreadsheet you can manipulate to meet your needs – it contains teacher names! 
• Please contact Beth Cross if you have any questions. I do not have access to these reports, but I can help you find yours!

2024 Driver Education Certificates

Are you looking for the new 2024 Driver Education Certificates for your students to take to the DMV?

Look no Further! Email all requests directly to the Office of Charter Schools at StakeholderSupport@dpi.nc.gov. They will be processed within a week. Schools may continue to utilize the old forms until supplies are depleted.

World Languages Standards Implementation PD Registration

World Languages and Healthful Living are currently in Standards Installation. As part of installation, both teams will be providing regional standards implementation PD in Spring 2025.  Below are the current schedule and registrations for World Languages.

NCED Connect Symposium

Call for Proposals, Hotel Information and more are now available at the DTL hub

https://www.dpi.nc.gov/dtl

Who: This event is tailored for District Leadership, CTOs, Teachers, Coaches, Accountability Teams, SIS Coordinators, Data Managers, Ed Tech/Media Specialists, and E-Rate On-Site Support staff and any educational professional that wants to leave with actionable strategies they can apply in their classrooms or schools immediately with NCSIS and more!

What: This symposium will offer sessions on the North Carolina Student Information System (Sessions for SIS Coordinators, District and School Leadership, Data Managers, and Teachers), Homebase applications (NCEES - Teacher Evaluation System, Schoolnet- nstructional Improvement System), EdTech, AI in education, Data Privacy, and school Media programs. It provides an opportunity to engage, learn, and connect while sharing research-based strategies for improving teaching practices and student outcomes. Attendees will gain insights, professional support, and data-driven approaches to enhance school operations, foster collaboration, and manage student data effectively through SIS, driving both immediate and long-term educational success.

When and Where:

• Tuesday- Thursday; January 21-23, 2025
• Koury Center in Greensboro, NC

Registration Details:

• Regular Registration - $300/pp | Nov. 23 - Dec. 18
• Late/On-Site Registration - $350/pp | Dec. 19 - Jan. 23

*Lead Presenters will be free (1 person per session). Call for proposals are still open!

Need a hotel for NCED Connect?

Book your room at the Sheraton by Dec. 10, 2024 for $149/night. Visit https://book.passkey.com/e/50907144 to make your reservations.

Other Resources from DPI and beyond

• School Business – Website
• Weekly Top Ten - January 16, 2024
• January Arts Education Newsletter
• Center for Safer Schools - January 2025 Newsletter
• Exceptional Children Parent and Family Updates January 2025
• Healthful Living Update January 2025
• January 2025 K-12 Monthly Mathematics Update
• January Science Update
• North Carolina Public Schools - School Social Work January Update
• ML/Title III Opportunities
• #WLnews4NC - January & February 2025
• K-12 Education Legislative Update - Friday, January 17, 2025
• Credit Monitoring and Identity Protection: PowerSchool Data Breach Update

NCVPS Spring 2025 Registration is Still Open!

There’s still time to register for Spring 2025 courses with NCVPS! With over 130 options—including Advanced Placement, CTE, world languages, arts, health and physical education, middle school, OCS, core courses, and more—students can find the perfect courses to match their academic goals and needs. Our program also provides access to classes that may not be available locally, making it easier for every student to succeed.

Key Dates:

• Open Enrollment: Early Start and Standard Start classes are open for enrollment through February 3, 2025.

• Options After February 3: We’ve got you covered even after the open enrollment window closes!

After Open Enrollment Options:

• Transfers: Schools can transfer individual students or entire classes after open enrollment ends. To begin the transfer process, simply open a ticket with our Virtual Support Center.

• Emergency Requests: We know the recent hurricane disrupted operations for many schools. If your school has unique circumstances, contact our Virtual Support Center—we’re here to help.

• Co-Teaching: Schools can continue adding students to existing co-teaching OCS and intervention courses throughout the semester. However, please note that new sections cannot be opened at this time.

At NCVPS, we’re committed to breaking down barriers and offering flexible, high-quality learning opportunities to help students achieve their goals and prepare for the future.

Have questions? Reach out to us anytime for more information!

SECTION IV: OCS + CHARTER HAPPENINGS

We have added a section to share good news about our schools so please send your stories to Joseph.Letterio@dpi.nc.gov

Share excellence in education! Post exceptional student work or exciting happenings at your NC Charter School. Then tag or mention OCS on Social Media for others to see! Remember when you share on social media to use #WeAreNCCharters or @NCCharterOffice

Fresh Take 2025

Community School of Davidson is excited to host the 12th Annual Fresh Take Conference on Friday, March 7th 2025. This conference is planned BY teachers and FOR teachers, and we are very excited to host researcher and educator Dr. John Almarode as our keynote speaker this year!

CSD is now accepting presentation proposals for the 2025 conference. As CSD was founded and believes in research-based best practices, we strongly encourage the inclusion of any related research in presentation proposals. For accepted presenters, we are pleased to share that the conference fee will be waived, and both breakfast and lunch are included! You will also receive a conference tee shirt. 

If you would like to join the conference as an attendee, please complete sign up here: Fresh Take Attendee Registration. There is a discount for groups of 5 or more. Please feel free to share this link with your colleagues! 

Please feel free to reach out with any questions!

Erika Bowen, Leslie Bragg & Lory Morrow

ebowen@csdspartans.org

lbragg@csdspartans.org 

lmorrow@csdspartans.org 

CSD Fresh Take Team

2024 Standards of Professional Conduct

Please download and distribute this OCS guidance document.

School Attendance and Student Accounting (SASA) Manual

This is a MUST HAVE resource for all charter school administrators. 

2024 Updated SASA-Manual

Charter School Job Postings

Job postings will include the posted date and will be deleted after two months. Schools may request early removal or extension. Contact Joseph.Letterio@dpi.nc.gov with a posting link.

• Bear Grass Charter School - High School EC Teacher (11/26)
• Henderson Collegiate - School Nurse (12/3)
• Lake Norman Charter - High School Principal (1/7)

• KIPP North Carolina—Chief Operating Officer (1/7)

• Telra Institute - Head of School Operations (1/14)

Ashley Baquero  • Director, Office of Charter Schools
Please send general inquires to ocs@dpi.nc.gov

Contact information for area specialists can be found on the Office of Charter Schools Directory.