Section 1: The Charter Agreement
- Did you know…… there are several sections of the charter application that, prior to making changes, must receive approval by OCS or CSRB? The amendment process is governed by administrative code and statute 115C-218.7, 16 NCAC 06G.0519, 16 NCAC 06G.0511. If you have made any changes to the charter application please reach out to OCS for guidance. Some common amendments include:
- Education Plan such as class size, curriculum, instructional design, diagnostic testing.
- Bylaws
- Relocation under or over 5-miles
- Transportation
- Lunch Program
- Article of Incorporation filed with the NC Secretary of State
- Changing the name of your school
- Mission Statement
- Charter schools must clearly indicate to vendors and other entities and individuals that the obligations of the agreement or contract are solely the responsibility of the charter school by including the “No Indebtedness” clause in every contract and lease they enter. See Charter Agreement Section 19.
“No indebtedness of any kind incurred or created by the Public Charter School shall constitute an indebtedness of the State or its political subdivisions, and no indebtedness of the Public Charter School shall involve or be secured by the faith, credit, or taxing power of the State or its political subdivisions.”
Section 2: Fiscal Oversight
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School Business will hold a conference on Jul 22, 2025. Be on the lookout for details! Last year’s conference included many sessions specifically for charter schools which will benefit your board’s treasurer, school leader, and finance officer.
- It’s time to develop, discuss and approve your school’s annual budget for the 25-26 school year. Check out this article, Charter School Budget Overview: Best Practices and Processes, which states the process consists of five fundamental activities:
- Revenue Estimation
- Expenditure Distribution
- Contingency Allocation
- Budge Balancing and
- Budget Approval
Section 3: Governance Tips & Tricks
- You just don’t do it.
- The board is unclear about what you’re measuring performance against.
- The board doesn’t speak with one voice.
- Misusing parent and teacher satisfaction surveys.
- The board doesn’t complete a parallel evaluation process.
- The charter agreement Section 11 requires the board to make sure OCS, CSRB, and/or SBE is notified when certain things occur. Please review your charter agreement for the full list. Some of these required notifications include but are not limited to:
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Prolonged closure of the charter school due to a natural disaster.
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Arrest or charge of any members of the governing board or employee is arrested or charged for a crime punishable as a felony, any crime related to the misappropriation of funds or theft, any crime against a minor child or student.
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Default on any obligation including debts past due by sixty (60) days or more.
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Enrollment decreases by twenty percent (20%) or more.
Section 4: Academic Monitoring
- Although the board is not directly involved in the academics of the school, you are tasked with oversight of ensuring adequate academic performance. Understanding adequate academic performance is essential when determining charter renewal terms. SBE Policy CHTR-007: Charter School Renewal Process provides guidance for renewal terms including comparability data.
- What questions can I ask when the school leader is presenting academic information?
- What is the plan of action for students who are struggling academically and those who are excelling and need to be challenged?
- Do teachers have adequate time to analyze student data? If not, why not. If so, how is the data used to move academic achievement forward?
- Are students aware of how they are doing academically? If not, why not? If so, how do they hold themselves accountable for improving?
- Based on the MOY data, what are the projected proficiency levels for EOG, EOC, and/or end of the year benchmark assessments?
- What can be removed from the school leader/teacher’s plates to free up time to focus on instruction and student progress?
Section 5: Operations
- Charter schools must verify that their background checks align with their local LEA in order to comply with the statutory requirement regarding background checks. See G.S. 115C-218.90 (b)
- Licensed Employees
- 50% of teachers must be licensed
- 100% of EC teachers must be licensed
- Before hiring an unlicensed teacher or allowing someone to volunteer, the school must check the SBE revoked license list. No person shall be hired whose name is on this list.
Section 6: Resources & Professional Development
Educational Directory and Demographical Information Exchange (EDDIE) Reminder.
IMPORTANT REMINDER – Please be sure your team is staying current with any changes to key staff contacts listed in EDDIE throughout the year.
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
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