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Upcoming Dates of Note:
See below for details
- March 31st- UNC Teacher Workforce Development Survey closes.
- April 3rd- Early bird registration for the North Carolina Association for Public Charter Schools Conference closes.
- April 15th 9AM- OCS April Office Hour: Digital Accessibility
- April 25th- Deadline for new charter applications.
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CSRB will be discussing revisions to the next iteration of the NC charter school application (2026) at its upcoming meetings in March, April, and May. If you would like to submit public comment regarding the same, please see the attached agenda item for instructions.
Also, OCS has been notified that DPI will be invoicing 94 districts and 91 charters $1/student for PowerSchool Applicant Tracking/Onboarding cost recovery starting next fiscal year. Invoices being emailed to your CFO in August 2025 timeframe. OCS has no further information; schools should be aware as to whether this applies to you or not. If you have questions, please contact Barry.Pace@dpi.nc.gov or Melanie.Belk@dpi.nc.gov. Please note that Wendy Hinson has retired.
OCS April Office Hour: Digital Accessibility
Join us for April's Virtual Office Hour, April 15th at 9:00 am with Donna Murray, NCDPI's Digital Accessibility Specialist, on the topic of ADA Compliance and Title II Implementation. We look forward to seeing you then!
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2025 NC Charter Applications
The 2025 NC Charter School Application opened 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.
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School Business March 21, 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.
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Legislative Update
This week, the Governor signed SL 2025-2 (House Bill 47). It includes the following
provisions related to PSUs:
- Section 2G.1. (page 10) - Appropriates $9 million to establish the School Extension Learning Recovery Program (SELRP). All PSUs in Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Haywood, Henderson, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, and Yancey counties are able to participate, including charters and Asheville City Schools.
- Section 3.1. (page 13) - Extends the State of Emergency until June 30, 2025
- Section 5.8 (page 19) - Allows all PSUs in Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Haywood, Henderson, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, and Yancey counties, including charter schools and Asheville City Schools, to deem complete an additional 10 missed instructional days due to inclement weather from December 2024 to February 2025.
- PSUs that deem complete days must compensate employees for those days as if they had worked a scheduled instructional day. This includes School Nutrition employees and contractors.
- Section 5.8.(c) (page 19) - School Nutrition employees and contractors in Helene-impacted counties should be compensated for instructional days that were moved to remote learning due to the hurricane in September through November 2024 as if they had worked a scheduled on-site instructional day.
- Section 5.11. (page 21) - Reduces the waiting period for state employees that retired between April 1, 2024 and March 1, 2025 to return to work from six months to one month to assist with recovery efforts.
We have updated our Disaster Recovery Act Summary and FAQ Document posted to our What's New page to include this legislation. We will publish additional guidance on the SELRP in the coming week. If you have any questions, please contact SchoolFinancialReporting@dpi.nc.gov.
Accounting for Days Missed in the SIS
Days deemed complete should be counted as completed instructional days with every student who is not suspended marked "Present". A note, such as, “Snow Day—Helene” should be added to the calendar for tracking purposes.
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
FY2024-25 Allotment Update - All PSUs
The following items of interest are being allotted this week:
- State PRC 0040 – School Safety Grants – FY2025 Grant Award Allotments
- State PRC 0056 – Transportation of Pupils – Helene Emergency Transportation Allotments as approved.
- State PRC 0230 – Hurricane Relief and Recovery: School Nutrition – Allotment Adjustments per February data and March submissions.
- State PRC 0251 – Economically Disadvantaged Public School Support Funds – FY2025 Allotments.
- Federal PRC Approvals received as of March 14, 2025
Refunds for Fiscal Year 2025 Overspent PRCs – All PSUs
Please see the steps below on how to send cash back to DPI for overspent PRCs based on if the PRC is open or closed in the Cash App.
Closed PRC Overspent for FY25:
- Note: Closed PRCs must be processed with a Manual Check
- Move expenditures + encumbrances
- Create Manual Check
- Complete & Submit the Droplet Refund and Repayment Form
Open PRC Overspent for FY25
Note: Open PRCs can be processed via the Cash App
- Move expenditures + encumbrances
- Create negative cash request in the Cash App
How do we know if the PRC is open or closed for fiscal year 2025?
Only open PRCs are accessible on the Cash App when selecting the Funds Requirement Date (FRD).
How do we know if we have overspent PRCs for fiscal year 2025?
PSUs can access a report in the Cash App.
How do we access the report?
- Go to Data Inquiry →Funds Available to Request
- Download the report by pressing Actions → Download → Select report format and click the Download button.
- The report contains the following headers:
- LEA/IPS
- Fiscal Year
- PRC Type
- PRC/Name
- Grant Year
- (a) Allotment
- (b) Request Amount
- (a)-(b)= Available to Request
- You can create a formula where (a) Allotment – (b) Request Amount = difference. If the amount is negative, the PRC is overspent and a refund is due back to DPI. If your Cash Requests are greater than the Allotment, a refund is due.
Contact CashMgt@dpi.nc.gov if you have any questions.
Uniform Education Reporting System (UERS) File Specifications - All PSUs
As a reminder, SBS publishes the file specs for the various UERS reports on our Finance Operations webpage. Please reach out to SchoolFinancialReporting@dpi.nc.gov if you have any questions.
From the Office of Exceptional Children
NC DPI OEC Medicaid in Education Cohort
Please complete this registration for your PSU to participate in a Medicaid in Education cohort. This flexible, inclusive, virtual cohort will complete the on-demand Medicaid in Education course with a focus on FFS; however, all Medicaid programs (MAC, Cost Report, FFS) will be covered. Participants will:
- Complete the assigned module/s
- Meet virtually to clarify concepts, answer questions, and
- Collaborate for implementation, establishing PSU practices, and procedures
Participants can and should vary from module to module. Time will be allocated for implementation work. Suggested participants to consider:
- PSU leadership
- EC administrators
- Finance/Business officers
- Related service providers
- Central office / Compliance personnel
- Administrative support
There are 4 planned cohorts (Spring 25, Summer 25, Fall 25 and Spring 26) over 8 weeks.
- Spring 25 cohort- March 31st through May 9th
- Meeting dates and deadlines to be established with cohort
- Subsequent cohorts will establish their time frame, meeting dates and deadlines
Please contact Laurie Ray [(919) 636-1827 or laurie.ray@dpi.nc.gov] with any questions.
From the Center for Safer Schools
School Safety Grant Awards (PRC 0040)
All the NC CFSS School Safety Grant award letters have been issued to Superintendents and the contact listed in CCIP. We received an ask of over 86M with 29M to award.
To receive notifications and CCIP emails please ensure your CCIP contact is current. Karen Everett has weekly virtual office hours to answer any grant questions and concerns every Wednesday from 10-11am. Please register online.
Questions? Contact SBS
Deadline Reminders
ALL PSUs
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DUE DATE
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TOPIC
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NEWSLETTER
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03/31/25
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Hurricane Helene Technology Recovery Funds
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02/13/25
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03/31/25
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Real Property Status Report
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03/06/25
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04/01/25
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2025-2026 Instructional Start and End Dates
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03/13/25
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Driver Education and Driver Eligibility Certificate (DEC) Info
- Driver Eligibility Certificates (DEC)
- There is no state prerequisite for the student to show a driver education certificate to receive a DEC from the school of attendance.
- However, schools may require the student to be finished with DE before they issue the DEC being that it’s only good for 30 days.
- Students need both at the license office.
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Driver Education Completion Certificates –
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No need for charter schools to have these.
- There are three acceptable forms at the license offices.
- The new streamlined form (combined all three)
- Old PSU form
- Old DMV 611 form
Karl Logan, karl.logan@dpi.nc.gov
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2025 RISE Back to School Safety Summit
The 2025 RISE Back to School Safety Summit will be held from Monday, July 28 to Wednesday, July 30 at the Statesville Civic Center in Statesville, N.C. The Center for Safer Schools is accepting session proposals and sponsor applications.
If you or someone you know has a school safety workshop that would be appreciated by participants at the summit, please complete this form: https://forms.gle/zW6fdDQTMVLVVTws5
The submission deadline for both session proposals and sponsor applications is noon Friday, April 18, 2025, with notifications going out on or before Friday, May 9.
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CFSS BTAM Training Dates
The Center for Safer Schools will hold School Risk Management Plan Training during the spring semester. See upcoming dates on the CFSS Training Calendar. After completing SRMP training, attendees will be able to:
- Input site-based school data to develop a comprehensive schematic diagram and plans into the SRMP portal.
- Both identify and discuss vulnerabilities and training gaps in their individual plans.
- At least once annually initiate a full schoolwide tabletop exercise on the procedures documented in the SRMP portal.
To obtain the most beneficial training within the SRMP system, charter school personnel should ensure that their school has been loaded into the SRMP and that they have an active NCID and are able to log into SRMP. LEA personnel should make sure they can log into SRMP using their NCID.
If you are not able to log in, click here to try to reset your NCID password first. Attendees are encouraged to bring a laptop, as they will receive technical guidance to ensure their plans meet the necessary state requirements. All sessions are the same.
For more information on School Risk Management Plan Training, send an email to CFSS Assistant Director-Physical Safety & Compliance Karen Everett
Registration for Regional Training for Charter School Arts Education Leaders, Arts Education District Leaders and Teacher Leadership Teams is Now Available.
Join the Office of Academic Standards K-12 Arts Education Consultants to learn how to lead unpacking guidance of the new K-12 Standards in Dance, General Music, Vocal & Instrumental Music, Theatre, Technical Theatre, and Visual Arts in your charter schools! It is advised that Charter Schools please send one individual who can best support the implementation of the new standards at their school. If serving multiple schools/grade bands and feel that an additional leader would be beneficial, please contact laura.stauderman@dpi.nc.gov or brandon.roeder@dpi.nc.gov to check on seating availability prior to registering. Leaders can register for any of the eight trainings should the one offered in their region not align with their schedules.
Charter schools now have a dedicated SIS professional contact!
We are pleased to introduce Jennifer Fogleman as your new dedicated NCSIS Professional Learning Consultant for Charter Schools, effective immediately.
Jennifer brings a wealth of experience in the Student Information System (SIS) and is committed to providing you with the same high level of service you've come to expect from our team.
The NCSIS Professional Learning Consultant team is here to support you, please don't hesitate to contact Jennifer if you have any questions or concerns.
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Upcoming ML/Title III Leaders Meeting
The NC DPI ML/Title III Team is excited for our ML/Title III Q3 Leaders Meeting! This in-person meeting will take place on March 26th, 2025, from 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM at two locations:
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West: Olive Hill Resource Center, 509 West Concord St. in Morganton
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East: Kathy Taft Center, 2010 Allen Rd. in Greenville
This meeting is intended for district and charter ML/Title III Leaders. We understand this is a busy time of year, so please let us know in the registration form whether you prefer the meeting to be one day or two days. Additionally, feel free to include any questions or topics you would like us to cover during the meeting.
- Prepare each student for the next phase in life
- Invest fully in public education
- Revere public school educators
- Enhance parent and community support and partnerships
- Ensure safe, secure learning environments
- Celebrate the good in public education
More details will be shared as the date approaches. We look forward to meeting with you! If you have any questions, please contact ESLTitleIII@dpi.nc.gov.
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Please Share With Data Stakeholders in your PSU!
Home Language Survey Professional Development
In an effort to introduce the standardized Home Language Survey to stakeholders, the ML/Title III Team is offering a professional development opportunity for all data management stakeholders (i.e., school data managers, Enrollment specialists, EL data managers, SIS Coordinators, ML coordinators, and administrators). This PD aims to provide participants with the necessary knowledge and resources to effectively administer the state's standardized Home Language Survey. By enhancing staff expertise, the program supports compliance with federal regulations and state board policies, ultimately improving educational practices.
Please share this flyer with any data managers in your PSU who may need to attend. Use this form to register for the session that best suits your needs. Space is limited! While we will try to honor all registrations, priority enrollment will be given to stakeholders from the state board region of the training. Charter School Feedback for the SIS Professional Learning Team
This is the link to the Charter School feedback survey we are conducting at the SIS Professional Learning Team. The feedback from charter schools is vital in helping us support you during the transition to the new NCSIS, Infinite Campus.
NC MTSS Secondary Support Updates & Release of Resources
We are pleased to share an update and release of resources for our NC MTSS Secondary Support and Research Project. Your IABS Team spent two years researching and working alongside district and school teams to provide a comprehensive view of MTSS installation and practices at the secondary levels in North Carolina.
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Other Resources from DPI and beyond
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.
After February 3: We’ve got you covered even after the open enrollment window closes!
After Open Enrollment Options:
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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.
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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.
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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!
NCVPS 2025-2026 Enrollment Now Open!
NCVPS has opened registration early to support schools and districts as they prepare for the transition to the new statewide student information system. Schools and students can now explore our updated course catalog and plan for summer, fall, and spring enrollment. We recently added Honors 1 and 2 options for French, Latin, and Spanish, and we have a new filtering feature in our registration system to make finding courses easier. As you register, consider Early Start vs. Standard Start options to align with your school’s academic calendar. Don’t wait—secure your enrollments today! See all the details in our latest NCVPS E-lert.
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Early bird registration for the North Carolina Association for Public Charter Schools conference closes April 3rd
We hope you will join us at the 2025 NCAPCS Conference on July 16-18 in Wilmington, NC at the Wilmington Convention Center! This year's conference theme is Grow Connect Inspire and we are thrilled to share that our Keynote Speaker will be Ron Clark.
Ron Clark’s outstanding success with students from low-wealth areas of North Carolina and New York City led him to be named Disney’s American Teacher of the Year. He is a New York Times Best Selling author, and his classes have been honored at the White House on three separate occasions. Ron’s teaching experiences in New York City are the subject of the uplifting film, The Ron Clark Story, starring Matthew Perry. Currently, Mr. Clark serves as a teacher and administrator at the Ron Clark Academy, an award winning and internationally acclaimed middle school in Atlanta, GA. The school serves as a training site for educators, and each year thousands of teachers and administrators from around the world visit the school to be trained in their methods for helping all students achieve success.
Early Bird Registration will be open from March 3, 2025, to April 3, 2025. Don't delay, take advantage of our early bird pricing for special discounts! Regular rates will begin on April 4th and registration will remain open until July 7th. Register HERE.
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
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Charter School Connections
April 22nd-25th at Cullowhee. NCCAT programs are free for NC public school staff for the course, lodging, and all meals.
Course Description
How can charter school teachers and leaders build networks of support for school, staff, and students? With each charter school operating as an independent LEA, how do we form communities with other charter school educators to share best practices and increase community support? Explore how to better advocate for your specific school's mission and engage with your local community. Learn best practices in connecting students to digital learning and student leadership development through exploring project-based learning, service learning, and best practices for using AI in the classroom. Using a “make and take” model, participants will have time to develop a communication or networking plan, digital lessons, conflict resolution tools, and project-based modules to share with your school.
Telra Institute Hosting StepLab
Calling all Instructional Coaches, School Leaders, Department Heads, and Mentor Teachers. North Carolina is proud to host the wizards behind StepLab when they visit the U.S. this May. This is *the* event for anyone interested in supercharging teacher development. Let's work together to uplift teachers across the State!
Learn more and register for this full-day professional development event hosted by Telra Institute in Charlotte, NC on Saturday, May 3.
Register for NC Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT) Summer Opportunities
Join the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT) this summer for transformative professional development. These residential programs provide educators with the tools, strategies and support to elevate their teaching. Each week, teachers engage in content-rich instruction, explore proven methodologies and receive coaching to implement new insights effectively. The goal is to empower educators to create classrooms where students are more engaged, self-motivated and successful.
Learn more about the professional development opportunities available at NCCAT this summer and register here.
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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
UNC Teacher Workforce Development
Calling all K-12 NC teachers: influence recommendations for future teacher workforce development around student wellbeing and behavior! Nina Muller at the UNC Behavioral Health Springboard is creating a strategic plan with recommendations on teacher workforce development around student wellness. A piece of this plan will include information from this survey, on current teacher feelings of preparation to handle issues of student wellbeing. Please complete the survey and forward this survey to relevant lists and professionals! Any K-12 NC teacher is eligible to take the survey. The survey takes no more than 10 minutes and will close on 3/31. Reach out to Nina at nmuller@unc.edu with any questions.
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.
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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.
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