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May 13, 2025

Some Upcoming Dates of Note:
See below for details

• May 13th- 9AM; OCS office hour covering year-over-year data
• May 20th- EOY Data Submission Information Session: PowerSchool
• May 21st- EOY Data Submission Information Session: Infinite Campus 
• June 20th- Annual Health Report due
• June 30th- Digital Learning & Media Inventory due
• June 30th- All Performance Framework items due

SECTION I: OCS PRIORITY REMINDERS

OCS May Office Hour: School Year Data Trends Join us for May's Virtual Office Hour, where Abby Pearce, Data Evaluation Specialist from the Office of Research & Promising Practices will be providing professional insight regarding trends in academic performance of charter schools over the years. This will be our final OCS office hour of the school year, so we hope to see you there! Tuesday, May 13th, 9am.

Annual Charter School Health Services Report due June 20th

Digital Learning & Media Inventory and Digital Learning Progress Rubric

The NC Digital Learning and Media Inventory (NCDLMI) is now open for the 2024-2025 school year and is due Monday, June 30, 2025.

ALL NC PSUs including LEA, Charters, Regional, and Lab Schools are legislatively mandated to complete the DLMI each year. As in previous years, all schools complete the School level DLMI, and PSUs complete the PSU level DLMI.  PSUs with only one school, such as charter, regional, and lab schools, complete both the PSU and School level DLMIs.

This 2024-2025 DLMI requests most of the same data points as last year.  A few items have been added or updated.The Digital Learning Progress Rubric (DLPR) is also part of the DLMI again this year in order to streamline data collection. 

The Digital Learning Dashboard (DLD) questions remain the same to fulfill session law "§ 115C-102.9, which requires collection and reporting of quantity and type of student access to digital devices and home internet.

Access the DLMI with your UID at https://schools.nc.gov/ncdlmi.  

Relevant Resources:

• 2024-2025 NCDLMI Training Deck:  https://go.ncdpi.gov/24-25DLMItraining 
• 2024-2025 PSU Level DLMI Presentation:  https://go.ncdpi.gov/24-25DLMIslidesPSU 
• 2024-25 NCDLMI PSU Level Users’ Guide/Worksheet: https://go.ncdpi.gov/24-25DLMIwsPSU 
• 2024-2025 SCHOOL Level DLMI Presentation: https://go.ncdpi.gov/24-25DLMISchoolslides 
• 2024-25 NCDLMI SCHOOL Level Users’ Guide/Worksheet: https://go.ncdpi.gov/24-25DLMIwsSchool 
• 2025 DLPR Worksheet: https://go.ncdpi.gov/24-25DLPRwsPSU 

Office Hours:

• Mondays from 2:00 - 3:00 pm
• May 12, 19
• June 2, 9, 16, 23
• Wednesdays from 10:00 - 11:00 am
• May 14, 21
• June 4, 11, 18, 25
• Meeting Link

Action needed by June 30, 2025

2024-2025 School-Based Mental Health Policy Report

Dear Charter School Contacts, 

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 for the upcoming school year 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.  

*New this year – Upon completion of your SMH report, you will be redirected to a separate Qualtrics survey titled “Specialized Instructional Support Personnel Annual Report - PSU Level”. If you are not prepared to complete your SMH report and the SISP Annual Report in the same sitting, you can use the following link to return to the SISP Annual Report at another time: https://ncdpi.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3Ei0Qd21ZI944Z0. Word and PDF versions of this data collection are also attached, and more information is available on our School Mental Health Policy Reporting page. The best contact for questions related to the SMH report and the new SISP Annual Report is Pachovia Lovett, School Social Work Consultant, Pachovia.Lovett@dpi.nc.gov, 984-236-2821.

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 School Mental Health Policy Report is September 15, 2025. 

You can access the reporting portal through the link below.   

2025 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.  

SECTION II: SCHOOL BUSINESS UPDATES

School Business May 9, 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.

Announcing the New SBS Blue Book - All PSUs

SBS is proud to announce that the new SBS Finance Guide for PSUs (the Blue Book) has gone live on our What's New page today. It is a early edition of the document; however, we intend for it to be a centralized repository for all the tools, manuals, and other resources available to assist PSUs with their obligations required due to the use of public funds. The School Financial Reporting Team will continue to update the Blue Book with more information in the coming months. If you have questions or have ideas of topics you'd like to have included, please reach out to SchoolFinancialReporting@dpi.nc.gov - we welcome your feedback and want the guide to be as beneficial as possible to you.

Invalid Account Codes: MFR Period 10 – All PSUs

The MFR data for Period 10 (April 2025) have posted to the DART website.

Please check the report “102. PSU Invalid Codes – Current Reporting Period” under "PSU Reports" for the list of records which require corrections. The corrections should be submitted with the next MFR data file submission (due June 3, 2025). MFR records with invalid account codes are not loaded into the Cash App, which impacts the amounts for monthly zero-out.

Please DO NOT RESUBMIT the MFR data file for Period 10 or any other previous periods.

Overspent PRCs

As we close the year, please pay attention to your overspent PRCs and get those expenditures corrected by the end of the next reporting period. This would involve an adjusting journal entry. The report is titled "106. PSU Overspent PRCs - Expenditures" in the SBS DART. 

If there are questions or concerns on the data files, please contact SchoolFinancialReporting@dpi.nc.gov.

If you are experiencing difficulties or need access to the DART website, please contact SBSDART@dpi.nc.gov.

FY2024-25 Allotment Update - All PSUs

The following items of interest are being allotted this week:

• State PRC 0081 – Transportation Reserve for Homeless and Foster Students – SBE Approved Allocations
• Federal PRC Allotment approvals as received

FY2024-25 Year-end Allotments

Due to current system issues affecting the timing of year-end financial actions for DPI and PSUs, Allotment revisions will be processed as needed to meet extenuating needs. However, we have communicated to other Divisions and Offices that all allotment requests be submitted to the Allotment Section by Wednesday, June 18th.

FY2025-26 Federal Planning Allotments

Federal Planning allotments are still in process, status updates will be provided via newsletter or email blast. Please use prior year information and indirect cost rates for planning until those items can be updated.

If you have general allotment questions, please email allotments@dpi.nc.gov.

SBS DART Update - All PSUs

It has come to our attention that some districts are not seeing SBS DART in the intended format. If you are not seeing DART as pictured below with dropdown menus, you may need to ensure ncdpi.github.io is not blocked by your IT department. You will want to reach out to your IT team to make sure that address is whitelisted.

YTD Zero Out Entries – All PSUs

Due to how the federal funds have to process with the Office of the State Controller, the cash transactions are processed as two separate batches on back-to-back days. Please wait for all batches to process for the week before looking at the data. Please document your general ledgers accordingly.

• April YTD State and negative Federal zero out entries will process on 5/8 for LEAs.
• April YTD positive Federal entries are scheduled to process on 5/9 for LEAs.
• All YTD Federal and YTD State zero out entries for IPSs are scheduled to process on 5/9.

Contact CashMgt@dpi.nc.gov for zero out questions.

SBS Year-End Updates

Urgent: End of Year Cash Request Process Update - All PSUs

As we close the year SBS has been asked to implement an extra review process before processing state cash requests.

• We will review your cash requests weekly, using the Total MTD Cash requests each week and comparing that amount to a few metrics.
• Our reasonability baseline is being set at 5% ABOVE your LEAs prior month of expenditures (April 2025) or 5 % ABOVE your LEA’s YTD monthly average (July 2024-April 2025), whichever is higher.
• Additional funding WILL NOT be granted without supporting documentation reflecting expenditures to substantiate your request if it exceeds the baseline amount and our metrics.
  • LEAs who exceed their maximum baseline amount will receive email notification that their cash request will be adjusted accordingly.
  • These LEAs will have already then received their maximum cash based on our baseline.
  • In addition your access to request additional state funds will be removed, until the next months cycle, pending supporting documentation to justify additional cash for the month.
  • Should anyone require additional funds, please send your documentation to SchoolFinancialReporting@dpi.nc.gov.
  • If approved, we will transact a State Cash request on your behalf and provide you that notification.
• Should you be concerned related to next week’s cash request with FRD of 5/16/2025 and this review, we will happily accept advanced documentation as soon as you have that ready. We would like to be pro-active, if possible, to get your cash approved or discuss the documentation before our deadlines next week.

We need to work together to make sure that we are REASONABLE with our cash requests from the State and that we do not exceed our authority. No one will not have cash for payroll or for your legitimate checks. We need your help in May and June related to these measures we are being asked to implement.

Friendly reminders when ordering cash:

• Do not order extra cash.
• Request what your LEA needs for
• May expenditures within May FRDs and .
• June expenditures within June FRDs

EDDIE Updates and Year End - All PSUs

The data in EDDIE must always be current for the current school year. Enter data that will become effective
for 2025-2026 beginning July 1, 2025. For more information, please see the EDDIE Year End Memo on
the SBS EDDIE webpage.

School Business Summer Conference 2025 - All PSUs

Please join us on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, for an exciting and very informative conference geared towards all things School Business to start your new school year. It will be held at a new venue, the Embassy Suites in the Raleigh-Durham area. The Hotel Link for the room discount ends on July 1st, please don't wait to reserve your room.

Conference Registration this year is $210 per person. Instructions to register are below:

1. Follow this link to register: https://go.ncdpi.gov/25FBSRegistration
2. Once you have submitted your registration, you will receive an email confirmation
   from noreply@dpi.nc.gov (subject line "2025 FBS Summer Conference Registration FBS25"). Be
   sure to check your spam folder if it does not appear in your inbox. The invoice attached to that
   email will provide you with your conference code and invoice number, which you will need when
   submitting your payment.
3. Go to https://go.ncdpi.gov/FBSPayments if paying online with a credit card. You can also pay via invoice and check - instructions on how to do so are on the invoice attached to your registration
   confirmation.

We welcome all of the Business staff from the LEAs and the Independent Public Schools. We will have a
specific track of programming for the IPS group as well as some very informative general session
presentations with a larger focus of interest. We will communicate more information about session topics in the coming weeks.

Questions? Contact SBS

Deadline Reminders

ALL PSUs

SECTION III: RESOURCES + EVENTS

English Learner Data in Infinite Campus

Charter schools now have a dedicated SIS professional contact!

Charter School SIS Trainings (including Data Manager Academy)

• May 27 from 830am to 330pm in Charlotte Register Here

  Charter School Data Manager Academy - May 2025 - Eventbrite Eventbrite - NCDPI Office of Digital Teaching & Learning presents Charter School Data Manager Academy - May 2025 - Tuesday, May 27, 2025 at TMSA Charlotte Elementary School - The Math and Science Academy of Charlotte, Charlotte, NC. Find event and ticket information. www.eventbrite.com
• June 17 from 830am to 330pm in Apex Register Here

  Charter School Data Manager Academy - June 2025 - Eventbrite Eventbrite - NCDPI Office of Digital Teaching & Learning presents Charter School Data Manager Academy - June 2025 - Tuesday, June 17, 2025 at TMSA Apex - The Math and Science Academy of Apex (K-7), Apex, NC. Find event and ticket information. www.eventbrite.com

• May 20 from 9am to 12pm in Cary
• Register in Eventbrite. 

• 2nd and 4th Friday of each month from 9am to 10am
• Register in Eventbrite 

• May 14 1pm to 4pm in Greensboro
• Register in Eventbrite

• June 16 1pm to 4pm in Greensboro
• Register in Eventbrite

NCCTM Outstanding Math Teacher

It is that time of the year to nominate an Outstanding 6-12 Math teacher from your school!

This memo from Kristy Day, the Director of the Office of Teaching and Learning, contains further information about the partnership between the North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCCTM) and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction for the purpose of this award.

The memo also contains a link to the form to submit the 6-12 teacher from your school to receive this award.

The chosen teacher will receive:

• Recognition at the awards ceremony during the NCCTM State Math Conference on Thursday, November 13, 2025, in Winston-Salem,
• One-year free membership to NCCTM, and 
• Will have their names published on NCCTM website and publication, the Centroid.

The deadline for submission is June 16, 2025.

Please contact Jennifer Parker (jennifer.parker@dpi.nc.gov), K-5 Math Consultant, with any questions.

Applications for K-12 Math Standards Writing Team Now Available!

The NC Department of Public Instruction K-12 Math Team is excited to announce the NC State Board of Education has approved to transition from the review phase of the N.C. K-12 Math Standard Course of Study to the revision phase. The process is guided by the North Carolina Standard Course of Study (NCSCOS) Procedures Manual, adopted by the Board of Education in February 2022. 

The first step is establishing the Standards Writing Team (SWT). Working in grade-level/content area groups, the SWT considers possible revisions to K-12 Math when and where applicable. This may involve slight modifications, major modifications, deletions, additions, or no changes to current standards. The SWT Scope of Work provides a full explanation of the requirements for the SWT.

All SWT members will be asked to participate in an in-person kick-off event July 29th - 31st in Asheboro, NC. NCDPI will reimburse for any travel costs associated with the training. 

SWT applications are due by 8:00am EST, Monday, May 12th, 2025.  Applicants will be notified of their selection status between Monday, June 16th, 2025, and Wednesday, July 2nd, 2025.

Please contact Dr. Charles Aiken (charles.aiken@dpi.nc.gov), Section Chief for Math, Science, and STEM, with any questions. 

Click here to apply: Math Standards Writing Team Application

Applications Open for North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE) AI Fellows Program

Attention NC middle and high school educators! The North Carolina Business Committee for Education, in partnership with Google.org, is launching its AI Fellows initiative. The program will equip 20 exceptional teachers with the tools and resources to be AI leaders and mentors in their school community. 

Learn more and apply here. Applications are open now until May 16

Now Open - PRC079 Innovation and Grade Expansion Grant Applications

The Education and Workforce Innovation Commission Grants (both under PRC079), the Innovation Grant and the CTE Grade Expansion Grant, applications for the 2025-26 grant year are now open. The applications will close on Friday, May 16, 2025 at 5:00 pm. There will be no deadline extensions for any circumstances.

There are two notable changes to the applications and programs this year:

1.      The applications will be housed in Google Forms. The applications are not in NCCCIP this year. The link to the applications is forthcoming.

2.      The funding amounts available to each applicant for both grants has increased; folks may apply for up to $65,000 for the CTE Grade Expansion Grant and $100,000 for the Innovation Grant. Please remember the Innovation Grant requires a 50% match.

Disclaimer: These applications are being released prior to the official passing of the 2025 budget from the North Carolina General Assembly. With that, grant funding is subject to the final state budget allowances. Awards will not be distributed until after budget certification.

Application links:

1.      Innovation Grant Application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc1gn3x3m-96lY3gBjBzyumJEEri5B-AlaGR5Ns7lad6_I3pw/viewform?usp=dialog

2.      Grade Expansion Application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSesRiaLaLtTL3O0HKCWiubdp9R71Th2GYbVrn4KCouqmLYNtA/viewform?usp=dialog

Open Office Hours: (for applicants to drop in to ask Jacqueline Wyatt questions about the applications, grants, etc.) May 2, 2025 – 10:00 am to 11:00 am

Attached to this announcement is the document you will need to understand the new application process.

If you have any questions about these two grants, please contact Jacqueline Wyatt at Jacqueline.Wyatt@dpi.nc.gov.

Summer Honors Planning/PD Opportunity

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.

• Driver Education Completion Certificates –

• No need for charter schools to have these.
• There are three acceptable forms at the license offices.

1. The new streamlined form (combined all three)
2. Old PSU form
3. Old DMV 611 form

Other Resources from DPI and beyond

• School Business – Website
• Weekly Top Ten - May 8, 2025
• NC Center for Safer Schools - May
• Character Education Updates: May 2025
• Healthful Living Update May 2025
• May 2025 K-12 Monthly Mathematics Update
• May Science Update
• Social Studies Update: May 2025
• World Languages Installation News for April - May 2025
• K-12 Education Legislative Update - Friday, May 9, 2025
• Credit Monitoring and Identity Protection: PowerSchool Data Breach
• NCBOLD Professional Learning
• Apply TODAY For NCPAPA's Early Career Principals Academy

2025 RISE Back to School Safety Summit (with QR code graphic)

2025-2026 SHINE/SEED Cohorts (with flyers)

NCVPS Live, Certified Instruction Now Available for Middle Schools

North Carolina Virtual Public School launched In-Real-Time (IRT) with tremendous success. This live, synchronous instruction program is designed specifically for middle school students. IRT brings certified NC teachers directly into your middle school classrooms—supporting schools that are facing vacancies, working with substitutes, or simply seeking stronger instructional options. With flexible scheduling and real-time lessons in core subjects, IRT is already helping districts deliver the teaching their students need—right when they need it.

👉 Learn more and register for our upcoming informational webinars: https://conta.cc/44jtmRW 

-

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.

SECTION IV: OCS + CHARTER HAPPENINGS

Thirteen charter schools received Purple Star recognition for the 2024-25 school year!

The award recipients were honored at a ceremony on May 9th that included remarks from State Superintendent of Public Instruction Maurice "Mo" Green and Brigadier General Charles W. Morrison, Assistant Adjutant General - Maneuver, NC National Guard. Charter schools that have received the award for five to six consecutive years were also honored at the ceremony. Alpha Academy and Anderson Creek Academy received legacy plaques for six consecutive years, and Northeast Academy of Aerospace & Advanced Technology (NEAAAT) received the legacy trophy for five consecutive years.

North Carolina has long been home to a large population of active duty, guard, reserve, and veteran armed service members. In recognition of the state’s rich military history, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) is pleased to recognize hundreds of schools as part of its Purple Star Award Designation initiative, which first launched in the 2019-20 school year.

Click here to see the recipients of the 2024-25 Purple Star Award.

*Neuse Charter also received an award.

Click here to learn more about the Purple Star Award.

State Employees' Credit Union People Helping People Scholarship Recipient Recognition:

Ten students were recognized at the May CSRB meeting for receiving the SECU PHP scholarship. They are as follows:

Cheyenne Efird - Graystone Day School who will be attending Western Carolina University.

Owen Hamilton - Community School of Davidson who will be attending The University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Zachary Harper - North Carolina Leadership Academy who will be attending North Carolina State University.

Josie Huffines - Clover Garden High School who will be attending The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

Sydney Matisoff - Neuse Charter School who will be attending The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

Colson McDonald - Northeast Academy for Aerospace and Advanced Technologies who will be attending East Carolina University. 

Alegria Mino - American Leadership Academy Johnston who will be attending Appalachian State University. 

Alizah O'Quinn - Central Carolina Academy who will be attending The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

Bo Sampson - Northeast Regional School of Biotechnology and Agriscience who will be attending Appalachian State University. 

Marleigh Swanner - Oxford Preparatory School who will be attending The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

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

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.

• FernLeaf Community Charter - Multiple opportunities available (3/25)
• Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy- Multiple opportunities available (4/15)
• Movement Schools - NC Business Operations Director and Director of Compliance (5/13)
• Paul R. Brown Leadership Academy - Child Nutrition Director (4/1)
• Raleigh Charter High School - Multiple opportunities available (4/15)
• Socrates Academy - Assistant Principal for Middle School(4/15)
• Sterling Montessori - Admin Asst, ECPA, and K-8 Guidance Counselor (5/13)
• The Hawbridge School - Lower School Specialist (5/6)
• The Mountain Community School- Executive Director (4/23)
• Warren Young Explorers School - Head of School (4/23)

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.