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Some Upcoming Dates of Note:
See below for details
- May 20th- EOY Data Submission Information Session: PowerSchool
- May 21st- EOY Data Submission Information Session: Infinite Campus
- May 29th- Great Schools Budgeting webinar
- June 10th-11th- New Charter School Leadership Institute
- June 20th- Annual Health Report due
- June 30th- Digital Learning & Media Inventory due
- June 30th- All Performance Framework items due
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Join OCS & Great Schools NC, in Partnership with Afton Partners, for a Webinar on Budget Planning in the Current Environment
The NC DPI Office of Charter Schools and Great Schools North Carolina (GSNC), a nonprofit grantmaking organization that supports forward-thinking education leaders across the state, is partnering with Afton Partners, a national impact-driven consultancy, to host a 45-minute webinar designed specifically for North Carolina charter school leaders.
This session, “Budget Planning in the Current Environment: What NC Charter School Leaders Need to Know Now,” will provide actionable financial planning strategies for navigating today’s shifting economic and policy landscape. Attendees will explore practical approaches to budgeting, cash management, board engagement, grant risk assessment, and frameworks and tools they can bring back to their school teams and boards.
May 29th | 4pm
For questions, please contact Reid Phillips, Managing Director of School Facilities and Finance at GSNC, at rphillips@greatschoolsnc.org. We hope to see you there!
OCS External Support Year End Survey
School leaders,
Thank you for all you do each day to lead, inspire, and support your school community. As we plan for the year ahead, we want to ensure that our professional development programs meet your evolving needs. Please take a few minutes to complete our annual survey. Your feedback is critical in guiding our efforts to support school leaders like you. We appreciate your time and thoughtful responses.
New Charter School Leadership Institute for RTO Approved Schools
When: June 10-11, 2025
What: RTO School Boards & New School Leaders will come together for learning and networking before launching their 2025-2026SY
Day 1- Guest Speakers from NC DPI Share requirements for the Keys to a Successful 1st Year
Day 2- Guest Speakers from the Field, DPI, and OCS
Where: 8:15 AM -4:30 PM Room #707, 301 N Wilmington St, Raleigh, NC 27601
Who: New Charter School Leaders and CS Board Chairpersons
Annual Charter School Health Services Report due June 20th
The Annual Charter School Health Report link is now open. Reporting must be completed no later than June 20th. The report is designed to assist in identifying resource needs for healthcare of students in charter schools. Responses will be used to inform future training topics and to report on compliance with required legislation and policies such as Care of Students with Diabetes (§ 115C-375.3.) and School Supply of Epinephrine Auto-Injectors (§ 115C-375.2A). As a reminder, charter schools that do not employ a licensed registered nurse that serves as the school nurse will not complete section two of the report. The report will end after ‘no’ is selected for the question that asks if your school employs the services of a school nurse. Charter schools that employ a licensed registered nurse that serves as the school nurse will have their entire report completed by the registered nurse.
A preparation worksheet is provided with the report questions. All schools are encouraged to download the worksheet and mark the appropriate responses before beginning the online report survey. Once you have prepared your responses, save the document to your local computer. This worksheet cannot be accepted as your report. You will use it as a reference tool to enter your information into the online survey system.
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:
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
North Carolina Homeless Education Program
End-of Year Data Collection
Homeless data collection submissions are required of all [PSU]s, even if there are “0” students to report. Virtual information sessions will be held in May to review the data submission process, registration is required. All LEAs are required to have homeless data submitted by June 15, 2025.
EOY Data Submission Information Session:
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EOY Data Submission Information Session:
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If you have questions, please contact your EHCY Program Administrator, Savannah Gay.
North Carolina Foster Care Education Program
EOY Report for Foster Care Education
Data collection and submission of students in foster care is required of all [PSU]s, even if there are “0” students to report. The Foster Care Point of Contact (POC) is responsible for completing the End-of-Year (EOY) Report for Foster Care Education with accurate data that reflects the 2024-2025SY. The deadline to submit this report is June 15, 2025.
Access the EOY Report for Foster Care Education HERE.
Please email the Foster Care Education State Coordinator, Dr. Yatisha Blythe, if you have any questions.
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.
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School Business May 15, 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.
Webinar: New Cash App Features & Fiscal Year Closeout Information
We have updated the cash app for a new refund feature for CURRENT YEAR refunds. We will have two webinar sessions on Thursday, May 29, to demonstrate these new features, reports, and tools. There will be two sessions: 10am-11am and 2pm-3pm (jointly with the closeout discussion).
Annual Audit Engagement Questionnaire Now Open: All PSUs
All PSUs are required to complete the linked Auditor Questionnaire by June 6, 2025. This questionnaire verifies that each PSU has engaged, or is in the process of engaging, an independent certified public accountant for the annual financial audit covering the period July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025, per state financial oversight requirements and audit timelines.
If you need additional information, please contact Brittany S. McLaurin, Accounting Manager- Fiscal Monitoring, at brittany.mclaurin@dpi.nc.gov
FY2024-25 Allotment Update: All PSUs
FY2024-25 Year-End Actions: ABC Transfers
The ABC deadline for the month of May is still midnight on Friday the 16th; these items will be processed by May 21st.
The ABC deadline for June is midnight on Wednesday the 18th; that batch will be processed on Friday, June 20th.
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.
FY2025-26 Federal Planning Allotments
Federal Planning allotments are still in process and expected to be finalized next week; a 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.
PRC 0032 Children with Disabilities (CWD) FY2025-26 Planning Allotments
State PRC 0032 CWD allotment is comprised of School-Age and Preschool allotments aggregated into one amount. Preschool and School-Age calculations are based on the December headcount of the previous year; Preschool utilizes PK3-PK5 headcount while School-Age allotments are based on the age 5-21 data. Headcount (also known as child count) is sourced from the Every Child Accountability & Tracking System (ECATS) and verified by the Office of Exceptional Children. Any authorized amendments or finalization to the headcount data will be reflected at Initial Allotment.
The Allotted ADM is also a driving factor since the actual funded headcount is determined by the lesser of the December headcount or an overall 13.00% cap of the Allotted ADM. Units whose headcount exceeds the 13.00% cap will have a Dollars per Headcount factor lower than the budgeted headcount funding factor which can result in a smaller allotment than expected.
The FY25 Initial Allotment funding factor for PRC 0032 was $5,365.09 and the FY26 Planning Allotment funding factor is $5,472.39; an increase of 2.0%. The mid-year adjustment in FY25 was a one-time appropriation, and the planning amounts for PRC 0032 represent the anticipated budget for FY26. A decrease in estimated EC funding could be due to a drop in reported headcount (school-age and/or pre-K) or an adjusted funding rate due to the 13.00% cap.
Courtesy FYI: This is a joint message prepared and shared through the listservs maintained by NCDPI Finance and Business Services and OEC.
OEC Special Federal- and State-Funded Programs
The OEC is continuing its efforts to streamline the process for its special grant funds awarded through PRC 0118, PRC 0119 State-level Activities, and PRC 0029 Behavioral Support. OEC Funding for Exceptional Children
While applications for these funds have historically opened around this time each year, new timelines are being established as the criteria for these awards are being reviewed, revised, and budgeted in consideration of the pending federal and state budget appropriations.
As a reminder, these funds are not guaranteed annually. To mitigate this change in process, the OEC will be allocating additional federal funds from Grant Years 2024 and 2025 to all PSUs in the coming weeks. These allocations reflect the OEC's commitment to leverage state-level activities using our federal award to support LEAs when changes in process or counts impact subgrantee formula funding and provide extended periods of performance for the use of federal dollars at the local level.
It is highly recommended that LEAs apply the principles of “FIFO” - first in, first out - for allowable expenses identified in the approved IDEA grant for the associated grant year when these additional funds become available.
Courtesy FYI - The OEC will be sharing this information via other listservs hosted by NCDPI, especially those in which Finance Officers are the intended audience.
SBS Year-End Updates
FY 2024-2025 Closeout Timeline: All PSUs
Please see the attached letter which goes through the FY 24-25 closeout process in June/July. We will be holding webinars for LEAs Thursday, May 29 and the following week for Charter Schools and Lab Schools.
Below is a quick table of the key dates, but please read the memo in its entirety.
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DAY
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DATE
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PSU TYPE
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ACTION ITEM
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Monday
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6/16/25
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LABS
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Deadline to request cash for FY25 for FRD of 6/20/25
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Wednesday
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6/18/25
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LEAs
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Final day to submit ABC Transfers (Processed on 6/20/25)
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Monday
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6/23/25
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LEAs & CS
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Deadline to request cash for FY25 for FRD of 6/27/25
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Monday
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6/30/25
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ALL
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PSUs submit June data files prior to midnight
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Tuesday
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7/1/25
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ALL
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DPI will pull all data files after 12:01AM
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Wednesday
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7/2/25
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LEAs
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PSU correction period to correct data files – PSR file must be submitted.
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Thursday
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7/3/25
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LEAs
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PSU FINAL PSR & MFR data file submission
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Monday
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7/7/25
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ALL
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DPI will process and post June YTD Cash Zero Out
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EDDIE Updates and Year-End: All PSUs
The data in EDDIE must always be accurate 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 Cary. The link for the hotel room discount ends on July 1; please don't wait to reserve your room.
Conference Registration this year is $210 per person. Instructions to register are below:
- Follow this link to register: https://go.ncdpi.gov/25FBSRegistration
- 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.
- Go to https://go.ncdpi.gov/FBSPayments if paying online with a credit card. You can also pay via invoice and check. Instructions are on the invoice attached to your registration confirmation.
We welcome all of the Business staff from LEAs and 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.
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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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Monday at 11:45 pm
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Cash requests for Friday FRD
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11/21/2024
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05/31/2025
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PRC 181 Learning Loss 20% Set-Aside Survey
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04/17/2025
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07/01/2025
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SBS Summer Conference Room Block
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01/09/2025
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NC Beacons Of Leader Development
The division of Digital Teaching and Learning (DTL) is excited to announce that again this summer, we will be offering an all-day digital teaching and learning conference in six of the educational regions throughout our state - NCBOLD. The focus will be NCSIS, AI in Education, Home Base Products (NCEES, Schoolnet, Canvas, EBSCO/Britannica), EdTech Tools, and more! A complete session list will be available in the coming weeks.
Target Audience: SIS Personnel, Principals, CO Staff, Instructional Coaches, Teachers
Attendees can earn up to 0.7 CEUs for each day’s attendance. A complimentary lunch and light morning snack will be provided each day.
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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Charter School SIS Trainings (including Data Manager Academy)
Charter School Data Manager Academy (1-day training, so please only sign up for 1 day below)
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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
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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
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Charter Connect In-Person meeting
Bi-Monthly Charter School SIS Support Office Hours
Charter School OLR Setup In Person Training
Charter School OLR Processing In Person Training
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.
Summer Honors Planning/PD Opportunity
Please join us for the Honors Professional Development and Team Planning Day on July 29th, here at NDCPI, 301 N. Wilmington St. Raleigh, NC 27601. This is a day that offers 2 opportunities to advance Honors Level Coursework in your district and school. The events are free, but registration is required.
Team Planning Day- Step away from your traditional work setting and spend the day with your district team to continue planning how the Honors Policy will be implemented as you begin the 2025-2026 school year.
Professional Development Day- Join the Honors Team and content area specialists for this time as you dive into a day of learning evidence-based teaching methods designed to boost student engagement and learning outcomes.
Other Resources from DPI and beyond
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2025 RISE Back to School Safety Summit (with QR code graphic)
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.
Check out the Whova app for all things RISE 2025! You can post photos and engage with attendees and Center for Safer Schools staff before and during the summit. RISE veterans can share their fondest memories with first-timers. If you have a favorite food spot or place to visit in Statesville, share your knowledge with your fellow attendees.
Use the Community button at the bottom of the app homepage to find discussion topics – such as Preferred Session Topics, Local Recommendations and RISE Memories – and more.
2025-2026 SHINE/SEED Cohorts (with flyers)
The Center for Safer Schools is looking for one middle school from Eastern North Carolina and one from Western North Carolina to apply for the SHINE 2025-2026 Cohort. Also, the CFSS is looking for one Eastern and one Western high school to apply for the SEED 2025-2026 Cohort.
Both cohorts will begin in August 2025 and are expected to be completed by July 2026.
The maximum number of middle school and high school participants from each region is 15.
Students will take part in activities that will develop leadership skills, aid them in understanding healthy relationships and boundaries, provide them the basics of how to engage safely with social media and the internet, show how to make good decisions, realize the importance of community engagement and understand that students are an intricate part of school safety.
Middle and high schools in the North Central, Northeast, Southeast and Sandhills regions may apply to represent Eastern North Carolina. Middle and high schools in the Piedmont-Triad, Northwest, Southwest and Western regions may apply to represent Western North Carolina.
Applications are due Friday, May 30 by 5:00 p.m.
  
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
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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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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.
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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Connected Classroom Workshop
Mark your calendar:
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Pine Springs Academy (K-5 Gym), Holly Springs NC
9:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Hosted by Phil Boyte and the team at Learning For Living, this workshop is packed with energy, practical tools, and fresh ideas.
Quick Highlights:
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Discover the Connected Classroom Method — a powerful, playful approach to building deep trust and boosting student learning.
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Experience hands-on activities you can use right away.
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Walk away energized and ready to create stronger classroom connections!
Why Phil?
He’s the creator of Link Crew, WEB, Breaking Down the Walls, and the School Culture Summit — and he’s spent his career helping schools build environments where students and staff thrive. He and his team have worked with over 1 million students and shared the PEOPLE FIRST message with thousands of educators. Phil’s style is dynamic, practical, and all about real, lasting impact.
This workshop is ideal for teachers in grades 5–12 — and it’s going to be an awesome way to kick off the 2025-26 school year!
Full details are in the attachment or online here: Workshop Info + Registration
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
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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