June 6, 2014


Triple A Academy seniors graduate: Senator Royce West delivers inaugural commencement address. The first graduating class from FOCUS/Triple A also heard speeches from class Valedictorian Freeman Nichols (shown in cap and gown) and Salutatorian Jeremiah Jefferson. Read the Press Release. View the Texas Charter Schools' 2014 Graduation Photo Album.

Department of Education

Recent message for all public schools from the United States Department of Justice and the United States Department of Education:

All children in the United States are entitled to a basic public elementary and secondary education regardless of their race, color, national origin, citizenship, immigration status, or the status of their parents/guardians. To assist you in meeting these obligations, USDOJ and USED provide some examples of permissible enrollment practices, as well as examples of the types of information that may not be used as a basis for denying a student entrance to school. Learn about proactive support measures that public schools can take here: Read the Letter and Review the Fact Sheet. 

   

Call for Presentations Open June 1 through July 15

The Texas Charter Schools 2014 Conference Committee is now ACCEPTING PRESENTATION PROPOSALS. TCSA is looking for engaging presenters and sessions that focus on quality practices in education and to engage attendees in dialogue about cutting edge trends, issues and solutions. Participation as a presenter will help attendees increase their leadership skills and professional competence, provide for an exchange of ideas and solutions and help attendees address the issues and challenges facing the Texas charter schools community.  

 

Calendar a Staff Development Day

Charter schools, especially those in Houston, are encouraged to calendar a Professional Development Day for their teaching staff and take advantage of our special $100 rate for each Teacher One-Day Pass to attend the workshop on Friday, December 12.  Visit the TEA website to learn more information about the expedited waiver process.

 

Discounted Exhibitor Registration Open June 1--30 We invite you to participate in the 2014 Texas Charter Schools Conference, the premier event for Texas public charter schools. By participating in the Conference, you help extend the reach of valuable information through exhibit and sponsor opportunities. Your support of corporate TCSA programs like this conference provides our member schools, students and attendees with the tools and resources necessary to enhance public education in Texas. For the greatest exhibitor discount,  become a TCSA Vendor Member. For more information, please contact Erin Tholen at 512.584.8272. Download the Exhibitor Prospectus.
 
CharterEducatorOpps
Database Licenses Begin June 15, 2014
With restored funding from the state legislature, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) is re-establishing the statewide databases program for K-12 public schools.
LEARN MORE AND SIGN UP

 
Discounted Rates for TCSA Members at JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa: August 24--28 or September 1--4, 2014
TCSA Members can call 877-622-3140 and mention they are with the Texas Charter Schools Association  or go online to receive a discounted rate of $169.00 per night with a waived resort fee on Aug. 24-28 and Sept. 1-4, 2014. This is strictly for TCSA members to enjoy a leisure getaway and preview TCSA's 2015 conference location at the JW Marriott Hill Country Resort & Spa
Upcoming TCSA Training Opportunities
  • June 10 -- Personnel Management Overview (Webinar) REGISTER 
  • June 12 -- Employment Management (Webinar) REGISTER 
  • June 18 (Houston) -- Employee Time Management, Attracting and Hiring with Featured Speakers Joe Hoffer and Rick Lopez, Partners with Schulman, Lopez & Hoffer, LLP REGISTER 
  • June 19 (Houston) -- Personnel Manual Documentation Workshop with Featured Speakers Joe Hoffer and Rick Lopez, Partners with Schulman, Lopez & Hoffer, LLP  REGISTER 
  • June 14 (Houston) -- TCSA Board Training Summit REGISTER 
  • July 11 -- (Austin) Starting a Charter School Advanced Workshop REGISTER   
  • Sept 10,11,12 -- (Houston) In-Person Professional Development Series REGISTER multiple attendees for one or more days! 
    • DAY 1: Governance & Operations Summit, sponsored by Schulman, Lopez and Hoffer, LLP
    • DAY 2: Student Rights Summit, sponsored by Schulman, Lopez and Hoffer, LLP 
    • DAY 3: Academics & Instruction: Explicit Instruction, presented by The University of Texas at Austin (The Institute for Public School Initiatives) and sponsored by Hertz Furniture Calendar a Staff Development Day 

TCSA Publishes 2014-2015 Training Catalog, Available for Download
Couldn't attend the Member Council Meeting? Don't worry! Be on the lookout for additional copies arriving at your local campuses. In the meantime, you can download a copy here and begin planning your staff development for the upcoming year! To request additional hard copies, please contact Art Serna, Director of Training Services.

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Need help predicting your 2014 State Accountability Rating?

STAAR student performance reports will be back soon. TCSA is happy to assist schools in predicting their Index scores for the 2014 Accountability Ratings. TCSA's hourly rate of $85/hour applies. For more information, contact Toni Templeton, TCSA Data Analyst.


Charter Application Consulting Services for Generation 19-20 Charter Applications -- TCSA Deadlines  
Charter Application Interview Preparation Services for Generation 19 Applicants - Be Prepared Today!
TCSA's team of charter school experts breaks down the dos and don'ts of the TEA and SBOE interview process. We provide you with the best in class support for your team to prepare a compelling message for your final stage in the charter application process. (Service fees apply) Written intent to enroll in services due to TCSA by June 23, 2014 -- email Art Serna to indicate interest. By June 23, you must have completed the online application

Charter Application Development Support Service for Generation 20 Applications - OPEN NOW! 
In this full service process (e.g., 6-9 months), TCSA's charter school experts work with the charter hopeful in a series of strategic one-on-one training and application development support sessions to help the applicant create the best application possible for Texas requirements. Real-time feedback and steering during the application development process - do it right the first time. (Service fees apply) Written intent to enroll in services due to TCSA by July 25, 2014 -- email Art Serna to indicate interest. By July 25, you must have completed the online application.     
job post of the week
HEAD OF SCHOOL
Brooks Academy of Science and Engineering
San Antonio, Texas
Job ID: 821012 
Application Deadline: Posted until Filled
Posted: June 3, 2014Starting Date: July 1, 2014

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Performance Ratings in Community and Student Engagement Due in PEIMS JUNE 26th
The new accountability requirements under Tex. Educ. Code �39.0545 imposed by the enactment of HB 5 require open-enrollment charter schools to perform a self-evaluation of the school and each campus in community and student engagement and compliance. TCSA has created a guidance document available to members through the Quality Framework (see Public Accountability System -- Compliance Element) that provides a framework for schools to evaluate performance in each category of evaluation.

Texas Title I Priority Schools grant (TTIPS) Waiver to Extend Cycle2
Read the letter.

Increased Flexibility for Federal Grant Funds
Read the letter.

2014-2015 Special Education Consolidated Grant Application
The 2014-2015 Special Education Consolidated Grant Application opened in eGrants on May 30, 2014. Planning amounts for programs in the 2014-2015 Special Education Consolidated Grant Application were made available on May 30, 2014 on the Division of Grants Administration Federal Entitlements web page.
Deadline to Apply
Eligible applicants must apply through the eGrants system by 5:00 p.m. Central Time, August 28, 2014.  Applications are effective on the date they are received in TEA in substantially approvable form or the begin date of a respective project, whichever is later.

Statewide teaching and learning conditions survey deadline extended
The Texas Education Agency announced it is extending the deadline for a statewide survey on school teaching and learning conditions to Friday, June 6. The Teaching, Empowering, Leading, and Learning (TELL) Texas Survey is designed to gather information on how teachers and other educators view the teaching and learning conditions at their schools. Since the survey launched in early April, more than 77,000 educators in 985 districts have responded with campus and district feedback through the TELL Texas survey.  Determine your district's response rate.
If you or your district need assistance in securing or locating access codes for survey participation, please visit the website or call 800-310-2964.