All your public charter school news
July 2, 2015

  

Wishing you a sparklin' Independence Day and relaxing summer. We look forward to seeing charter leaders, board members and school advocacy teams at the July 17 Member Council Meeting. Get detailed 2015 legislative analysis, including new laws and regulations that affect your school, learn about new standards under Charter FIRST and updates to the school finance lawsuit.

 

This is the first meeting open to board members, and for this time only, advocacy team leaders are welcome to attend and join in the supplemental advocacy work session. 


With the final enactment of House Bill 1, the Texas Legislature restored funding for new school construction through the New Instructional Facility Allotment Program after a four-year break.

Reimbursement funds of $250 per student in average daily attendance are available for the 2015-16 and 2016-17 school years, but the TEA application deadline is July 15! Click the picture above for more information. 
energy_saving_bulb.jpg
Dim your electricity bill! 

Join the TCSA Electricity Program today and lock in all-time low rates for up to four years!

 

The Rhodes School operators saved about $8,000 this week when they closed at 4.4 cents per Kwh with the TCSA Electricity Program.

 

Even if under contract, you can purchase electricity at today's rates to begin when your current contract ends. Contact Brian Levy for further details.


There are so many ways we believe you can learn, grow and share at the Texas Charter Schools Conference -- it's an event you won't want to miss! From Oct. 28-30, here are just a few highlights of what TCSACon offers:

  1. Workshops with required training hours for superintendents, principals, business officers, board members and teachers.
  2. Priceless networking opportunities with charter school leaders and educators, industry experts and solution providers.
  3. Dozens of sessions on cutting-edge trends, best-practices, challenges and solutions in public education, as well as in-depth advocacy and Texas Legislature insights for charter schools.
  4. Energizing and encouraging keynote and spotlight guest speakers.
  5. Three days of fun at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa!
 
July Courses
  • EDGAR Procurement Policies and Procedures - July 15th

  • NCLB Compliance Reporting and Crosswalk - July 16th 

  • EDGAR Cash Management Policies and Procedures - July 21st

  • EDGAR Staff and Time and Effort (6100 Expenses) - July 23rd 

  • Program Intent Codes - July 29th 

  • Web Posting Compliance - July 30th 

  • Finance Reporting - July 31st

For course descriptions and registration, visit the CSBOC Events Page.

CharterEducatorOpps
Department of Education

2015 CSP Grants Competition for Replication and Expansion of High-Quality Charter Schools

This program is designed to assist non-profit charter management organizations, and other entities that are not for-profit entities, in replicating or expanding high-quality charter schools with demonstrated records of success. Applications are due by 4:30 PM EST July 15 and must be submitted through Grants.gov

 

Other grant opportunities:  

STATE EDUCATION AGENCY GRANTS - Apply here by July 16 at 4:30 PM EST. 
charter news
State Laws on Weighted Lotteries and Enrollment Practices - National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
Facilities for Charter Schools
Facilities for Charter Schools

Social Media Posts of the Week 
Need help with your school's social media? Contact Samantha Womack.

Fort Worth Academy 
of Fine Arts
Great Hearts Academy
job post of the week
School of Excellence in Education
SUPERINTENDENT
San Antonio, Texas
Job ID: 1753632

Application Deadline: July 10, 2015
Posted: June 30, 2015     Starting Date: Immediately
Register for the July 17 TCSA Member Council Meeting at Athlos Leadership Academy in Austin, TX. 

Don't miss out on important legal and advocacy updates!
register now
TEA logo calendar

New Fund Code for Schoolwide Programs 

The TTAA letter sent on June 26th provides information on a new fund code, 282, that can be used by local educational agencies (LEAs) beginning with the 2015-2016 school year. The fund code can only be used to account for expenditures in a Title I, Part A schoolwide program.  

Read the letter.

 

Instructional Materials Allotment for Fiscal Years 2016 and 2017

The 2016-2017 instructional materials allotment (IMA) allocations for each district and open-enrollment charter school are now available. The district IMA allocations are expected to be populated in the instructional materials ordering system known as EMAT by June 30, 2015.

Download the allotments from this page.