August 2013
Capitol Update 8/30/13
Included in the Capitol Update this week:
* Budget Committee Considers LCFF Amendments: Charter School Concentration Grants Impacted
* No Longer Hanging in Suspense
* Common Core Rollout
* Happenings: Events and Deadlines
Important Update: Mandate Block Grant Deadline
Applications due THIS FRIDAY for Mandate Block Grant funds: all charter schools must re-apply annually!
Capitol Update 8/28/13
Included in the Capitol Update this week:
* Applications due THIS FRIDAY for Mandate Block Grant funds: all charter schools must re-apply annually!
"Beyond the Workshop" Offers Online Professional Development for Charter Teachers
A new website has launched offering online reading and math strategy courses for teachers.
No Vacation for Northeast Region Charter School Parents
Riding the momentum from Parent Summit, Advocacy Day and school visits from legislators, parents in Sacramento and Chico are working together to build parent alliances and increase their collective power.
West Sacramento Parents Lead the Charge for a New Charter School
A true grassroots effort, led by parents, who want the very best for their kids. Read the details!
CCSA Answers: Sending Home Student Progress Reports Via Students
Question: Is there a regulation that stipulates that student progress reports may not be sent to parents through students? Must they be mailed or hand-delivered instead?
Featured Grant: Charter School Facility Grant Program
Assistance with facilities rent and lease expenditures to charter schools that meet eligibility criteria.
Capitol Update 8/22/13
Included in the Capitol Update this week:
* Application period open for charter school facility grant program (SB 740)
* Capitol full of energy as end-of-session approaches
* Updates on Local Control Funding Formula from the CDE
* CCSA PCSGP Application Overview Workshop: August, 26, 4 pm - 6 pm
* Reminder to Renew Early
50K Students on Waitlists for CA Charter Schools
Charter schools keep growing each year, but demand from parents continues to exceed the number of seats available, according to the latest numbers. See a breakdown by region.
Save the Date! Fall Regional Meetings Start September 24
This is your opportunity to network with other charter leaders, engage with CCSA staff and other special guests, and discuss information relevant to your region!
Apply to Alchemy Leadership Seminar by Aug. 31
Applications are now being accepted for Alchemy Leadership Seminar, the Annenberg Foundation’s free three-day capacity building training for non-profit leaders. The program is open to charter school leaders from Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Applications received by August 31 will be given priority.
CDE Dissemination Grant on Improving Teacher Effectiveness During the 2013-14 and 2014-15 School Years is Available.
Synergy Charter Academy has additional space for other charter schools or small districts to participate in its grant during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years.
Capitol Update 8/16/13
Included in the Capitol Update this week:
* PCSGP Peer Reviewers Needed
* Proposition 39 Clean Energy Act Guidelines
* Legislative Update
* No Child Left Behind Waivers
The 2014 Conference is Proud to Offer $2,000 Scholarships to 5 Deserving Students!
Do you know a graduating senior looking for scholarship money for college? Applications are now available for the Steelman Bragato Scholarship Program.
Featured Grant: Public Charter Schools Grant Program
Funding for providing public school choice to students, especially to those who are attending chronically low-performing traditional public schools
Update: No Child Left Behind Waivers
The U.S. DOE has approved CORE’s (California Office to Reform Education) waiver proposal from penalties for one year under the No Child Left Behind law for eight California school districts. Learn more about the specific waiver details.
Share Your Expertise, Celebrate Your School and Get a Great Deal on 2014 Conference Registration!
Make the 21st Annual Conference YOUR conference! Charter school teachers, leaders and supporters from across the state are invited to submit both proposals to present and Hart Vision Award nominations.
Webinars for School Developers
Three sessions coming up. Learn about PCSGP, Writing your Petition, and Grant Writing.
Remember: Start Early for Renewal and Approval Success!
The Association wants to give you the support you need to be prepared for success! We strongly suggest that petitioning schools submit their renewal petitions early.
Save the Date! Butte County Back-to-School Reception
Butte County charter leaders, teachers, and board members are invited to attend this casual no-host reception.
Aug. 27: "Rafe Esquith's real talk for real teachers" Hosted by KPCC
LA teachers are invited to a free event featuring Rafe Esquith, author of “Advice for Teachers from Rookies to Veterans: “No Retreat, No Surrender!” Esquith has seen it all in thirty-plus years in the classroom, and has written several books, including the widely praised “Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire.”
Public Records Act (PRA) Requests to Schools in Los Angeles
We have heard from a handful of schools located in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) who have received requests from the AFL-CIO under the Public Records Act. If you have received one, please email Marisa Quintanar.
CCSA's Call for Presentations is Open for the 21st Annual California Charter Schools Conference--Due October 11!
What make a good conference proposal? What Type of Programming Are Attendees Looking For? Learn how to prepare and submit a great proposal for this year’s Conference!
Celebrate your Back to School Event!
CCSA Staff want to join you for your Back to School Event.
Highlight Your Back to School Event!
CCSA staff would love to celebrate your success and share in the excitement of a brand new school year with parents and staff.
CCSA Public Charter School Grant Program Resources
Availible to members: Application overview workshop, consultations, sample applications and connection to consultants back office supports.
Free Member Resource: Sign Up to Receive Value-Added Growth Reports for Your School
Make your STAR data work harder! Your school can receive value-added modeling reports usually only available to large districts. Signing up is easy - opt in by the end of October so you don’t miss this great opportunity.
Capitol Update 8/8/13
Included in the Capitol Update this week:
* New Resources on the State Budget and Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF)
* SB 740 Facility Grant Update
* Race to the Top-District Competition Applications Now Available
* Myrna Castrejón, CCSA’s Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, selected for prestigious fellowship
Susan Steelman Bragato Scholarship Applications Open Next Week!
Do you know a graduating senior of a California charter school looking for scholarship money for college?
Hart Vision Award Nominations Open Next Week!
Make certain your school’s teachers and volunteers are considered for the 2014 Hart Vision Awards! We will be awarding a teacher and volunteer from a charter school in California with the 2014 Hart Vision Teacher of the Year and the Volunteer of the Year awards.
Aug. 17: CSU Super Saturday in Los Angeles
Middle and high school students, parents, families and friends are invited to a free event with workshops, information and more. This is a great opportunity for your families!
Activate Instruction: Free K-12 Online Common Core-Aligned Curriculum Tool
Activate Instruction is an open platform where teachers can browse, search, rate, add, share, and organize their favorite Common Core-aligned resources, and put them together in personalized playlists for students.
STAR Test Coordinator Forms Due Sept. 13
Charter school administrators must annually determine if the charter school will conduct state testing programs dependently (testing with the school’s authorizing agency) or independently (testing separately from its authorizing agency). If your school is testing independently, you must submit these forms.
Capitol Update 8/02/13
Included in the Capitol Update this week:
* Public Charter Schools Grant Program Application Now Available
Apply Today! Public Charter Schools Grant Program Planning and Implementation Grant
The Federal Public Charter Schools Grant Program (PCSGP) is administered by the Charter Schools Division and is now available. Grants are reviewed by peer evaluators and are awarded to nonprofit entities and local education agencies that are likely to develop and open high-quality charter schools.
Four Charter Schools Named in "Sacramento Region's 25 Smartest High Schools
Congratulations to all of the schools that are striving to make our students ready for college and beyond!
Court of Appeal Allows Dismissal as an Alternative to Expulsion, But Ignores Constitutional Due Process Rights
In June, California’s Fourth District Court of Appeal ruled that a charter school student was not entitled to the evidentiary hearing required under Education Code section 48918 before being dismissed from a charter school for bringing a knife to school and threatening a fellow student (Scott B. v. Orange County High School of Arts 217 Cal.App.4th 117 (Cal.App. 4 Dist.2013).
Last Chance: Summer Registration Special!
Before you head to the beach for your last few weeks of vacation, take 5 minutes to lock-in the lowest available registration rate for the 21st Annual California Charter Schools Conference and don’t pay until spring 2014!
Charter School Facilities Initiative Update
The Charter School Facilities Initiative Survey will re-open in October 2013
Two Developer Information Sessions this week!
Each session provides expert instruction and a forum for questions and answers. All sessions are free to Association Members.
CCSA Answers: Qualifying for Municipal Bond Financing
Question: Do charter schools qualify for municipal bond financing?
Featured Grant: Vernier/NSTA Technology Awards
Awards for the innovative use of data-collection technology using a computer, graphing calculator, or other handheld in the science classroom.
Clean Energy Act (Prop. 39): Resources
Learn more about Proposition 39, the California Clean Energy Jobs Act, a state program that provides funding to local educational agencies for improving energy efficiency and creating clean energy jobs.