In the spirit of transparency, the Texas Open Meetings Act (TOMA) was adopted to help make governmental decision-making accessible to the public. Charter schools, as a qualifying governmental body according to TEC 12.1051(a), must adhere to the regulations and responsibilities outlined in the act. One of the important definitions outlined in the TOMA is that … Read More
Download this free Commonly Used Acronym Cheat Sheet
Any person involved in charter school operations knows that the world of acronyms brings a strong game to the table! Even for those of us with of years of experience in the school world, keeping up with these acronyms can have a dizzying affect. For those of us who are new in our charter school … Read More
Do Not Hire Registry
To enhance efforts for protection and welfare of Texas students, House Bill 3 (HB3, Article 2A) brought us new HR reporting requirements, one of which was the charge for TEA to create and maintain a new internet portal, a “Do Not Hire Registry.” The purpose of this registry is to list persons (certified and non-certified) who … Read More
New W4 Form for 2020
To go into effect January 1, 2020, the IRS has released an updated version of Form W-4. This newly redesigned version reduces the form’s complexity and increases the transparency and accuracy of the withholding system. While it uses the same underlying information as the old design, it replaces complicated worksheets with more straightforward questions that make … Read More
The Charter FIRST & PEIMS connection: Do you need a budget amendment?
The Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) consists of four mandatory yearly data submissions. These submissions encompass all data requested and received by TEA about public education for all open enrollment charter schools in the state of Texas. PEIMS data directly affects your district’s funding, accountability and compliance systems. One of the major compliance elements … Read More
HB3 Update: Teacher Incentive Allotment
In an effort to attract more attention to the teaching field, the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) is an exciting new allotment implemented through HB3 bill. TIA is meant to encourage people to join the teaching profession by providing a pathway to earn an annual $100,000 salary. Participation in the allotment is completely optional and at … Read More
HB3 Update: Bilingual Education Allotment
Texas has a healthy growing population, and with that, Texas also has an increasing Limited English Proficient (LEP) population. HB3 has expanded the resources and allotments given to schools with a Bilingual Education population to help serve this growing population. TEA states that Texas provides services to the second largest LEP population in the nation, … Read More
HB3 Update: Dyslexia Allotment
HB3 introduced the Dyslexia Allotment to be available for the 2019-2020 school year. Dyslexia is comprised of two primary components: Decoding and Language Comprehension which equate to a person’s reading comprehension ability. TEA has stated that 80% of students who read below grade level demonstrate decoding or word reading weaknesses often attributed to Dyslexia. The … Read More
HB3 Update: Charter School Funding
Most of your campuses are in full swing this time of year; staff developments have been completed, cafeterias are full during the lunch hours and classes full of activity. The days continue as they normally would, while the back office deciphers HB3 to make sure that all changes, compliance rules, and funding guidelines are met. … Read More
HB3 Weekly Update: More Changes to High School Allotments
Career and Technology Education (CTE) Courses The purpose of the CTE allotment is to encourage schools to offer more CTE courses on their campus for their students to take. The goal of a CTE course is to prepare students with the skills needed to further their education and careers in developing and needed professions. The … Read More