Student and Campus Activity Funds​ 

Activity Funds  Activity Funds are used to account for campus and student funds at your charter. These funds are held in trust by the charter district and used to promote the general welfare of the school, as well as the educational development and morale of all students.​   Some examples of Activity Funds include school fundraisers, … Read More

Obtaining Permission to Charge PK Tuition

Does your charter charge tuition to parents with students in PK who are ineligible under free eligibility guidelines? If so, you must annually submit a letter to TEA to obtain permission from the commissioner to justify your tuition rate. Ideally, the rate should be approved before you charge parents. Click here to access the form … Read More

Calculating Charter FIRST

Charter FIRST is the Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST), which is detailed in Texas Education Code 39.082. The purpose and goal of having a financial accountability rating system is to ensure that open enrollment charter schools continually strive to improve the management of their financial resources and provide transparency and openly report results to … Read More

ESSA Basic Program Requirements: Fiscal and Program 

Federal funds don’t just provide money to your schools. They create programs. By focusing on solid programs, you can add to your school’s repertoire and improve your ability to serve students. But programs funded by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) are regulated by many rules that can seem confusing at times. As a savvy … Read More

Implementing the New EDGAR: Travel Costs

For any program to be successful, having well-trained teachers to implement it is a must. For this reason, travel is often necessary in federal programs. However, there are many rules and regulations about paying travel expenses using grant funds. The LEA must have written travel procedures and detailed documentation of travel expenses. Travel can be … Read More

Safety and Facilities Enhancement (SAFE) Grant

Are you in need of more funding to meet the school safety standards? A new grant opportunity was released last week that is the third in a series of recent state grants aimed at enhancing school facilities to protect students from violence. You may have previously received the SPAT (Silent Panic Alert Technology), and the … Read More

Indirect Cost Rate Utilization Survey Due Sept. 15, 2023

This must be the year for unexpected surveys from TEA! In July, CSS told you about the Survey on Reporting Real Property, and on Aug 22, TEA Grant Compliance announced another new survey requirement called the “Indirect Cost Utilization Survey.” All LEAs that were issued indirect cost rates (IDCR) in the last 3 years (2020, … Read More

Assets, Liabilities and Revenue Coding

Do you know the difference between an asset and revenue? Would you like to know where to code a monthly rent payment? What about the large donation you received at the end of the year, do you know where to code that? By far, the largest variety of codes in your Chart of Accounts will … Read More

IDEA-B Maintenance of Effort (MOE) Compliance

TEA has calculated IDEA-B LEA maintenance of effort (MOE) compliance reviews for school year 2020-2021. What is IDEA-B Maintenance of Effort (MOE)? MOE is a federal requirement that affects how an LEA (i.e. Charters) budgets and spends their state and local funds on special education students. Charter School Success helps our charter school clients in both the … Read More