The COVID-19 Pandemic has left schools scrambling to turn their traditional curriculum into distance learning curriculum. Texas schools have been mandated to close their doors, but they are still operating from off-campus locations. Running a Distance Learning program has caused some unforeseen costs (not to mention stress) in supplies and technology that frankly, schools were … Read More
Financial Compliance and Accountability
Because Texans trust charter officials to spend money wisely and efficiently, the state’s financial accountability systems for public charters provides a report that annually examines school funding and compliance issues to confirm that spending has been appropriate. This report is referred to as Charter FIRST. Districts and charters must also have an outside auditor examine their financial records each … Read More
Audit Firm Selection and Qualifications
In today’s Tip, we are discussing Audit Firm Selection and Qualifications. Auditing is a process of reviewing a Charter’s financial records to decide if they are accurate and align with regulations, state laws and accounting standard. Audits are conducted by third-party external auditors that are CPA (Certified Public Accountants) or by an auditing firm. External … Read More
Time to file Quarter 1 941 reports
It is that time of year to file the 941 Quarterly Payroll Reporting to the Internal Revenue Services (IRS) and report wages to the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC.) First quarter 941 forms are due April 30, 2020. What is a 941? IRS Form 941 is a quarterly report of wages paid to employees and the … Read More
The Importance of a Strong Mission, Vision, and Values
What makes a charter school? Why do they exist? Why do we need them when there is an ISD where these kids could attend? Well, there is no easy answer to these questions. Each charter school is unique, born of a dream and purpose to meet an identified need not yet being met in its … Read More
Misconduct Reporting Portal
The 86th Legislative Session in 2019 passed House Bill 3, which was passed to further protect the safety and welfare of Texas students in several ways, one of those being now requiring schools to report certain allegations of misconduct against non-certified employees. Under TEC §21.006 and Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §249.14, school leaders have been … Read More
Financial Management
Financial management means applying general management principles to financial resources of the Charter. This encompasses planning, organizing, budgeting, directing and controlling the financial activities such as procurement and utilization of funds. Charter School Success assists our clients with Budget, Month End Reporting, and Audit Preparation. Our finance experts are also here to help with Accounting and Bookkeeping, Purchasing, Accounts Payable and more! … Read More
Certification Requirements for Charter School Teachers
In many ways, ISDs and Charter schools share common requirements and compliance items. However, in just as many ways, requirements between the two entity types differ. The realm of teacher certifications brings one of these differences to the forefront. Are teachers at open-enrollment charter schools required to hold a certification? The short answer is, it … Read More
Service Records
Do you feel overwhelmed with all the “must-knows” and “must-dos” of service records? Don’t be! We’ll review frequently asked questions and provide helpful tools that will guide you to success. What is a service record? A service record is the official document used to record years of service claimed for salary increment purposes. Service records … Read More
Time to file Quarter 4 941 reports
It’s time to file your final 941 Quarterly Payroll Reporting to the Internal Revenue Service and report wages to the Texas Workforce Commission for the previous calendar year. Quarter 4 941 forms are due JANUARY 31, 2020. What is a 941? IRS Form 941 is a quarterly report of wages paid to employees and the … Read More