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
New! College Exam Fees Reimbursements
Prom, senior pictures, class rings, graduation invitations… the list goes on and on. Parents of seniors may feel the need to take out a second mortgage! While schools can’t help with everything, the good news is that there is now funding for SAT, ACT, TSIA, and industry-based certification (IBC) exams. Reimbursements were authorized under House … Read More
Full Day Prekindergarten Waiver
CSS has received urgent updates regarding the Full-Day Prekindergarten Waiver we previously released. The deadline has been extended from March 2, 2020 to April 6, 2020. TEA has issued additional clarification from the commissioner regarding charter schools, the waiver, and their prekindergarten status. CLICK HERE Charters that are approved to have PK as a grade … Read More
District Accreditation
Accreditation is another word for credible. Most LEAs don’t think about their accreditation status unless it’s in jeopardy, but it is extremely important. Without proper accreditation from the State, a charter district can no longer be recognized by the State and forced to close. With the current accountability system, an LEA can have their accreditation … Read More
Special Program Intent Code (PIC) Allotments
Program Intent Codes (PIC codes) are a critical part of budgeting, and it is good to be “PIC-y” and “PIC” the right one! Reporting expenses by PIC shows the State that you are spending funds intended for certain programs on the correct student groups. This in turn should improve services and student achievement of those … Read More
Full-Day Prekindergarten Waiver
Do your schools currently offer half-day prekindergarten (PK)? Are you aware that full-day PK for eligible four-year-olds was required starting in 2019-20? If your Charter District currently offers a half-day program, an exemption (waiver) must be submitted by March 2, 2020. Several steps must be completed prior to applying for this waiver, and CSS has … 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
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
Special Program Student Coding
Did you know that some of the special programs you offer in your district have a weighted ADA funding for the students enrolled in that program? This means more money for the services you are providing your students! With that weighted funding comes the potential for additional TEA scrutiny. Each special program that your district … Read More