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

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

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

Time to file Form 990

Charters are required to file Form 990 every year, and your organization’s form is due on the 15th day of the fifth month after the end of the charter’s taxable year. There are two deadlines for filing this form depending on the fiscal year of the charter school.  For those charters beginning July 1, the deadline was November … 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

Board Reporting

One of the most important roles of any school board is to establish a vision for the community that encompasses charter quality, high academic results, and the ability to know the demographics of their students and understand their strengths and weaknesses. School board members play an essential role in the big picture and are required to … Read More

Calculating Charter FIRST

Charter FIRST is the Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST) Texas Education Code 39.082  This rating system (originally known as School FIRST) was implemented for charter schools during the 2008-09 school year as a ways and means of monitoring their financial accountability. It has evolved significantly over the years to include solvency indicators and … Read More