Volume III, Number 3, January 21, 2000
A publication of the Resource Center for Charter Schools|
All Aboard the USS TEXAS CHARTER for the Third Annual Texas Charter School Conference that will be Friday and Saturday,
February 25 - 26, 2000 at the Omni Bayfront Hotel in Corpus Christi. New Texas COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION Jim Nelson will be one of our keynote speakers. Back by popular demand will be Dr. Howard Fuller the African American former superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools. For room reservations please contact the Omni at 361-887-1600. The Registration form and agenda are attached. Please fill out the registration form and send back to the Resource Center with your payment. Deadline for registration is February 1, 2000.
CONFERENCE TRAVEL INFORMATION The Omni Bayfront Hotel has a shuttle that runs every half hour to and from the airport. They also have a courtesy phone at the airport that you may use to call the shuttle. The cost of a taxi to or from the airport is approximately $15.00.
TEA OFFICE CLOSURE Brooks Flemister will be bringing his whole staff of six to the Third Annual Texas Charter School Conference. The TEA charter school office will be closed at noon on February 24th and all day on the 25th.
CHARTER AMENDMENTS Grace Shore, State Board Member, requests that any schools who have an SBOE amendment to their charter should plan to attend the Planning Committee Meeting on Thursday, March 2nd to answer questions about their request.
REMINDER There is 453 million dollars available for 21st century federal grants. Deadline is March 20th. Look on the Governor's Grants Team website for more information: www.governor.state.tx.us./State_Grants/grants_index.html.
CURRICULUM WORKSHOP Star Spangled Skills Curriculum Resource: The Next Step Saturday, January 22, 2000, 9:00 - 3:00 Resource Center for Charter Schools 40 NE Loop 410, Suite 235 (Conference Room on the 2nd floor) San Antonio - 210-348-7890 (Free parking available on the top level of the parking garage.) Jimmie Driver, Instructor This workshop is designed to assist those individuals responsible for curriculum development at each charter. It will provide the attendee with a suggested format for producing a version of your charter's curriculum for your teachers. Due to space limitations, please register no more than two individuals from your school. Materials to bring include your Star Spangled Skills notebook, 1 empty 3-inch three ring binder per person, and any curriculum material you may want to share. Each school that attends will receive a big box of donated office supplies from several corporate donors. You must call Sara at the Resource Center, 210-348-7890, to RSVP by January 14, 2000.
The Resource Center has received numerous questions about a charter requiring 30-40 hours of parental involvement. TEA attorney Christi Martin has prepared the following:
Section 12.111(14), Texas Education Code, requires that charter applicants "specify any type of enrollment criteria to be used." Thus, a student may not be excluded from a charter school unless the reason for the exclusion is specified in the charter. Further, the Texas Education Code and other sources of law impose various limits on the types of criteria a charter school may rely upon in denying admission or continued enrollment. It is TEA's position that a charter school may not require parental involvement as a condition of a student's continued enrollment at the school. |