CHARTER SCHOOL CONFERENCE

SIXTH ANNUAL TEXAS CHARTER SCHOOL CONFERENCE will be held on Monday and Tuesday, April 29 & 30, 2002 at the Moody Gardens Hotel in Galveston. We are pleased to announce that Commissioner of Education Jim Nelson and Raul Yzaguirre, President of the National Council of La Raza, will be two of our keynote speakers. The Resource Center has secured contributions to reduce your conference cost, therefore, your registration fees are listed below. The registration fee includes five meals: breakfast and lunch on both days, and the evening dinner on Monday, April 29, on board the Paddlewheeler Boat. (The Resource Center spends more than $200 per person to host this conference.)

• $100 Texas charter school staff, teachers & board members
• $150 TEA & Region Service Center personnel
• $200 All other attendees
• $400 Vendors (Fee includes one registration and one vendor table. Fees for each additional person at the booth will be $200.)

For hotel reservations call the Moody Gardens Hotel at 888-388-8484. Let the hotel know you are with the Charter School Conference to qualify for the $125 rate, which can accommodate up to four people in one room for $125.

GENERATION 8 APPLICATION SUGGESTIONS At the September meeting of the SBOE, the Committee on Planning directed TEA staff to revise the current application to incorporate HB6 requirements. The committee also specifically asked for input for revising the application and has set a deadline for suggestions to be provided to TEA staff. Mrs. Judy Strickland, chairman of the committee, has asked staff to extend this deadline to December 10. If you have specific suggestions for improving the application for new charters, please send your written comments to Mary Perry via fax, 512-463-9732, email mperry@tea.state.tx.us, or by mail, 1701 N. Congress, Austin, TX 78701.

2002 TEA MIDWINTER CONFERENCE will be held January 28 - 30, 2002 in Austin at the Convention Center. Once again a time has been set aside for charters to meet from 9:00 - 11:15 a.m. in the Sabine Room on Monday, January 28. The informal session is designed to provide updates for charter administrators on a variety of areas, including progress on Commissioner rules related to HB 6. Brochures containing the schedule of activities, program topics, and conference highlights will be available on the conference website, www.tea.state.tx.us/midwinter, and were mailed to each charter and district in November. Registration is $45 and forms were distributed to districts and charters in July. Questions about registration should be directed to the Texas Association of School Administrators at 800-725-8272. You may also visit their website at www.tasanet.org.

TEXTBOOK QUESTION AND ANSWER µ Eugene Rios, from the Textbook Administration at TEA, receives many questions from charter schools concerning textbooks. He has forwarded the following Q & A to the Resource Center. Additional Q & As will follow in later issues of the Friday Fax®.

QUESTION: I have several students receiving special education services whose ARDs state they need textbooks on tape. How do I go about acquiring these?

ANSWER: Audiotape textbooks are provided by Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D) and their number is 512-454-8631. The following web page has an information section about audiotape textbooks, www.tea.state.tx.us/textbook/, then click on Downloads. Schools can print a copy of the Requisition form to send to RFB&D. The website also contains a link to the RFB&D’s web page.