|  AUDITS
REQUIRED All charter schools and school districts are required
to submit two supplementary annual audits (three total) to TEA this winter
(for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2002, or August 31, 2002). Due to
provisions in House Bill (HB) 1144 and Senate Bill (SB) 702, schools must
submit agreed-upon procedures audits of their leaver code data and their
State Compensatory Education (SCE) programs. These audits are
to be submitted in addition to the general annual audit submitted in the
past. Letter and information addressing these changes were sent
to schools, including charter schools, on September 13, 2001, and in the
Legislative Briefing Book (for audits of dropouts). For copies of these
documents, go to these sites: www.tea.state.tx.us/legal/briefbook.doc
and www.tea.state.tx.us/school.finance/audit/resguide9/audit.
The requirements for dropout audits, which have been published in draft
form on the TEA Internet site for several months, will be published in
final form under Update 10 of the Financial Accountability System Resource
Guide. For questions, contact the School Financial Audits Division at
512-463-9095.
SUBMISSION OF EXPANSION
AMENDMENTS The deadline for the submission of expansion amendments
requests for the 2003-2004 school year is March 1, 2003. Expansion amendments
include those that would (1) expand grade levels served, (2) increase
maximum enrollment, (3) add a campus, or (4) expand the geographic boundary.
The amendment request form is available at www.tea.state.tx.us/charter/forms/csforms.htm.
Print the form, fill it out, and fax it, along with any additional information
you would like to include to Kirsten Christophersen in the Charter Schools
Division of TEA at 512-463-9732. Forms may also be mailed to the Texas
Education Agency, 1701 N. Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas 78701-1494. Call
Kirsten at 512-463-9575 if you have questions.
CHARTER SCHOOL ORIENTATION
The Charter Schools Division at TEA is hosting a two-day Charter
Orientation Session October 17 and 18, 2002, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. both
days. Divisions from across the Agency will present important information
about school operation and agency requirements. The session is at TEA
in the William B. Travis Building, 1701 North Congress Avenue, Austin,
in room 1-104. To register, please go to www.tea.state.tx.us/charter/.
Parking is available on a first come first serve basis on the roof (flat,
open area) in Garage R at the east side of the Travis building at no cost.
Due to increased security, you will need to provide your license plate
number to staff immediately upon arrival. Cars parked on other floors
of Garage R or in other state garages may be ticketed and/or towed. Parking
is also available in two U T parking garages off MLK Boulevard for approximately
$7.00 per day. See attached agenda.
SPECIAL EDUCATION CHILD
COUNT Charter schools opening for the first time in 2002-2003
were mailed a packet containing detailed information for submitting special
education child counts. The child count will be used to determine eligibility
for 2002-2003 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part B (IDEA-B)
allocations. These funds are available to newly opened charter schools
that provide special education services to eligible students with disabilities
based on current full and individual evaluations and individualized education
programs (IEPs).
The child count should be reported in the Newly Opened Charter
School Child Count screens on the automated 2002-2003 Web Standard Application
System (WEB SAS) for Special Education Programs. The reporting system
will be available on the web from October 1, 2002 through October 22,
2002, and any child count information must be reported through the WEB
SAS system during this period of availability. Only newly opened
charter schools for 2002-2003 will have access to the child count
screens. For assistance in completing the child count, contact your Education
Service Center special education contact. If additional assistance is
required, contact Debbie Conaway in the Division of Special Education
at 512-463-9362.
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