STAKEHOLDER'S MEETING TEA will hold a public meeting to provide information and receive public comments on the commissioner's rules regarding training for charter school officers and board members, as required by HB6. This public meeting is part of the effort to include stakeholder input in the rule-making process. Attendees should provide three copies of their written comments and those choosing to speak will be allowed three minutes for his or her testimony. Members of the public may also fax written comments to 512-463-9732. The meeting will be Thursday, November 21, 2002 in Room 1-100, William B. Travis building, 1701 N. Congress Avenue, Austin from 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. The agenda for the public meeting will be as follows:

I. Welcome and introductions
II. Overview of proposed rule
III. Public comments and discussion

EDUCATION SERVICE CENTER CONTACTS Please see attached list of the charter school contacts at each Education Service Center.

CHARTER AMENDMENT REQUEST AND INSTRUCTIONS When submitting an amendment request to the Charter School Division at TEA please use the attached amendment request form. For questions call Kirsten Christophersen at 512-463-9575

Charter Amendment Request

All amendment requests must be made in or attached to a written resolution adopted by the governing body of the charter holder and signed by the members voting in favor. In addition, all amendment requests should include the text and page number, or a photocopy, of the current charter language to be changed, and the text proposed as the new charter language. Please note that amendments 1, 2, 3, or 4 require evidence that impact statements have been mailed to affected districts. An impact statement form and a sample letter are available at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/charter/forms/csforms.htm .

1. Expand Grade Levels Served     REQUESTED EFFECTIVE DATE: _______________________________
Currently approved grade levels _______________________________________________________
Requested expansion _______________________________________________________________
Please attach the written board resolution described at the top of the page.
Please attach an education plan for each new grade level to be served.
Please attach evidence that impact statements have been mailed to affected districts.

2. Increase Maximum Enrollment     REQUESTED EFFECTIVE DATE: ______________________________
Currently approved maximum enrollment ________________________________________________
Requested increase _________________________________________________________________
Please attach the written board resolution described at the top of the page.
Please include a business plan if amendment requests 25% or greater increase in maximum enrollment. (See Charter Amendment Request Instructions.)
Please attach evidence that impact statements have been mailed to affected districts.

3. Add a Campus/Site     REQUESTED EFFECTIVE DATE: ______________________________________
New Address (if available) ____________________________________________________________
Is the proposed campus within the currently approved geographic boundary? ____________________
If not, see request below to Change Geographic Boundary.
If the amendment is approved, is a campus number requested? _______________________________
If the amendment is approved, should a campus name different from the charter name be used?______
If the amendment is approved, should mail be sent to the campus? _____________________________
Please attach the written board resolution described at the top of the page.
Please attach evidence that impact statements have been mailed to affected districts.
Please attach a certificate of occupancy or an explanation of the process for obtaining the certificate of occupancy. (See Charter Amendment Request Instructions.)

4. Change Geographic Boundary     REQUESTED EFFECTIVE DATE: ________________________________
Currently Approved Boundary ___________________________________________________________
Proposed Change ____________________________________________________________________
Please attach the written board resolution described at the top of the page.
Please attach evidence that impact statements have been mailed to affected districts.

5. Change/Enter into Contractual Agreement with a Management Company
Please describe the requested amendment to the charter regarding a management company. ___________________________________________________________________________________
Please attach another sheet of paper to describe the request, if necessary.
Please attach the written board resolution described at the top of the page.
Please attach a copy of the management company contract.

6. Relocate Campus     REQUESTED EFFECTIVE DATE: _________________________________________
County District Number ________________________________________________________________
Current Address _____________________________________________________________________
Proposed Address (if available) _________________________________________________________
Please attach a certificate of occupancy or an explanation of the process for obtaining the certificate of occupancy. (See Charter Amendment Request Instructions.)
Please attach the written board resolution described at the top of the page.

Please note that the proposed site must be within the currently approved geographic boundary. If it is not, you must also submit an amendment request to extend the geographic boundary.

7. Other Amendment to Charter     REQUESTED EFFECTIVE DATE: _________________________________
Please attach another sheet of paper to describe the request, if necessary.
Please attach the written board resolution described at the top of the page.

Charter Amendment Instructions

Contact:

Charter schools must be operated in accordance with the charter application approved by the State Board of Education. If changes to the charter are desired, the governing body of a charter school may request that the charter be amended after that body has voted that the request be made.

All amendment requests must be made in or attached to a written resolution adopted by the governing body of the charter holder and signed by all board members voting in favor of it. Amendments can not be processed by the Charter Schools Division without the board resolution.

All amendment requests are considered to be substantive requests. If at some point the commissioner creates a list of non-substantive amendments, a form will be created to address those.

Upon receiving an amendment request, the Charter School Division sends selected documents to the divisions of Special Education, Legal Services, and School Financial Audits for review. Reviewers are asked to inform the amendment coordinator of any problems with the charter school operation, governance, or administration or with the amendment request itself. Staff members in the reviewing divisions are asked to complete the review within two weeks. After receiving the reviews, the amendments are taken to the commissioner for consideration.

The commissioner considers many things when taking action on amendments, including standardized testing performance, school financial management, and history of compliance with selected reporting requirements. Also considered are currently approved grade levels, maximum enrollment, geographic boundary, and campuses.

Amendment requests to expand grade levels, increase maximum enrollment, add a campus, or expand the geographic boundary cannot be approved by the commissioner to be effective before the start of the third full year of school operation. March 1 is the deadline for receipt by the Charter Schools Division of any request to expand grade levels, increase maximum enrollment, add a campus, or expand the geographic boundary for the coming school year.

No new campus numbers will be assigned for existing campuses after the first PEIMS submission date in October. This is to avoid splitting a campus after the initial submission of student data.

Please note the following:

All amendment requests should include the text and page number, or a photocopy, of the current charter language to be changed, and the text proposed as the new charter language, with changes marked. Amendments 1, 2, 3, or 4, below, require evidence that impact statements have been mailed to affected districts. Copies of return receipts are acceptable evidence of such mailing.

1. A charter school requesting expansion of grade levels is required to submit an educational plan for each proposed grade level with the amendment request. Without the educational plan, the amendment request will not be sent forward for review or considered by the commissioner.

2. A charter school requesting a maximum enrollment increase 25% or greater of the currently approved maximum enrollment must submit a business plan with the amendment request to ensure that the school has planned for increased growth. Without the business plan, the amendment request will not be sent forward for review or considered by the commissioner.

The business plan should include written statements addressing:

1. the need for an increase in students;
2. the current financial condition of the charter holder and charter school;
3. increased costs due to the acquisition of additional facilities and equipment or the use of existing facilities and equipment to accommodate increased enrollment;
4. increased costs due to the addition of onsite personnel or the use of existing personnel to accommodate the increased enrollment;
5. increased costs for professional and contracted services, supplies and materials, and other operating costs or the reason that no incremental costs for these type of expenses were expected;
6. how increased enrollment would impact Foundation School Program (FSP) revenues, including a discussion of the reasonable assumptions used to calculate the impact;
7. the use of debt instruments to finance all or part of any incremental costs, including a discussion of how the debt would be liquidated; and
8. contingency plans in the event that a critical component of the amendment request did not materialize.
9. The business plan should also include schedules that accurately summarize budget and cash flows for the charter school and indicate any potential declines in net assets or cash.

3. A charter school requesting an additional campus must submit a certificate of occupancy (if required by local regulation) for the campus before state funds may be generated by students enrolled at that campus. If a certificate of occupancy is not available for the facility at the time the amendment request is submitted, school staff must include with the request an explanation of the process for securing a certificate of occupancy in the locality of the proposed campus site. The explanation must include the contact name and phone number of the city or county official responsible for granting the certificate or comparable document. An amendment to secure approval for an additional campus can not be considered by the commissioner before such a document has been received. A school is required to obtain an appropriate certificate of occupancy before students are served at that location.

4. A charter school requesting geographic boundary changes must submit evidence that impact statements were sent to all school districts included in the new area requested. A Statement of Impact form and a sample letter to districts are included here.

5. A charter school requesting to change or enter into a contractual agreement with a management company is required to submit a copy of the management company contract.

6. A charter school requesting to relocate a campus or site must submit a certificate of occupancy (if required by local regulation) for the campus before state funds may be generated by students enrolled at that campus. If a certificate of occupancy is not available for the facility at the time the amendment request is submitted, school staff must include with the request an explanation of the process for securing a certificate of occupancy in the locality of the proposed campus site. The explanation must include the contact name and phone number of the city or county official responsible for granting the certificate or comparable document. An amendment to secure approval for an additional campus can not be considered by the commissioner before such a document has been received. A school is required to obtain an appropriate certificate of occupancy before students are served at that location.

Please remember that all amendment requests must be made in or attached to a written resolution adopted by the governing body of the charter holder and signed by all board members voting in favor of it.

To submit an amendment request, please complete the Charter Amendment Request form (available at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/charter/), and fax the form, with supporting documents, if necessary, to the attention of Kirsten Christophersen, at (512) 463-9732. Alternatively, the request may be mailed to the Division of Charter Schools, Texas Education Agency, 1701 N. Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas 78216. For questions call
Kirsten Christophersen at 512-463-9575.