NATIONAL
CHARTER SCHOOLS WEEK

More than 900 Texas charter school founders, board members, directors, and teachers will celebrate National Charter Schools Week at the seventh annual Texas Charter School Conference at the Renaissance Hotel in Austin on May 5-6, 2003.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS The TEA and the Resource Center have assembled 84 breakout sessions on a wide variety of topics. See attached list of breakout sessions (in PDF format) on May 5-6, 2003. Detailed descriptions of each of these concurrent sessions will be in your conference packet that you will receive at registration.

BOARD TRAINING SESSIONS All registered charter school board members may attend the board training sessions at the conference. These six sessions will be held in the largest breakout room at the Renaissance Hotel which seats 225 people. In order to accommodate the anticipated number of board members in a 225-person room:

• All registered board members may attend the board training
• Only one registered charter administrator from each charter will be allowed to attend the board training sessions, due to the size of the room.
• Only one registered member from each ESC will be allowed to attend the board training sessions, due to the size of the room.

The board training sessions are only able to accommodate these three categories of attendees. Unfortunately due to room limitations we will not be able to accommodate additional participants in this one room. Numerous other important breakout sessions for administrators, teachers, ESC representatives, and other attendees have been scheduled. TEA, charter schools, and other entities will provide very important and useful information in the other 78 breakout sessions.

OVERFLOW HOTELS The Renaissance Hotel is completely booked therefore hotel room reservations will need to be made by calling the Holiday Inn Northwest at 512-343-0888 or the Staybridge Suites at 512-349-0888. When you call let the hotels know you are with the Texas Charter School Conference to receive the special room rate.

RENAISSANCE HOTEL ROOMS Cancellation of a sleeping room at the Renaissance Hotel must be completed by April 28, 2003. If cancellation has not been completed by this date, you are still financially responsible for the cost for the room(s).

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS FOR THE CONFERENCE

Howard Fuller	Chairman, National Charter School Alliance
Dean Millot	President/CEO, National Charter School Alliance
Nina Rees	Deputy Under Secretary USDOE
Felipe Alanis	Commissioner of Education

SIX FLAGS OVER TEXAS BUFFET DINNER All registered attendees for the seventh annual Texas Charter School Conference are invited to the Six Flags Over Texas buffet dinner Monday evening, May 5^th from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at the University of Texas Alumni Center. Bus transportation will be provided from the Renaissance to the Alumni Center. Unfortunately space prohibits us from allowing anyone other than registered attendees with a name tag to attend the dinner.

CONFERENCE CHECK-IN will be open on Sunday, May 4^th from 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. and on Monday, beginning at 8:00 a.m. at the Renaissance Hotel. Check-in tables will be located on the Atrium Level adjacent to the ballroom. Conference packets and nametags will be available at this time. To avoid standing in line with 850 other attendees on Monday morning, we encourage you to check-in on Sunday evening if possible.

CHARTER SCHOOL BOARD AND OFFICER TRAINING RULES Text of the proposed commissioner rule addressing training for charter school officers and members of governing bodies was published in the March 28 issue of the Texas Register. The 30-day public comment period began when the text was published. If you would like to make comments on the proposed rule text, please submit them in writing. You may fax comments to the Charter Schools Division of the Texas Education Agency at (512) 463-9732 or mail them to 1701 N. Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas 78701. The Texas Register is available online at http://www.sos.state.tx.us/texreg/index.shtml.