GOVERNANCE REPORTING FORM DEADLINE

GOVERNANCE REPORTING FORM DEADLINE The Charter School Annual Governance Reporting Form must be completed and turned into the Division of Charter Schools no later than Saturday, November 1, 2003. The form can be found at www.tea.state.tx.us/charter/forms/forms.htm. Please contact the Division of Charter Schools at 512-463-9575 with questions.

KIPP ACADEMY HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED by the U.S. Department of Education as a 2003 Blue Ribbon School. KIPP Academy is the first state- approved charter school in Texas to be recognized with this distinction. Indeed this is an honor, and they are proud to represent charter schools and Texas public education. Congratulations to the entire KIPP team!

FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM RESOURCE GUIDE The supplements to the Financial Accountability System Resource Guide have been updated and will become effective November 2, 2003. (NOTE: Notice regarding the update of the supplements was published in the August 22, 2003 issue of the Texas Register. Refer to Volume 28, Number 34, pages 6615-6998. Also, refer to your copy of our letter dated August 8, 2003 regarding Update 11 to the Financial Accountability System Resource Guide.) The supplements include requirements regarding the implementation of a standardized account code structure and account codes and other requirements, including the content and filing of the financial and compliance report. Financial and compliance reports filed after November 2, 2003 must conform to the requirements discussed in Update 3.0 to the Special Supplement to the Financial Accountability System Resource Guide, Charter Schools. (NOTE: The financial and compliance reports must be filed within 150 days after the fiscal year end, i.e., January 28, 2004.) The supplements may be obtained from www.tea.state.tx.us./school.finance/index.html#audit. For additional information contact Steve Chiang at 512-463-9095.

CLASSIFICATION OF ASSETS, LIABILITIES, REVENUES & EXPENSES The Special Supplement To Financial Accounting and Reporting, Nonprofit Charter School Chart Of Accounts describes the account code structure and content required by the Texas Education Agency for the purpose of accounting for state and federal assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. Charter schools are required to account for any asset, liability, revenue and expense attributable to a specific source of funds through the appropriate use of the applicable net asset code. For instance, cash received by the charter school from the Foundation School Program must be recorded using net asset code 420 and object code 1110. Any undisbursed cash must remain classified under net asset code 420 and object code 1110. Likewise, cash received from a federal award (e.g., Title I Part A) must be recorded using the applicable net asset code (e.g., 211) and object code 1110. This same concept applies to any real or capitalized personal property acquired with state or federal funds. Real and capitalized personal property must remain classified under the applicable net asset code, even if fully depreciated, until the charter school disposes of the property pursuant to local policy and procedure and consistent with applicable rule and law. Failure to properly account for the assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses attributable to local, state and federal sources of funding may result in the organization's inability to account for public property and in questioned costs. For additional information, contact Steve Chiang with the School Financial Audits Division at (512) 463-9095.

EIGHTH ANNUAL TEXAS CHARTER SCHOOL CONFERENCE will be April 13 & 14, 2004 at the Marriott Rivercenter Hotel in San Antonio. As you plan your 2003-2004 school calendar you may want to consider scheduling staff development days on April 13 & 14, 2004 so many of your teachers will be able to attend. We expect 1,200 attendees, so please call 800-648-4462 to make your hotel room reservations early. To receive the $125 room rate, tell them you are with the Texas Charter School Conference.

BOARD TRAINING VIDEOS AVAILABLE The North Hills Charter School and the Charter School Resource Center are pleased to inform you that six hours of Board Training videotapes are available and may be purchased for your charter school. These videos are packaged in a set of six tapes, entitled: Charter School Law I, Charter School Law II (Special Education), Accountability I and II, Health and Safety, and Public Records. See attached order form that must accompany your check. On June 27, 2003, a letter was sent from TEA to charter school administrators, requiring that half of the mandatory board and officer training hours be completed by December 6, 2003. This interim deadline has been removed. All hours of training must be completed by June 6, 2004. The six hours of videotape training and any other board training received at either our conference in Austin or at the summer board training workshops in Houston, Dallas, Corpus Christi or San Antonio may also count as Administrator Training as referred to in the Commissioner's Rules.

CHARTER SCHOOL CHILD COUNT Charter schools were mailed a packet on October 16, 2003, containing detailed information for submitting special education child counts. The child count will be used to determine eligibility for additional 2003-2004 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part B (IDEA-B) allocations. These funds may be available to charter schools that provide special education services to eligible students with disabilities based on current full and individual evaluations and individualized education programs (IEPs) and have experienced a significant expansion of enrollment based on an event unlikely to occur on a regular basis. The child count should be reported in the Significantly Expanded Charter School Child Count screens on the automated 2003-2004 Web Standard Application System (WEB SAS) for Special Education Programs. The reporting system will be available on the web from November 3 - 24, 2003, and any child count information must be reported through the WEB SAS system during this period. This count is not for the newly opened charter schools who reported a count of students in October 2003. For assistance, call your ESC special education contact or Debbie Conaway at (512) 463-9362.

Resource Center for Charter Schools
40 N.E. Loop 410, Suite 408 San Antonio, Texas 78216
210-348-7890 Fax 210-348-7899

TO: Texas Charter Schools FROM: Patsy O'Neill and Rosemary Perlmeter DATE: October 3, 2003

The North Hills Charter School and the Charter School Resource Center are pleased to inform you that six hours of Board Training videotapes are available and may be purchased for your charter school. These videos are packaged in a set of six tapes, entitled: Charter School Law I, Charter School Law II (Special Education), Accountability I and II, Health and Safety, and Public Records. The six hours of videotape training and any other board training received at either our conference in Austin or at the summer board training workshops in Houston, Dallas, Corpus Christi or San Antonio may also count as Administrator Training as referred to in the Commissioner's Rules.

A certified provider must be present during all board training in order for board members and/or administrators to register and receive credit. The application to become a certified provider can be found at www.tea.state.tx.us/charter/faqs/bdtraining.htm.

Each set of six tapes costs $110. The Charter School Resource Center offers this as a service to Texas educators. This reasonable fee covers the costs incurred in the development and reproduction of the tapes only. Partial orders are not available. Please make checks payable to the Charter School Resource Center. Payment must be received before tapes can be mailed.

Please mail _____ set(s) of tapes to:

Name _______________________________________________________

Charter School ________________________________________________

Address _____________________________________________________

City ________________________________ State ________ Zip________

Phone Number _____________________ Email _____________________

Please mail this document along with your check to:
Resource Center for Charter Schools
40 NE Loop 410, Suite 408
San Antonio, Texas 78216

For information call or email Sally Friedli at the Resource Center: 210-348-7890 or oneillp@texas.net.