FOCUS D.C. Public Charter School Bulletin

April 3, 2003

Extra $32 Million Proposed for DCPS Budget Likely To Be Put Through Funding Formula

It now appears verylikely (though not certain) that the $32 million that DCPS needs to pay negotiated teacher salary increases in FY '04 will be included in formula funding, thus ensuring that public charter school students and DCPS students are funded at the same level. The proposed '04 budget that the mayor recently sent to the Council provided the increased funding for DCPS outside the formula, but quick work by the charter schools and their advocates (including strong Council testimony by Donald Hense (Friendship-Edison) and Raj Vinnakota (SEED)) appears to have convinced the administration and Council to abide by the requirements of the funding law. FOCUS is following this issue closely and will alert the charter schools if more action on their part is needed to ensure equitable funding for the coming school year.

DOE Non-Regulatory Guidance on Charter Schools and the NCLB Affirms Oversight by Chartering Boards, Not State Education Agency

Recently issued guidance from the U.S. Department of Education firmly upholds the precedence of state charter school law over the NCLB Act when it comes to overseeing charter school compliance with the accountability and other provisions of the Act.

Among other things, the Guidance makes clear that:

--The chartering boards, not the State Education Agency (SEA), are responsible for ensuring that charter schools comply with the Act's accountability provisions, including Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)
--The SEA must ensure that the chartering boards have the resources necessary to conduct NCLB oversight
--DC's Title I accountability plan "should respect the unique nature of charter schools and should reflect input from charter operators and authorizers"
--The chartering boards, not the SEA, are to take action if a charter school fails to meet AYP
--DCPS, in its local education agency (LEA) capacity, should work with the charter schools on agreements permitting DCPS students to transfer to the charter schools
--Charter schools do not have to give priority to students transferring out of DCPS under the NCLB's school choice
provisions
--A charter school identified for improvement must notify its parents of their options. Alternatively, the chartering board may notify the parents
--A charter school in need of improvement does not have to provide choice options and offer transportation to its students.
However, such a charter school must try to establish agreements with other LEA's to take transferring students
--A charter school not identified for improvement is eligible to become a supplemental service provider
--Students in a charter school identified for improvement are eligible for supplemental educational services paid for by the charter school
--The chartering board may reorganize a charter school's management and take other corrective actions specified in the Act if the school fails to make AYP by the end of the second year after its identification as a school needing improvement
--Charter school teachers do not need to be certified, but teachers of core academic subjects must meet the other requirements of the Act, including holding a four-year college degree and demonstrating subject-area competence
--The chartering boards, not the SEA, are responsible for ensuring that the charter schools meet the teacher quality requirements of the Act

Friends of Choice in Urban Schools
1530 16th Street, NW #001
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 387-0405 phone
(202) 667-3798 fax
www.focus-dccharter.org