OAKLAND CHARTERS TOGETHER NEWSLETTER, JUNE 2003

Direct v Local Funding

www.cacharterschools.org/pdf_files/MayApplicationDeadlinesv6.pdf

SOME OAKLAND CONSIDERATIONS IN GOING DIRECT FUNDED

Timing of apportionments-Presumably the money would come sooner because it
would go from the State to the County to the school rather than its present
route which also includes OUSD. It is unclear how this would affect the
deductions and oversight fees. It was reported that OUSD still took the 1%
admin fee from direct funded charters and also the same deduction from
federal funds (though this second point needs clarification)

Federal funds and the consolidated application-Schools receiving title I
(and possibly other federal funds, like spec ed) would be responsible for
other documents the Consolidated application, and LEA plan, whereas locally
funded schools are included in OUSD¹s application, and though funds have
been imperfectly applied for and received, schools have neither the burden
of producing the LEA plan or monitoring compliance if locally funded.
Template from CANEC
http://www.learningtech.org/lea/ More LEA info and the consolidated
application http://www.cde.ca.gov/pr/leap/ Here is the CCR compliance
process http://www.cde.ca.gov/ccpdiv/ccr/

Bypassing OUSD bureaucracy- Possible future benefits in that direct funding
would bypass the sometimes dysfunctional and unresponsive OUSD bureaucracy,
however many of those burdens would rest on the school.

Applying for state funding outside of Block Grant- Charters would no longer
be eligible for OUSD applications that include us within their LEA
(practically this has not happened much in the past), thus charters would
have to do their own applications for such programs

Food service-direct funded schools can get certified by the state to fill
out their own free and reduced reimbursement paperwork, local funded need to
have a district do it, and districts need not do it if they dont want to.
This would allow us more freedom around our free and reduced provision

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND REQUIRES FILING A ³LEA PLAN² - DEADLINE NOW JUNE 10TH
FOR DIRECT FUNDED CHARTER
SCHOOLS SEEKING FEDERAL FUNDS (From CANEC)

--CANEC Listserv Announcement--

On May 19, 2003, CANEC sent out a listserv message entitled "No Child Left
Behind Requires Filing an "LEA Plan" - Deadline now June 10th for Direct
Funded Charter Schools Seeking Federal Funds." Please read that message
immediately if you have not yet done so (http://www.uscharterschools.org/cs/canecg/view/cs_bmsg/2489). In this
message we told you we would be providing more information as soon as it was
available.

Additional information can now be found on the CANEC website at
http://www.canec.org/NCLBReport.htm. Information at this site includes:

* A listing from the CDE of all direct funded California charter schools.
With the assistance of CDE we are still trying to obtain information that will
help you determine if your school is currently receiving federal funding, and
through which programs. This information is critical in determining what part of
the LEA Plan must be competed and what parts are not applicable. As soon as we
have more information, it will be added to this website.

* Frequently asked questions, with answers, about these reports.

* Information about completion of these reports and offers of help from
CANEC members. Thank you to everyone who has been so generous in the sharing of
their information and experience!

Please note that questions regarding filing of the LEA Plan may be
directed to Lucille Gonzales at (916) 319-0940 or by e-mail at lgonzale@cde.ca.gov.
Questions regarding requirements of charter schools may be directed to
Deborah Herrmann at (916) 445-1014 or by e-mail at dherrman@cde.ca.gov. CANEC
cannot tell you whether you need to file these reports of not. Please address
that question to Deborah Herrmann.

Helen Wallquist
Advocacy Coordinator, CANEC
916-798-0965
wallquist@canec.org

NEW REPORT NOW REQUIRED OF DIRECT FUNDED CHARTER SCHOOLS

On May 19, 2003, CANEC sent out a listserv message entitled "No Child Left
Behind Requires Filing an "LEA Plan" - Deadline now June 10th for Direct
Funded Charter Schools Seeking Federal Funds." Please read that message
immediately if you have not yet done so. In that message we said that "with
the assistance of CDE we will also be sending a second listserv soon that will
help charter schools determine if they are currently receiving federal
funding, and through which programs." That second listserv message was sent out today and
directed you to this site.

The CDE has now provided this list of California charter schools that are
direct funded. The CDE will be providing more information to help charter
schools know if they have been receiving federal funds in the past. When that
information is received, we will add it in place of this text.

Please note that questions regarding filing of the LEA Plan may be directed
to Lucille Gonzales at (916) 319-0940 or by e-mail at lgonzale@cde.ca.gov.
Questions regarding requirements of charter schools may be directed to
Deborah Herrmann at (916) 445-1014 or by e-mail at dherrman@cde.ca.gov.
CANEC cannot tell you whether you need to file these reports of not. Please
address that question to Deborah Herrmann.

FAQs
Local Education Plan Questions and Answers

Q: What is the LEAP?

A: The LEAP stands for the Local Education Agency Plan. The LEAP was created
to address the reporting and planning requirements associated with the
federal government's No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The state is requiring
all school districts and equivalent agencies (i.e., independent charter
schools) to prepare a LEAP by June 1, 2003. The deadline for charter schools has been
extended to June 10, 2003. According to the California Department of

Education (CDE) the LEAP serves multiple purposes:

· Documents a five-year plan for improving student achievement (June 1, 2003
through June 30, 2008).

· Guides the implementation of state and federal-funded programs, allocation
of resources, and reporting requirements.

· Provides a blueprint for students to achieve the state content standards.

· Serves as a single, coordinated, and comprehensive plan for all students.

· Provides a basis for continuous cycles of assessment, parent and community
involvement, planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.
The CDE has developed a template for LEAP.

Q: What about all those other reports?

A: The state currently requires all schools to submit the Statewide
Accountability Report Card (SARC). Schools that receive federal funds are
also required to submit a Single Plan for Student Achievement, also referred to as a school
improvement plan. According to CDE, while the LEAP overlaps with the Single
Plan the two documents are structured differently. The LEAP is based on
NCLB's five performance goals and 12 indicators. The descriptions and
actions required for the LEAP reflect administrative and oversight activities to
support schools in helping all students achieve academic success, where as
the Single Plan is more focused on programmatic planning to support student success.
In short, the LEAP is a new requirement. There are certainly ways to
coordinate the development of the SARC, Single Plan the LEAP, but it is up
to each local education agencies to determine how this coordination will occur.

Q: Who needs to write a LEAP?

A: Any district or equivalent education agency that plans to receive federal
NCLB funds (Titles I - X). The most common type of funding that charter
schools receive is Title I. This does not include funding for special education. In
other words, you should plan on preparing a LEAP if any of the following
applies to your charter school:

· Received Title I or other Title funds in 2002-03 or previously.

· Plan on receiving Title I or other Title funds in the future (2003-04).

· Planning to begin operations in September 2003-04 and you are not sure if
you will receive federal funds in 2003-04. (Note that most first-year
Charter schools have difficulty qualifying for Federal Funds until their second
year.)

Q: Is the due date negotiable?

A: According to CDE the deadline is not negotiable, but as noted above the CDE
has extended the deadlines for charter schools to submit their plans to June
10th, 2003. Unless a plan is on file with CDE a charter school cannot access Title
funds.

Q: How can I get more information?

A: The CDE has posted "frequently asked questions" to its web site.

CANEC Members are Coming Together to Share Help

Charter Schools Development Center issued an update on the LEA Plan and
other pending reports that is helpful. That document is available through
their website.

Marta Reyes of Charter Community School & Extended Day Program and CANEC
President is pleased to be able to share two templates they used to
prepare their report.

Template 1
Template 2

EdTec and MGT of America prepared the above FAQs on charter schools and the
LEA Plan. EdTec specializes in providing business and financial services
for California Charter Schools. MGT of America is a national consulting firm
that has been hired by the State of Michigan, Santa Clara County and other
educational jurisdictions to lead compliance efforts with No Child Left
Behind legislation. For more information on the LEA Plan and for help on
completing it, go to their website.

Lynne Vaughan shared the following source, saying that it is "enormously
helpful to charter schools writing the LEAP, especially on a short time
line. It's absolutely the best guide I've seen. S I used it in the LEAP workshops I
held for charters in N and S CA, and they all loved it."

http://www.smcoe.k12.ca.us/leap/index.html

Theresa Costa Johansen, Principal of Challenge Charter High School,
generously sent the following message: "I had the somewhat dubious honor of
serving as lead developer on our district's LEA plan. As such, I am finished
with mine, and it will go to our governing board this Wednesday. If there
are charter individuals out there who need more assistance that what the state
can provide, I am willing to help. The plan I developed covers our district,
but incorporates the template provided by CDE and several guide templates put
out by San Diego COE and San Mateo. If you haven't looked at the template,
it is VERY overwhelming (even to a veteran administrator). Please be advised I am
willing to help either via phone, email or fax. Should you have questions,
do not hesitate to call." Her contact information is Theresa Costa Johansen,
Principal, Challenge Charter High School, (530) 538-2359, Fax: (530)
538-2374, e-mail at tjohan@exchange.ouhsd.org.

Jamal Haider, of SchoolCity, sent the following information:

"SchoolCity has been adopted by Santa Clara County Office of Education for
No Child Left Behind Compliance and data analysis software. Santa Clara
County supports over 40 school districts and 235,000 students. We offer a
number of software solutions through which we also service a number of other
charter schools and support organizations such as California Charter School
Academy (over 3700 students, Edtech (Escuela Popular, Dehesa...) and
Westwood Charter School Alliance. We understand the complexities of the LEA
plan. Please see our brochure for our NCLB data analysis software called
STARS." His contact information is Jamal Haider, SchoolCity Inc., Email:
jhaider@schoolcity.com, Tel: 650-934-6134, Cell:408-202-8458

Return to Legislation & Advocacy

CANEC is assisting the California Department of Education (CDE) in
disseminating information about the new Federal ³No Child Left Behind²
requirement that direct funded charter schools must file a ³LEA Plan² in
order to be eligible to receive certain federal funds. Based on CANEC¹s
request for additional time for charter schools to complete this plan, CDE
has extended thedeadline for direct funded charter schools to file this
report to JUNE 10, 2003.

The requirement forfiling the LEA Plan by the extended June 10, 2003,
deadline applies to all charter schools that are direct-funded in the
currentfiscal year (2002-03). New schools, or schools opting to switch from
local funding in the current year to direct funding in theupcoming fiscal
year (2003-04), must also file an LEA Plan; however, the deadline for such
filing has not yet been established.

We would anticipate a fall filing period, which would encompass all new
startup schools established between July 1, 2003, and September 30, 2003, as
well as continuing schools that selected a new funding option. Charter
schools opting for direct funding in fiscal year 2003-04 should take into
consideration the fact that as a direct-funded school, they will be viewed
as an LEA for purposes of compliance with NCLB.

Questions regarding filing of the LEA Plan may be directed to Lucille
Gonzales at (916) 319-0940 or by e-mail at lgonzale@cde.ca.gov.

Local or Direct Funding Options Under the Block Grant (From CDE)
Only charter schools funded under the block grant model have the option of
electing to have funds deposited in the appropriate fund or account of the
authorizing local educational agency (local) or deposited in the appropriate
fund or account of the charter school (direct). Charter schools that do not
participate in the block grant funding model will be funded through their
authorizing local educational agency.

Each block grant-funded charter school may make the election to receive its
funding directly. In any year in which a charter school elects to be direct
funded, the charter school must notify the county superintendent of schools
of this choice by June 1 prior to the affected fiscal year. We recommend
that the charter school also notify its authorizing local educational agency
and the CDE of the election to be direct funded. The decision on whether to
be funded locally or directly will not affect the amount of block grant
funding provided to the charter school. However, as a practical matter, this
decision may affect the level of administrative support necessary to apply
for and manage the several separate programs that are not included in the
block grant.

Local Funding: Charter schools that choose to be funded locally will receive
their block grant funding through the LEA that approved the charter. They
may apply for categorical programs that are not included in the block grant
through the approving local educational agency, unless legislation for
individual programs specifically allows charter schools to apply separately.
Charter schools that are locally funded should work with their approving
local educational agencies to ensure they are included in those agencies¹
applications for programs for which the charter schools are eligible and
choose to participate.

Direct Funding: For direct funded charters, the state warrant will be drawn
in favor of the county superintendent of schools of the county in which the
charter approving LEA is located and deposited in the appropriate fund or
account of the charter school. A charter school that is direct funded must
apply separately for categorical programs that are not included in the block
grant. A charter school that chooses to be direct funded may not be included
in the application or eligibility of the authorizing entity for any
categorical programs. An election to receive funding directly applies to all
funding the charter receives, including other state and federal categorical
aid, and lottery funds.