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A downloadable chart containing a checklist of the policies California charter schools are legally required (or otherwise strongly recommended) to adopt. 

October 21, 2022

On October 13, charter school administrators and authorizers received the California Department of Education’s...

October 13, 2022

Charter schools have a particular interest in this Friday’s deadline to upload local indicator data to the California School Dashboard. Missing the deadline for two consecutive years is one of the ways that Local Education Agencies (LEAs) are identified as “eligible for differentiated assistance,” part of the state’s school accountability framework. Charter schools identified as “eligible for differentiated assistance” cannot renew using the most advantageous of the four sets of charter renewal standards: the “safe” renewal track that minimizes burden and risk and allows a renewal term of five to seven years.

September 28, 2022

Contains 200+ critical dates on numerous topics, including accountability, accounting, assessment, data, facilities, funding, and governance.

September 22, 2022

Academic performance is at the center of most charter renewals, yet charter schools and authorizers often lack clarity as to how to evaluate student performance, particularly student...

September 22, 2022

The Legislature approved AB 185 yesterday, a “clean-up” bill that makes numerous changes to the state’s 2022-23 budget and the education finance trailer bills. The 194-page measure is long on words, but relatively short on substance, especially in comparison to last year’s extensive clean-up bill. It boosts LCFF funding a bit further, partially clarifies some key terms, and includes myriad other tweaks. We presume the bill reflects a negotiated consensus with the Governor and that he will sign it into law soon.

September 01, 2022

In the early hours of Thursday morning, legislators left the building after a final legislative recess leaving nearly 800 bills for Governor Newsom to sign or veto before September 30. If the governor chooses not to act on these bills, they will become law without his signature. The legislative session adjourns for the year on November 30, and the new legislators elected for the 2023-24 session will be sworn in on December 5, 2022.  

September 01, 2022

The purpose of this checklist is to provide a guide to evaluate the operation of an independent study program against the applicable laws and regulations and identify potential areas of non-compliance. Many of the laws governing independent study are subject to change and varying interpretation and alignment with this checklist does not guarantee compliance with the law as it may be interpreted by others, including auditors and/or the courts. CSDC recommends consultation with qualified auditors or consultants when engaging in a “high stakes” reviews of compliance. This checklist is in reference to the traditional form of independent study authorized by Education Code sections 51745-51747 and is not intended to apply to the newer, optional form of “course-based” independent study authorized starting in 2015-16 pursuant to Education Code section 51749.5.

August 26, 2022

August 31 is the final deadline for California legislation to pass or fail in the 2021-22 session. If a bill passes the legislature, it will land on the governor’s desk and its fate will be determined there. The outcome of more than 1,600 bills must be decided by state lawmakers this month. Issues related to abortion, guns, COVID, homelessness, crime, and the environment are just a few of the topics that will be discussed, and for charter school supporters, three “charter killer” bills remain on the docket.

August 09, 2022

In this 90-minute webinar recorded July 11, 2022, CSDC Executive Director, Eric Premack, and CSDC's charter specialists unpack the 2022-23 California state budget, including the related 350-plus page education trailer bill, and discuss its impact on California charter schools. 

July 11, 2022

It takes some deliberate planning to create a high-quality meeting of the board.  This edition of the Board Bulletin outlines three suggestions and offers a handful of resources to consider when planning your school’s next governing board meeting.

June 08, 2022

Legislative leadership posted a counter to Governor Newsom’s May Revise budget proposals last week, calling for higher general-purpose funding increases, reduced “hold harmless” funding protections for charter schools, and a large new transportation funding program, among other differences. At the time this article was drafted, only high-level details were available and detailed legislation to implement the Legislature’s proposals was not yet in print.

June 06, 2022

This year’s annual May Revision to the Governor’s Budget proposals promises to be the most consequential in recent memory, fueled by a torrent of state tax revenues, spiraling inflation, and sharp differences over the state’s fiscal direction. The Governor will release his “May Revise” budget proposals on or around May 13, updating his prior proposals released in January. Meanwhile legislative leaders are floating dramatic budget proposals of their own that differ sharply from the governor’s and that would fundamentally alter key education funding parameters and priorities.

May 18, 2022

Governor Newsom this morning released summary highlights of his May Revise updates to his 2022-23 state budget, calling for a litany of massive education funding increases, targeting much of the increased education spending for one-time augmentations. The May Revise calls for protecting schools from attendance-related funding losses, but snubs nonclassroom-based charter schools while also calling for massive one-time augmentations to several new and existing initiatives.

May 13, 2022

CSDC’s 2022 LCAP Update webinar is now available on-demand for CSDC Member Schools and Authorizers. Topics include:

• Reminders about LCAP process and requirements
• Revising actions and outcomes, given changing conditions and the importance of setting strategic renewal targets
• The new proportionality “carryover” provision, including new restrictions on “Improved” services
• The Concentration Grant 15% Add-On, in a context of hiring shortages

May 11, 2022

This year’s state budget includes billions of dollars for new categorical programs and calls for massive expansions of others in coming years, including universal Transitional Kindergarten, Expanded Learning Opportunities, Community Schools, and others.

This session will provide an overview of these programs, describe how they relate to other funding programs and sources, assess prospects for funding, and address implementation challenges and opportunities.

April 28, 2022

The backbone of effective and sustainable charter schools is a set of comprehensive and coherent board policies. But let’s face it, creating, reviewing and passing board policies is one of the least exciting aspects of governing, so why do it?

April 12, 2022

The Advisory Commission on Charter Schools (ACCS) voted 6-1 today to provide 100 percent funding to a charter school that missed the usual regulatory expenditure tests to qualify for full funding. The ACCS voted in spite of the California Department of Education (CDE) staff’s proposal to cut the school’s funding by 30 percent for two years, citing their large reserves.

April 11, 2022

Starting in 2022, the California School Dashboard will apply a much more punitive penalty when schools and their student groups do not meet 95 percent participation on California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) tests in English Language Arts/Literacy (ELA) and Mathematics. The new penalty could present unexpected risks to charter renewal, even for schools that have not had challenges in the past. For some schools, penalties may create a concerning Dashboard and, worse, may even result in placement on a lower renewal “track.” This article describes the new penalty, how it connects to charter renewal, and suggestions to reduce risk.

March 22, 2022

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a federal law that prevents discrimination against students with disabilities. Under this provision, any school that receives federal funding must make

March 11, 2022

At its March meeting, the State Board of Education (SBE) will discuss possible actions related to “modified” measures on the California School Dashboard (Dashboard) for Dashboard Alternative School Status (DASS) schools. On recent Dashboards, to better align to the nature of DASS school programs, the California Department of Education (CDE) published...

March 03, 2022