USCS - CANEC

05/19/2003

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND REQUIRES FILING AN "LEA PLAN" - DEADLINE NOW JUNE 10TH FOR DIRECT FUNDED CHARTER SCHOOLS SEEKING FEDERAL FUNDS

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

CANEC contacted CDE recently regarding the applicability of the LEA Plan requirement to charter schools because we had found that the NCLB section of the CDE website has recently added a Q&A that indicated that direct funded charter schools were required to file an LEA Plan. CANEC could not find any notification to the charter school community of this major new requirement. It is clear that the charter school community has not been adequately informed about this significant new requirement. (The original February 26, 2003 notification to the field regarding the requirement to file an LEA Local Plan was not addressed to charter school administrators nor did it make any reference to charter schools. To view that letter, go to www.cde.ca.gov/pr/leap/sspiletter.pdf).

CANEC and CDE agree that the task at hand is to make sure all direct funded charter schools have the information they need. CANEC and CDE are working together to make sure direct funded charter schools are aware of this new requirement, and, if a school is eligible for and intends to apply for federal funding, to assist them in submitting their plan. Therefore we have included below the text of the letter that was mailed by CDE to all charter schools regarding the LEA Plan. 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. This information is critical in determining what part of the LEA Plan must be competed and what parts are not applicable. In addition, the Charter Schools Development Center just issued an update on the LEA Plan and other pending reports that is helpful. That document is available through their website at http://www.cacharterschools.org/pdf_files/MayApplicationDeadlinesv6.pdf.

TEXT OF THE MEMO FROM THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION:

Date: May 14, 2003
To: Charter School Administrators
From: Sue Stickel, Deputy Superintendent Curriculum & Instruction Branch
Subject: URGENT REMINDER NOTICE

The federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 requires each local education agency (LEA) to develop an LEA Plan as a condition of receiving federal funding under NCLB. Direct-funded charter schools, deemed by state law to be LEAs for funding purposes, must comply with this requirement.

The established deadline for filing an LEA Plan with the California Department of Education (CDE) is June 1, 2003. However, because not all charter schools may have been aware of the requirement for them to complete and submit an LEA Plan, we have extended your deadline to June 10, 2003. Failure of direct-funded charter schools to file the LEA Plan with the CDE by June 10, 2003, could result in a loss of federal funds to the charter school. Release of federal funds to LEAs, including direct-funded charter schools, is contingent upon a State Board of Education approved LEA Plan.

When submitting your LEA Plan to CDE, your charter schools is required to provide a name and contact information of the person(s) who will be available to respond to any questions and/or make any necessary changes to your submitted plan. This contact person(s) must be available from the period of June 10, 2003, through June 30, 2003, which is the time when the LEA Plans will be reviewed and evaluated by CDE staff.

Guidance for development of the LEA Plan and a suggested template have been provided on CDE's Web site in a downloadable format, and can be accessed at http://www.cde.ca.gov/pr/leap/plan.html. While locally funded charter schools are NOT required to file a separate LEA Plan, we recommend that locally funded charter schools check with their charter-authorizing LEA to ensure that they are included within their charter-authorizing LEA's plan.

As you know, charter schools are currently being asked to select their funding option (direct vs. local funding) for fiscal year 2003-04 (the 2003-04 funding survey was mailed May 1, 2003, and is available on the CDE Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/charter/). The requirement for filing the LEA Plan by the extended June 10, 2003, deadline applies to all charter schools that are direct-funded in the current fiscal year (2002-03). New schools, or schools opting to switch from local funding in the current year to direct funding in the upcoming 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. 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.

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


	NEW REPORT NOW REQUIRED OF DIRECT FUNDED CHARTER SCHOOLS 05/19/2003 NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND REQUIRES FILING AN "LEA PLAN" - DEADLINE NOW JUNE 10TH FOR DIRECT FUNDED CHARTER SCHOOLS SEEKING FEDERAL FUNDS CANEC is assisting the California Department of Education (CDE) in disseminating information about the new Federal "No Child Left Behind" requirement that direct funded charter schools must file an "LEA Plan" in order to be eligible to receive certain federal funds. Based on CANEC's request for additional time for charter schools to complete this plan, CDE has extended the deadline for direct funded charter schools to file this report to JUNE 10, 2003. CANEC contacted CDE recently regarding the applicability of the LEA Plan requirement to charter schools because we had found that the NCLB section of the CDE website has recently added a Q&A that indicated that direct funded charter schools were required to file an LEA Plan. CANEC could not find any notification to the charter school community of this major new requirement. It is clear that the charter school community has not been adequately informed about this significant new requirement. (The original February 26, 2003 notification to the field regarding the requirement to file an LEA Local Plan was not addressed to charter school administrators nor did it make any reference to charter schools. To view that letter, go to www.cde.ca.gov/pr/leap/sspiletter.pdf). CANEC and CDE agree that the task at hand is to make sure all direct funded charter schools have the information they need. CANEC and CDE are working together to make sure direct funded charter schools are aware of this new requirement, and, if a school is eligible for and intends to apply for federal funding, to assist them in submitting their plan. Therefore we have included below the text of the letter that was mailed by CDE to all charter schools regarding the LEA Plan. 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. This information is critical in determining what part of the LEA Plan must be competed and what parts are not applicable. In addition, the Charter Schools Development Center just issued an update on the LEA Plan and other pending reports that is helpful. That document is available through their website at http://www.cacharterschools.org/pdf_files/MayApplicationDeadlinesv6.pdf. TEXT OF THE MEMO FROM THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION: Date: May 14, 2003 To: Charter School Administrators From: Sue Stickel, Deputy Superintendent Curriculum & Instruction Branch Subject: URGENT REMINDER NOTICE The federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 requires each local education agency (LEA) to develop an LEA Plan as a condition of receiving federal funding under NCLB. Direct-funded charter schools, deemed by state law to be LEAs for funding purposes, must comply with this requirement. The established deadline for filing an LEA Plan with the California Department of Education (CDE) is June 1, 2003. However, because not all charter schools may have been aware of the requirement for them to complete and submit an LEA Plan, we have extended your deadline to June 10, 2003. Failure of direct-funded charter schools to file the LEA Plan with the CDE by June 10, 2003, could result in a loss of federal funds to the charter school. Release of federal funds to LEAs, including direct-funded charter schools, is contingent upon a State Board of Education approved LEA Plan. When submitting your LEA Plan to CDE, your charter schools is required to provide a name and contact information of the person(s) who will be available to respond to any questions and/or make any necessary changes to your submitted plan. This contact person(s) must be available from the period of June 10, 2003, through June 30, 2003, which is the time when the LEA Plans will be reviewed and evaluated by CDE staff. Guidance for development of the LEA Plan and a suggested template have been provided on CDE's Web site in a downloadable format, and can be accessed at http://www.cde.ca.gov/pr/leap/plan.html. While locally funded charter schools are NOT required to file a separate LEA Plan, we recommend that locally funded charter schools check with their charter-authorizing LEA to ensure that they are included within their charter-authorizing LEA's plan. As you know, charter schools are currently being asked to select their funding option (direct vs. local funding) for fiscal year 2003-04 (the 2003-04 funding survey was mailed May 1, 2003, and is available on the CDE Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/charter/). The requirement for filing the LEA Plan by the extended June 10, 2003, deadline applies to all charter schools that are direct-funded in the current fiscal year (2002-03). New schools, or schools opting to switch from local funding in the current year to direct funding in the upcoming 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. 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. Helen Wallquist Advocacy Coordinator, CANEC 916-798-0965 wallquist@canec.org