Over the past several weeks, I’ve received a lot of positive feedback from parents across our state regarding the new State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) Report Card. The report card contrasts dramatically from what had been shared with parents in previous years. The revamped report presents information in a more colorful, understandable […]
It gives me great pleasure to share news of the historic passage of HB 21 by the Texas Legislature. As you know, securing facilities funding has been the primary legislative priority for the Texas Charter Schools Association (TCSA) since our inception in 2008, and this win has been a long time coming. Under HB 21, […]
Students at Cedars International Academy became the first in Austin to have a live-mentor at their fingertips. [Re]ThinkIt! ™, a tool designed by Austin-based OneSeventeen Media, was developed to provide schools with a comprehensive Advice Management System™ to support classroom management, all while supporting students both inside and outside of the classroom. “Because our teachers […]
Charter schools and school districts alike provide many opportunities for students to participate in prekindergarten, extracurricular activities, field trips, and after school programs. In order to assist with the costs of these additional programs, charter schools and school districts may charge some optional fees or charge tuition for the program, but only if they are […]
Last week, the Texas Charter Schools Association (TCSA) held its quarterly Member Council Meeting (MCM) with about 40 participants representing member charter schools from across the Lone Star State. TCSA’s Executive Director David Dunn opened the meeting with brief remarks and was followed by MCM Chair, Kathleen Zimmermann, who welcomed members to Austin. Dunn shared […]
Coming soon to a region near you: the 2017-18 version of Texas Charter Schools Association (TCSA) Executive Leader Meetings. These regional meetings provide a place for charter leaders to come together to learn from legal experts and share best practices among each other on charter-specific topics. TCSA plans to offer leaders in each region two […]
85TH REGULAR SESSION LEGISLATIVE SUMMARY AVAILABLE NOW The TCSA Legislative Summary of the 85th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature is now available for member schools through the TCSA Quality Member Portal. TCSA Legal kept busy this summer reviewing and summarizing all 113 bills passed during the 85th Regular Legislative Session that impact public education. […]
The 30-day Special Legislative Session began last week at lightning speed with bill filings, committee hearings, and floor votes. The Texas Charter Schools Association (TCSA) team has been at the state Capitol working on behalf of students at public charter schools. During a special legislative session, only the governor has the authority to determine the […]
The Texas Charter Schools Association’s (TCSA) Board of Directors recently elected me as Chairman and as a community and business representative on the Board, and I am honored to serve in this new role. Since I am new to TCSA’s board, I want to take this opportunity to share with you a little about my […]
The lack of capital for building or renovating school facilities in low-income communities is a common problem. Fortunately, options exist to ensure that high-quality public charter schools can secure financing to meet the needs of their students. One such initiative is the New Markets Tax Credit Program (NMTC). If you have a project scheduled to […]
