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December 17, 2019

Grant Funding for Security Training and Facilities Required Under Senate Bill 11

The Texas Legislature has authorized $100 million for the 2019–2021 School Safety and Security Grant to help public school districts (including public charters) meet the new safety and security requirements under Senate Bill 11 (SB 11). SB 11 requires school districts to provide costly and time-consuming training to their employees, in addition to facilities upgrades […]

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December 4, 2019

CSPF School Leader Conference Call December 11th at 1:00 p.m.

TCSA has scheduled a conference call for school leaders to discuss the proposed rule changes to the Charter School Performance Framework.  The call is scheduled for Wednesday, December 11th at 1:00 p.m.  To make the best use of everyone’s time, please email your CSPF questions, comments, or concerns to Dr. Timothy Mattison and Dr. Bruce […]

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December 4, 2019

Upcoming TCSA Webinar - Senate Bill 11 Facilities Standards for Schools

On Wednesday, December 11th at 10:00 a.m. please plan to join architect Kerri Ranney of Huckabee-inc.com, a leading Texas school architectural firm, as she discusses Senate Bill 11 Facilities Standards for Schools. Kerri is the Co-Chair of the TASA School Facilities Committee and was recently appointed by Governor Greg Abbott to the Texas School Safety […]

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December 4, 2019

TCSA Board of Directors Call for Candidates for Charter School Representatives

The Texas Charter Schools Association is holding elections for charter school operator representation on its Board of Directors in January 2020. As you may know, the TCSA Board of Directors voted in October to change its governance structure to reflect the changing needs of the sector and to create a board that is effective and […]

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November 22, 2019

Northside ISD Spreads Falsehoods About Charters

Yesterday, we learned that Northside ISD has sent out a survey to parents that includes inaccurate and misleading information about public charter schools. The survey asks questions about where parents plan to send their children to school. For any parent that indicates they are also considering a charter, they receive the questions below.  This is […]

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November 20, 2019

Lt. Governor Dan Patrick named Charter Champion

Starlee Coleman, CEO of TCSA and John Armbrust, CEO and Founder of Austin Achieve Public Schools honored the Lt. Governor for his hard work and dedication to public school students in Texas by presenting him with the 2019 Charter Champion award. Lieutenant Governor Patrick is one of our greatest champions at the Texas Capitol.  This […]

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November 20, 2019

High School Financial Aid Application Requirement

As a new requirement under HB 3, high school students will need to complete a post-secondary financial aid application in order to graduate. Beginning with students enrolled in 12th grade during the 2021-2022 school year, each student must complete a FAFSA or TASFA, or submit a signed opt-out form for post-secondary financial aid before graduation. […]

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November 20, 2019

New Early Childhood Data Reporting Requirements

The Early Childhood Data System (ECDS) is a new state reporting feature in the Texas Student Data System. Schools will report prekindergarten and kindergarten data (only if administering a commissioner-approved kindergarten assessment) at the district level. Under the new required data reporting, schools that provide Pre-K or kindergarten programs will need to report information about […]

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November 20, 2019

Transportation Funding Implications Under House Bill 3

HB3 made significant changes to the regular transportation program funding rate that will allow districts to improve students’ access to schools outside of their attendance zone without negatively impacting their transportation allotment. Before HB3, the maximum effective rate per mile calculation and linear density rate provided a disincentive for districts to provide home to school […]

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November 6, 2019

Representative Matt Krause HD- 93 visits TCSA Headquarters in Austin

State Representative Krause from House District 93 stopped by the TCSA Headquarters in Austin on Tuesday, November 5 to meet with TCSA staff and accept his award as a 2019 Champion for Public Charter Schools & Students. This past session, Representative Krause sponsored HB 3871 which protects public charter school student safety by requiring municipalities […]

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