CSI School Board Updates

December 2024
 

You made it to December – Happy Holidays to ALL!

 

December is a busy month for schools, parents and school boards alike, so this month’s update provides a few important reminders regarding website audits, the CSI Annual Review of Schools (CARS) and grievance policies in addition to our standard resources in alignment with our board monthly newsletter. 

 

You are halfway through the year and if your board holds a meeting this month, this is your time to review and reflect on where you are and what you have accomplished this year so far. 

 

  • What areas of growth and improvement do you see as a board? 
  • What areas do you still need to focus on to meet your goals for the year? 

 

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season to you and your family from all of us at CSI! 
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CSI Board Policy Updates

The CSI Board approved updates to the following policies at their meeting on November 19. Board policies can be viewed on the CSI BoardDocs page.


  • Student Fees: Updated to remove outdated references and reflect existing practice.
  • Grievances: Updated to reflect existing practice and to refer to alternate school policies for complaints of harassment and discrimination. Increased the required time for appealing a school board decision to CSI from 5 to 10 days.
  • School Compliance: Updated to reflect existing practice and to reference rather than include charter contract information related to remedies and notices. 
  • Medication Administration: Updated to reflect new requirements outlined in HB 24-1003 regarding the administration of opiate antagonists on school buses and by students who have received appropriate school-sponsored training.
  • Access to Medically Necessary Treatment: Updated to clarify requirements under federal and state law and delegate policymaking and implementation to CSI schools.
  • Nondiscrimination/Equal Opportunity: Updated to address changes in federal and state law regarding harassment and discrimination in schools and to clarify reporting and response procedures for CSI/CSI schools.


Questions & Support Contact:

2024 CARS Report & Performance Framework

2024 CARS Report 

Preliminary 2024 CARS reports, which included only academic data, were released to school leaders in late October. The full draft CARS report, which includes your school’s CARS rating as well as the academic, financial, and organizational sections of CARS, was released mid-November to school leaders and board chairs in Epicenter. As always, schools have the opportunity to review the full report and provide any school narrative before it is published to CSI’s website. If you are interested in additional support or training on the 2024 CARS Report, CSI staff can coordinate training for CSI school leaders and/or school boards.  


Questions & Support Contact:

  • Ryan Marks, CSI Chief of Authorizing & Accountability

School Grievance Policies

Please keep the following things in mind when implementing your School Grievance Policy:

 

  • The grievance policy should direct individuals to alternate processes for allegations of harassment and discrimination. The policy should also consider how to address conflicts of interest, such as when a complaint is about a school leader.
  • Your grievance process should be easy to find and navigate. It is best practice to have the policy and grievance form available in an easy-to-locate place on the school website (ideally, the board web page). Schools should also have copies of the grievance form available at the front office for families who do not have access to the online form.
  • CSI policy states that complaints are best handled at the school level. If a community member contacts CSI, CSI staff will redirect the individual to the school’s grievance process.
  • The CSI ED is the final step in the grievance appeal process in the event a complainant is not satisfied with the school board’s decision. School community members can appeal a written decision by the school board by emailing the complaint, the board’s response to the complaint, and the desired resolution to: legalandpolicy_csi@csi.state.co.us
  • Under CSI's new board-approved Grievance Policy, CSI's Executive Director will have ten days to respond in writing to a grievance appeal.


Upcoming Training Opportunities

*Updated*

Thursday, January 30

5:30pm-7:00pm

School Leader Hiring, Development, and Evaluation

Overview of the relationship between the charter school board and their school leader, steps to take when searching for and hiring a school leader, processes for developing a school leader, and completing an annual school leader evaluation. *Required for schools with a Priority Improvement or Turnaround rating

*Updated*

Monday, March 24

12:00pm-1:30pm

Charter School Board Development and Self- Assessment

Overview of how to monitor the performance of the charter school board through a self-assessment process and how to use the self-assessment results

to determine next steps for continuous charter school board development

Institutional Compliance Solutions

Unlocking the 2024 Title IX Regulations (recorded and free with registration)

Basic overview of the requirements established under the 2024 Title IX Regulations regarding sex-based discrimination in schools.



For additional resources, see

CSI’s Title IX Resource Page.

 
School Board Calendar
 
If you are following the CSI Sample School Board Calendar, below are the items that your board should be reviewing this month.

Included below are both summaries of key activities, contact information for CSI staff that can provide further support if requested, and links to related resources.  
 
Academic
Enrollment
Staffing
Culture
Board
Finance
 
Academic
 

✔️ Progress in carrying out Unified Improvement Plan (UIP)
 

Unified Improvement Planning


Unified Improvement Planning (UIP) was created to encourage Colorado schools to improve student learning and system effectiveness by engaging in a cycle of continuous improvement to manage their performance. The intent is for schools to create a single plan that reflects improvement planning activities, and thereby reduces the total number of plans and documentation required by both the state and CSI. Tools and trainings related to the UIP can be found on the CSI Resource site here.

 

Questions & Support Contact:

Questions to Consider


  1. Do the current Major Improvement Strategies address gaps in both state and interim assessment data?
  2. What progress has been made in implementing the Major Improvement Strategies identified in the UIP?
  3. What progress or data can be identified to ensure that Major Improvement Strategies are having a positive impact on student outcomes?
 
Enrollment
 

✔️ Open enrollment and/or re-enrollment for the upcoming school year

✔️ Ensure enrollment policies and procedures are up-to-date and approved if updates are made for the 25-26 school year

✔️ Board support for student recruitment
 

Questions to Consider


  1. Has the board reviewed enrollment targets and plans for the upcoming school year, including with school leaders? How will the board receive updates on progress through the spring recruitment season?
  2. Are there any ways the board can support the school as they get ready to and/or ramp up open enrollment for the upcoming school year?
 
Staffing
 

✔️ Mid-year check-in with staff
 
Culture
 

✔️ Participation in school events

✔️ Student absentee rates

✔️ Review mid-year school culture survey results if applicable

✔️ Update on mid-year family engagement from School Leader
 
Board
 

✔️ Mid-year School Leader evaluation and progress toward goals

✔️ Mid-year strategic plan review
 
Finance
 

✔️ Board receives update on PPR adjustments related to changes in Funded Pupil Counts and/or changes in PPR

✔️ Board receives proposed budget amendments
 

Questions to Consider:


  1. What is the school’s fund balance? How does it compare to statutory requirements, CSI requirements, and the board’s requirements and goals?
  2. Does the budget align with the priorities that were previously established by the board and school leadership?
  3. Has the board reviewed enrollment targets and plans for the upcoming school year, including with school leaders? How will the board receive updates on progress through the spring recruitment season?
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