June 2023 Newsletter

A LETTER FROM ASBCS

"To improve public education in Arizona by sponsoring

charter schools that provide quality educational choices"

Dello High School | September Events

June Newsletter

New ASBCS Online Platform

The new online system is now live and available for all!

Charter Representatives should have received a login. If you have any concerns or need assistance, please contact Daniel Cobin at Daniel.Cobin@asbcs.az.gov.

Thank you to those that were able to attend our virtual training on the new online system earlier this week. We have uploaded the training presentation and materials to our website and you may also access the information below!

Visit our Website

FY 24 Charter School Annual Budget Forms

We have issued the fiscal year (FY) 2024 charter school annual budget forms in conjunction with the Arizona Department of Education (ADE). We have incorporated legislation enacted to date in the forms. As the Fifty-sixth Legislature, First Regular Session, has not yet concluded, any legislation enacted for FY 2024 charter funding calculations will be included in revised budget forms and apply to the entire fiscal year. We will notify charters by email if we issue revised forms. The most significant changes are described below:

Page 2—Laws 2023, Chapter 142, §2, repealed A.R.S. §15-249.08, removed Project 1457—Results-based Funding.
Calculations—Laws 2023, Ch. 133, §31, provided a one-time state aid supplement for FY 2024.
BSA55 tab—Laws 2023, Ch. 142, increased FRPL Group B support level weight and increased the base support level and charter additional assistance per student amounts.

We made the following corrections to the fiscal year 2024 charter school budget form:

Page 2—Unlocked the Audit services expense in N29

To unlock N29:

Unprotect the Page 2 tab within the budget24.xlsx file
Right click on cell N29 and select Format Cells
Click on the Protection tab
Uncheck the Locked selection
Select OK

Page 3—Updated the Budget year 2024 formula in K13

To update the formula in K13:

Unprotect the Page 3 tab within the budget24.xlsx file
Change the formula in cell K13 to: =SUM(F13:I13)

After the corrections have been made, re-protect both tabs. If the tabs are not protected, the formula cells will be unlocked and subject to accidental changes.

_______________________________________________________

Instructions—Increased the Classroom Site Project allocation.

The budget forms include the instructions for completing the FY 2024 charter school annual budget forms and budget summary. We have also posted the submission and publication instructions and budget adoption hearing notification form.

Changes from the previous year’s budget forms have been highlighted light yellow. In addition, the instructions page includes a column “Summary of significant changes” to explain changes from the previous year’s budget forms.

Schools may begin uploading their completed forms through the School Finance Budget System on ADE’s website beginning June 15, 2023.

If you have any questions, please contact our Accountability Services Division at asd@azauditor.gov or (602) 977-2796, or ADE’s School Finance Budget Team at SFBudgetTeam@azed.gov or (602) 542‑5695.

Other charter school reports and resources we issue are available on our website: http://www.azauditor.gov/.

Sincerely,

Arizona Auditor General

Auditor General Forms

Good morning!

Starting June 15th,

School Finance will launch our new Budget System. This system will be in use for Fiscal Year 2024 and will be replacing Common Logon, which will be retiring.

You can access the new budget system through ADEConnect at https://adeconnect.azed.gov/.

Attached here is a link to the

School Finance website. This link will provide tutorial videos for numerous topics, including the new Budget System. Existing tutorial videos about the Budget System, listed in order for better comprehension, include: ADEConnect Budget System Basics, Contact Information, File Submission, and File Due Dates & Submission Window.

These videos will be available on the School Finance website with more tutorial videos being released in the coming months about additional topics. Please review these videos before reaching out to ADE with any

questions. If you do have any questions after reviewing these videos, please

email the School Finance Budget Team as sfbudgetteam@azed.gov

School Finance Website

NTAC and CISA Publish K-12 Bystander Reporting Toolkit

Today, the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC), in partnership with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), released the K-12 Bystander Reporting Toolkit. This new resource offers simple strategies and guidance to implement or enhance school safety reporting programs and foster a school environment in which students are more willing and able to report safety concerns. This toolkit represents the latest effort in the U.S. Secret Service and CISA’s shared school safety mission, and provides schools with actionable, practical, and cost-efficient steps toward preventing acts of violence among our most important populations.

Secret Service Tool Kit Link

Cyber Joint Task Force & ADE Vulnerability Assessment!

The Cyber Joint Task Force has entered into an agreement with the Arizona Department of Education to provide penetration testing and vulnerability assessment at no cost to the school district, including public and charter systems.

The Cyber Joint Task Force (CJTF) is part of the Department of Emergency and Military Affairs (DEMA). Their vision is to be a trusted cyber resource for enhancement of cyber security posture and enabling critical resource retention in the state of Arizona. The establishment of a blanket agreement between ADE and CJTF/DEMA allows all local education agencies to opt-in to their services, facilitating the process and paperwork since now school districts can sign on to the established agreement without the need to enter into individual agreements with CJTF.

How to opt-in to these services:

Participation in the free services provided by the Cyber Joint Task Force is optional.

1. Complete this opt-in letter and send it to azcyberjointtaskforce@arizona.gov. This opt-in letter will allow CJTF to add your district’s name to their services.

2. Once you have opted-in, complete this statement of work, specifying the type of services you are requesting along with the necessary information the CJTF will need to assist you.

If you have any questions, you may contact the CJTF directly at: azcyberjointtaskforce@arizona.gov

Please note that:

Penetration testing and vulnerability assessments conducted by the CJTF are free of charge to school districts. The Task Force also provides post-attack cyber incident response, but this service cannot be provided under this agreement.

For more information please visit the Office of Digital Teaching and Learning website.

FY24 Grant Application - Now Open!

All FY24 applications must be submitted and approved by Friday, June 30th.

ALL schools with letter grades of D or F are eligible to apply.

The State Turtoring Grand pays for Math and ELA tutoring. Sites can either pay their teachers to provide tutoring or they can use an approved vendor.

In accordance with ARS §15-241 (K): The ADE State Tutoring fund represents the program available to all pupils in a school assigned a letter grade of D or F. The parents or guardians of pupils attending a school assigned a letter grade of D or F may select an alternative tutoring program in academic standards from an approved provider

News from Arizona State Board of Education

May 23, 2023

Below are highlights from the Arizona State Board of Education’s May 22^nd meeting. Recordings of prior meetings are on YouTube.

Superintendent Horne recognized Megan Brown, Melissa Martin, and Jessica Zimmerman who received the Milken Educator Award. The Board received a presentation on Arizona’s Education and Career Action Plans (ECAP) Program from Arizona Department of Education staff.

Consent Agenda Items

The Board took action to approve items on the consent agenda.

School Safety Program Funds

The Board took action to approve the award of the new cohort of the School Safety Program applicants.

AZ High School Equivalency Plus-Career Readiness Pathway

The Board took action to approve and adopt the AZ High School Equivalency Plus Career Readiness Pathway as an alternative pathway for Arizona residents to earn an Arizona High School Equivalency Diploma.

Arizona Teacher Leader Profession Standards Rulemaking

The Board closed rulemaking procedures for A.A.C. R7-2-602.02 related to Arizona Teacher Leader Professional standards.

Independent Accounting Responsibility Rulemaking

The Board closed rulemaking procedures for A.A.C. R7-2-902 related to Independent Accounting Responsibility to reflect legislative changes.

Certification Actions

The Board took action to approve the voluntary surrender of educator certificates, approve the permanent revocation of relevant educator certificates pursuant to A.R.S. § 15-550, and approve the summary suspension of relevant educator certificates pursuant to A.A.C. R7-2-1309(A). The Board approved the negotiated settlement agreements of relevant educators. Additionally, the Board adopted the findings of fact, conclusions of law, and recommendations of the Professional Practices Advisory Committee (PPAC) to revoke the certificate of relevant educators, adopted the findings of fact, conclusions of law, and recommendations of the PPAC to suspend the certificate of an educator for one year, and adopted the findings of fact, conclusions of law, and recommendations of the PPAC to deny the application for certification and suspend the certificate of an educator for a period of three years.

Educator Discipline Lookup

Prior to hiring both certified and non-certified educators, schools are required to check the Arizona Department of Education’s (ADE) public-facing and internal systems for possible discipline or open investigations for immoral or unprofessional conduct.

To assist schools, the Board is providing a list of many of the educators who were disciplined at the most recent meeting. Please note that this information is only a snapshot of most educators who were disciplined at the most recent Board meeting and does not, in and of itself, satisfy the requirement for schools to check ADE’s systems described above prior to hiring. Because educators have the right to appeal their disciplinary action, there may be an approximately 30-day lag in reporting some disciplinary action.

To view this list, please use the link below.

https://c0abe837.caspio.com/dp/5a506000251753529c6846539a08.

Meeting Schedule

The next regular Board Meeting is scheduled for June 26, 2023 at 9:00 am.

AZSBE Disciplinary Action

Move on When Reading (MOWR) Rule-making Now Open for Comment

Virtual public hearing 12:30PM June 20th: Click here to register by 12PM Thursday June 15

The Arizona State Board of Education (SBE) is considering additional regulatory rules governing parts of the Move on When Reading (MOWR) program, and seeks input and reaction from the field. You are invited to attend the virtual public hearing at 12:30PM on June 20th

Proposed Changes

Click to Register