Dear School Leaders –

It is with great pleasure that I write this opening letter of the CSO Newsletter. As the 2023-24 school year comes to a close, the Charter Schools Office reflects on all that we have accomplished this year with your collaboration, partnership, and feedback. More importantly, we also look forward to all we aim to accomplish in the upcoming school years. 

For me, the future planning is bittersweet. I am eager to witness all that the CSO and Philadelphia charter sector will accomplish. However, starting in July, I will be cheering you all on from afar (Arizona, to be exact). After six years of service, my time at the Charter Schools Office is coming to a close. I feel incredibly grateful for the experiences and growth that I have had as a member of the CSO and the Quality & Accountability team. I leave Philadelphia with the comfort of knowing that there are brilliant and relentless leaders raising the bar and driving for high-quality schools for all Philadelphia students. 

To maintain seamless communication with the CSO, please follow the guidance below when getting in touch with the Charter Schools Office:

• For questions regarding annual compliance and renewal evaluation processes, please contact Evangeline Berube at mberube@philasd.org.
• For questions regarding new charter or amendment request applications, please contact Cameron Voss at cvoss@philasd.org.
• For all other inquiries, please refer to this updated CSO Point of Contact List or email charters@philasd.org and the team will be sure to put you in contact with the proper CSO member.  

Thank you again for your continued support and collaboration all these years. I will take with me many lessons learned and cherished connections.

Best regards,

Biridiana Rodriguez

Outgoing Deputy Chief, Quality & Accountability

Updates & Reminders

*New* | Organizational Compliance Office Hours

In response to requests for more transparency and availability, the CSO is offering weekly office hours for each category of the Organizational Compliance and Viability Domain of the Charter School Performance Framework. These office hours are offered to proactively support school leaders in understanding the Framework and support schools in utilizing compliant materials and processes. 

School leaders can sign up for a 20 minute time slot by utilizing the corresponding link below.  All office hours appointments must be scheduled at least 48 hours in advance.  Please reach out to Evangeline Berube at mberube@philasd.org with any questions.

SY2024-25 Calendar of Collections

The Calendar of Collections for SY 2024-25 can be accessed here. The tasks listed below are for June and July 2024. 

Upcoming PRORITY Submission for All Schools:

• *Priority Deadline* Code of Conduct- due June 21, via Epicenter
• *Priority Deadline* Truancy Policy- due June 21, via Epicenter
• *Priority Deadline* Student Expression Policy- due June 21, via Epicenter
• *Priority Deadline* Enrollment Policy- due June 21, via Epicenter
• *Priority Deadline* Student Application- due June 21, via Epicenter
• *Priority Deadline* Enrollment Materials- due June 21, via Epicenter
• *Priority Deadline* Student Health Services Policy- due June 21, via Epicenter
• *Priority Deadline* ESL Policy- due June 21, via Epicenter
• *Priority Deadline* LIEP Notifications- due June 21, via Epicenter
• *Priority Deadline* Child Find Notice- due June 21, via school website

Upcoming FINAL Submissions for ALL Schools:

• ESL Certification- due June 28, via Epicenter
• Certified SPED Teachers- due June 28, via Epicenter
• Certified Instructional Leader- due June 28, via Epicenter
• Board of Trustees Roster- due June 28, via Epicenter
• Board Meeting Schedule- due June 28, via Epicenter
• Board Website- due June 28, school website
• Approved Budget- due July 19, via Epicenter
• List of Newly Appoint Board Members and Training Certifications- due July 19, via Epicenter
• PDE Annual Report- due August 1, via PDE Portal

Upcoming Certification for All Schools:

• Water Quality Test Results- due June 21, via school website and Epicenter certification

Upcoming Submissions for 2024-25 Renewal Cohort: 

• Renewal Letter of Intent- due June 14, via Epicenter.
• Prep Documents for Renewal Document Review- due June 28, via Epicenter.
• Renewal Application- due July 19, via Epicenter

Philly School Experience Survey | Parents, Student, Teacher, Support Staff, and Principals

Student, Teacher, Support Staff, and Principal/Assistant Principal Philly School Experience Surveys

• Students in grades 3-12 can access the survey at this link: http://philasd.org/studentsurvey. Students will need their School District of Philadelphia Student ID number to take the survey.
• Teachers, Support Staff, and Principals should have received an email invitation on May 1 from, schoolsurveys@philasd.org with the subject heading, “Take the Philly School Experience Survey.” Periodic reminder invitations will be sent throughout the survey window.
• Parents and guardians can continue to take the survey online at this link: philasd.org/parentsurvey. Each household should complete the survey one time for your school. Just like last year, parents do not need to enter an ID number. The last day to take the surveys is June 14.

Other updates:

• If your school opted into paper surveys for parents/guardians, the surveys should have arrived last week, either directly to schools or households based on your school's selection earlier this year. 
• Track your progress! The parent survey response rate tracker can be found here. You can also access the link using the yellow button on our PSES homepage: philasd.org/pses. The teacher, support staff, and student trackers cab be found by clicking this link.
• Remember that our PSES website contains many helpful tools, including the PSES resource packet which has:
• A link to the flyer template if you want to customize it with your school name or contact info, or list the specific ways your school uses the survey, etc.
• Suggested email message templates that you can use as a starting point for your own reminders to families.

If you nominated a survey champion for your school, they have received this information via email. You can review all PSES announcements to date using our PSES Updates for Charter School Leaders document.

Questions? Email our team at schoolsurvery@philasd.org or call our hotline at 215-400-6565.

Withdrawal Requests | School Year Process



The Office of Student Enrollment and Placement has updated their process for processing end-dating requests. A full overview of this process can be accessed via the letter linked HERE. In Summary:

If a school has a student that needs to be withdrawn from a District, Renaissance Charter,

or Brick and Mortar Charter School, please reach out to the sending school directly, via email. Please include the following information: the student’s full name, date of birth, state or local ID, and effective dates. If the sending school is non-responsive after 2 email attempts and 72 hours, please email studentenddate-request@philasd.org.

If a school has a student that needs to be withdrawn from a Cyber or non-Philadelphia Charter School, please email: studentenddate-request@philasd.org and include the following information: the student’s first and last name, DOB, state or local ID of the student requesting to be end-dated, the date you are requesting the student be withdrawn, and proof that the student has been attending your school (i.e. attendance record). Please note, Cyber and non-Philadelphia charter schools do not manage their enrollment in Infinite Campus (SIS). As such, please do not email or call the school to request a student be end-dated in SIS. All end dates for these schools must be processed by the Office of Student Enrollment and Placement (OSEP).

While the CSO does not have the ability to process withdrawal requests in Infinite Campus, we do want to ensure the sector has the most up-to-date information regarding receiving support. As much as possible, issues with withdrawing students should be resolved at the school-to-school level to ensure timely transportation arrangements for students as well as accurate payments to schools.

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Please email the CSO at charters@philasd.org if you have feedback, questions, submissions, and/or if you would like to have your school or one of your scholars featured in an upcoming CSO newsletter.