_SONOMA COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION



SONOMA COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION

[pic]

SCOE BIZ

Business Services

Bulletin No. 15-08 November 2014

November 21 , 2014

To: District/Charter Business Services

From: Judy Thomson, Director Fiscal Services

Reminders:

Creditable Compensation Regulations Webinar ~ December 4, 2014

We encourage all Payroll Technicians and CBOs involved in paying employee's STRS creditable compensation to attend this webinar.  The webinar will address the changes that take effect January 1, 2015.   

District LCAP Workshop ~ December 5, 2014

CBO should attend this workshop with their LEAs LCAP team.

Please sign up at:

State of the State

Per Joel M on 10/30/14…DOFworried that sales/use tax down… means people aren’t spending their money!!!! Bad sign.

Competitive Bidding ~ See Legal Update # 30-2014 dated October 14, 2014 from School and College Legal Services

Non-Voter Approved Debt disclosure form and requirements … a Reminder

GASB 68 – PERS Circular 102222014 – begin having discussion with your auditors

Bear Valley – LCFF summary in graphs and pictures…. Get contact info of company… see 10/20 conference materials or e-mail wendy benkert staff

Bond Election requirements

Reminder: Records Retention Policy

The records retention requirements are explained in the Title V, California Code of Regulations 16023 - 16028. 

A legal copy is one that cannot be changed and represents a picture in time. Electronic information can be scanned or kept in pdf form.  Reports in dat file format do not necessarily meet the standards as software might become obsolete in future years and thus the ability to retrieve the information could be lost. 

SCOE considers the information submitted by districts (such as district interim/adopted budget reports) as district records and that districts are the LEA that is responsible for retaining those records.  SCOE will kept districts' reporting records for no longer than five years before destroying.

LCFF Calculator Tip

The entry for 2013-14 Average Class Size at each school site should be "0" (zero).

Need to get out Audit Bulletin

Copyright © 2014 School Services of California, Inc.

Volume 34                       For Publication Date: October 31, 2014                           No. 22

New Online Education Program Opportunities: Course-Based Certification Program

The 2014-15 Education Budget Trailer Bill, Senate Bill (SB) 858 (Chapter 32, Statutes of 2014), established an alternative independent study program that streamlines the administrative burdens of providing synchronous and asynchronous online education programs to K-12 students. Additionally, SB 858 amended existing independent study requirements that benefit both traditional independent study programs, as well as the newly created Course-Based Certification Program.

Architecture and Benefits of the New Course-Based Certification Program

Unlike the traditional independent study program, which is retained as an option for local educational agencies (LEAs), Course-Based Certification independent study programs do not require LEAs to determine the time value of student work in order to be funded for students enrolled in the program. This is particularly beneficial for LEAs with students who do not spend the minimum requirement of four hours in classroom-based instructional settings to generate average daily attendance (ADA) and hence, funding. Instead, the new law requires LEAs to self-certify that nonclassroom-based courses (e.g., online courses) are of equivalent instructional minutes as those provided in traditional classroom settings without having to deliver the equivalent instructional minutes, unless student learning progressions require such instructional time and support. Thus, the new law recognizes that students learn at different paces and that instruction can and should be tailored to their different needs.

LEA certification of nonclassroom-based courses to be of equivalent quality, rigor, and equivalent instructional minutes is one of two variables that determine ADA and hence, funding. The second variable, of course, is student enrollment in the course(s). Essentially, when an LEA makes the required certifications to initiate and offer Course-Based Certification Programs, student enrollment—and not the determination of the time value of their work—is what generates funding for LEAs.

The Requirements for New Course-Based Certification Programs

Beginning with the 2015-16 school year, LEAs can offer and be funded for Course-Based Certification Independent Study Programs without having to convert student effort into time or earn ADA through the minimum instructional minutes requirements (seat time) if:

• They adopt policies at a public meeting that complies with the new program requirements;

• They enter into signed learning agreements with students;

• Courses are taught under the general supervision of an appropriately certificated teacher who meets No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requirements for highly qualified teachers and who is an employee of the LEA offering the program;

• Courses are annually certified by the governing board (1) of the same rigor and educational quality as classroom-based courses, and (2) are aligned to all relevant state and local content standards;

• The governing board certification, at a minimum, includes (1) the duration, (2) the number of equivalent instructional minutes for each school day that a student is enrolled, (3) the number of equivalent total instructional minutes, and (4) the number of course credits for each course, all of which shall be consistent with classroom-based courses;

• Students meet all existing age and state residency requirements (county or adjacent county residents, California resident for specified charter schools, district residents);

• Certificated staff meet with students in person or by other live video connection at least twice monthly to assess satisfactory educational progress. The assessment of educational progress is determined by certificated staff and can include, but is not limited to, statewide assessments and accountability measures, completion of course work, exams, or other indicators or evidence that coursework is being completed and the student is progressing toward course completion;

• They maintain written or computer-based evidence of satisfactory educational progress is maintained for each course and each student and includes a grade book or summary document that lists all assignments, exams, and associated grades;

• Exams are proctored;

• Courses meet the minimum number of instructional day requirements applicable to the LEA, and that students are offered the minimum annual total equivalent instructional minutes; and

• Courses required for graduation or University of California or California State University admissions are not exclusively offered through the program.

Of Note

SB 858 changed class size ratio requirements for all independent study programs, traditional and Course-Based Certification Programs, to align with the Local Control Funding Formula grade spans of K-3, 4-6, 7-8, and 9-12. This change may make it difficult to stay at or below teacher to student ratio requirements in the lower grade spans; however, there is no “penalty” for exceeding the ratio limits. LEAs that exceed ratios in any particular grade span will have their apportionments limited to the ratio cap.

For a detailed matrix that outlines the changes and the major differences between traditional independent study programs and Course-Based Independent Study Programs, click here.

Good news… General Fund revenues in September were $260 million, or 2.9%, above what was assumed in the 2014-15 budget act. Year to date, General Fund revenues are up $324 million, or 1.5%, above what was assumed in the 2014-15 budget act. Personal income and corporate tax revenues are exceeding forecasted amounts, while sales and use taxes are underperforming.

The median price of an existing single-family detached home was $480,280 in August, 3.3% higher than in July and 8.9% higher than a year ago. The median number of days to sell a home rose slightly from 35.7 days in July to 39.2 days in August.

Assembly Bill 1522 – Employee Paid Sick Leave

Recently passed AB 1522, the Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014, requires all employers to provide at least 24 hours or 3 days of paid sick leave per year to employees who work for 30 or more days in a school or calendar year. The paid sick leave will accrue at a rate of no less than one hour for every 30 hours worked and the employees will be entitled to begin using the sick leave after the 90th day of employment. The sick leave can be used for employee or family member as defined by the law. The bill becomes effective July 1,2015.

Unused sick leave carries over from year to year, but there is no requirement to pay out unused sick leave upon separation of employment. However, if the employee returns to the employer within one year, the sick leave balance is restored. The employee is eligible to use the sick leave balance and also begins accruing additional sick leave upon rehire. It also requires that the accrued sick leave balance be provided in writing to each employee on or with each paycheck.

AB 1522 does exclude certain employees who are covered by a collective bargaining agreement if specific conditions apply. More details regarding these exclusions and the possible utilization of Escape will be forthcoming.

AB 1522 can be found at:

Annual Accounting for School Facilities Fees

Government Code section 66006 requires public agencies that levy developer fees to make an annual accounting of those fees available to the public by December 27, 2014. Within 15 days after the annual accounting to the public, the governing board must review the annual accounting at its next regularly scheduled meeting.

A separate accounting should be provided for each type of fee (separate account or fund where fees are deposited). An annual accounting should include:

• Description of the type of fee in the account/fund

• Amount of the fee

• Beginning and ending balance of the account/fund

• The amount of expenditures on each new public improvement as well as their percentage to the cost

• The approximate date by which the construction will commence

• Details regarding interfund transfers and loans

• Details regarding refunds to developers and allocation of non-appropriate fees.

Additionally, Government Code section 66001 requires each district that collects developer fees to make further findings every five years about any fund in which those fees remained unexpended at the end of the a fiscal year.

For detail of the aforementioned Government Code, please go to:

click on “Government Code” ; and scroll to the Title containing charter “66001”.

What data will be used to determine the unduplicated student count?

Data submitted by LEAs to CALPADS is used as the starting point for calculating the unduplicated student count. CALPADS Certification Report 1.17 – FRPM/English Learner/Foster Youth – Count, displays the counts of students by category and an unduplicated total. LEAs may use CALPADS Report 1.18 – FRPM/English Learner/Foster Youth – Student List to review the students included in report 1.17. LEAs are required to certify report 1.17 during the CALPADS Fall 1 submission. Greater detail is available at the LCFF web page.

Updates to frequently asked questions (FAQs) have been recently posted to the California Department of Education (CDE) LCFF web page at: .

The updated content on October 22, 2014 relates to the following topics:

• Local Control and Accountability Plans - State Standards

• Unduplicated Pupils and California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS)

• Foster Youth Under the LCFF

Federal Cash Management Data Collection ~ Reporting in Fiscal Year 2014-2015*

|Reporting Period |Reporting Start Date |Reporting Deadline |

|2 |10/10/2014 |10/31/2014 |

|3 |01/10/2015 |01/31/2015 |

|4 |04/10/2015 |04/30/2015 |

*Cash balance to be reported regardless of the fiscal year from which it originated.

Dates to Remember:

11/06/2014 User Group – Payroll

11/11/2014 SCOE Holiday

11/21/2014 Payroll Concepts

11/21/2014 DBUG

11/21/2014 Open Lab

11/27/2014 Thanksgiving Holiday

11/28/2014 Thanksgiving Holiday

Great Websites:

CDE’S LCFF webpage - .

2014-15 Advanced Apportionment Letter -

2014-15 Budget Act Letter -

Common Core FAQs -

Proposition 39 -

Join Listserves:

If you would like to receive information and updates via e-mail notification, regarding various subjects, you may subscribe to:

o LCFF updates ~ send a “blank” message to join-LCFF-list@mlist.cde..

o LCFF videos ~ on the WestEd: LCFF page ( ), enter your e-mail address under “Follow LCFF Via Email”

NOTE: Documents that are presented at DBUG may be found at dp. website under the "DBUG/SCOE Bulletins" tab.[pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic]

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download