Business Manager's Network Meeting Update

Last week the Colorado Business Manager's Network meeting revealed a LOT of new information for charter schools! Here's a synopsis:

· SB 10-001, Eliminate PERA’s Unfunded Liabilities, increases the employer’s contribution from 13.85% this year to 14.75% next year. The bill moves COLA benefit increase from March to July. It also puts a 12-month waiting period on contributors being eligible to get the benefit. In 2010 the COLA is calculated by 20% of the CPI for wage earners (-.6%). This resulted in about 90 million extra money for PERA to invest for the next year. PERA pensions are compounded annually. Highest average salary calculation remained over 3 years (5 yrs was originally proposed in the legislation). Minimum age for retirement will increase to 60 yrs of age, but is age 58 for schools if the wage earner has worked in schools for at least 10 yrs (affects people hired after Jan. 1, 2011).

· Legislative Update, Vincent Badolato, CLCS: 6.3% cut for FY 10-11. Statutory 5 million for charter school capital construction remained intact. The capital construction will now be paid monthly, instead of in one lump sum.

· HB 1036: Financial Transparency Act. Annual budgets, quarterly financials and general financial information must be posted online this coming school year. Next year additional information will be required. May be in a PDF format.

· HB 1345, Emergency Powers over Charter Schools: Commissioner has authority to intervene in an emergency situation. State board rule will define what can be an emergency. This impacts CMOs that have schools in a variety of districts.

· HB 1412, Charter School & Authorizer Standards Review Cmte. A 13-member advisory committee to make recommendation to the state board for quality standards. Authorizer standards would probably be modeled after the NACSA Principles & Standards. Appointments to the committee will be made by October 2010.

· SB 111, CSI Clean-up. Establishes a study group to consider letting charter schools develop a cooperative to become an LEA. Creates a school food authority account in the CSI fund to receive any moneys received operating as a SFA.

· SB 161, Charter School Collaboratives. Allows charter schools to apply for competitive federal and state grants without needing the consent of a charter school’s current authorizer. CSI may function as the LEA and fiscal agent for collaborative that choose to apply for grants.

· FMLA is applied to schools with more than 50 employees within a radius of 75 miles. Schools with less than that may not be covered by FMLA, but they should act as if they are covered since they wouldn’t want to be a test case. Employees who have physically worked 1250 hours are covered. Employees must be given 12 wks of leave (may be unpaid or take vacation time). Upon return must be able to resume job or comparable job. Intermittent use of the 12 wks is permitted. Notified 30 days in advance is required if the employee knows about the illness. A doctor’s note can be required if the employee is out more than 3 days. If the employee has benefits before FMLA the employer must pay the employer portion of benefits, but the employee must pay their portion.

Business Manager's Network Meeting, Mar. 12th

Charter school business managers met last Friday. Here's a synopsis of their meeting:


Larry Hudson, CLCS Lobbyist and Vincent Badalato, CLCS Public Affairs

1. Budget update: 2.3% cut in current FY; Figure Setting last week with CDE projected a 8.8% cut for next year; next revenue forecast Mar 22; CS cap construction-JBC recommended be fully funded at 5 mil
2. HB 1343: Board cannot adopt standards; concerns expressed about putting charters into a box and reducing creativity/innovation
3. HB 1344: meet authorizer standards by July 1, 2011; may contract with another entity like a BOCES; advisory group to advise state board
4. HB 1345: Brighton and CCA Network situations; Commissioner quasi-judicial role due to emergency nature of the possible situations the bill is designed to address
5. Speakers’ bills taken off calendar indefinitely until agreement reached.

Ken Buckius, UMB Corporate Trust
1. Periodic reports & Certifications include:
a. Monthly construction reports
b. Quarterly financial reports – comparative
c. Insurance consultant review and certification
d. Arbitrage rebate calculation & payments

Colorado School District Self-Insurance Pool
Provided summary of SB 08-181, which requires all schools to have a crisis plan in line with the National Incident Management System. The plan requires the identification of “key people” who are trained to lead in the event of a crisis. The Self-Insurance Pool can provide someone to assist schools in creating their plans and training is also available for the key people at each school.
Website: csdisp.net

Trish Boland, Federal Title Funds
1. Charter reps will need to sign the consolidated grant app as proof that they were informed about how the funds will be used. The signature doesn’t mean the charter rep agrees with the plan.
2. Charter schools can no longer be given a proportional amount to do something different with.
3. Title II, Part A can no longer fund one-day workshops.
4. Time and effort must be documented daily and reported twice a year for all positions funded with state or federal funds.