HomeMy WebLinkAboutTEA - Charter Renewal Notice - 2015T E A6w,-
Texas Education Agency
11701 North Congress Avenue • Austinjexas 78701 -1494 - 512 463 -9734 • 512 463 -9838 FAX • tea.texas.gov
Michael Williams
Commissioner
December 1, 2015
Mrs. Laura Wheat, Board Chair
TOWN OF WESTLAKE
3 Village Circle Suite 202
Westlake, TX 76262
RE: WESTLAKE ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL (220810)
2015 Open - Enrollment Charter Renewal Notice - Discretionary
Dear Mrs. Wheat:
The Division of Charter School Administration is contacting you in regards to WESTLAKE
ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL charter contract renewal. The renewal of a charter is a matter
of consideration taken up by the commissioner of education at the end of a charter term. Charters
are granted initially for a five -year term. At the end of the initial five -year term and every ten -year
renewal term thereafter, charters are required to submit a renewal petition. Subsequent terms of
a charter renewal are for a period of ten years from the original renewal date. If approved, this
charter renewal will expire on July 31, 2026.
Texas Education Code (TEC) §12.1141 provides three distinct designations for the consideration
of the renewal of a charter. After the review of student performance data, financial performance
data, and other criteria relating to the operation of the charter, the agency shall assign the renewal
designation of the charter to reflect one of the following: expedited consideration, discretionary
consideration, or mandatory expiration of a charter.
The purpose of this letter is to notify you of your current charter contract expiration date of
July 31, 2016 and the charter's discretionary renewal designation. Enclosed please find the
spring 2016 Open - Enrollment Charter Renewal Petition and associated resources. A coversheet,
entitled OPEN - ENROLLMENT CHARTER PETITION COVERSHEET (Attachment A), is to be
used as the petition coversheet as instructed in Section I of the petition. Completed petitions must
be received by the agency no later than Tuesday, January 5, 2016.
To complete the petition, please type your answers in the corresponding fields and print the
petition for signature and mailing to the Texas Education Agency. Specific instructions for
completing the petition can be found on Page 5 of the document.
Before a discretionary renewal decision can be issued by the commissioner of education, the
petition must receive clearance from the following areas of the agency: Charter School
Administration, Child Nutrition, Complaints, Educator Standards and Certification, Enforcement
Spring 2016 Open - Enrollment Charter Renewal
Petition Notice - Discretionary
Page 2 of 2
Coordination and Governance, Financial Accountability and Reporting, General Inquiries, Grants
Administration, Legal Services, NCLB and IDEA Programs, PEIMS Data Reporting, Performance
Reporting, Program Monitoring and Interventions, and Student Assessment. The charter must
also have a status of Accredited as defined in 19 Texas Administrative Code JAC) §97.1055.
Provided the charter holder submits its renewal petition by Tuesday, January 5, 2016, charters
qualifying for the discretionary renewal process will be notified of their status by April 4, 2016. The
accountability data used to determine that the charter meets the discretionary criteria is enclosed
(Attachment B).
If you disagree with the renewal designation under which you will be renewed, you may request
a designation assessment by sending a written request to:
Brandon Spenrath, Program Specialist
Charter School Administration
Texas Education Agency
1701 North Congress Ave.
Austin, Texas 78701
Fax (512) 936 -9281
brandon .spenrath(a-)-tea.texas.gov
The agency must receive your request for a designation assessment no later than Tuesday,
December 8, 2015 in which you must identify the designation change you are requesting, the
reasons for your request, and the documentation to support your request. Approved renewal
designation changes will be communicated on or before December 22, 2015. If your request for
designation assessment is not received before the deadline, the agency will proceed with the
discretionary determination of your 2016 Open - Enrollment Charter Renewal Petition without
further review.
If you have questions regarding the renewal petition process, please contact the Division of
Charter School Administration at (512) 463 -9575.
Sincerely,
Heather Mauze, Director
Division of Charter School Administration
cc: Mr. Brymer, Superintendent
Enclosures
Attachment A
Attachment B
TEA
Texas Education Agency
Michael Williams
Commissioner
December 1, 2015
Mrs. Laura Wheat
TOWN OF WESTLAKE
3 Village Circle Suite 202
Westlake, TX 76262
Mrs. Wheat:
I emailed the enclosed 2016 Open - Enrollment Charter Renewal notification letter to you and Mr. Brymer on Tuesday,
December 1, 2015. This hardcopy is for your records.
In addition, the 2016 renewal petition, petition coversheet, and respective accountability data used to determine your
renewal designation (expedited, discretionary, or mandatory expiration) were included in the email. These documents
are not being mailed to you in hardcopy but are available electronically should you need them.
If you did not receive the aforementioned email, please call or email me using the contact information below so that I may
forward the appropriate documents to you for completion by the petition due date of January 5, 2016.
Sincerely,
Brandon Spenrath
Brand on.Spem,ath (a)tea.texas.gov
512.463.4047