If your school receives Title I - X funds, you need to file your Local Education Agency Plan by June 10, 2003.

We can help! EdTec Inc. has teamed with MGT of America Inc. to help California charter schools file their Local Education Agency Plan (LEAP) as mandated by the federal government's No Child Left Behind Act. Together, our agencies will help your school navigate the complex process of preparing your LEAP, including creating your educational plan, filing necessary reports and documentation with various government entities and working with your district to ensure accuracy and auditability.

For more information, please call us at (510) 644-1076 or email info@edtec.biz.

Frequently Asked Questions <top>

Q: What is the LEAP?

The LEAP stands for the Local Education Agency Plan. The LEAP was created to address the reporting and planning requirements associated with the federal government's No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The state is requiring all school districts and equivalent agencies (i.e., independent charter schools) to prepare a LEAP by June 1, 2003. The deadline for charter schools has been extended to June 10, 2003. According to the California Department of Education (CDE) the LEAP serves multiple purposes:

· Documents a five-year plan for improving student achievement (June 1, 2003 through June 30, 2008).
· Guides the implementation of state and federal-funded programs, allocation of resources, and reporting requirements.
· Provides a blueprint for students to achieve the state content standards.
· Serves as a single, coordinated, and comprehensive plan for all students.
· Provides a basis for continuous cycles of assessment, parent and community involvement, planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.

Q: What about all those other reports?

The state currently requires all schools to submit the Statewide Accountability Report Card (SARC). Schools that receive federal funds are also required to submit a Single Plan for Student Achievement, also referred to as a school improvement plan. According to CDE, while the LEAP overlaps with the Single Plan the two documents are structured differently. The LEAP is based on NCLB's five performance goals and 12 indicators. The descriptions and actions required for the LEAP reflect administrative and oversight activities to support schools in helping all students achieve academic success, where as the Single Plan is more focused on programmatic planning to support student success.

In short, the LEAP is a new requirement. There are certainly ways to coordinate the development of the SARC, Single Plan the LEAP, but it is up to each local education agencies to determine how this coordination will occur.

Q: Who needs to write a LEAP?

Any district or equivalent education agency that plans to receive federal NCLB funds (Titles I - X). The most common type of funding that charter schools receive is Title I. This does not include funding for special education. In other words, you should plan on preparing a LEAP if any of the following applies to your charter school:
· Received Title I or other Title funds in 2002-03 or previously.
· Plan on receiving Title I or other Title funds in the future (2003-04).
· Planning to begin operations in September 2003-04 and you are not sure if you will receive federal funds in 2003-04. (Note that most first-year Charter schools have difficulty qualifying for Federal Funds until their second year.)

Q: Is the due date negotiable?

According to CDE the deadline is not negotiable, but as noted above the CDE has extended the deadlines for charter schools to submit their plans to June 10th, 2003. Unless a plan is on file with CDE a charter school cannot access Title funds.

Q: How can I get more information?

Call us at 510.644.1076 or email us at info@edtec.biz.

About EdTec Inc. <top>

EdTec Inc. provides complete business and financial services to California charter schools. The company was founded by Joshua Newman, an experienced entrepreneur and government policy analyst. As CEO of two high-technology companies, Josh has raided over $150 million in capital, and he has also served as a senior executive at companies such as LeapFrog and Boston Consulting Group. Josh has also worked as a policy analyst for the California Post-Secondary Commission and was Chief-of-Staff for the California Assembly Committee on Economic Development and New Technologies. As Chief of Staff, Josh wrote policy AB 803, the original statute for California's Ed-Tech infrastructure.

EdTec Inc.
2020 Milvia Street, Suite 405
Berkeley CA 94702
510.644.1076
www.edtec.biz
info@edtec.biz

About MGT of America Inc. <top>

MGT is a national management research and consulting firm that provides detailed work plans and strategic guidance for state and local governments, K-12 public education institutions, higher education institutions and not-for-profit agencies and associations. Jannelle Kubinec is a managing partner at MGT who has broad based analytical skills across education, environment, economic and infrastructure issues including econometrics, cost-benefit analysis, quantitative analysis, budgeting, and management. Jannelle has worked for the California State Legislative Analysts office and was instrumental in developing California's K-12 plan.

MGT of America Inc.
455 Capitol Mall, Suite 600
Sacramento, California 95814
916.443.3411
www.mgtamer.com
jkubinec@mgtofamerica.com