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CCAP’s Annual California Charter School Authorizers Conference

The CCAP conference provides new and experienced school district and county office of education staff members and board members with an engaging program and excellent opportunities to connect with colleagues and other experts. Other participants also are welcome to attend.

Register Now for the 2025 Charter School Authorizers Conference!

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Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa – June 16-18, 2025

About the Event

From coast to desert, CCAP conferences bring together around 150 participants, representing diverse backgrounds and expertise in charter authorizing. Join authorizing staff and board members from large, small, urban, and rural school districts, and county offices of education, throughout the state, as well as attorneys, charter school leaders, consultants, and other officials at this year’s conference.

The 2025 conference will convene June 16-18, 2025 at the Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa in Palm Springs. Monday, June 16, will be the optional preconference on “Charter Authorizing & Oversight 101.” The final plenary session on Wednesday, June 18, will be followed by optional opportunities for hands-on collaboration.

Register Here

Call for Proposals

The California Charter Authorizing Professionals (CCAP) invites proposals for concurrent presentations at its 2025 California Charter Authorizers Conference, June 16-18, 2025, at the Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa in Palm Springs. (June 16 is a day for the optional Preconference only, for which proposals are not solicited.)

Presentations will be 60 minutes in length and will be offered on Tuesday, June 17, and on the morning of Wednesday, June 18. Please submit proposals by President’s Day, Monday, February 17, 2025. 

Call for Proposals

Conference Sponsorship & Exhibiting Opportunities

CCAP invites sponsors to be a presence at the conference!

CCAP is helping to establish a system of supports, networking, and learning opportunities to promote high quality charter school authorizing among school districts and county offices of education throughout California. The conference is the key state convening in the authorizing field, drawing around 150 district and county staff and board members, as well as attorneys, charter school leaders, consultants, and other officials. The event includes plenary sessions, concurrent presentations, role-alike meetings, receptions, and a preconference on “Charter Authorizing & Oversight 101.”

For information on sponsorship and exhibiting opportunities at the 2025 conference, please email info@calauthorizers.org.

Please thank our 2024 sponsors & partners!

The Venue

Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa

41000 Bob Hope Drive
Rancho Mirage, California, 92270

Set amid a mountainous backdrop surrounded by palms, Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa is an idyllic resort in Palm Springs — a setting for countless activities and memorable moments onsite and in the Coachella Valley. Book your room or suite by May 23, 2025, to obtain the conference rate.

Book Here

Check Out Last Year’s Conference Program

While each year’s conference program and schedule is different, you can get a good sense of what the conference offers by checking out the program for our most recent one, here:

Tuesday, June 18, 2024

  • 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM – Salon D

    Charter Authorizer Support Initiative (CASI) Preconference: Charter Authorizing & Oversight 101 – Part 1
    Stand-alone, optional preconference over two half-days

  • 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM – FLOE Lounge

    Meet-and-Greet
    Sponsored by Reportwell

Wednesday, June 19, 2024

  • 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM – Salon D

    CASI Preconference: Charter Authorizing & Oversight 101 – Part 2

  • 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM – Salon C

    Optional Preconference Discussion: Numbers, Numbers Everywhere — Analysts’ Dialogue
    Moderated dialogue on academic performance measurement to share questions, challenges, and evidence. No fee for this preconference event for registered conference attendees

    • Moderator: Steve Rees, President, K12 Measures

  • 11:30 AM – 1:15 PM – Salon D

    Conference Lunch & Welcome

    Plenary Session 1: Protecting California Public Schools from Fraud
    Sponsored by School Services of California
    Panelists:

    • Facilitator: David Patterson, Trustee, Placer County Board of Education and Board President, CCAP
    • Kevin Fannan, Owner, Law Offices of Kevin Fannan, CEO, Scenic Vans, and former Deputy District Attorney, Office of San Diego County District Attorney
    • Leon Schorr, Deputy District Attorney, Office of San Diego County District Attorney, and Anti-Fraud Task Force Member for California District Attorneys Association
    • Indra Ciccarelli, Director, Charter Schools Office, Los Angeles County Office of Education, and Board Member, CCAP
    • Ricardo Soto, Chief Advocacy Officer and General Counsel, California Charter Schools Association

  • 1:15 PM – 1:30 PM

    Break

  • 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM

    Presentations Block 1

    • Charter Renewal Overview – Salon A
      Ric Reyes, California Department of Education
    • Renewal Recipe: Stay Prepared to Review Verified Data – Salon B
      Andrea Comer & Andrew McEachin, NWEA; Sklyer Daviss, California Charter Schools Association
    • Clear the Air: Authorizers Can Create Excellent Communication Practices with Charter School Boards to Ensure Great Governance – Salon C
      Thomas Franta & Danielle Tschirhart, SchoolWorks
    • “To oversee, or not to oversee, that is the question” – SSR (Santa Clara/Santa Barbara/Rancho Las Palmas Rooms)
      Richard Gonzalez & Marla Willmott, Los Angeles Unified School District

  • 2:30 PM – 3:00 PM

    Break

  • 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

    Presentations Block 2

    • An Introduction to Charter School Finance – Salon D
      Debi Deal, CCAP; Robbie Montalbano, FCMAT; Jason Sitomer, Charter Impact
    • Understanding the Charter School “Mega-Waiver”: Preventing the Descent into Lawlessness – Salon A
      John Yeh, Burke, Williams & Sorenson; Richard Gonzalez, Los Angeles Unified School District
    • Engaging the Board of Trustees in Charter Authorization – Salon C
      Angela Normand & Juwen Lam, Alameda County Office of Education
    • Charter Oversight – Recognizing and Addressing Equity of Access Issues – SSR
      Bill Schuetz & Amy Rogers, Dannis Woliver Kelley; Tiffany DeGraffenreid, San Diego Unified School District & CCAP

  • 4:00 PM – 4:15 PM

    Break

  • 4:15 PM – 5:15 PM

    Role-alike Meetings Group 1
              Compare notes and provide your input, with colleagues from authorizing organizations of similar size, or other partners:

    • County Offices of Education: An in-person meeting of County Charter Authorizing Representative Collaborative (CCARC) – Salon D
      Facilitators: Jeffrey Hunt, Office of Fresno County Superintendent of Schools; Angel Arrington, Office of San Bernardino Superintendent of Schools
    • Larger and/or more urban school districts – Salon A
      Facilitators: Chris Armentrout, San Francisco Unified School District; Tiffany DeGraffenreid, San Diego Unified School District
    • Smaller and/or more rural school districts – Salon C
      Facilitator: Nesha Pattison, Acton-Agua Dulce Unified School District; Yuri Calderon, Small School Districts’ Association
    • Non-authorizer partners – SSR
      Facilitator: Brianna García, School Services of California & CCAP; Stephanie Farland, Capitol Advisors Group

  • 5:15 PM – 5:30 PM

    Break

  • 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM – Pool

    Reception & Networking
    Sponsored by Burke, Williams & Sorensen, LLP

Thursday, June 20, 2024

  • 7:30 AM – 8:45 AM – Salon D

    Breakfast, Day’s Opening
    Sponsored by Lozano Smith, Attorneys at Law

  • 8:45 AM – 9:00 AM

    Break

  • 9:00 AM – 10:15 AM

    Presentations Block 3

    • Providing Differentiated Assistance to Charter Schools  – Salon D
      Juwen Lam, Alameda County Office of Education; Jennifer Hicks, Kathryn Ferreira, & Leslie Wriston, Placer County Office of Education; Rocio Gonzalez-Frausto, California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE)
    • What to Watch: Charter Financial Oversight During a Budget Downturn – Salon A
      Debi Deal, CCAP; Robbie Montalbano, FCMAT; Jason Sitomer, Charter Impact
    • Tale of Two Schools: Is the Dashboard’s View of Evidence Confirmed by Other Views? – Salon C
      Steve Rees, K12 Measures
    • Using the Memorandum of Understanding as the Backbone for Authorizer Oversight Obligations – SSR
      John Yeh, Burke, Williams & Sorenson; Stephanie Farland, Capitol Advisors Group; Indra Ciccarelli, Los Angeles County Office of Education & CCAP

  • 10:15 AM – 10:30 AM

    Break

  • 10:30 AM – 11:45 AM

    Presentations Block 4

    • Ready for Charter Renewal Data Evaluation? Making Sound Decisions with “Best Fit” Data – Salon D
      Susanne Coie, Charter Schools Development Center; Indra Ciccarelli, Los Angeles County Office of Education
    • Annual Site Visits: Best Practices, including for Renewal Site Visits – Salon A
      Adam Aberman, The Learning Collective
    • Special Education in Charter Schools: Oversight and Developing a Toolkit – Salon C
      Alex Medler, National Network for District Authorizing & Center for Learner Equity; David Toston, California Center for Educational Excellence (CCEE) & Chair, Advisory Commission on Special Education (ACSE); Tiffany DeGraffenreid, San Diego Unified School District; Moises Buhain, El Dorado Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA)
    • Lean on Me? What is the Authorizer’s Role in Supporting Schools in its Portfolio? – SSR
      Kelly Wynveen, WestEd; Corey Loomis, Riverside County Office of Education

  • 11:45 AM – 12:00 PM

    Break 

  • 12:00 PM – 1:45 PM – Salon D

    Lunch & Plenary Session 2

    Announcement of Recipient of 2024 CCAP Authorizing Exemplar Award

    Panel: California Charter Policy Outlook
    Sponsored by Charter Impact
    Panelists:

    • Facilitator: Joe Hendrix, Deputy Superintendent, Sutter County Office of Education, and Board Member, CCAP
    • David Patterson, Trustee, Placer County Board of Education, and Board President, CCAP
    • Mike Walsh, Trustee, Butte County Board of Education, and Chair, Advisory Commission on Charter Schools (ACCS)
    • David Toston, Senior Advisor, California Center for Educational Excellence (CCEE) & Chair, Advisory Commission on Special Education (ACSE)
    • Yuri Calderon, Executive Director, Small School Districts’ Association (SSDA)
  • Break

  • 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM

    Presentations Block 5

    • (AI)uthorizing: Practical Uses, Legal Considerations, and Safeguards for Artificial Intelligence in Authorizing – Salon D
      Indra Ciccarelli, Los Angeles County Office of Education & CCAP; Erin Hamor, Lozano Smith
    • Empowering for Action: Harnessing Data Capacity Through Enhanced Visualizations and a Professional Learning Network – Salon A
      Everardo Carvajal, Corey Loomis, & Kelly Inouye, Riverside County Office of Education; Steve Rees, K12 Measures
    • Let the Record(s) Reflect: The Ins and Outs of Requesting and Reviewing Charter School Records – Salon C
      Dave Patterson, CCAP; Barbara Mandelbaum, Mandelbaum Educational Consulting, LLC, & CCAP; Tiffany DeGraffenreid, San Diego Unified School District & CCAP; John Yeh, Burke, Williams & Sorenson
    • Data to Dashboard: Creating a Financial Dashboard – SSR
      Debi Deal, CCAP; with participants assisted by Shallu Sharma & Cynthia Tapia, Santa Clara County Office of Education
      – Note: Hands-on activity; participants are asked to bring laptops and have basic Excel proficiency

  • 3:15 PM – 3:30 PM

    Break

  • 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM

    Role-alike Meetings Group 2
    Sponsored by NWEA

    • Chief Business Officials, Financial Staff, and Financial Issues – Salon D
      Facilitators: Shallu Sharma & Cynthia Tapia, Santa Clara County Office of Education
    • Educational Program Officers, Educational Leaders, and Education Programs – Salon A
      Facilitator: Barbara Mandelbaum, Mandelbaum Educational Consulting & CCAP; Madison Thomas, Oakland Unified School District
    • Superintendents, Board Members, Senior Leadership, and Policy – Salon C
      Facilitators: Yvonne Chan, Board President, Los Angeles County Board of Education; Scott Meier, retired Superintendent, Maricopa Unified School District
    • Authorizer Attorneys – SSR
      Facilitators: Tom Hutton, CCAP; John Yeh, Burke, Williams & Sorensen

  • 4:30 PM – 5:00 PM

    Break

  • 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM – FLOE Lounge

    Meet-and-Greet
    Sponsored by Document Tracking Services          

Friday, June 21, 2024

  • 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM – Salon D

    Breakfast, Day’s Opening
    Sponsored by Epicenter

  • 8:30 AM – 8:45 AM

    Break

  • 8:45 AM – 9:45 AM

    Presentations Block 6: Authorizing Realities, Research, and Rethinking
    Sponsored by the Charter Authorizer Support Initiative (CASI)

    • Charter School Research: What We Know and How to Get Involved – Salon D
      Talia Gerstle, MIT Blueprint
    • Do Charter Authorizer Evaluations Predict School Success? – Salon A
      Adam Kho & Shelby Smith, University of Southern California Rossier School of Education
    • Responsive Authorizing: Authorizing for Impact – Salon C
      Corey Loomis, Everardo Carvajal, & Kelly Inouye, Riverside County Office of Education;  Jennifer Cauzza, Julian Charter School

  • 9:45 AM – 10:15 AM

    Break

  • 10:15 AM – 11:30 AM – Salon D

    Closing Plenary:
    Sponsored by the Charter Authorizer Support Initiative (CASI)

    • Facilitator: Tom Hutton, Executive Director, CCAP
    • Highlights from Presentations Block 6: Authorizing Realities, Research, and Rethinking
      • Talia Gerstle, Senior Policy and Communications Manager, MIT Blueprint Labs
      • Adam Kho, Assistant Professor of Education, Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California
      • Corey Loomis, Director, Charter Schools Unit, Riverside County Office of Education
    • Macke Raymond, Founder and Director, Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO), Stanford University: “More than You Imagine: Authorizing in the Tsunami Era”
    • A Celebration of CASI
    • Looking Ahead!

  • 11:30 AM

    Adjourn

Feedback from 2023 conference