Updates

Please see below for updates from Educator and School Excellence:

ESSA Conference

The next ESSA Conference will take place in February of 2020 at the WeKoPa Resort and Conference Center in the Scottsdale/Fountain Hills area. We moved the conference to February because we feel this is more timely, since grant applications now open March 1^st. The dates of the conference will be Wednesday, February 19^th through Friday, February 21^st and we will be offering an ESEA Consolidated Bootcamp the afternoon of Tuesday, February 18^th for new Federal Program Directors. Since the ESSA Conference will be moving to February, we will no longer be having a Spring Coordinator’s Meeting.

Title I Exemplary Schools

Get Ready to Celebrate Your Success! Do you have an exemplary school program that should be recognized? This is your chance to showcase your Title I school program at the ESSA Conference. Applications will be available online July 15, 2019. As you reflect on your 2018-2019 school successes as summer begins, be sure to keep in mind that you will have an opportunity to apply. Don’t let your school miss out! 2019 Examplary Award Flyer

Title IV Symposium

Calling all educators, administrators, enrichment instructors, and support staff! Join the ADE at the beautiful Prescott College on Friday, July 19th for a FULL day of professional development. Featuring 19 workshops organized within six unique tracks and with two keynotes, the Title IV-A Symposium brings you the best resources for implementing Well-Rounded Education Programming, Safe and Healthy Student Strategies, and Effective Use of Technology Practices. The cost is $35.00.

Title IV Carryover

We have received updated guidance from ED regarding Title IV carryover requirements. Please leverage the carryover memo for your resources and planning. The Title IV-A team will be developing a micro-training relating to this topic which will be easily accessible through the Title IV-A website prior to July 1st.

Transferability

If you want to transfer funds from grants within the ESEA Consolidated in order to better address local needs, you may do so anytime during the grant period prior to submitting. Remember, you cannot transfer from Title I-A to another grant. If you want to transfer from Title II-A or Title IV-A to Title III, this requires additional steps that must be completed by GME as Title III is not part of ESEA Consolidated. Please send your request to [email protected] prior to October 1st. Keep in mind, LEAs are to first conduct meaningful consultation with eligible private schools prior to initiating a transfer request (traditional districts only), the need to transfer must have been identified within the CNA, and a diverse representation of LEA stakeholders must have been engaged.

Substantially Approvable Form

When you submit your ESEA Consolidated Grant, if your LEA’s GSA has been accepted by Grants Management, assurances are completed correctly for each grant, and the application contains a viable budget, the grant will be considered to be in substantially approvable form. This allows the LEA to begin obligating funds beginning on the substantially approved date or July 1st if the substantially approved date is prior to July 1st. A complete review, including CNA and IAP still needs to occur, and the grant may need to be returned for corrections. You will not be able to draw down funds until the grant is Director approved.

Substitute Time and Effort

If you are funding a position out of multiple funding sources and the employee is on a fixed schedule, LEAs may request to use substitute time and effort. Instead of completing monthly PARs, the semi-annual certification can be used. However, you must receive approval from each program you are requesting to use substitute time and effort. A form will be loaded in each grant under optional related documents within the next two weeks. If you qualify and would like to request approval, please complete the form and upload it in GME and place a comment in the history log requesting approval. Your assigned specialist will review the document and respond through the history log.

Food Guidance (Title I, Title II, & Title IV)

Using federal funds to purchase food has been a gray area for quite some time. Educator and School Excellence Directors worked with Grants Management staff members to create a food guidance document over the past few months. This document has been vetted by ED. We hope it brings some clarity to this topic.

Title I Paraprofessionals

The requirements for instructional paraprofessionals working in a program supported by Title I funds is updated. The document also contains information regarding approved assessments and providers.