Consolidated Grant Application: All-District Requirements Federal Grant Programs Conference May 30, 2018

Why a consolidated application? It’s the law. Encourages integration of funds to best meet district priorities. Reflects reorganization of DESE staff to create more holistic federal entitlement grants support and oversight. Reminder: Despite a consolidated application, funds are not consolidated! Each allocation must be budgeted in its original Title program’s budget.

Balancing compliance and reduction of district burden guided DESE’s process for consolidating the ESSA application. Key Point How can we distribute grant oversight across technical assistance, assurances, application and monitoring to avoid redundancy, reduce district burden, but assure appropriate use of grant funds?

Good news and possible challenges Consolidated workbook benefits: Streamlined – dropdowns and automation that helps with accuracy and reduces burden. Connects to district planning that is already happening. Embedded tips and resources for real-time assistance. Possible challenges: The Consolidated Workbook must be complete before any for the ESEA/ESSA grants can be reviewed and approved. EdGrants still requires completing budgets in addition to budgets in consolidated worksheet.

Consolidated workbook is integrated, not stacked. Past versions of “consolidated” workbooks have been compiled into one workbook, but not truly integrated. FY19 Consolidated workbook is truly integrated: combining common questions and calculations, integrating district improvement plans into program narrative pages, and differentiating required information based on performance. As a result, tabs cannot be individually “removed” from the workbook without disabling requisite functionality.

FY19 Consolidated Workbook is version 1.0 This is a learning year for all – DESE and our districts – we expect to listen and make improvements next year and in the future based on your and our experience, as well as advances in grant-making technology. So let’s have a look !

Preliminary information to get started: Read Me First Tab Preliminary information to get started: How to name and save file General guidance for completing the consolidated workbook: visual cues, tips, resources, instructions. How to submit the workbook in EdGrants Contact information for Grants Management

What Read Me First looks like:

Tab 1. Signature Page (a.k.a., “Cover Sheet”) All allocations will be listed here. This page is important because these numbers feed calculations throughout the application. Submitting Signature Page. Submit signed, dated, complete Signature Page in pdf form with each EdGrants Budget Page. Due date: Essential to get Consolidated Workbook and EdGrants submission completed in substantially approvable form prior to expenditures of grant funds. Due date is September 28, 2018.

What the Signature Page looks like:

Arguably our most straightforward tab! Tab 2. Contact Information Arguably our most straightforward tab! Two reminders: Update Directory Administration (DA)! Don’t rely on completing this page. For listserv emails (blasts), we pull email addresses directly from DA. If there are changes to Title program administrators in your district, be sure to ask your district’s directory administrator to update your DA. http://www.doe.mass.edu/infoservices/data/diradmin/ Summer contact information. Much Title program grant approval activity takes place in summer months. Be sure to include summer contact information on this page if different from your school year information.

What Contact Information looks like:

Tab 3. Allocations and Flexing This tab is new and serves a number of functions: Allows districts to indicate which funds, if any, it wants to flex from Title II, Part A and/or Title IV, Part A for use according to the rules of other ESSA Titles. Creates a post-flexing total for each Title that will be used to allocate funds used for private school services, administrative expenses and other district reservations, and school allocations for Title I, Part A, and possibly for carryover cap (15%) for Title I funds. TIP: Think about flexing the rules for funds from one title to another rather than actually combining funds from two programs. For example, if a district flexes $4,000 of its Title II, Part A funds to Title I, Part A, the rules of Title I, Part A now apply to that $4,000, although the funds are still reported in the district’s Title II, Part A budget worksheet and in EdGrants.

What the Allocations and Flexing tab looks like:

Some reminders: The rules of the “destination” Title program govern expenditures of the flexed funds. ESSA, Title V, Part A (Funding Transferability for State and Local Educational Agencies): “Except as otherwise provided in this part, funds transferred under this section are subject to each of the rules and requirements applicable to the funds under the provision to which the transferred funds are transferred.”

Important implications of flexed funds Private School Services: Flexed funds are used to determine amounts for equitable services for private schools for each Title program. USED nonregulatory guidance has definitively answered this question: “With respect to the transferred funds, the SEA or LEA must provide private school students and teachers equitable services under the program(s) to which, and from which, the funds are transferred, based on the total amount of funds available to each program after the transfer. “ NON-REGULATORY GUIDANCE: FISCAL CHANGES AND EQUITABLE SERVICES REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT OF 1965 (ESEA), AS AMENDED BY THE EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT (ESSA), November 21, 2016 (emphasis supplied).

Important implications of flexed funds (cont.) Title IV, Part A Allocations For districts with an allocation of >=$30,000, a minimum of 20% must be used for well rounded education, 20% for safe and healthy students, and some amount for effective use of technology (not more than 15% of this amount for tech infrastructure). Flexed funds are use to determine the $30,000 threshold

All funds are budgeted in their original title, even if flexed. How it works: Funds are not truly transferred (or consolidated) with the destination Title’s funds. Expenses need to be accounted for in the budget of their original Title. Some comfort: For calculations using post-flexing totals, the appropriate total will be carried over automatically from Tab 3. You will find reminders (TIPS) on Tab 3 (Allocations and Flexing) and each Budget Worksheet about properly accounting for flexed funds.

Tab 4. Private School Services Looks can be deceiving: Page at first looks complicated, but actually is logical and should save you work. Just follow the directions: Much is automated! Workbook imitates life: Reflects consolidated consultations with private schools – you likely don’t schedule 4 different meetings with a private school. Have Administrative Expenses handy: You will need the administrative expense totals for Titles II, III and IV in order to complete this page. For substantive questions about private school services: There will be “Office Hours” for all federal grants staff at the end of the day to help you, including our Ombudsman for private school services, Russ Fleming. Resources on federal grants website: http://doe.mass.edu/federalgrants/

What the Private School Services tab looks like:

Private School Tab (cont.)

Private School Tab (cont.)

Private School Tab (cont.)

Private School Tab (cont.)

Tab 5. Districtwide Strategies Stakeholders: Combines needs assessment stakeholders across Title programs. District Plan: Taps into strategies from district improvement planning already required of districts. Equitable access to excellent educators: ESSA priority. Incorporates DESE’s new tool for examining equitable access (Student Learning Experience (SLE) reports and responsive district activities, if indicated. (Separate breakout on SLEs). Family engagement: Captures overlap regarding family and community engagement work required for all Title programs. Districtwide Strategies: CPO redux. Updated last year’s CPO, further integrating into narrative pages for each Title program. Any strategy that uses a Title program’s funds will automatically migrate to that program’s narrative page for further detail.

What the Districtwide tab looks like:

The Districtwide tab (cont.)

How will the Consolidated Workbook be submitted? Submit completed consolidated workbook in EdGrants with Title I, Part A, as an attachment. Incomplete workbooks are not “substantially approvable” and will delay approval and start date of your grants. Remember: A separate .pdf of the Signature Page must be uploaded with the EdGrants submission of each Title program budget.

Questions?