Session #2�October 25, 2023

WELCOME

WELCOME! To get started…

1. Sign in by clicking the link in the chat box. Be sure to add your name as it is listed on your certificate for renewal credits.
2. Complete the following task in the Padlet:
• Upload an image or GIF that depicts how you feel about working with federal programs this year.
• Click on +
• Search for image -

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Federal Programs Team

Tracie Sweet

Director of Federal Programs

Becky Huggins

Federal Grants Coordinator

Tatiana Velez

Federal Programs Assistant

AGENDA

Session #2:

9:00 am – 11:00 am

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• Getting to Know Each Other
• 22-23 Monitoring and Support Results
• Celebrations of Success
• Perfecting the Reimbursement Process
• Finance Updates

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Session #2½:

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

• Q & A

PROFESSIONAL NORMS

• Be respectful
• Mute yourselves when not speaking
• Ask questions/share ideas
• Listen with the intent to learn/Active listening
• Be actively engaged

LET’S GET INTO OUR FEELINGS

Padlet: Upload an image that depicts how you feel about working with federal programs this year.

GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER

• Breakout rooms of 3 to 4 people
• Introduce yourselves (name, school, position, years experience working with federal programs)
• Discuss:
• How do you feel about working with federal programs this year? Discuss why you chose the image.
• What strengths do you bring to Federal Programs?
• What are your greatest fears about working with Federal Programs this year?

22-23 MONITORING & SUPPORT

MONITORING & SUPPORT

• Purpose

To provide professional development and technical assistance to school leaders and coordinators in the area of federal compliance through the development of a three-tiered system of support to schools.

• Expectations

All schools are expected to follow the rules and regulations as set forth by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 and the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR, 4th edition). The Director of Federal Programs will monitor schools throughout the year using Epicenter to collect compliance documentation and through on-site monitoring visits. Schools are expected to use the SCDE’s Monitoring Instrument and the SCPCSD’s Federal Programs Checklist as a guide to ensure compliance with Title I, II, and IV.

• Support

The district will use a three-tiered level of support system, which is determined by the previous year’s monitoring reported by the SC Department of Education and/or the SCPCSD. The three-tiered levels of support and responsibilities are outlined as follows:

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2022-2023 TIER LEVELS

TIME TO CELEBRATE OUR SCHOOLS

Tier 1 Schools:

• Bridges Preparatory
• CREECS
• GTCHS
• Midlands Middle
• York Preparatory
• Youth Leadership

TIME TO CELEBRATE OUR SCHOOLS

Moved up 1 or more tiers:

• Bridges Preparatory
• CREECS
• GREEN Charter Upstate
• Midlands Middle College
• Youth Leadership Academy

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TIME TO CELEBRATE OUR SCHOOLS

• GREEN Charter Spartanburg
• Learn4Life
• Lowcountry Acceleration
• Lowcountry Montessori
• PACE
• Pee Dee Math, Science, & Technology
• Polaris
• SC Whitmore
• Spartanburg Prep
• Tall Pines
• York Preparatory

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The following schools stayed in the same tier status from previous year, but made improvements within the tier:

TIME TO CELEBRATE OUR SCHOOLS

Tier 1 Status for at least 3 years in a row:

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• Greenville Tech Charter High
• York Preparatory Academy

Claiming Criteria from SCDE

Year 1

Year 2

Claiming Criteria from SCDE

Year 1

Keep in mind that FY24 Title IV was transferred into FY24 Title I, which means schools MUST spend at least 85% by June 30, 2024.

TIME TO CELEBRATE OUR SCHOOLS

Met FY23 85% Title I Claiming Criteria

*Note: Met at least 85% spending by deadline

• Butler – 2 years in a row
• Compass Collegiate – spend all
• Liberty STEAM
• Polaris Tech

TIME TO CELEBRATE OUR SCHOOLS

• Bridges (2)
• Butler (2)
• CREECS
• Compass Collegiate
• East Link (2)
• East Point (2)
• Fox Creek (2)
• GREEN Greenville
• GREEN Spartanburg
• GREEN Lowcountry (2)
• GREEN Midlands
• GREEN Upstate
• High Point
• Lead
• Legacy (2)
• Liberty STEAM (2)
• Lowcountry Acceleration (2)
• Meyer Center
• Midlands Middle (2)
• PACE (2)
• Polaris (2)
• SC Whitmore
• Tall Pines
• York Prep (2)
• Youth Leadership (2)

Met FY23 50% Claiming Criteria for Title II

MET FOR DISTRICT THANKS TO:

TIME TO CELEBRATE OUR SCHOOLS

Met FY23 50% Claiming Criteria for Title IV

MET FOR DISTRICT THANKS TO:

• Bettis Prep
• Butler (2)
• Compass Collegiate
• Felton
• Lead
• Legacy (2)
• Liberty STEAM
• Meyer Center (2)
• Pee Dee Math, Science, & Technology
• Polaris (2)

Claiming Criteria from SCDE

Year 2

What happens to the funds left on the table?

TIME TO CELEBRATE OUR SCHOOLS

Left $0 on Expiring Grants:

• Bridges Prep
• Greer Middle College
• GTCHS
• Midlands Middle
• Pee Dee Math, Science, & Technology
• York Preparatory
• Youth Leadership

22-23 MONITORING & SUPPORT �Reflections & Improvement Strategies

3+ years

2 Years

1 year or less

3+ years

2 Years

1 year or less

Top 3 Tips for Quick

Reimbursement Approvals

1. Timely Claiming
2. Organizing Documentation
3. Collaborating with Stakeholders

STRATEGY SHARING

• Breakout Rooms
• Share strategies that your school has used or will plan to use to help improve your Tier Status this year based on your assigned room.
1. Timely Claiming – Room 1
2. Organizing Documentation – Room 2
3. Collaborating with Stakeholders – Room 3

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Timely Claiming

• Claim monthly from previous month (20th of each month)
• Requirement: claim quarterly
• Order supplies and materials as soon as grant is approved
• Establish internal deadlines for ordering and submitting claims

Organizing Documentation

• Cover sheet
• Journal Entry - Financial Documentation - Programmatic Documentation
• Saving documents
• Grant Year Grant Name_Activity_name (if applicable)
• FY23 TI_interventionist_T.Sweet

Collaborating with Stakeholders

MONITORING & SUPPORT� �SELF ASSESSMENT

Homework Independent Self-Assessment of Reimbursements

Step #1:  Analyze Rubrics from 2021-2022 and 2022-2023.

• Compare/contrast 2021-2022 results with 2022-2023 results.
• List the school's strengths.  What areas did the school improve?
• List the areas of concern.  What areas will the school focus on to make improvements this year?

Step #2:  Analyze Reimbursement Rejections

• Review rejections in Epicenter (see instructions on next slide).
• Questions to consider:  
• What trends do you notice?  
• What common errors were made?  
• What were the submissions rejected?
• Did the rejection result in a loss of funds?

Step #3:  Prepare to Share

• Be prepared to discuss strengths and areas of concern with a partner during session #3.
• Begin thinking about strategies that could improve the areas of concern. 

HOW TO REVIEW SUBMISSIONS IN EPICENTER

1. Search for rejected claims in Epicenter
• Document Center – Search Icon
• Submission Types – Click on all federal grant reimbursements and click APPLY
• Timeframe – August 16, 2021 – August 1, 2022
• Submission Status – Unclick ALL, then click Rejected
• Click on a rejected submission to open
2. Review reasons for rejections
3. Comment under School Leader or School Level Federal Program Coordinator Comments on last page of rubric

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Reminders & Updates

2022-2023 SCHOOL GOALS

• Reimbursement Rejections at 10% or less
• Claim Monthly or at least Quarterly
• Submit Compliance Documentation on Time or Communicate with Programs @ Extension
• Spend ALL Federal Funds by Deadlines
• DO NOT LEAVE FUNDS ON THE TABLE!!!

HOW OFTEN SHOULD SCHOOLS CLAIM FEDERAL EXPENDITURES?

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Reimbursement Deadlines

• July 10, 2024: Last day to submit claims for expiring grants and all expenditures for the current fiscal year for other federal grants (July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023)
• Don’t forget that schools can submit for those June salaries paid in July. Those can be accrued back to the FY23 fiscal year.

• Current Fiscal Year: July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024
• June 30, 2024: Last day to expend federal funds for expiring grants
• June 30, 2024: Goods and services must be received by June 30^th

Amendment Deadlines

• September 15, 2023 was the LAST opportunity to amend FY23 grants and ESSER III.

• Schools will have two opportunities to amend grants each year.
• September 15^th
• February 15^th

Documentation Required for Reimbursements

Click Here

FY22 TITLE I REMAINING FUNDS – BOOK STUDY

• This communication is for all FY 2021-2022 Title I Schools.  Remaining funds for the FY2021-2022 Title I grant are being used to implement a book study for the book “Emotional Poverty 2” by Ruby Payne, which includes a copy of the book and access to short videos (averaging 10 minutes) by the author for each chapter. This will be offered to each school’s Federal Programs Coordinator and a limited number of teachers at each FY2021-2022 Title I school. The book study can be completed at each participant's own pace.  Completion of the book study by December 31^st will count towards 6 renewal credits. Please click HERE to see the number of participants allowed at each school and books shipped to each school.  The number for each school was based on the remaining Title I funds, the cost of the book study, and the percentage of teachers and coordinators at each school. Please be sure to send a copy of the packing slip to Becky Huggins at rhuggins@sccharter.org as soon as the books are received. 

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• To access the Emotional Poverty 2 Book Study Videos, please have each participant go here: https://vimeo.com/showcase/ep2. Then, please enter EP2020book for the password.

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• Federal Programs will create an Epicenter task for January 30^th for school leaders or coordinators to upload proof of completion (time log) of the book study to receive renewal credits.

FY22 TITLE I REMAINING FUNDS – BOOK STUDY

Working with Parents:  Building Relationships for Student Success, by Ruby Payne

• Perfect for new teachers and all your staff, here are easy-to-use tips for successfully working with parents of all of your students. Learn to respond effectively to various types of parenting styles and help students in your classroom succeed.

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Think Rather of Zebra:  Dealing with Aspects of Poverty Through Story, by Ruby Payne

• An insightful collection of adapted folktales reset in an urban world that illustrates the concepts in the bestselling A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby Payne. The main characters, Carlos and Pete, tell stories from their neighborhood and share the lessons of poverty and life. Captivating for all ages. Best for grades 5-9. Includes discussion questions.

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FREE eBook to enjoy…Before You Quit Teaching: https://www.ahaprocess.com/byqt/ �

NEW HOMELESS RESOURCE

HOMELESS TRANSPORTATION��CONTRACTS REQUIRED�

• Required for all transportation services - Uber, Taxi Services, Transportation Companies, etc.

SCPCSD �ARP �HOMELESS II GRANT

How schools will be reimbursed for the Stipends?

• ARP Homeless II Point of Contact Time log will be maintained and approved by the school leader or supervisor to document hours spent per school outside of normal contracted work hours.
• Schools will need to pay the stipend no later than May 30th or June 15, 2024 to meet the deadline to submit for reimbursement by the July 10, 2024 deadline.

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Supporting Documentation:

• ARP Homeless II Stipends Reimbursement Cover Sheet
• ARP Homeless II Point of Contact Time Log
• Payroll register to show stipend and benefits were paid to the Liaison

Submission Type in Epicenter:

• Other State and Federal Grants
• McKinney-Vento/Homeless Reimbursement

Homeless Funds Request Form

• School MUST complete a Homeless Funds Request Form to request the use of homeless funding.
• Must be signed by school level homeless liaison or Title I coordinator AND school leader
• Submit in Epicenter

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NYn-zWNS9mhQjM7qFIMtJSFX7qwh6dTg/edit

FEDERAL PROGRAMS GUIDE

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hXSzmyFtcRYQEUWTJReRcxtcH-cQWmCF/view

INVENTORY ASSET TAG ORDERING FORM

https://kidsfirstcharters.formstack.com/forms/assettagorderform2021_23

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• What was the most beneficial part of today’s session?
• What could we have done to make this more beneficial to you and the work you do with Federal Programs?
• What are your next steps?

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Answer in Padlet:

2023-2024-federal-programs-university-hemkpjwn42dfgi2d

CONTACTS

Tracie M. Sweet

Director of Federal Programs

Phone: 803-960-8609

Email: tsweet@sccharter.org

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Becky Huggins

Federal Grants Coordinator

Phone: 803-608-1091

Email: rhuggins@sccharter.org

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Tatiana Velez

Federal Programs Assistant

Phone: 803-212-8326

Email: tvelez@sccharter.org

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Session #2 ½ �NEW COORDINATORS�October 25, 2023

CONTACTS

Tracie M. Sweet

Director of Federal Programs

Phone: 803-960-8609

Email: tsweet@sccharter.org

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Becky Huggins

Federal Grants Coordinator

Phone: 803-608-1091

Email: rhuggins@sccharter.org

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Tatiana Velez

Federal Programs Assistant

Phone: 803-212-8326

Email: tvelez@sccharter.org

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