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NMPED Unified Application

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Overview

IN THIS MEETING, LEAs WILL

AGENDA

Walkthrough the overall UA structure.
Review the purpose and initial content for each of the UA modules.
Prepare for the upcoming trainings on UA completion.

UA Structure Overview
Priorities Module
The Compliance Module
The Expenditure Detail Module
Updates
Moving Forward

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The Unified App (UA) Overview

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Current Landscape in New Mexico

The current planning and budgeting process in New Mexico is characterized by multiple applications, redundant manual data entry, and a compressed timeline that make it hard for districts to leverage resources strategically.

CURRENT STATE

Multiple applications: LEAs must complete independent Sharepoint applications for each federal grant, even when objectives and priorities of these grants overlap (e.g. providing supports to struggling readers);
Redundant manual data entry: LEAs manually enter duplicate data in each Sharepoint application (e.g. private school lists for equitable share); and
Compressed timeline: LEAs feel rushed to submit timely applications and enter fiscal year budgets in time for the new state fiscal year.

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Consolidated Application Overview

The purpose of the UA as a consolidated application is to streamline and simplify New Mexico’s federal grant plans to ensure compliance with Federal requirements and improve the planning experience for LEAs (state charters and districts).

The consolidated application organizes the application into three categories: priorities, compliance, and expenditure detail, rather than by individual grants (e.g., Title I, Title II, Title III, IDEA 611, IDEA 619, etc.).

LEA Compliance Decisions

LEA Priorities

Structure of the UA

Module 2

Module 1

LEA Expenditure Detail

Module 3

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The Priorities Module

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Priorities Module Purpose and Process

The Priorities Module allows LEAs to build a plan to identify their priorities for supporting student achievement. These priorities should guide decisions for spending federal funds.

Module Purpose:

The Priorities Module will identify specific actions an LEA will take in the upcoming school year to prioritize student achievement.

Module Completion Process

To create this plan, UA planning teams should schedule a meeting to collaboratively identify the priorities that their LEA will focus on (e.g., HQIM & HQPL).
This plan should inform spending decisions across federal grants, ensuring that funds are effectively utilized to address the unique needs of the LEA and support its goals.

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Priorities Module Components

To streamline the identification of LEA priorities, the UA Priorities Module is structured around three domains. These domains represent planning areas for LEAs to consider when determining how to spend federal funds.

The three domains of the Priorities Module:

Academics for All – LEAs will answer questions about the High Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) and High Quality Professional Learning (HQPL) they are planning to use (or alternatives if applicable).
Priority Student Groups – LEAs will answer questions about the instructional materials and services they plan to provide to priority student groups: students with disabilities and English learners.
Workforce – LEAs will answer questions about building a strong teacher workforce through their plans for recruitment, retention, and mentorship.

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Priorities Preview

The Priorities Module focuses on collecting LEA decisions about priorities. LEA responses should guide expenditure planning.

Priorities Module Example: HQIM

The HQIM questions will ask districts which curriculum they are using for each subject and grade level, providing preset grade-bands and HQIM lists, but allowing districts to enter information if needed.

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The Compliance Module

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Compliance Module Purpose and Process

The Compliance Module centralizes the information required to fulfill requirements for the included federal grants. The streamlined decision-making gives districts the maximum autonomy allowed by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Individuals with Disabilities in Education (IDEA) Act, and USED regulations.

Module Purpose:

The Compliance Module is where LEAs will make compliance decisions about federal grant allocations in accordance with grant requirements.

Module Completion Process:

The module consists of submodules that can be completed by federal programs leads in consultation with the planning team.

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Compliance Module Components

The Compliance Module is segmented into separate submodules for completion. These submodules relate to different processes and decisions that LEAs have to make based on the federal grants they receive.

Submodule	Description
Allocations and Transferability/AFUA	LEAs will review their allocation amounts for each grant included in the UA and will decide whether they want to utilize available fund flexibilities, such as transferability.
Equitable Share	If applicable, LEAs will determine set-asides for private schools based on enrollment counts and allocations.
Program-specific Compliance	As applicable, LEAs will complete the necessary compliance submodules for individual grant programs.
Comprehensive Needs Assessment and Tribal Consultation	If applicable, LEAs will upload their completed CNA and tribal consultation forms into this section of the application.

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Compliance Preview

Questions in the Compliance Module will be guided by automated calculations and imported data to improve the LEA planning process and ensure both compliance and accuracy.

From Fund	Title I Part A	Title I Part C	Title I Part D	Title II	Title III EL	Title IV Part A	Title V Part B RLIS
Title II, Part A	$1,000.00	—	–-		$1,000.00	$1000.00	–
Title IV, Part A	$1,000.00	–	–	$1000.00	$1,000.00		–

	Title I Part A	Title I Part C	Title I Part D	Title II	Title III EL	Title IV Part A	Title V Part B RLIS
Allocation	$1,025,344.00	$0.00	$0	$9.717,361.00	$388,852.59	$717,010.00	$0.00
Transferred In	$2,000	$0.00	$0	$1,000	$2,000.00	$0.00	$0.00
Transferred Out	$0.00	$0.00	$0	$2000.00	$0.00	$3,000.00	$0.00
Transfer Total	$1,000	$0.00	$0	-$1000.00	$2,000.00	-$3,000.00	$0.00
Total Allocation after Transfers	$1,027,344.00	$0.00	$0	$9,716,361.00	$390,852.59	$714,010.00	$0.00

Compliance Module Example: Transfers

The transfers submodule will provide districts an overview of planning awards* and allow them to transfer funds between programs as allowed under ESEA.

Note: planning awards will be updated with final allocations in Fall 2025.

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The Expenditure Detail Module

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Expenditure Detail Purpose and Process

The Expenditure Detail Module will allow LEAs to provide planned expenditures for each grant. This detail signals how LEAs are aligning spending to priorities, while capturing the information needed to ensure planned expenditures are allowable and meet grant requirements (e.g., reservations).

Module Purpose:

The Expenditure Detail Module will allow LEAs to clarify plans for spending federal funds.
LEAs will also be able to provide detail needed to track compliance requirements (e.g., Title I family engagement reservation).

Module Completion Process:

Most often, the Expenditure Detail Module will be completed by an LEA’s federal programs personnel in consultation with the LEA’s planning team.*

*Note: Federal programs should coordinate with business managers to ensure alignment with the OBMS budget submitted in June.

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Expenditure Detail Module Components

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The module will be organized by the three domains and include a separate section for private school allocations. LEAs can provide details for any allowable use funds into any of the components, using the domains as an organizing structure for planned expenditures.

The Expenditure Detail Module Components:

Academics for All – LEAs will detail their planned expenditures by line item to plan how federal funds will be used to achieve their academic priorities.
Priority Student Groups – LEAs will detail their planned expenditures by line item to plan how federal funds will be used to support priority student groups.
Workforce Talent and Administration – LEAs will detail their planned expenditures by line item to plan how federal funds will be used to achieve their priorities for the teacher workforce.
Private School Expenditure Detail – LEAs will detail their planned expenditures by line item to create a plan for their private school allocations.

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Expenditure Detail Preview

In the Expenditure Detail Module, LEAs will provide a description for spending in accordance with each federal grant’s purpose and allowability.

Expenditure Detail Preview:

Expenditure detail:

LEAs will detail spending at the expenditure level rather than the activity level to demonstrate allowability within each grant’s guidelines.

SharePoint Application
Activities	Literacy Night	$50,000

Unified Application
Expenditures	Overtime pay for staff	$10,000
	Contract for translation services	$10,000
	Literacy materials & supplies	$30,000

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Updates

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Follow Up

Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA) Template – NMPED will be providing a template, but LEAs may use their own versions if they have begun the process for developing their needs assessments. More information will be shared next week.
Tribal Consultation – If your LEA needs to submit a tribal consultation, this will be done in the UA. Submission does not need to happen until the application closes and consultation should occur on your existing schedule (as determined with tribes).
OBMS Access – NMPED wants to make sure that planning leads are in control of who has access to the application. More information on this process to come.

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Moving Forward

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Weekly Federal Programs Team Calls Schedule (1/2)

Further training for the components of the application will be happening on the dates listed below. Please ensure all relevant LEA personnel are joining the appropriate calls. This schedule and the meeting link can be found on the UA landing page on NMPED’s website.

Date	Phase	Audience *denotes mandatory	Description
January 7	Pre-Application	Federal Programs Directors* All LEA Roles	Overview of Unified Application Structure (including budget) and pre-application modules (consolidated assurances, district contacts, etc.)
January 14	Pre-Application	Federal Programs Directors* All LEA Roles	Overview of Pre-Application Activities (Assurances, Needs Assessment, NOVA data validation, Consortia, etc.).
January 21	Pre-Application	Federal Programs Directors* All LEA Roles	Comprehensive Needs Assessments
January 28	Pre-Application	Chief Academic Officers* All LEA Roles	Plan priorities module overview: HQIM, HQPL, Priority Student Groups, Workforce
February 4	Pre-Application	Private School Consultation Captains (Geographical LEAs only)* All LEA Roles	ESSA Equitable Services
February 11	Pre-Application	Geographical LEA Title I Directors* All LEA Roles	Title I Rank & Serve
February 18	Pre-Application	Federal Programs Directors* All LEA Roles	Expenditure Detail Module & Guidance
February 25	Pre-Application	Federal Programs Directors* All LEA Roles	IDEA Compliance & Proportionate Share
March 3	UA Opens

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Planned Topics for Weekly Federal Programs Team Calls (2/2)

Further training for the components of the application will be happening on the dates listed below. Please ensure all relevant LEA personnel are joining the appropriate calls. This schedule and the meeting link can be found on the UA landing page on NMPED’s website.

Date	Phase	Audience *denotes mandatory	Description Tentative & Subject to Change
March 4	Application Completion	Federal Programs Directors* All LEA Roles	Launching and Transferability/AFUA
March 11	Application Completion	Federal Programs Directors* All LEA Roles	Title IV & Title III
March 18	Application Completion	All LEA Roles	Outstanding Questions
March 25	Application Completion	Federal Programs Directors* All LEA Roles	Overview of review process & amendments.
April 1	Application Completion	Chief Financial Officers/Business Managers* All LEA Roles	Overview of finance processes that will stay the same and any differences
April 8	Application Completion	All LEA Roles	Submitting the Application
April 15	Application Completion	Federal Programs Directors* All LEA Roles	Outstanding Questions
April 16	UA Submissions Due

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Next Steps

Choose a district Planning Lead. Complete by Week of January 6th.

This person should attend all weekly Unified Application Pilot calls.

Complete Nova 80-day data review process. Nova data will be populated and used in the Unified Application (e.g., Title I Rank & Serve). Complete by January 17.
Form a Planning Team and develop a schedule for meeting to complete the UA. Complete by January 31st.
Plan to attend next week’s session focused on what needs to happen Pre-Application.

Next steps for all pilot districts:

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Exit Survey Link

Please send questions & comments to:

Unified.App@state.nm.us

Link to exit survey

Also available at https://tinyurl.com/NMUAJan6

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Additional Resources

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Appendix

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Appendix: Glossary of Terms

LEA – A local school district or state-authorized charter school that will complete the Unified Application because it interacts directly with NMPED to receive federal funds.

Module – Overarching section of the UA. The UA is comprised of three modules: Priorities, Compliance, and Expenditure Detail.

Submodule – Subsection of a module. The compliance modules is broken into different submodule sections for completion.

Domain – Major planning component within the Priorities sub-modules (e.g. academics for all, workforce, and priority student groups).

Priority – Within the domains, key strategies (e.g. within academics for all, improving High Quality Instructional Materials).

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