FEDERAL PROGRAMS�COFFEE CHAT

SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

AGENDA

• ESSER Updates
• Update - Expiring Grants
• Amendments
• New SCDE Claiming Criteria
• Monitoring and Support
• Reimbursement Updates
• GEER Funding

ESSER UPDATES

WELCOME OUR NEW�COVID IMPACT COORDINATOR

Rebecca (Becky) Huggins

rhuggins@sccharter.org

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ESSER UPDATES

• ESSER I: Expires September 30, 2022
• Continue to spend and claim monthly
• Submit amendments by Oct. 15^th and March 15^th
• 2021-2022 New Schools: Not eligible for ESSER I
• ESSER II: Expires September 30, 2023
• Continue to spend and claim monthly
• Submit amendments by Oct. 15^th and March 15^th
• Reminder: Activities 13 and 14 – OSF permits
• 2021-2022 New Schools: Application due October 11^th
• ESSER III: Expires September 30, 2024
• Awaiting SCDE approval
• Received feedback from SCDE 9/14/2021, Becky is in the process of communicating with schools to revise plans
• Submit amendments by March 15^th
• 2021-2022 New Schools: Application due October 11^th

ESSER II UPDATES�OSF REQUIREMENTS

• ESSER II Status: Received conditional approval on 5/17/2021
• Category 13 and 14: Schools must go through the normal OSF permit process. Once your applicable permit is received from OSF, you will be given full approval and can begin claiming. Attach permit to reimbursement.
• Per SC State Law (§59-23-210 & §59-23-220) all construction, improvement and renovation of public-school buildings and property must comply with the latest standards and specifications set forth in the South Carolina Facilities Planning and Construction Guide and requires that plans and specifications receive approval before bidding and buildings inspected by the State Superintendent of Education (or designee) before occupancy. Approval is granted in the form of a building permit. Any changes to documents previously reviewed and approved for permitting purposes must be resubmitted to the approving authority and the status of the resubmittal noted to the Office of School Facilities (OSF).

QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? CONCERNS?

EXPIRING GRANTS

FY19 EXPIRING GRANTS

• FY19 Title I, II, III, IV, CSI, & ATSI will expire September 30, 2021.
• Schools with remaining balances were contacted to determine if claims would be submitted for those remaining funds for expenditures from July 1 – September 30^th.
• District was given permission from the SCDE to amend remaining funds in Title I, II, and IV to purchase classroom libraries for Title I schools so that funds were not left on the table. See next slide for more details.

FY19 EXPIRING GRANTS

Title I Schools – Scholastic Book Orders

• Title I schools will receive on average about $26,000 in classroom libraries
• Title I schools should receive shipments of classroom libraries by September 30^th.
• If received after September 30^th, refuse acceptance and contact Tracie Sweet (can’t claim if items received after expiration date)
• Schools will receive three different orders
• Email all three packing slips to Tracie Sweet

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Timelines for Spending and Claiming

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AMENDMENTS

AMENDMENTS

• FY19 Title I, II, IV, ATSI, CSI Grants: Expire September 30, 2021
• All amendments have been finalized
• FY20 ATSI and CSI Grants: Expire September 30, 2021
• All amendments have been finalized
• FY20 Title I, II, IV Grants: Granted waiver to extend expiration date to September 30, 2022
• Submit amendments by October 15^th and March 15^th
• March 15, 2022 – last opportunity to submit amendments
• FY21 Title I, II, IV, ATSI, CSI Grants: Expire September 30, 2022
• Submit amendments by October 15^th and March 15^th
• March 30, 2022 – last opportunity to submit amendments
• FY22 Title I, II, IV Grants: Expire September 30, 2023
• Awaiting approval from SCDE

AMENDMENTS

• Amendment deadline extended to October 15, 2021 due to waiver to extend deadline for FY20 Title I, II, III, and IV grants.
• Note that there is a new Budget Amendment Form
• Need Help: Click here to access a Quick Tutorial on Creating Amendments

Detailed Budget Code

QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? CONCERNS?�CELEBRATIONS

NEW SCDE CLAIMING CRITERIA

NEW Claiming Criteria from SCDE

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How this Impacts Monitoring for Schools

Tier 1 (No Risk): Meets claiming criteria set forth by SCDE

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Tier 3 (High Risk): Does NOT meet claiming criteria set forth by SCDE

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Click here to access rubric.

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MONITORING & SUPPORT

MONITORING & SUPPORT

• Be on the lookout for Monitoring and Support rubric results.
• Will begin scheduling weekly and/or monthly meetings soon

REIMBURSEMENT UPDATES

Please save all documents in an easy to identify format, such as:

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GrantYear_Grant Name_Activity Title _Date of Payment

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Examples:

• FY21_Title I_TI Facilitator_Jan-June 2021
• FY22_Title II_SCATA Conf_June 2022

Document Titles

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• All reimbursement requests are submitted through Epicenter.
• Epicenter Link:

https://my.epicenternow.org/Home.aspx

• Two ways to upload:
• Directly from the task in your que
• Document Center

1. Click on Document Center (file cabinet icon).

Uploading from Document Center

Document Center

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2. Click on upload icon located in right hand corner.

Uploading from Document Center

Upload Icon

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3. Select Entity Type, Submission Type, & Entities.

Uploading from Document Center

Select “School”

Select Submission Type

Select School Name

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Epicenter - Select the Correct Grant Year

Be sure that the School Year selected in Epicenter is the same as the Grant Year selected on the cover sheet.

Month of Submission

Year of Grant Claiming From

Attach File

Submit

Grant Year

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Please upload one document with documentation in the following order:

1. Cover Sheet
2. Supporting Financial Documentation
3. Journal Entry Page
4. Programmatic Documentation

Reimbursement Packet

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Epicenter - Upload Documents as One PDF

It is recommended that each activity’s documentation is uploaded as one PDF document. Note: We understand that it’s not always possible.

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HUGE TIME SAVER!

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Reimbursement Request Cover Sheet

The cover sheet was created to ensure that the reimbursement process runs smoothly, schools receive timely reimbursements, and to ensure compliance.

1. Complete a separate cover sheet for each activity (one exception - salary and benefits).
2. Attach the cover sheet to all supporting evidence in the Epicenter submission.
3. If the cover sheet is missing information, not provided, and/or does not match the evidence submitted, it will be rejected.

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REIMBURSEMENT UPDATES

Additions to Cover Sheet

• Job Description
• Salary Agreement – Finance is creating a template.
• For ALL Federal Programs

• District template created for all federal programs
• Must be completed for each employee paid out of federal funds and signed by the employee and school leader or designee
• The salary information for each federal program will need to be listed along with the percentage of salary from that program
• The job description for the staff member paid from federal funds is also required to be included per the SCDE

Salary Agreement

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Reimbursement Process - Tracking

Purpose: To keep track of approved and rejected submissions and track remaining funds.

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• Review the cover sheet carefully before submitting to be sure each section is accurate.
• Submit one cover sheet per activity. DO NOT include multiple cover sheets per submission for multiple activities.
• Check with finance to ensure detailed budget codes and SmartFusion journal entries are accurate.
• Review the Quick Reference Guide to ensure that all programmatic and financial documents are included before hitting submit.

Tips to Avoid Rejections

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• Make notes on documents so that reviewer clearly understands the claim.
• Don’t claim more on the cover sheet than approved in activity or already claimed.
• If you are claiming less than the expense, make a note either on the cover sheet or invoice to explain.
• Submit claims by the 20th of each month for the previous months expenditures to avoid last minute searches for supporting documentation.
• Highlight expenses on credit card and bank statements to make it easy for reviewer to locate.

Tips to Avoid Rejections

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• If a credit card or bank statement shows multiple expenses for the activity, such as supplies and materials, only include one copy and highlight the expenses for that activity.
• A credit card statement is not proof of payment. You also need to include the bank statement showing that the credit card was paid.
• An order summary is not proof of receipt of materials, you must submit proof of receipt.
• Don’t assume that reviewer will go back and look for documentation in other submissions. Each submission is reviewed separately and apart from each other.

Tips to Avoid Rejections

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Click here to access our Federal Grants Reimbursement webpage.

OTHER RESOURCES

• SCPCSD Federal Programs Website
• Title I
• Title II
• Title III
• Title IV
• ESSER I
• ESSER II
• Federal Programs Timeline

EPICENTER DUE DATES

Click here to access Federal Epicenter Submissions Due from Schools.

All Grants

• Reimbursement requests due 20^th of each month
• October 15^th – Amendments Due

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Title I

• Notices to Parents Regarding Techer Certification Status – at least 10 days after letter is sent
• September 14^th – Title I Attestation Letter
• November 16^th:
• Annual Title I Meeting Documentation
• Procedures for Processing Parent Suggestions
• Home-School Compacts
• Parent and Family Engagement Policy

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Title II

• November 16^th:
• Parents’ Right to Know
• Updated Hiring Procedures/Policy
• Screenshot from Website of Most Recent School Report Card
• New Schools – Title II Applications due October 11^th

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ESSER II and III

• New Schools – ESSER II and ESSER III Applications due October 11^th

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GEER Funding (Does not apply to new 2021-22 schools)

• Application due October 19^th
• Click here to access resources.

QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? CONCERNS?�CELEBRATIONS

GEER FUNDING

ALLOCATION METHODOLOGY

GEER Funds of $9,000,000 will be awarded to the South Carolina Public Charter School District and the Charter Institute at Erskine. The $9,000,000 award will be allocated to each LEA accordingly:

The number of weighted pupil units (WPUs) enrolled in brick and mortar charter schools and the number of WPUs enrolled in virtual charter schools in these two LEAs on the 135^th day of the 2020-21 school will be documented for each LEA. The GEER Fund award of $9,000,000 will be allocated to each LEA based on the number of WPUs enrolled in brick and mortar charter schools and the number of WPUs enrolled in virtual charter schools with each WPU enrolled in a virtual charter school receiving an allocation that is 44.22% lower than the per pupil allocation for each WPU in a brick and mortar school.

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ALLOCATION BY SCHOOL

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• School allocation amounts
• GEER is a reimbursement like most federal programs, not an allocation like CRF
• Packet to include:
• Cover sheet
• JE detail report
• Expenditure supporting documentation

ALLOWABILITY

The funds awarded may be expended for the following allowable expenditures:

• Salaries and employer contributions for instructional and support staff
• Instructional supplies and materials
• Professional development
• Educational technology (including hardware, software, connectivity, assistive technology, and adaptive equipment)
• Contractual services
• Personal protective equipment (PPE) and supplies
• Support services or assistance to address learning loss for students to include, but not limited to, afterschool programs, extended day, extended year, summer programs, tutoring services, etc.

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ALLOWABILITY

CONTINUED

• LEA Administration costs not to exceed 2% of the total amount awarded to each LEA Facilities Operations (supplies to sanitize, disinfect and clean school facilities, lease, and utilities)
• Substitute pay
• School nurses
• Mental health counseling services
• Improving ventilation systems, including windows or portable air purification systems
• Expanding capacity to administer coronavirus testing to effectively monitor and suppress the virus

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TIMELINE

• October 19, 2021: GEER Application due in Epicenter
• November 2, 2021: SCPCSD will submit application to Department of Administration
• June 30, 2022: Deadline to spend and receive goods/services for approved activities
• July 10, 2022: Deadline to submit claims
• September 30, 2022: GEER Grant Expires

APPLICATION PROCESS

APPLICATION PROCESS -

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS

• What are the objectives and/or goals of this activity?
• How can the objectives and/or goals be measured?
• Explain how this activity will aid your school in the prevention of, preparations for, and/or response to COVID-19.

RESOURCES

• SCPCSD GEER Webpage
• GEER Application

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QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? CONCERNS?�CELEBRATIONS

CONTACT INFORMATION

Tracie M. Sweet

Director of Federal Programs

Phone: 803-960-8609

Email: tsweet@sccharter.org

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