ATTENTION Title I & IV Schools - 85% claiming criteria reminder - amend if needed

Tracie Sweet

ATTENTION Title I & Title IV Schools:  

Schools MUST spend 85% of FY24 Title I and Title IV allocations by June 30, 2024 and claim by July 10, 2024. 

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• Please look closely at the activities in these grants to ensure that you will be able to spend at least 85% by June 30th.  If you will not be able to meet this requirement, submit an amendment by February 15, 2024 to adjust the activities accordingly.  

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• All goods and services must be received by June 30, 2024.  Therefore, order all supplies and materials approved in the grants now to avoid complications later.  

Federal Grant Amendments Due February 15, 2024

Tracie Sweet

Submit amendments for all FY24 approved federal grants by February 15th.  Pay close attention to the Year 1 claiming criteria below and amend grants accordingly:  

• Schools MUST spend at least 85% of FY24 Title I and Title IV grant allocations by June 30, 2024.  
• Schools MUST spend at least 50% of FY24 Title II allocations by June 30, 2024.  

EXCEPTION - Due to the FY23 School Improvement Grants receiving SCDE approval halfway through year 2 of the grants, schools may submit amendments for FY23 CSI (Federal), FY23 ATSI (Federal), FY23 CSI (State), and FY23 Priority (State).  �

*Click here to find budget amendment forms and a short Amendment Tutorial.

Time & Effort

Semi-Annual Certifications

Due January 30, 2024

Tracie Sweet (Title I, II, IV, CTE, & School Improvement Grants)

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Susan Howard (IDEA & Title III)

ATTENTION ALL SCHOOLS:

As mentioned during the Beginning of the Year Programs/Finance Kick Off, the district has implemented a new method for collecting Time & Effort documentation.  

Semi-Annual Certifications

All employees whose work is funded fully (100%) by a single cost objective or grant award must complete a semi-annual certification twice a year.  Semi-Annuals will now be collected in a separate Epicenter submission for each grant and are due twice per year.  Pay close attention to the instructions below:  

• First semester semi-annuals represent July 1st - December 31st, MUST be signed within the first two weeks of January (or on the employee's last day of work, if it comes first), and submitted in Epicenter by January 30th.
• Second semester semi-annuals represent January 1st - June 30th, MUST be signed within the first two weeks of June (or on the employee's last day of work, if it comes first), and submitted by July 30th.
• Schools may submit either individual semi-annuals per employee or blanket semi-annuals per grant.
• Click here to access additional resources, including templates for individual and blanket semi-annuals.
• The district has created separate Epicenter tasks for semi-annuals under each grant.  
• These tasks are not scheduled, which means they will not show up in your que.  You will submit via Document Center, much in the same way that reimbursements are submitted.  Just be sure to look for the task under the appropriate grant name.
• This applies to ALL federal grants!�

Personnel Activity Reports (PARS)

• Note that schools will continue to submit PARs documentation monthly with reimbursement packets.  

Federal Grant Updates and Claiming for Titles I, II, IV, School Improvement & CTE Grants

Tracie Sweet

FY23 ATSI (Federal) - SCDE approved 11.8.2023

FY23 CSI (Federal) - awaiting SCDE approval

FY23 Priority (State) - SCDE approved 12.15.2023

FY23 CSI (State) - SCDE approved 12.15.2023

100% of the FY23 allocations for the above grants MUST be spent by June 30, 2024 and claimed by July 10, 2024!  Schools MUST submit documentation for the state grants (Priority & CSI) even though they are not a reimbursement.  Follow the same process as if it were a reimbursement.  Those tasks for state grant documentation will be created in Epicenter by the end of this week. 

Federal Grant Updates and Claiming for Titles I, II, IV, School Improvement & CTE Grants

Tracie Sweet

FY24 Title I - SCDE approved 1.2.2024

• Schools MUST spend at least 85% of FY24 Title I allocations by June 30, 2024 and claim by July 10, 2024! 

FY24 Title II - SCDE approved 1.4.2024

• Schools MUST spend at least 50% of FY24 Title II allocations by June 30, 2024 and claim by July 10, 2024! 

FY24 Title IV - SCDE approved 12.19.2023

• Schools MUST spend at least 85% of FY24 Title IV allocations by June 30, 2024 and claim by July 10, 2024! 

FY24 CTE Federal and State - approved 1.5.2023

• Schools MUST spend 100% of FY24 CTE Federal allocations by June 30, 2024 and claim by July 10, 2024.
• FY24 CTE State funds do not have year 1 claiming criteria, 100% of those funds MUST be spent by June 30, 2025!  However, schools are encouraged to spend 100% by June 30, 2024.

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Schools may now begin submitting claims for expenditures from July 1, 2023 - now for the grants above that have been approved by the SCDE.  Quarter 1 and 2 claims MUST be submitted by January 14th for the grants that have been listed above as approved!    

Federal Grant Updates and Claiming for Titles I, II, IV, School Improvement & CTE Grants

Tracie Sweet

*Please note that the Federal Programs Office is in the process of uploading a copy of the approved plans to each school’s application folder.  Finance will add the new budgets to the finance folders once approved in GAPS, which may take a little longer.  If you need access to your school’s application folder, please contact Tatiana Velez at tvelez@sccharter.org.

Quarterly Claiming Dates

Fiscal Reporting Period

Reimbursement Request Deadline

(submitted in Epicenter)

Quarter 1

July 1 - September 30

October 14

Quarter 2

October 1 - December 31

January 14

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Quarter 3

January 1 - March 31

April 14

Quarter 4

April 1 - June 30

July 10

August 2 (Accruals)

Federal Grant Evaluations (Impact Statements)

Tracie Sweet

All schools receiving Federal Title I, II, IV, and School Improvement (ATSI & CSI) funds are required to evaluate the effectiveness of activities at least annually.  Title I schools are required to assess activities twice per year (mid-year and end-of-year).  As part of the Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA), it is recommended that schools complete mid-year evaluations on other grants, as well.  

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This evaluation process is a great way to kick-off the FY25 Federal Planning Process, which begins in February.  This process gives planning teams an opportunity to take a deep dive into all aspects of each activity, including determining the % of funds left, amendment needs, data results used to determine effectiveness, and next steps based on findings.

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Title I Mid-Year Evaluation

• Due February 1, 2024 Extended Due Date - February 20, 2024   
• Title I Mid-Year Evaluation (Impact Statement) Template 

Title I, II, IV, ATSI, CSI End of Year Evaluation 

• Due May 1, 2024
• End of Year Evaluation (Impact Statement) Template

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Join our January 17th FPU session to learn more!

Title I Schools - Notice to Parents Regarding Teacher Certification (20-Day Letter)

Tracie Sweet

As a reminder, all Title I schools MUST send home a letter to parents if their child is going to be taught for 4 or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who is not properly certified (core content only).  Please remember to submit a copy of those letters in Epicenter. 

Click here to access a sample letter.

Title II - Report Card and Parents’ Right to Know

Tracie Sweet

All schools receiving Title II funds are required to post a link to the school’s most recent report card and a copy of the school’s Parents’ Right to Know under a “Parent” tab on the school’s website.  The district will begin checking websites for compliance in February, so please be sure to update the link to go directly to your school’s most recent report card and the school’s Parents’ Right to Know statement.  Click here to view a sample of the district’s Parents’ Right to Know statement that can be revised to represent your school.

Federal Grants - Mileage Reimbursement Rate Increase

Tracie Sweet

As of January 1, 2024 the IRS has increased the mileage reimbursement rate to $0.67 per mile.  Please use this new rate when submitting reimbursement for all travel occurring after January 1, 2024.

Federal Grants - ARP Homeless II Survey -  Students Experiencing Homelessness Needs Assessment 

Becky Huggins

Tracie Sweet 

Federal Programs is preparing to make amendments for the ARP Homeless II grant and Title I Set Asides for students experiencing homelessness.  Please click here to complete the survey by the close of business on January 15, 2024 so we may make our deadline for the necessary amendments. Please note that the survey responses do not guarantee that the district will be able to provide reimbursement for those needs. The amendment must be reviewed and approved by the SCDE. Schools will still need to follow the approval process to request homeless funds provided through the ARP Homeless II and Title I Set Asides.