Title Grants and Support Weekly Update

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2	Please review the LEA contact information sheet if your school or district has had recent transitions in staff positions. When there are changes in the contact information, please contact your assigned federal grants specialist. This will ensure that all appropriate staff receive important memos and communication from the TGS team.
3	Title I	Title II	ESSER	Ombudsman Nonpublic School Updates
4	Announcements	Announcements	Announcements	Announcements
5	NEW: Applications for the 2023-2024 Competitive Science of Reading Grant are now open through 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday, October 6. This competitive grant opportunity for schools is funded through appropriations by the Indiana General Assembly in HEA 1001. This grant is designed to support state-accredited schools that serve K-3 students and whose educators are interested in implementing evidence-based practices aligned with science of reading and Indiana’s Priorities for Early Literacy. More information regarding the Science of Reading Grant application process can be found here. Contact IDOE’s Literacy Center with any questions. REMINDER: The Title I Staffing Report, which previously opened in September, and included information about Title I funded staff, is no longer a requirement. Please note that the comparability report is still due in the Title I App Center. The Comparability Reports are now available in the App Center and are due October 30, 2023.	NEW: The TGS team is currently undergoing a transition to ensure that all LEAs have high quality access to resources and knowledge of each of the Title funding sources that we oversee. Each LEA will now have a separate Title I and Title II specialist. The specialist assigned to your ESSER grant will remain the same. This change will result in more dedicated attention to each funding source and will allow specialists to further develop technical assistance to each grant. Please look out for an upcoming email from the TGS team and your newly assigned specialist in the next week!	REMINDER: ESSER II Late Liquidation may be requested via this JotForm. Links to FAQ and other information is also available on the JotForm. REMINDER: Microcredential Pilot Program - The Title Grants and Support (TGS) office has begun building a Microcredential Program for experienced program administrators that will launch with a pilot group this Fall 2023. What is it? A no-cost program that allows program administrators to develop their current practices and participate in ongoing learning and reflection based on selected skills. Two optional checkpoints will be provided with the TGS staff for any needed support. Participants will be provided PGP points, as well as a bonus point on the risk assessment. Qualifications: Minimum of 3 years of experience working with federal grants Ability to dedicate 4-6 hours of work per microcredential skill Interested in participating or want more information? Please complete the Microcredential Interest Survey by Friday, October 6. REMINDER: The Labor Department has published new guidance on Davis-Bacon regulations regarding recordkeeping requirements. This guidance clearly states that if a construction project takes more than three years to complete, contractors and subcontractors must keep payroll and basic records for work on the project for at least three years after all work on the prime contract has been completed. Please see more information, including the federal guidance, in ESEANow.	REMINDER: Do you engage in Title I pooling? Pooling is the process of combining Title funding and services across LEAs or non-public schools. If you engage in pooling for equitable services, we developed an MOU and invoice template to assist you in sending dollars to other districts. Effective invoices and MOUs protect you in event of a financial audit by avoiding cash on hand and ensures quality equitable services monitoring. REMINDER: EANS disposition steps: 1. IDOE will consult with participating non-public schools to establish a continued need for the equipment and supplies purchased with EANS funds. If established, IDOE may permit the continued use of EANS approved items. 2. Once need is established, non-public schools may continue to use these items for EANS approved activities without equitable share participation, or other federally approved programming they are participating in such as Title I or IDEA. 3. As non-public schools cannot be the recipient of federal funds, items purchased with EANS funds need to remain under an external form of control, such as state educational agency oversight, until items fair market value is below the $5,000 threshold. Please notify the Assistant Director of Charter Schools and Special Programs with any questions.
6	Reminders	Reminders	Reminders	Reminders
7	REMINDER: Title I budget applications were due Thursday, August 31. Please note that the TGS team is prioritizing reviews of outstanding pre-applications and FY23 and ESSER II amendments. Please be patient as your assigned federal grants specialist works to review items in a timely manner.	REMINDER: Grab your favorite cup of coffee and join the Title Grants and Support team for monthly Coffee Chats. Coffee Chats are the last Thursday of the month at 10 a.m. ET. September’s topic will cover Innovative Spend Down Ideas as a collaboration with the Title IV team. Join us via Microsoft Teams here TODAY, September 28, 2023. Contact TitleI@doe.in.gov with any questions or suggestions for topics.	REMINDER: Please use this resource from the Department of Labor and the prevailing wage for the county in which your LEA resides. These wage figures are what should be used in contracts with vendors performing activities related to construction in order to meet Davis-Bacon requirements.	REMINDER: Please see an updated nonpublic school list from the IDOE accreditation team. This list will help LEAs determine what nonpublic schools require consultation. If you see discrepancies between this list and your local records, please notify the IDOE Ombudsman.
8	Grant Management Tips	Grant Management Tips	Grant Management Tips	Grant Management Tips
9	NEW: If your LEA has recently held its Title I annual meeting, it is important to retain documentation of the meeting as evidence for future monitoring visits. Acceptable documentation generally includes: -Flyers, newsletters, electronic messages, or other notifications that publicize the event -Sign-in sheets that include the time and date of the meeting with attendee signatures -Meeting agenda, handouts, and meeting mintues -Audio or video recordings of the meeting -Invoices or receipts of costs associated with the meeting (e.g., childcare, transportation, light refreshments, etc.) -Any attendee feedback, surverys, etc. to document two-way communications The law does not specify documents that must be retained as evidence, so please consider any documentation or ways to show that the meeting has occured and the required meeting content is in compliance.	NEW: If your LEA has been approved to utilize Title II funds for class-size reduction, please remember that any educator hired for this purpose must meet teacher effectiveness requirements. Therefore, a substitute or staff member with an emergency license cannot be paid using Title II funds designated for class-size reduction. You can review additional information regarding Title II funds in the non-regulatory guidance.	REMINDER: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress appropriated three rounds of financial relief through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER). ESSER regulations provided greater flexibility than those of the last major federal stimulus program in 2009, allowing more opportunity to supplant existing funding sources, not just supplement them. As a result, there is now a greater risk of a “fiscal cliff” where ESSER dollars spent on ongoing operations will need to be replaced by other funding sources when the project period ends for ESSER dollars on September 30, 2024. This memo provides additional information to help schools develop financial forecasts to project revenues, expenditures, and cash balances beyond the life of ESSER. Contact indicators@duab.in.gov with any questions. REMINDER: ESEA Now has provided a great article that may help LEAs determine what learning loss programs and other interventions currently supported with ESSER funds may be worth continuing. This tool can help guide valuable conversations regarding the ESSER fiscal cliff as well. REMINDER: State and local educational agencies should leverage other federal funding streams, including Title I, to alleviate disruptions to services when ARP ESSER funding expires in September 2024. Over the next several months, ED will be "ensuring that these [ARP ESSER] dollars no longer are just getting spent in a timely manner on the right things, but making sure that they're actually spent with the magnitude to make a difference." States and districts should "not think of it as a fiscal cliff, because there are massive infusions of federal money that are coming not only in formula programs like Title I, but in discretionary programs too." The Biden Administration has proposed significant increases to funding streams including Title I and IDEA which would help offset the loss of ESSER funds. As ESSER II funding ends in September 2024, LEAs should identify programs that are effective and plan now to support those using other federal, state, and local funding. REMINDER: Review the most recent ESSER information and FAQs from ED.	REMINDER: When working with nonpublic schools, an LEA may consider using funds for the administration of equitable services. Please remember the amount of administration to be charged must be discussed during consultation with private school officials and cannot be used for indirect costs. See more information in ESEANow. REMINDER: The U.S. Department of Education (Department) released, Title VIII, Part F of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965: Equitable Services for Eligible Private School Children, Teachers, and Other Educational Personnel, Non-Regulatory Guidance (July 17, 2023).* The guidance is located on the Office of Non-Public Education’s website and is available in PDF format. Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 - Office of Non-Public Education. Summary Response to Public Comments, which provides a brief summary of significant changes and additions between the draft guidance published in March 2022 and the final version published July 17, 2023, is now available. This document is available on the Office of Non-Public Education’s website and in PDF format.
10	Professional Development Opportunities and Technical Assistance
11	ESEA Now (Formerly TitleIAdmin)	Guiding Questions for Title I Expenses
12		Expenditure Audits and Federal Fund Planning
13		When a Cost is Allowable
14		Boosting Family Engagement
15	TGS Technical Assistance Meetings	TGS Coffee Chat: Thursday, September 28, 10 a.m. ET
16		Weekly Ombudsman Office Hours: Thursdays 2 - 2:30 p.m. ET
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21	Outside Learning Opportunities	BruMan Fall Forum - November 29-December 1, New Orleans, LA
22		National ESEA Conference - February 7-10, 2024, Portland, OR
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24	Resources
25	Content Area	Link	Notes
26	Grants Management	Assigned Federal Grants Specialist	Stay up to date on your LEA's primary contacts for each federal grant.
27		Grants Side-by-Side	A month-by-month overview of important tasks based on each federal grant funding sources, as well as an overview of important links and contacts.
28		Title Grants and Support Calendar	A daily calendar with reminders and key dates for Title I-IV and ESSER, as well as other Title Grants and Support events.
29	Technical Assistance	Title Grants and Support Handbook	This handbook provides information on federal grants administered through IDOE, as well as several helpful resources.
30		Title Grants Fiscal Handbook	This handbook provides specific fiscal information and best practices with federal grant funds.
31		Moodle	Be sure to enroll in relevant courses! Title Grants Interactive Technical Assistance includes all previously recorded TGS Coffee Chats and Quarterly Meetings.
32	Indiana Department of Education	Dr. Jenner's Weekly Update	Dr. Jenner's weekly update, sent every Friday morning, provides information and reminders from all IDOE departments.
33	Equitable Services Consultation	Agreement and Consultation Document	This form reviews all the required topics for consultation to be submitted with your pre-application.
34	Equitable Services Consultation	Waiver of Services Flow Chart and Form	In the event a nonpublic schools does not need all their funding for equitable services, this form and flowchart helps walk through the waiver process.
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