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Connecticut State Department of Education

Connecticut State Department of Education. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA): Strategic Planning, Community Consensus Mark K. McQuillan Commissioner of Education May 26, 2009. Presentation Overview. A. Goals of Presentation

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Connecticut State Department of Education

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  1. Connecticut State Department of Education American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA): Strategic Planning, Community Consensus Mark K. McQuillan Commissioner of Education May 26, 2009

  2. Presentation Overview A. Goals of Presentation 1. Overview of the FederalAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) 2. Guidance Updates, Flexibility Provisions, and discussion • IDEA (611 and 619) Individuals with Disabilities Education Act • Title I A Education of Disadvantaged • McKinney-Vento: Homeless Education B. Review of Strategic Options for Fund Use 1.Assumptions 2. Review of Templates & Use of Funds Rubric 3. White Paper C. Work Session on IDEA Template D. Questions & Answers

  3. Overview The U. S. Government will invest over an additional $100B in education spending over the next two years. Four principles guide the distribution of funds: • Education funds were delivered to states as early as the end of March 2009, and states must spend the funds quickly to save and create jobs. • States need to make assurances that they will emphasize innovation and reform to improve student achievement outcomes and close the achievement gap. • Recovery funds will need to be tracked and reported separately from regular annual Consolidated Grant Application and IDEA funds, to ensure transparency. • Funds must be invested in sustainable initiatives.

  4. ARRA Goals and Assurances In order to apply for ARRA funds, the Governor must provide USDE with written assurances that CT has addressed and will continue to improve upon: ARRA Goals • Academic Standards and Assessments of Student Learning and Achievement • Equitable Distribution of Quality Teachers • Data Systems to Track Student Performance • School Improvement Initiatives for Schools and Districts in Need of Improvement

  5. Sources of ARRA Funds for 2009 - 2011 Three primary sources of ARRA funds are available to states: SourceCT’s Award • Stabilization Block Grants $542 million • Entitlement Grants $243 million • Competitive Grants TBD* • Incentive Grants • Innovation Grants *Distributed at discretion of Secretary of Education

  6. Basic Stabilization Funds: Process and Guidance • Stabilization funds are to be directed into education funding. • Stabilization allocations must be reserved exclusively for education and may not be used for municipal expenditures. • Stabilization allocations are aimed at minimizing the loss of teachers, administrators and other public school employees N

  7. Stabilization Fund Use • Districts must apply to the State Department of Ed. (SDE) for Stabilization Funds under a separate application, in compliance with AARA’s accountability provisions; • Stabilization funds will be sent separately by SDE to districts; • Governor will sign stabilization application by the end of May; • Legislature will hold public hearings for 2 weeks; • Deadline for submission to USDE is July 1st ; • Objective of Stabilization Funds remains unchanged.

  8. Entitlement Grants (Two-Year Totals) • Title I, Part A - Education of the Disadvantaged ($70.8 million - 50% available Spring, 50% available Fall) • Title I, Part A - School Improvement ($24.7 million - Fall) • Title II, Part D Educational Technology ($4.7 million - Fall) • IDEA B - 611: Children with Disabilities ($132.9 million -Spring) • IDEA B - 619: Preschool ($5.1 million -Spring) • McKinney-Vento - Homeless Children ($0.2 million - Competitive)

  9. IDEA Part B (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act)Ages 3-21 (611) and Preschool (619) Purpose and Use of Funds • Excess cost of providing special education & related services to students with disabilities • Early Childhood programs and activities • Flexibility Provisions/Strategies • 50% Maintenance of Effort (MOE) Adjustment Strategy • Local and/or State Funds Exceed MOE Strategy • 15 % Coordinated Early Intervening Services Strategy

  10. IDEA Part B cont. Timeline • 50% of ARRA-IDEA funds will be distributed in the spring after application is approved (Application deadline is July 1st, 2009); • 50% ARRA-IDEA funds in the fall, any revisions due Sept. 18

  11. Flexibility Provisions/Strategies 1. 50% Maintenance Of Effort (MOE) Adjustment Strategy 2. Local and/or State Funds Exceed MOE Strategy 3. 15 % Coordinated Early Intervening Services Strategy

  12. Maintenance of Effort (MOE) With certain exceptions, Part B funds must not be used by a district to reduce the level of expenditures for the education of children with disabilities made by the district from local funds below the level of those expenditures for the preceding year U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs Building the Legacy : Retrieved March 23, 2009 from http://www.ed.gov/results.html?cx=017789009494528204701%3Auzmeqn9qqxo&cof=FORID%3A9&hq=-archived%3A&ie=UTF-8&q=Fiscal+Accountability#884 12 4/1/2014

  13. Supplement not Supplant If an LEA maintains (or exceeds) its level of local, or state and local, expenditures for special education and related services from year to year (in this case 2008-09 to 2009-2010), either in total or per capita, then the IDEA (standard and/or ARRA) funds are, in fact, supplementing those local, or state and local, expenditures and the LEA has met its maintenance of effort (MOE) and supplement/not supplant requirements.

  14. Use of IDEA FundsStrategy 1: 50% Maintenance Of Effort (MOE) Adjustment • If an LEA does maintain (or exceed) its level of local, or state and local, expenditures for special education and related services, the LEA can, by an amount equal to 50% of the increase to their IDEA funds, decrease their local special education/related services expenditures, and • use that same amount of local funds for activities allowable under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

  15. Use of IDEA FundsStrategy 1 (cont): 50% Maintenance Of Effort (MOE) Adjustment Office of Special Education Programs’ indicates that unless an LEA has been identified as “Meet Requirements” on its IDEA Determinations of the State Performance Plan, it is prohibited from reducing its MOE under IDEA section 613(a)(2)(C) for the fiscal year in which it did not achieve the “Meets Requirements” category. 15 4/1/2014

  16. Maintenance of Effort Sample Calculation: Use of 50% of the difference between fiscal year allocations 2010 [(B + C) – A] X 50% = $2.1 M Increase $2.1M over 2009 2011 D – (B + C) = -$3.8M ($0) No increase over 2010 Special Education Special Education Local Operating Budget FY 2010 Total $9.0 M ESEA - $2.1M Total $6.9M Meets 2010 MOE requirement of $9.0M Local Operating Budget FY 2011 (Level Funded) Total $6.9M Meets 2011 MOE requirement of $6.9M If you are going to offset your local budget by 50% of the increase and use the CEIS allowance, check the rules related to the use of CEIS funds.

  17. Use of IDEA FundsStrategy 2: Local/State Funds for Special Education Exceed MOE • When a district meets its required local/state MOE from one year to the next for special education, the district has met the supplement/not supplant requirement under IDEA, Part B. If local/state special education costs in 2009-2010 exceed costs in 2008-2009, the Board can reduce its special education budget by that excess amount and use these local/state funds for non-special education personnel, services and activities without considering it supplanting.

  18. Use of IDEA FundsStrategy 2 (cont): Local/State Funds for Special Education Exceed MOE For example: Board’s expenditures from state/local funds in 2008-09 equal $1,000,000. Board’s expenditures from state/local funds in 2009-2010 equal $1,200,000.

  19. Use of IDEA FundsStrategy 2 (cont): Local/State Funds for Special Education Exceed MOE The Board can reduce its special education budget for 2009-2010 to $1,000,000 and meet the MOE requirement. The Board can take the $200,000 difference and use it for non-special education expenditures. Utilizing the $200,000 to support the local budget does not impact MOE as occurs in Strategy 1.

  20. Use of IDEA FundsStrategy 3: Coordinated, Early Intervening Services Districts may use up to 15% of IDEA Part B (also the ARRA) funds to develop and provide CEIS for students who are currently not identified as needing special education. However, those districts that disproportionately, by race, identify, place and/or suspend/expel students, cannot choose to use this strategy as the State is required to direct these districts funds for specific use to address these issues. 20 4/1/2014

  21. Use of IDEA FundsStrategy 3 (cont): Coordinated, Early Intervening Services Each district that implements CEIS must report to the CT State Department of Education on: the number of children who received CEIS and the number of those children who subsequently received special education and related services under Part B during the subsequent two-year period (i.e. the two years after receiving CEIS). this is reported on the district’s IDEA grant application under Section 5 CEIS Memo-Questions 6, 34 CFR 300.226(d) 2008 OSEP Leadership Conference Menlove Doutre & Brown-Clark Presentation 21 4/1/2014

  22. SPECIAL RULE TO MOE/CEIS Under 34 CFR Section 300.205(d), the amount of funds expended by an LEA for CEIS (under Section 300.226) shall count towards the maximum amount of expenditures that the LEA may reduce its MOE. Thus, if LEAs are utilizing the “50% offset rule” for MOE, they should be subtracting from the 50% increase to their IDEA entitlements the amount of CEIS funds they are planning to use in order to determine the amount the LEA can use for MOE purposes.

  23. MOE/CEIS Example • District A: • IDEA Part B ARRA funds = $790,000 • IDEA Part B Standard Increase = 10,000 • Total IDEA Increase = 800,000 • 50% Offset Rule Amount = 400,000 • Uses 15% of ARRA for CEIS - $120,000 • Amount Available for MOE = $280,000

  24. Title I, Part A • Title I, Part A funds distributed based on poverty – state, district and school allocations • Services provided based on educational need • Connecticut 2008-09 school year: 179 LEAs, 541 schools received Title I funds

  25. Title I • Connecticut’s total 2009-10 school year Title I allocation: • Title I regular - $113,293,311(Preliminary) • Title I ARRA - $70,714,174 (Final)

  26. Title I ARRA Eligibility • Eligibility for Title I ARRA funds is based on federal poverty data in the formula USDE uses to allocate funds (Census poverty). • Not all districts that receive Title I regular funds are eligible to receive Title I ARRA funds.

  27. Applicable Federal Requirements • All Title I, Part A statutory and regulatory requirements apply to Title I ARRA funds.

  28. Supplement not Supplant Requirement • Title I funds are to be used to supplement, not supplant non-federal funds. • Intended to ensure that services provided with Title I funds are in addition to, and do not replace or supplant, services that students would otherwise receive.

  29. Increased Federal Monitoring • 50% of states to be monitored this year • 50% of states to be monitored next year • Current federal Title I monitoring protocol http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/monitoring/indicators0809.doc

  30. Preparing for 2010Education Budget Requests • USDOE Proposal Builds on ARRA • $500 M – Title I Early Childhood Grants • To be eligible, LEAs must expend some Title I ARRA funds on expanding preschool programs.

  31. Use of Funds • Sustainability • Title I ARRA funds available 2009-10 through 2010-2011. • 85% must be expended by September 30, 2010 • Does not apply to districts that receive less than $50,000 in total Title I funds – ARRA and regular • Percentage limitation on carryover may be waived once every three years if waiver request reasonable and necessary.

  32. What is the Purpose of a Waiver? • District discretion on use of Title I funds • Direct additional funds Title I schools • Support Title I district-wide initiatives

  33. Possible Title I Waivers • A school “In Need of Improvement” may request a waiver so it does not have to spend 10 percent of its Title I, Part A funds on professional development. • A district “In Need of Improvement” may request a waiver so it does not have to spend 10 percent of its Title I, Part A funds on professional development. • A district’s obligation to spend an amount equal to at least 20 percent of its Title I, Part A allocation on transportation for public school choice and on Supplemental Educational Services (SES) may be waived.

  34. Possible Title I Waivers • A district’s responsibility to calculate the per-pupil amount for SES based on a district’s FY 2009 Title I, Part A allocation may be waived. • The prohibition on State Educational Agency’s ability to grant to its districts waivers of the carryover limitation more than once every three years may be waived. • The Title I, Part A maintenance of effort requirements may be waived.

  35. No Title I Waivers • Districts may not waive: • Parent involvement set-aside requirement of 1% for districts receiving more than $500,000. • The Title I, Part A comparability requirement. • Title I, Part A supplement, not supplant requirement.

  36. Waiver Process • U.S. Department of Education will issue guidance in the near future regarding the information that must be included in a waiver request and the process for submitting the request.

  37. Application Process Part I of the Consolidated ESEA Application – a single, streamlined application for Title IA with separate budget forms for regular Title IA and Title IA ARRA funds; Application is available on line; Due June 16th; Intent is to have all Title IA ARRA funds approved by the end of the year; Regular Title IA funds will not be received from USDE until July 1, 2009.

  38. McKinney-Vento: Education for Homeless Children & Youths RFP is currently posted online ; Proposals from LEAs for the development and/or continuation of programs that meet the needs of homeless youth and meets the requirements of the Act; Due date: June 22nd; Funds will be distributed August 2009.

  39. Connecticut State Departmentof Education Part B Review of Strategic Options for Fund Use

  40. Review of Strategies for Building a Sustainable, Two-Year Plan • Assumptions • Spend funds strategically • Supplement, not supplant • Engage in comprehensive planning - All funds • Collaborate with community agencies • Use of Funds Rubric • Maximize use of ARRA Funds - White Paper

  41. Connecticut State Department of Education Part C Work Session on IDEA Template

  42. Work Session on IDEA Template

  43. Ongoing ARRA Information • All documents from today’s presentation will be posted to the Commissioner’s Update link on the SDE website (www.ct.gov/sde). • SDE and USDE Guidance to appear on SDE’s Recovery Website • Additional information and guidance from USDE will be posted to the link as it arrives.

  44. Title I and ARRA Resources • www.ed.gov • www.ed.gov/recovery • www.recovery.gov • http://www.csde.state.ct.us/public/cedar/nclb/index.htm

  45. Connecticut State Department of Education Part D Questions & Answers

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