ESEA Monthly Updates | Department of Education

October 2025

We hope to provide you with helpful information monthly through the newsletter and office hours. Our newsletters will often include:

General and Title-Specific Updates
Friendly Reminders for Planning and Program Implementation
Fiscal Corner
Professional Learning Opportunities
Contact Information

Virtual Office Hours: Tuesday, October 14 at 9 AM. Zoom Link is sent through Grants4ME.

GENERAL & TITLE-SPECIFIC UPDATES

Access to Funding During the Federal Government Shutdown

During the current federal government shutdown, the Federal Grant Management System (G5) remains operational and available for Maine Department of Education (DOE) program and fiscal staff to access Grant Award Notifications (GAN) and request reimbursements. Therefore, your federal grant-funded programs should be able to operate as usual for the foreseeable future.

The U.S. Department of Education’s contingency plan states that federal funding for programs such as IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act), and other forward-funded programs will remain available.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has guaranteed funding availability for the Child Nutrition programs, including the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, the Special Milk Program, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, the Summer Food Service Program, the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, and Summer EBT, through October.

While funding remains available, most federal staff members have been furloughed and are therefore unavailable to respond to requests for technical assistance. This may create some delays in processing reimbursements, but the Maine DOE has not received definitive information about that.

The Maine DOE will continue to monitor this situation and provide updates. Our offices remain open and ready to support and assist you.

FY26 ESEA Federal Programs Monitoring

All school administrative units (SAUs) with a medium or high monitoring status have been notified. The FY26 Grant Award Notifications, available in the ESEA Consolidated Application, denotes the SAU’s monitoring status. For more information on the monitoring process, please see: ESEA Monitoring | Department of Education (maine.gov). Grants4ME’s monitoring instrument will open on October 16, 2025.

The ESEA Team will be hosting a training for SAUs identified as “Medium” and “High” Risk Status on Thursday, October 16 at 3 PM. Participants are required to register. The training will be recorded; however, attendance is highly recommended so questions and clarifications can be communicated in a timely manner. All monitoring items are due by January 9, 2026.

FY27 Title IA Equitable Services Data Collection Data due on 10/15/25

ESEA Coordinators: Please reach out to your non-publics to confirm that data is submitted for folks who wish to participate in Title IA services for FY27.

A required training was held on September 2, 2025 for Non-Public School Officials who wish to participate. To review the training, please watch the Title I Reporting of Eligible Students Webinar and review the slides. For FY27, the non-publics input data into Synergy (the same platform as used last year). The data team’s shift to the new platform (Connect) will now occur for data collection for the following school year. If you would like additional assistance with data entry into State Synergy, please contact Alexandra.Cookson@maine.gov or call 207-446-3897.

In order to be eligible for Title IA equitable services in FY27, Non-Public School Officials must have submitted student data into the Maine state data collection system by October 15, 2025.

Title I Summer Reallocated Performance Report is Available and Due 10/17

To complete the Title I Summer Reallocated Performance Report successfully by the deadline of 10/17, please:

Complete all invoicing related to this grant
Move the application to “Revision Started” status if it is not already
Navigate to the “Title I Summer School Performance Report” page that is now available. Check the box if ready to complete.
Fill out the required sections of the Performance Report
- Program Details
- Goal Outcomes
- Expenditures
When finished with the Performance Report page, click “Save and Go to” the Sections page
To officially submit the PR, click “Revision Completed”.

The Performance Report is due October 17.In preparation of this deadline, please complete all invoicing for the summer programming. The Performance Report will not be reviewed and/or accepted until ALL invoicing is complete.

Title II, Part A Reallocated Funding

Reallocated funding in FY25 from Title II, Part A was issued on Tuesday, September 9th for those SAUs adversely affected by the MOA between the Maine DOE and the US Department of Education.

For SAUs receiving reallocated funds, these funds were added to the “Allocations” page within your FY25 ESEA application under the “Additional” funding line and will cause the application to go into a “Revision Started” status. The funds will need to be budgeted into projects and spent before the funds expire on 9/30/26.

For SAUs that provide equitable services to non-public schools, the restriction on carryover funding will be waived so that non-public students may also benefit from this reallocation of funds, if the non-public school has a need and so chooses. If these funds are being spent on previously approved expenses, the application revision can be submitted with no further changes. If the SAU wishes to spend the reallocated funding on any expenses not listed in the previously approved application, these will need to be described on the “Project Details” page(s) and approved by the SAU’s Regional Program Manager.

Reallocated funding amounts can be seen on the Guidance section of our website. If you have any questions, please reach out to Title II, Part A Coordinator Ryan Reed at ryan.reed@maine.gov.

FY25 Performance Report

The ESEA FY25 Performance Report will open on Friday, October 10 with a due date of November 15, 2025. The ESEA office hours on October 14 will provide additional information on how to successfully complete the FY25 Performance Report. All of the pages that need to be completed are labeled as “PERFORMANCE REPORT:” Reminder: FY23 close-out is part of the approval process for the FY25 Performance Report.

Multilingual Learner News

Although the 2015 U.S. Department of Education 'Dear Colleague' guidance on English Learners has been rescinded, the civil rights protections underlying that guidance remain fully in effect. Under both federal law (Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974) and the Maine Human Rights Act, school administrative units have an obligation to ensure that Multilingual/English learners have meaningful access to the district’s educational programs and services.

Failure to provide appropriate language assistance services or to remove barriers to participation may constitute discrimination on the basis of national origin and language, which is prohibited under the Maine Human Rights Act. School administrative units are therefore accountable for implementing policies, practices, and supports that guarantee equitable access to instruction, comparable participation in academic and extracurricular programs, and timely communication with families in languages they can understand.

FRIENDLY REMINDERS FOR PLANNING AND PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION

New ESEA Coordinator Trainings Available

With the start of the new fiscal year, we recognize we have many new ESEA coordinators joining us! To help with the transition, the ESEA team has a series of training videos on the Resources page of our website that new coordinators will find useful. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to your Regional Program Manager.

FY26 ESEA Application: Deadline to Submit was 9/1
Please work to complete the FY26 ESEA Application so that Substantial and Final Approval can be granted by the Maine DOE Regional Program Managers. If you need assistance, please reach out to your RPM with specific questions related to the application and comments made.

Reminder: Maintaining Title I Rank and Distribution

As SAUs close out FY23 and spend down FY24 and FY25, please be mindful of the Title IA Rank and Distribution that was approved as part of the original application. The rank order, by poverty and/or grade span, must continue to be followed. Additionally, if an application revision is made that involves allocating funds from one school project to another, the effect on rank and distribution has to be considered. SAUs that attempt to close out a grant without following rank and distribution will be forced to return funds. If this occurs after the grant close-out, there will not be any opportunity to resubmit for those funds.

FISCAL CORNER

We are excited to announce the return of the Federal Fiscal Office Hours.

When: October 23, 2025
Time: 10:00 - 11:00am
Where: via zoom

Go to Federal Fiscal Office Hour Registration and register to join us for an hour of important fiscal requirements as we embark on a new school year. Representatives from all federal programs will be on hand to answer any of your federal fiscal questions. Please send any requests for topics to be covered to Tyra Corson at tyra.corson@maine.gov.

Communication

When communicating via email with the ESEA team; it is important to include details. In the subject line include the grant year, title, and school name (some email addresses and signatures do not contain this information).

Grant Reimbursement Reminder: Key Dates and Documentation

As you prepare to submit final invoices for grants that are closing out, please keep the following in mind to ensure your reimbursement requests are accurate and compliant.

⏰Two Key Dates to Remember:

Substantial Approval Date
Period of Performance

Both dates are critical when submitting reimbursement requests in Grants4ME, especially during grant closeout.

⚠️ Important Guidelines:

The service period listed on your request in Grants4Me must not exceed the grant’s period of performance.
Wages and benefits earned during the final week of the grant may not appear on a trial balance until they are paid out.
Supplies ordered on the last day of the grant may not be received, paid, or posted to the trial balance before the grant end date.

For these types of reimbursement requests, be sure to upload:

A trial balance for the time frame in which the expense actually posted
Proof that wages were earned before the grant’s end date
Proof that supplies were ordered before the grant’s end date (e.g., order confirmations or timestamps on vendor invoices such as Amazon)

🚫 Please Note:

Subscriptions ordered at the end of the grant period are not eligible for reimbursement, as the service will not be received within the period of performance.

Please be aware that the service period on any invoice submitted in Grants4Me must not exceed three months. Submitting a single invoice for the entire grant period will not be accepted and will result in rejection.

Additionally, if your SAU receives more than $250,000 under any single Title, you are required to submit invoices monthly. Staying on schedule with invoice submissions helps ensure timely processing and compliance with grant requirements.

Grants4ME Substantial Approval Dates

Due to the delay in federal funds for FY26 Titles II, III, and IV it is possible to have two different substantial approval dates for these grants. Please keep this in mind as you begin to obligate your FY26 ESEA funds.

Expiring Funds and Grants

The grants closing out are highlighted below. Please obligate any remaining FY 23 ESEA funds or FY 24 CSI Funds as soon as possible. The liquidation period for these funds expires on 12/15/25.

The following chart includes ESEA federal grants that are currently open to access funds. Please note that several grants will close this year. It is recommended that you make a cheat sheet like the one below and set aside some time each month to review the status of your grants and reimbursements. This will mitigate the risk of losing funds that will be ending soon.

Grant Period of Performance

FY 23 ESEA Consolidated Funds	Substantial Approval – 9/30/25
FY 24 ESEA Consolidated Funds	Substantial Approval – 9/30/26
FY 24 School Improvement Funds	Substantial Approval – 9/30/25
FY 25 ESEA Consolidated Funds	Substantial Approval – 9/30/26
FY 25 School Improvement Funds	Substantial Approval – 9/30/26
FY 25 Title 1A Summer Reallocated	5/1/25 - 9/30/25

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Professional Learning offered through the Department of Education is a fantastic resource for supporting leadership development for administrators and educators. The Department’s Professional Development Calendar is updated regularly with the latest professional development opportunities.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Please remember, the best person to connect with to answer questions related to ESEA Federal Programs is outlined below. They will get you the answer if they do not have it readily available.

Aroostook County & Kennebec County: Jessica Caron at jessica.s.caron@maine.gov or (207) 458-0334.
Washington County & the Midcoast Region: Ryan Reed at ryan.reed@maine.gov or (207) 530-2129.
Penquis Region: Travis Doughty at travis.w.doughty@maine.gov or (207) 624-6709.
Western Maine & Cumberland County: Daniel Weeks at daniel.r.weeks@maine.gov or (207) 624-6676.
Hancock County & York County: Rita Pello at rita.pello@maine.gov or (207) 530-6469.
Continuous School Improvement Coordinator: Monique Sullivan at monique.sullivan@maine.gov or (207) 441-5763.
Management Analyst: Tyra Corson at Tyra.Corson@maine.gov or (207) 530-0488.
ESEA Federal Programs Director: Shelly Chasse-Johndro at shelly.chassejohndro@maine.gov or (207) 458-3180.

September 2025

FY26 ESEA Federal Programs Monitoring

All school administrative units (SAUs) with a medium or high monitoring status have been notified. The FY26 Grant Award Notifications, which will be available after October 1, 2025, will also denote the SAU’s monitoring status. For more information on the monitoring process, please see: ESEA Monitoring | Department of Education (maine.gov). Grants4ME’s monitoring instrument will open on October 1, 2025.

FY27 Title IA Equitable Services Data Collection Training (Required) for Data Due on 10/1/25

Required (event on September 2, 2025): For non-public schools who wish to receive Title IA equitable services in FY27, Non-Public School Officials must attend or watch a Title I Reporting of Eligible Students Webinar on September 2, 2025. This webinar will review reporting requirements for Title I eligible students and processes for enrolling in the new reporting system due on October 1, 2025. After the training, the recording will be sent to all participants who enrolled and will be available on the DOE Data YouTube Playlist.

In order to be eligible for Title IA equitable services in FY27, Non-Public School Officials must submit student data into the Maine state data collection system by October 1, 2025. ESEA Coordinators: Please share this information with your non-public school officials.

Title II, Part A Reallocated Funding

Reallocated funding in FY25 from Title II, Part A will be issued by the close of business on Tuesday, September 9th for those SAUs adversely affected by the MOA between the Maine DOE and the US Department of Education.

For SAUs receiving reallocated funds, these funds will be added to the “Allocations” page within your FY25 ESEA application under the “Additional” funding line and will cause the application to go into a “Revision Started” status. The funds will need to be budgeted into projects and spent before the funds expire on 9/30/26. For SAUs that provide equitable services to non-public schools, the restriction on carryover funding will be waived so that non-public students may also benefit from this reallocation of funds, if the non-public school so chooses. If these funds are being spent on previously approved expenses, the application revision can be submitted with no further changes. If the SAU wishes to spend the reallocated funding on any expenses not listed in the previously approved application, these will need to be described on the ”Project Details” page(s) and approved by the SAU’s Regional Program Manager.

Preliminary reallocated funding can be seen on the Guidance section of our website. If you have any questions, please reach out to Title II, Part A Coordinator Ryan Reed at ryan.reed@maine.gov.

FY26 ESEA Application: Deadline to Submit was 9/1

Please work to complete the FY26 ESEA Application so that Substantial and Final Approval can be granted by the Maine DOE Regional Program Managers. If you need assistance, please reach out to your RPM with specific questions related to the application and comments made.

September is Attendance Awareness Month

Regular attendance is essential for student success — every day counts! This month, the Maine Engagement and Attendance Center (MEAC) is joining schools and communities across the nation to emphasize the importance of showing up.

In 2024, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) launched MEAC, designed to address chronic absenteeism through various partnerships, data-driven strategies, and the expertise of Maine’s education workforce.

As part of this initiative, we are sharing success stories from schools and districts, as it pertains to improved attendance and engagement. Please consider filling out the form to share your story and serve as an inspiration to your colleagues statewide!

FRIENDLY REMINDERS FOR PLANNING AND PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION

New ESEA Coordinator Trainings Available

Title I Parent and Family Engagement Requirements

Below, are a few highlights of family engagement requirements that should happen early in the school year. All Title I, Part A schools should be conducting family engagement activities, communications, and sending required notices to parents.

Professional qualifications of student’s teachers and paraprofessionals
State/local assessment policies

Title I Annual Meeting

Section 1116(c) for family engagement requires each Title I school to convene an annual meeting, at a convenient time, to which all parents of Title I children shall be invited and encouraged to attend. SAUs sometimes include a Title I presentation on the agenda at the Open House as part of the annual meeting requirement, but this requirement can surely be met in other ways. Essentially, the meeting should inform parents of their school’s participation in Title I, explain the requirements and services provided as part of Title I and discuss the rights of the parents to be involved.

In a Targeted Assistance Program, it is the parents of students who are served by Title I who are invited to the meeting. In a Schoolwide Program, it is all parents of all students attending the school who are invited to attend. This meeting is also a time for the school to explain what it means to be a targeted assistance or schoolwide program, what student supports are available for students, how the delivery of these supports will be implemented, and what other Title IA requirements, such as parent notices, policies, compacts, and other communications and expectations will be forthcoming.

School-Parent Compacts

Title I family engagement policies/plan and school-parent compacts must be developed and updated annually with input from parents. This may be completed in the spring for the upcoming year or at the beginning of the school year. SAUs should ensure that they have updated documents and can demonstrate that parents were involved in the update process.

Section 1116(d)(2) of the Title I School-Parent Compact addresses the importance of communication between teachers and parents on an ongoing basis through, at a minimum—

parent-teacher conferences in elementary schools, at least annually, during which the compact shall be discussed as the compact relates to the individual child’s achievement
frequent reports to parents on their child(ren)’s progress
reasonable access to staff, opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child’s class, and observation of classroom activities; and
ensuring regular two-way, meaningful communication between family members and school staff, and, to the extent practicable, in a language that family members can understand

FISCAL CORNER

We are excited to announce the return of the Federal Fiscal Office Hours.

When: October 23, 2025
Time: 10:00 - 11:00am
Where: via zoom

Reimbursement Reminders

When requesting reimbursement please keep in mind:

All expenses need to be reasonable, necessary, and allocable to the program and align with the SAU’s approved application.
Salaries accrued during the 2024-2025 school year are not eligible for reimbursement using FY 26 funds.
Invoices submitted for reimbursement should only include expenses that were incurred during the period of performance for the grant.
Subscriptions or license fees for digital access that exceed the period of performance for the grant will not be reimbursed.
Some things to consider when budgeting for professional development using grant funds:
Registration, attendance, and travel must all be incurred during the period of performance for the grant.
Reimbursement is only available after the completion of the professional development.
Two important dates to be mindful of when requesting reimbursement:
- 1) Substantial approval date and
- 2) Period of Performance for the grant

Grants4ME Substantial Approval Dates

Due to the delay in federal funds for FY26 Titles II, III, and IV it is possible to have two different substantial approval dates for these grants. Please keep this in mind as you begin to obligate your FY26 ESEA funds.

Expiring Funds and Grants

Grant Period of Performance

FY 23 ESEA Consolidated Funds	Substantial Approval – 9/30/25
FY 24 ESEA Consolidated Funds	Substantial Approval – 9/30/26
FY 24 School Improvement Funds	Substantial Approval – 9/30/25
FY 25 ESEA Consolidated Funds	Substantial Approval – 9/30/26
FY 25 School Improvement Funds	Substantial Approval – 9/30/26
FY 25 Title 1A Summer Reallocated	5/1/25 - 9/30/25

August 2025

GENERAL & TITLE-SPECIFIC UPDATES

An Urgent Update on the Release of ESEA FY26 Grant Allocations

As noted in a recent Priority Notice, the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) has released funding for Title II, Part A, Title III, Part A, and Title IV, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). As a result, the ESEA Federal Programs Team has generated and loaded final SAU allocations for these programs into your FY26 ESEA Consolidated Application within Grants4ME. Due to the notable delay in the release of these funds from the U.S. DOE, the deadline for the initial submission of the FY26 ESEA Consolidated Application has been extended to September 1, 2025.

With the release of these funds, there are a handful of notable updates that SAUs may need to make in order to receive substantial and/or final approval on the FY26 ESEA Consolidated Application. Your SAU may not begin obligating any FY26 ESEA funds until the SAU has received substantial approval, which will be the date it is received by Maine DOE in substantially approvable form.

If your SAU wishes to refuse funds, the application’s status will need to be changed to “ESEA Funds Refused.”

As always, if you have any questions, please reach out to your Regional Program Manager.

Adding, Removing, and Changing User Access in Grants4ME

Each SAU should be mindful of their Grants4ME address book especially if new folks have started in new or changed roles in the SAU. This address book and people’s roles help with submission workflow, timely communications, notifications, and internal controls. It’s VERY important that the address book within Grants4ME is accurate particularly at the start of each Fiscal Year.

It is the responsibility of the User Access Administrator to keep the Grants4ME Address Book up to date with the assigned Users and Roles. For more information on how to add users and roles, please see this section of our training video on the platform or refer to the User Access Guide.

Barring extraordinary circumstances, the SAU should only have one person in the role of LEA Authorized Representative (the Superintendent) and two people in the role of User Access administrator (usually the Superintendent and one other Central Office person). There should also be only one “LEA ESEA Consolidated Application Director,” with anyone else needing access to update the application given the role of “LEA ESEA Consolidated Application Update”.

FRIENDLY REMINDERS FOR PLANNING AND PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION

FY27 Title IA Equitable Services Data Collection Training (Required) for Data Due on 10/1/25

Required (event on September 2, 2025):

For non-public schools who wish to receive Title IA equitable services in FY27, Non-Public School Officials must attend or watch a Title I Reporting of Eligible Students Webinar on September 2, 2025. This webinar will review reporting requirements for Title I eligible students and processes for enrolling in the new reporting system due on October 1, 2025. After the training, the recording will be sent to all participants who enrolled and available on the DOE Data YouTube Playlist. In order to be eligible for Title IA equitable services in FY27, Non-Public School Officials must submit student data into the Maine state data collection system (Connect) by October 1, 2025.

ESEA Coordinators: Please share this information with your non-public school officials.

Recommended (last available date is August 13):

The last few summer trainings on the new Maine DOE student data reporting system, Connect, are in August. Non-publics will be expected to input low-income student data into the Connect system by October 1, 2025. This training is optional and will be an overview of Connect. Please see the 2025 Data Team Summer Training Registration to find the training locations as well as the registration.\

FISCAL CORNER

Federal Fiscal Office Hours

The Federal Fiscal office hours will be offered quarterly, and the next office hours will be held on:

When: October 23, 2025
Time: 10:00 - 11:00am
Where: via zoom

Go to Federal Fiscal Office Hour Registration and register to join us for an hour of important fiscal requirements. Representatives from all federal programs will be on hand to answer any of your federal fiscal questions. Please send any requests for topics to be covered to Tyra Corson at tyra.corson@maine.gov.

Spending Down Funds

FY 23 ESEA Funds are ending 9/30/25

	Period of Performance	Remaining Funds
FY 23	7/1/22-9/30/25	$ 555,053.67
FY 24	7/1/23-9/30/26	$ 4,688,968.54
FY 25	7/1/24-9/30/26	$ 29,123,161.41

FY 24 School Improvement Funds are ending 9/30/25

	Period of Performance	Remaining Funds
FY 24	7/1/23-9/30/25	$ 851,602.87
FY 25	7/1/24-9/30/26	$ 1,243,613.61

Districts with remaining FY 2023 funds are encouraged to submit their invoices as soon as possible to ensure timely processing and utilization of the available funds. As a reminder the Department has up to 30 days to issue payment upon an approvable request. Please note that the liquidation period has changed to 10/1/25-12/15/25 for funds due to expire 9/30/25. All invoices for these funds must be submitted no later than December 15, 2025.

Reimbursement Requests

All invoices submitted for reimbursement in Grants4Me must be accompanied by a detailed expenditure report. This report should reflect only the service period being billed on the invoice. This document should only be uploaded in a pdf format.

For expenses such as tuition reimbursement, professional development, and travel, additional backup documents are required to verify the dates of completion. Please note that federal funds do not reimburse for tuition, travel, or professional development until after the coursework, training, or travel has been completed.

When submitting backup documentation, editable forms (e.g., Excel workbooks or spreadsheets) will not be accepted. Ensure that all files are saved as PDFs and uploaded to Grants4Me.

All expenses which reimbursement is requested must align with the SAU’s application for funds. Expenses must impact a high need area identified in the needs assessment. In addition, expenses must be reasonable and necessary to be allowable under the grant.

FY 26 ESEA Funding Applications

As local budgets are being passed and the planning for school year 2025-2026 is in full swing, please keep in mind the following:

Avoid entering into contracts with vendors before the substantial approval date
Do not create POs for services or supplies until after the substantial approval date
Pre-award costs are specific to the expenses listed in the application for pre-award costs

July 2025

GENERAL & TITLE-SPECIFIC UPDATES

An Urgent Update on Continued Delay in Release of ESEA FY26 Grant Allocations

The U.S. Department of Education (USED) will not release ESEA federal grant allocations for Title I, Part C (Migrant Education), Title II (Supporting Effective Instruction), Title III (Language Instruction for English Learners), and Title IV, Part B (21st Century Community Learning Centers) by July 1, 2025. State education agencies have been notified that allocations for these vital programs are currently under review by the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This delay impacts every state in the nation and may extend into late September. Additional information is available in the June 27, 2025 priority notice.

Approval of FY24 ESEA Tydings Amendment Waiver and FY25 Carryover of Excess Title I, Part A Funds

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) received approval for the following waivers from the U.S. Department of Education:

Title I, Part A, Part B, Part C and Part D, Subpart 1
Title II, Part A
Title III, Part A
Title IV, Part A and Part B
Title V, Part B, Subpart 2

A Tydings Amendment Waiver from Section 421(b) of the General Provisions Act, which serves to extend the period of availability of Federal FY 2023/State FY 2024 funding of the programs listed below until September 30, 2026. The programs affected by this waiver include:

FY27 Title IA Equitable Services Data Collection Process Training on NEW Maine DOE student reporting system (Connect)

For non-public schools who wish to receive Title IA equitable services in FY27, Non-Public School Officials should attend a summer training on the new Maine DOE student data reporting system, Connect. Non-publics will be expected to input low-income student data into the Connect system by October 2025. The State has formally transitioned from Synergy to Connect as the data collection system. Please see the 2025 Data Team Summer Training Registration to find the training locations throughout July and August as well as the registration. The sessions will be held from 9am-12pm on designated dates.

A more targeted training on the Title IA Data Collection process for Equitable Services will be held on Tuesday, September 2, 2025 from 12pm-1pm. More information on this will be forthcoming. We will be encouraging ESEA Coordinators and Non-Public School Officials to attend. ESEA Coordinators, please share this information with your non-public contacts.

FY26 ESEA Application Now OPEN in Grants4ME

The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) released the Title I, Part A and Title IV, Part A preliminary numbers and our team has calculated preliminary SAU allocations. The FY26 ESEA Consolidated Application is now open with Title I and Title IV preliminary allocations and a placeholder of $100 for all other ESEA Title programs. Please remember that since these are preliminary allocations, they are subject to change.

To access the application, navigate to Funding > Funding applications, and then change the year to 2026. If your SAU wishes to apply for funds, the application’s status will need to be changed to “Draft Started” before you can begin editing any pages. Additionally, the application cannot be changed to “Draft Completed” status until final allocations are determined by Friday, July 18.

If your SAU wishes to refuse funds, the application’s status will need to be changed to “ESEA Funds Refused.”

The application is due to Maine DOE by August 1. Your SAU may not begin obligating any FY26 ESEA funds until the SAU has received substantial approval, which will be the date it is received by Maine DOE in substantially approvable form.

In addition, the FY26 ESEA Application has a few updates around removal of generic SAU projects, Title I assurances, and schoolwide, non-public school and Title III project details. Please review the training slides from the ESEA Roadshow so that your SAU can complete these additional requirements successfully. As always, if you have any questions, please reach out to your Regional Program Manager.

Maine DOE Offers Complimentary 2025 Annual Summit Tickets to Identified Schools

Registration is now open for the 2025 Maine Department of Education (DOE) Annual Summit, which will be held on August 5 and 6 at Thomas College. The two-day event includes breakfast, lunch, and access to nearly 100 sessions from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.

The Maine DOE is pleased to announce that registration fees will be waived for identified schools for up to $2,500 (the equivalent of 10 staff members) per school. This Priority Notice has more information.

FRIENDLY REMINDERS FOR PLANNING AND PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION

FY25 ESEA Federal Programs Monitoring: Winter Collection Window

All monitoring results for the winter window have been entered. SAUs can see these on the “Monitoring Results – LEA Response” page and should begin uploading any corrective actions (if needed). Please make sure you change the status of the Monitoring Instrument to “LEA Results Review Started” for this page to be enabled.

To access training, resources, and guidance relevant to ESEA Monitoring, including the Winter collection period, please visit the ESEA Monitoring homepage.

FISCAL CORNER

Federal Fiscal Office Hours

The Federal Fiscal office hours will be offered quarterly, and the next office hours will be held on:

When: July 24, 2025

Time: 10:00 - 11:00am

Where: via zoom

Fiscal Bootcamp

This is another opportunity to receive valuable resources regarding federal grant management during the Maine DOE Annual Summit, held on August 5 and 6. Representatives from Maine DOE’s Federal Fiscal team will be providing training sessions at the summit both days. The same material will be presented both days to offer flexibility for business managers to select one of the two days to attend. These sessions will be extremely helpful whether you are a seasoned business manager or new to your role.

Spending Down Funds

FY 23 ESEA Funds are ending 9/30/25

	Period of Performance	Remaining Funds
FY 23	7/1/22-9/30/25	$ 699,304.07
FY 24	7/1/23-9/30/26	$ 5,008,559.14
FY 25	7/1/24-9/30/26	$ 33,183,552.28

Reimbursement Requests

All invoices submitted for reimbursement in Grants4Me must be accompanied by a detailed expenditure report. This report should reflect only the service period being billed on the invoice.

When submitting backup documentation, editable forms (e.g., Excel workbooks or spreadsheets) will not be accepted. Ensure that all files are saved as PDFs and uploaded to Grants4Me.

FY 26 ESEA Funding Applications

As local budgets are being passed and the planning for school year 2025-2026 is in full swing, please keep in mind the following:

Avoid entering into contracts with vendors before the substantial approval date

Do not create POs for services or supplies until after the substantial approval date

Pre-award costs are specific to the expenses listed in the application for pre-award costs

Title I, Part A, Part B, Part C and Part D, Subpart 1

Title II, Part A

Title III, Part A

Title IV, Part A and Part B

Title V, Part B, Subpart 2

A waiver from Section 1127(a) of the ESEA for Federal FY 2024/State FY 2025 Title I, Part A funds (i.e., the Title I, Part A funds that will become carryover funds on October 1, 2025), which serves to waive the requirement that limits the Maine DOE’s ability to grant its LEAs with a waiver of the 15 percent Title I, Part A carryover limitation more than once in a three-year period.

June 2025

GENERAL & TITLE-SPECIFIC UPDATES

FY26 Preliminary Allocations

The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) released the Title I, Part A preliminary numbers and our team has calculated preliminary SAU allocations. As Title I, Part A is the largest ESEA allocation that the Maine DOE has received; we wanted to be sure that you had as much time as possible to develop your FY26 ESEA Application.

The Maine DOE received the Title IV, Part A preliminary allocations on Friday, May 30. The team is working to calculate SAU preliminary Title IV, Part A allocations and will make them available as soon as possible.

With this said, the FY26 ESEA Consolidated Application is now open to begin completing with the Title I preliminary allocations and a placeholder of $100 for all other ESEA Title programs. Please remember that the Title I allocation is preliminary and subject to change when final allocations are provided by the U.S. DOE.

Please reach out to your regional program manager should you have any questions or concerns.

ESEA Roadshow

This May, the ESEA team hosted three roadshows across the state of Maine. If you missed this valuable training, please review the training slides used for the all-day training. There are new updates to the application that should not be missed!

Schoolwide Plans are Due July 1

For SAUs and schools who have been planning to move from Title I Targeted Assistance to Schoolwide, please be sure to submit the completed schoolwide plans and/or waiver by July 1. They will be reviewed for statutory requirements. If a school becomes schoolwide, please keep in mind that the FY26 ESEA Consolidated application project pages require different information. Please reach out to Rita Pello (rita.pello@maine.gov) if you have any questions about applying. Schoolwide guidance can be found on our website.

ESEA Application Public Comment Period

As part of the annual application process, SAUs are required to notify the public of their right to comment on the SAU’s use of funds in the ESEA application and provide a date when the public comment period will close. This public comment period must occur prior to the SAU’s official submission of the ESEA Application, and many SAUs meet this requirement by making it an agenda item at a School Board meeting. Those agendas are posted publicly ahead of time, so they meet the requirement of notify all members of the public (and not just parents of students) about the public comment period.

The ESEA team knows the lack of clarity on FY26 allocations from the federal government makes this process difficult. To avoid delays in substantial approval, we suggest using last year’s allocations as a guide for what is presented to the public. SAUs will need to be clear that these are estimated financial figures being presented, and outline what maybe reduced and/or eliminated should the actual funding be lower than estimated.

Annual CNA Updates

As part of an annual process, SAUs should be meeting with a variety of stakeholders to update their district and school Comprehensive Needs Assessments (CNA) based on most recent available data.

As part of the ESEA Consolidated Application, SAUs are asked to document the high needs areas of their SAUs and schools, as well as the data sources they used to make those determinations, the names of the stakeholders involved, and dates the updates were conducted on. SAUs must update as much of their CNA as possible, prior to the initial submission of the FY26 ESEA Application, in order determine high areas of need and to generate goals and projects.

Adding/Updating Users in Grants4ME

Each SAU should be mindful of their Grants4ME address book especially if new folks have started in new or changed roles in the SAU. The address book and people's roles help with submission, workflow, timely communications, notifications, and internal controls. It's very important the address book within Grants4ME is accurate particularly at the start of each Fiscal Year.

FY25 ESEA Federal Programs Monitoring: Winter Collection Window

To access training, resources, and guidance relevant to ESEA Monitoring, including the Winter collection period, please visit the ESEA Monitoring homepage.

FISCAL CORNER

Federal Fiscal Office Hours

The Federal Fiscal office hours will be offered quarterly, and the next office hours will be held on:

When: July 24, 2025
Time: 10:00 - 11:00am
Where: via zoom

Fiscal Bootcamp

This is another opportunity to receive valuable resources regarding federal grant management during the Maine DOE Annual Summit, held on August 5^th and 6^th. Representatives from Maine DOE’s Federal Fiscal team will be providing training sessions at the summit both days. The same material will be presented both days to offer flexibility for business managers to select one of the two days to attend. These sessions will be extremely helpful whether you are a seasoned business manager or new to your role.

Spending Down Funds

FY 23 and FY 24 ESEA Funds are ending 9/30/25

	Period of Performance	Remaining Funds
FY 23	7/1/22-9/30/25	$ 677,964.16
FY 24	7/1/23-9/30/25	$ 5,008,559.14
FY 25	7/1/24-9/30/26	$ 33,183,552.28

Districts with remaining FY 2023 and FY 2024 funds are encouraged to submit their invoices as soon as possible to ensure timely processing and utilization of the available funds. As a reminder the Department has up to 30 days to issue payment upon an approvable request. Please not that the liquidation period has changed to 10/1/25-12/15/25 for funds due to expire 9/30/25.

Reimbursement Requests

All invoices submitted for reimbursement in Grants4Me must be accompanied by a detailed expenditure report. This report should reflect only the service period being billed on the invoice.

When submitting backup documentation, editable forms (e.g., Excel workbooks or spreadsheets) will not be accepted. Ensure that all files are saved as PDFs and uploaded to Grants4Me.

First In First Out

First In First Out, a phrase you have heard several times used by the ESEA team, which simply means use the oldest funds first. However, if you have a considerable amount of funds remaining from past grants and using these funds first puts you in jeopardy of exceeding the amount of Title I funds that can be carried over then move to current year funds. Start drawing down your FY 25 funds if you have not done so already.

May 2025

FY26 Preliminary Allocations

We know that the federal government is operating on a Continuing Resolution (CR) through the end of September 2025. As this time, a final federal budget for FY26 has not been enacted and no preliminary ESEA allocation information has been shared with states. We will share further updates as soon as they become available.

ESEA Roadshow

The ESEA team hosted it’s first of three roadshows last week in Biddeford. If you missed this valuable training and information sharing event there is still time to attend others. We will be on the road and hosting Roadshows on May 13 in Presque Isle and May 14 in Orono. The ESEA team hopes to see you there. Go to Registration for Roadshow and register for upcoming events.

ESEA Application Public Comment Period

Annual CNA Updates

As part of an annual process, SAUs should be meeting with a variety of stakeholders to update their district and school Comprehensive Needs Assessments (CNA) based on most recent available data.

FRIENDLY REMINDERS FOR PLANNING AND PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION

FY25 ESEA Federal Programs Monitoring: Winter Collection Window

After May 7, all monitoring results for the winter window will be entered. SAUs can see these on the “Monitoring Results – LEA Response” page. To begin uploading any corrective actions, make sure you change the status of the Monitoring Instrument to “LEA Results Review Started.”

To access training, resources, and guidance relevant to ESEA Monitoring, including the Winter collection period, please visit the ESEA Monitoring homepage.

Recording Available: Title I Homeless Set-Aside Training

The recent training for SAUs utilizing grant funding to support homeless students is now available online on our Guidance page. If your SAU is identifying and supporting students experiencing homelessness, please watch the recording prior to engaging in the Comprehensive Needs Assessment and completing the FY26 ESEA Consolidated Application. The information shared in the training is intended to help SAUs support some of the most vulnerable students in the state.

Federal Fiscal Office Hours

The Federal Fiscal office hours will be offered quarterly, and the next office hours will be held on:

When: July 24, 2025
Time: 10:00 - 11:00am
Where: via zoom

Fiscal Bootcamp

Spending Down Funds

FY 23 and FY 24 ESEA Funds are ending 9/30/25

Reimbursement Requests

All invoices submitted for reimbursement in Grants4Me must be accompanied by a detailed expenditure report. This report should reflect only the service period being billed on the invoice.

When submitting backup documentation, editable forms (e.g., Excel workbooks or spreadsheets) will not be accepted. Ensure that all files are saved as PDFs and uploaded to Grants4Me.

First In First Out

April 2025

Annual CNA Updates

As part of an annual process, SAUs should be meeting with a variety of stakeholders to update their district and school Comprehensive Needs Assessments based on most recent available data.

Title IA 15% Carryover Rule

Rule: If an SAU receives $50k or more in Title I, Part A funds, the SAU can only keep up to 15% of the funds in carryover unless given a waiver by the State of Maine. This waiver can only be granted once every 3 years.

If a SAU has accepted a 15% carryover waiver in FY23, the SAU will not be eligible for one again until FY26 if no more waivers are received from USDE. If an SAU has accepted a 15% carryover waiver in FY24, the SAU will not be eligible for one again until FY27 if no more waivers are received from USDE. A district can check this information in the PERFORMANCE REPORT: Title I, Part A Waiver page within their ESEA Consolidated Performance Report in FY23 and FY24. Please reach out to your Regional Program Manager with any further questions.

Please note, the Maine Department of Education has received waivers from the USDE to enable us to grant 15% carryover waivers for FY24 and FY23 even if the SAU had received a waiver the previous two years.

The Maine Department of Education applied for a carryover limitation waiver from Section 1127(a) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended for Federal Fiscal Year 2024/State Fiscal Year 2025 Title I, Part A funds. The carryover limitation waiver seeks to waive the requirement that limits the Maine DOE’s ability to grant to its LEAs a waiver of the 15-percent Title I, Part A carryover limitation of more than once every three years. This request is not guaranteed so plan accordingly.

FY25 Title I Summer Reallocated

The application for Title I Summer School programming was due Monday, March 31^st. Now, we will be reviewing the program and budget requests. Please be on the lookout for returned applications and communication through Grants4ME notices. The timelier SAUs are with responses and corrections, the sooner we can provide results around which districts will be awarded these funds. At this time, there will not be enough funding for all requests.

FRIENDLY REMINDERS FOR PLANNING AND PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION

FY25 ESEA Federal Programs Monitoring: Winter Collection Window

All monitoring results for the winter window have now been entered. SAUs can see these on the “Monitoring Results – LEA Response” page. In order to begin uploading any corrective actions, make sure you change the status of the Monitoring Instrument to “LEA Results Review Started.”

To access training, resources, and guidance relevant to ESEA Monitoring, including the Winter collection period, please visit the ESEA Monitoring homepage.

FISCAL CORNER

Spending Down Funds

FY 2023 ESEA Funds are ending 9/30/25

As of March 26, 2025, $1,282,114.75 in ESEA funds remain available for drawdown. This may present a challenge if the Tydings Amendment Waiver for FY 2024 ESEA funds is not approved.

Districts with remaining FY 2023 funds are encouraged to submit their invoices as soon as possible to ensure timely processing and utilization of the available funds.

Reimbursement Requests

All invoices submitted for reimbursement in Grants4ME must be accompanied by a detailed expenditure report. This report should reflect only the service period being billed on the invoice.

For expenses such as tuition reimbursement, professional development, and travel, additional backup documents are required to verify the dates of completion. Please note that federal funds do not reimburse for tuition, travel, or professional development until after the coursework, training, or travel has been completed.

When submitting backup documentation, editable forms (e.g., Excel workbooks or spreadsheets) will not be accepted. Ensure that all files are saved as PDFs and uploaded to Grants4ME.

First In First Out

ESEA allows expenses for the same service period to be split between grants. When doing so, please ensure that the audit report, expense report, and/or trial balance clearly indicates which expenses reimbursement is being requested.

The following must be true:

The expenses must be incurred during the period of performance for both grants
Be allocable to both grants

For example, if you are splitting an October invoice between FY 2024 ESEA funds and FY 2025 ESEA funds, make sure the detailed trial balance clearly identifies the corresponding fiscal year which funds will be used to reimburse the expense.

Additionally, when requesting reimbursement for salaries, be sure to include the associated benefits. This applies when splitting invoices between two grants as well.

March 2025

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) intends to apply for a Tydings Amendment waiver and a Title I Carryover of Excess Funds waiver from the U.S. Department of Education (USED). Maine will be seeking:

A Tydings Amendment waiver from Section 421(b) of the General Provisions Act to the USED. The Tydings Amendment waiver seeks an extension to the availability of Federal Fiscal Year 2023/State Fiscal Year 2024 ESEA funds.
A carryover limitation waiver from Section 1127(a) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended for Federal Fiscal Year 2024/State Fiscal Year 2025 Title I, Part A funds. The carryover limitation waiver seeks to waive the requirement that limits the Maine DOE’s ability to grant to its LEAs a waiver of the 15-percent Title I, Part A carryover limitation of more than once every three years.

As required, the Maine DOE is seeking public comment from February 24 to March 14, 2025, on the request to waive the period of availability for ESEA funds and Title I, Part A carryover limitations. As the Maine DOE moves forward to provide as much flexibility as possible, and continued support for expending ESEA federal funds, please take a moment to submit comments to Shelly Chasse-Johndro at shelly.chassejohndro@maine.gov. For additional information, visit the newsroom article.

FY26 Approved Non-Public School ESEA Enrollment Verification Survey

Approved, non-profit non-public schools must provide data in order for the Maine Department of Education (DOE) to determine equitable services percentages for Titles II, III and IV. There are two ways for this data to be provided: confirmation of NEO's October 1 student enrollment data or submit October 1, 2024 student counts. Both of these can be done by completing the ESEA Enrollment Verification Survey.

For public SAUs that have non-public schools within their geographic boundaries, please share this information with your non-public partners. Approved, non-profit non-public schools are strongly encouraged to provide this data as soon as possible, but by no later than April 1, 2025.

New Title IA Nonregulatory Guidance Released on Family Engagement

In January, the US Department of Education released Nonregulatory Guidance for Title I Family Engagement, which covers a wide range of topics. If you have any questions about what is written in the guidance, please reach out to Rita Pello at rita.pello@maine.gov.

FY25 Title I Summer Reallocated Application

For SAUs interested in pursuing the Title I Summer Reallocated grant opportunity, please apply by March 31. You can find the application under FY25 > Title I Summer Reallocated. The training was recorded and can be found on our Guidance webpage.

FY26 Title IIA Allocations Memorandum of Agreement

The Maine DOE recently entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the US Education Department (ED) about adjustments that will be made to Title IIA allocations over the next several fiscal years. Districts that were most adversely affected were contacted directly through Grants4ME. You can read more about the MOA and the changes it will cause to future allocations it in our recent Priority Notice.

FY25 Title IIA Use of Funds Survey

In the coming weeks, several SAUs will receive outreach from the American Institutes for Research (AIR) asking them to complete ED’s annual use of funds survey for FY25 Title IIA funds. Please complete this in a timely manner, as it helps provide a snapshot of what funds are being utilized for and inform policy at the federal level. If you represent an SAU that is part of an ESEA co-op, please note that the survey will be about individual member SAUs of the co-op. Anyone with questions about the survey should reach out to titletwo@air.org.

New Title IIA Nonregulatory Guidance Released

In January the US Department of Education released new Nonregulatory Guidance for Title IIA, which covers a wide range of topics. If you have any questions about what’s written in the guidance, please reach out to Title IIA Coordinator Ryan Reed at ryan.reed@maine.gov.

FY25 ESEA Federal Programs Monitoring: Winter Collection Window

The Winter Collection period began February 1 and the submission deadline was February 21, 2025. SAUs can expect results to appear on the “Monitoring Results – LEA Response” page by March 17.

To access training, resources, and guidance relevant to ESEA Monitoring, including the Winter collection period, please visit the ESEA Monitoring homepage.

Equitable Services Training

Please join us for comprehensive training concerning ESEA Equitable Services on Tuesday, March 4 at 10 AM. Please use this Zoom link to join. A recording will be available on the Guidance webpage of our website for those unable to attend.

ESSA Dashboard Webinar Series

The Maine Department of Education will be hosting a series of webinars regarding the ESSA Dashboard.

Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the Maine DOE publishes state, district, and school information every year known as the ESSA Dashboard. This dashboard is one of the Maine DOE’s most utilized dashboards both by internal DOE staff and the public and it is also utilized in Maine’s accountability system, the Maine Model of School Supports.

This webinar series will provide an overview of the ESSA Dashboard including ESSA requirements and purpose of the dashboard, data reporting sources, and how this data informs the Maine Model of School Supports.

The Federal Fiscal office hours will be offered quarterly, and the next office hours will be held on:

When: May 1, 2025
Time: 10:00 - 11:00am
Where: via zoom

Communication

Whether your SAU is emailing its Regional Program Manager or the ESEA Management Analyst regarding payment or challenges submitting invoices, please indicate in the email the Fiscal Year (FY), Title (I, II, III, IV, V), invoice service period so that we can assist you with ease. If your RSU or School is not identified in your email signature, make sure you identify the subrecipient (RSU or School).

Spending Down Funds

FY 2023 ESEA Funds are ending 9/30/24

All invoices submitted for reimbursement in Grants4Me need to be accompanied by a detailed expenditure report. This report should only be run for the service period that the invoice is billing for. In addition, an editable form will not be accepted for backup, such as an editable excel workbook or spreadsheet. Please save your file as a pdf and upload it in Grants4Me as backup documents.

First In First Out

Splitting Reimbursement Requests

ESEA allows expenses for the same service period to be split between grants when doing this please make sure the audit report, expense report, and/or trial balance clearly indicates which expense reimbursement is being requested. For example, if you are going to split your October invoice between FY24 ESEA funds and FY 25 ESEA funds then make sure your detailed trial balance is notated beside the FY 24 or FY 25 whichever is applicable. Also, remember when asking for reimbursement of salaries to also ask for the associated benefits. This holds true when splitting invoices between two grants.

February 2025

GENERAL & TITLE-SPECIFIC UPDATES

FY26 Title IIA Allocations Memorandum of Agreement

The Maine DOE recently entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the US Education Department about adjustments that will be made to Title IIA allocations over the next several fiscal years. Please be on the look out for a more detailed explanation in a Priority Notice that should be released in the coming weeks.

FY25 ESEA Federal Programs Monitoring: Winter Collection Window

The Winter Collection period began February 1. The submission deadline is February 21, 2025. To begin uploading submission, be sure to move to “Draft Started” and go to each required item’s page to upload documentation and provide narrative.

To access training, resources, and guidance relevant to ESEA Monitoring, including the Winter collection period, please visit the ESEA Monitoring Homepage

FY25 Comparability Reports

Section 1118(c) of Title I of ESEA requires that school administrative units (SAUs) with multiple attendance areas maintain comparability of local/state resources between the Title I schools and the non-Title I schools; or if all the schools at a grade span are Title I schools, comparability of local resources must be maintained among the Title I schools.

The ESEA Title I Comparability Report for FY25 has been automated and will be produced by the Maine Department of Education using the NEO certified October 1 enrollment and December 1 instructional staff counts in the data warehouse.

As the FY25 Comparability reports and data are reviewed and accepted by the ESEA Team, a copy of the report and backup documentation will be sent to the Superintendent of Schools and the ESEA Coordinator by the end of February. This documentation must be maintained by each district, as it is one of the required documents for the Single Audit Process.

If it is determined that comparability is not met, an ESEA Regional Program Manager will be contacting the ESEA Coordinator for additional information and data to finalize the determination and next steps.

FY25 Title I Summer Reallocated Application

Districts seeking Title IA Reallocated funding to facilitate summer programming will have an opportunity to apply for Title IA Summer Reallocated funds again this year. Jess Caron and Rita Pello will host a basic, informational session about the application on Wednesday, February 26 at 10 AM. You may join us by using this Zoom link. As a reminder, this grant application and funding is specifically intended for Title I students’ summer programming.

FY24 Performance Report Deadline was November 1

For SAUs that have received feedback from your Regional Program Manager, please use the “Consultant Checklist” page and click the “+” icon near the items to view feedback provided. Reminder: FY22 close-out is part of the approval process for the FY24 Performance Report.

Please watch our ESEA recorded training for completing the FY24 Performance Report.

FRIENDLY REMINDERS FOR PLANNING AND PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION

Equitable Services Training

Please join us for comprehensive training concerning ESEA Equitable Services on Tuesday, March 4 at 10 AM. Please use this Zoom link to join.

Applying for Title I Schoolwide Programming

Are you a Title I school with a targeted program? Are you interested in applying for schoolwide but are not sure how? The Schoolwide Program application process is rooted in the completion of the Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA) (the Schoolwide Plan) for the specific school(s) seeking schoolwide programming.

If a school is thinking about applying for Title I Schoolwide Authority, it was recommended that the school begin planning at least 6 to 9 months prior to the submission. Schoolwide Plans for the 2025-2026 school year are due by July 1, 2025.

Fiscal Monitoring

Monitoring for the FY 25 Fall collection has ended. If your SAU still have outstanding fiscal items (E-1 and E-4), please get these items uploaded as soon as possible.

E-1 – the requirement is to upload detailed expenditure reports for all ESEA titles and Tier III School Improvement (if applicable) for a service period 7/1/23-6/30/24.
E-4 – Time and effort documentation that was collected and maintained for all those paid in part or full with ESEA funds or Tier III School Improvement Funds.

Now is the time to start preparing for the Winter Monitoring Collection. This collection window is heavy with fiscal items.

Medium Level

E-2 – Written Travel Reimbursement Policy, please refer to 2 CFR 200.475 for specifics to be included in this policy.
E-7 – Written Procurement Standards (procedures), 2 CFR 200.318-327

High Level includes the medium level items

E-3 – Procurement Standards Staff Code of Conduct (Conflict of Interest) 2 CFR 200.318 Written Policy
E-6 – Equipment Management Written Procedures 2 CFR 200.439

TYPICAL TURNAROUND TIME

We strive for effective, efficient, transparent, and collaborative communication. Communication is Key outlines the best practices for optimal communication with the Office of Federal Programs. Giving your regional program manager an appropriate amount of time to respond before reaching out to another ESEA Team Member allows us to maintain these best practices. Thank you for your help with this.

We will continue to work to strengthen areas of support by utilizing the ones that are most effective and efficient, so we can continue to provide you with strong customer service collectively and individually.

January 2025

GENERAL & TITLE-SPECIFIC UPDATES

ESEA Federal Funding Update

The Maine Department of Education is expecting to see bills come through to dissolve the U.S. Department of Education, but we do not expect that they will receive the unilateral bipartisan support necessary to pass. The Maine DOE does anticipate a decrease in federal funding for Title related programming, but we do not know by how much. We will work to mitigate these reductions where applicable and as much as possible.

Given that the continuing resolution for the federal budget is set to expire in mid-March, it is unlikely we will have allocations before then. Currently, a Cabinet member nomination has been put forward, Linda McMahon; however, until the nomination is vetted and approved, we will not have details on any changes to amounts of funding, funding shifts within programs, and general changes in operations. This nomination will not be confirmed until approximately the end of February although some confirmations can take longer. We will be sure to continue to share any information we receive with the field as soon as we are able.

FY25 ESEA Federal Programs Monitoring: Winter Collection Window

As we wrap up the Fall collection window of ESEA Monitoring, keep in mind that the Winter Collection period begins February 1st. The Grants4Me instrument will open for item submission early January and the submission due date is February 21, 2025. To access training, resources, and guidance relevant to ESEA Monitoring, including the Winter collection period, please visit the ESEA Monitoring homepage.

FY24 Performance Report Deadline was 11/1

Please watch our ESEA recorded training for completing the FY24 Performance Report.

Title III Immigrant Children and Youth Subgrant

Each year, one Maine LEA is awarded the Title III Immigrant Children and Youth Subgrant. The purpose of the subgrant is to provide supplemental programs to enhance the education of immigrant students.

The subgrant is awarded to the LEA that has at least 10 multilingual learners and has experienced the greatest percentage increase (at least a 300% increase) in the enrollment of immigrant students, based on the average immigrant enrollment of the two prior years as compared to the current year. For the school year 2024-2025, the $25,000.60 subgrant was awarded to Biddeford School Department. If you have any questions related to Title III, please contact Daniel Weeks at daniel.r.weeks@maine.gov

Applying for Title I Schoolwide Programming

If a school is thinking about applying for Title I Schoolwide Authority, it was recommended that the school begin planning at least 6 to 9 months prior to the submission. Use this guidance document to understand the entirety of the process for creating a schoolwide plan. Please reach out to Rita Pello at rita.pello@maine.gov with any questions concerning the process.

Schoolwide Plans for the 25-26 school year are due by July 1.

Federal Fiscal Office Hours

The Federal Fiscal office hour will be offered quarterly, and the next office hour will be held on:

When: January 23, 2025
Time: 10:00 - 11:00am
Where: via zoom

Liquidation Period

The liquidation period for the following funds ends 12/30/24:

FY 22 ESEA Consolidated Funds
52 districts with >$100.00 available for a total of $250,235.86
FY 23 Tier III School Improvement Funds
61 schools with >$100.00 available for a total of $650,569.50

FY 24 Literacy Grant

Now is the time to get in your final invoices for expenses that were obligated by 9/30/24 for these grants. Please keep in mind that the turnaround time for payment of an approvable reimbursement request is approximately 30 days. Act now to avoid losing these funds.

FY24 Invoicing

Are you a business manager wondering why your FY24 invoice hasn’t been paid? Check your application for FY 24 funds and make sure the performance report has been completed and submitted for approval. FY24 invoices that have a service period beginning 10/1/24 and beyond will not be approved for payment until the FY24 Performance Report is approved.

Invoicing Reminders

Please make sure to upload the appropriate backup with the request for reimbursement. Expenses such as travel, professional development, and supplies need additional backup to include but not limited to:

Agendas
Class schedules for tuition reimbursement
Invoices
Receipts

The Maine DOE reserves the right to request additional backup at any time.

Accrued salaries from the 2023-2024 school year are not eligible for reimbursement using FY25 ESEA funds.

FY25 funds need to be invoiced monthly if your SAU receives an amount greater than $250,000.00. If you are struggling to get caught up on your FY25 invoicing due to this requirement, please contact Tyra Corson at tyra.corson@maine.gov. Let’s work together to make this a successful transition.

If you are not a receiver of greater than $250,000, then you must invoice for a service period of three months or less.

Fiscal Monitoring

Monitoring for the FY 25 Fall collection has ended. If your SAU still have outstanding fiscal items (E-1 and E-4), please get these items uploaded as soon as possible.

E-1 – the requirement is to upload detailed expenditure reports for all ESEA titles and Tier III School Improvement (if applicable) for a service period 7/1/23-6/30/24. E-4 – Time and effort documentation that was collected and maintained for all those paid in part or full with ESEA funds or Tier III School Improvement Funds.

Now is the time to start preparing for the Winter Monitoring Collection. This collection window is heavy with fiscal items.

December 2024

FY25 ESEA Federal Programs Monitoring: Winter Collection Window

As we wrap up the Fall collection window of ESEA Monitoring, keep in mind that the Winter Collection period begins February 1st. To access training, resources, and guidance relevant to ESEA Monitoring, including the Winter collection period, please visit our ESEA Monitoring Homepage.

FY24 Performance Report Deadline was 11/1

Please watch our ESEA recorded training for completing the FY24 Performance Report.

Title IA Carryover Rule: Waived for FY24

Maine received a waiver for the Title I, Part A 15% Carryover rule for FY24 funds. If an LEA takes a waiver for FY24, then they will not be eligible for another one for 3 years (FY27).

If an SAU has a Title IA allocation of less than $50,000, there is no carryover restriction.

If the SAU is eligible and wishes to apply for the waiver, please indicate so within the FY24 Performance Report under the page title “PERFORMANCE REPORT: Title I, Part A, Waiver.”

Title II and III Evidence of Professional Development

SAUs should ensure, as they are completing professional development paid for with ESEA funds, that they maintain evidence of the work that is done as a part of that professional development. For example, things like agendas, slideshows, handouts, attendance lists, etc. should all be saved and may be asked for during monitoring. As with any record keeping, these should be saved somewhere that is accessible by multiple people within your SAU, so that if you leave the historical record is not lost.

Title III Immigrant Children and Youth Subgrant

The subgrant is awarded to the LEA that has at least 10 multilingual learners and has experienced the greatest percentage increase (at least a 300% increase) in the enrollment of immigrant students, based on the average immigrant enrollment of the two prior years as compared to the current year. For the school year 2024-2025, the Department will notify the subgrant recipient of its award once October 1 student enrollment counts are finalized.

The LEA will then have the remainder of the grant period to expend these funds. The anticipated amount of the FY25 Immigrant Children and Youth Subgrant is $25,000.60. If you have any questions related to Title III, please contact Daniel Weeks at daniel.r.weeks@maine.gov

FRIENDLY REMINDERS FOR PLANNING AND PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION

Seeking Feedback on Professional Development Opportunities

Our October ESEA Office Hour saw an increase in attendance, and we believe it was due to the focused training on the FY24 Performance Report. Our team would like to start incorporating specific topics focused on professional learning quarterly into our office hours. If you have a topic that you would like more information about (ie. Schoolwide flexibility, stakeholder engagement, non-public consultation) please reach out to your Regional Program Manager (RPM).

FISCAL CORNER

Federal Fiscal Office Hours

The Federal Fiscal office hours will be offered quarterly, and the next office hours will be held on:

When: January 23, 2025 Time: 10:00 - 11:00am Where: via zoom

The Maine DOE reserves the right to request additional backup at any time.

Invoicing Reminders

Agendas Class schedules for tuition reimbursement Invoices Receipts

FY24 Invoicing

Liquidation Period

The liquidation period for the following funds ends 12/30/24:

FY 22 ESEA Consolidated Funds
- 52 districts with >$100.00 available for a total of $250,235.86
FY 23 Tier III School Improvement Funds
- 61 schools with >$100.00 available for a total of $650,569.50
FY 24 Literacy Grant

Invoicing Reminders

Agendas
Class schedules for tuition reimbursement
Invoices
Receipts

The Maine DOE reserves the right to request additional backup at any time.

October 2024

GENERAL & TITLE-SPECIFIC UPDATES

FY25 ESEA Federal Programs Monitoring is Due October 1

For districts identified as “Medium” or “High” risk status, please submit all required items by the deadline of Tuesday, October 1. For recorded trainings, fact sheets, and monitoring guidance, please see: ESEA Monitoring | Department of Education (maine.gov).

FY25 ESEA Substantial Approval Dates

The ESEA Team has been made aware of a bug in Grants4ME that is showing many SAUs the wrong substantial approval date in the invoicing system. Our developers are currently on a solution to this, and we will notify SAUs when it has been implemented. In the meantime, SAUs can find their substantial approval date in the History Log of their ESEA application.

Title I Equitable Service Data Collection Process is Changing

To qualify for FY26 ESEA equitable services for Title I non-public schools, student enrollment data will need to be submitted in NEO. To assist with this change, the ESEA and Data team hosted a webinar in September and are offering individualized technical support. To receive the links to those trainings, please reach out to rita.pello@maine.gov. For Synergy and NEO support, reach out to Alexandra.Cookson@maine.gov.

Reminder: Maintaining Title I Rank and Distribution

As SAUs close out FY22 and spend down FY23 and FY24, please be mindful of the Title IA Rank and Distribution that was approved as part of the original application. The rank order, by poverty and/or grade span, must continue to be followed. Additionally, if an application revision is made that involves allocating funds from one school project to another, the effect on rank and distribution has to be considered. SAUs that attempt to close out a grant without following rank and distribution will be forced to return funds. If this occurs after the grant closeout, they will not have an opportunity to resubmit for those funds.

Title I Summer Reallocated Performance Report is Due October 30

To complete the Title I Summer Reallocated Performance Report successfully by the deadline of October 30, please:

Complete all invoicing related to the grant Move the application to “Revision Started” status if it is not already Navigate to the “Title I Summer School Performance Report” page that is now available Fill out the required sections of the Performance Report

Program Details
Goal Outcomes
Expenditures

When finished with the Performance Report page, click “Save and Go to” the Sections page. To officially submit the PR, click “Revision Completed."

FRIENDLY REMINDERS FOR PLANNING AND PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION

Professional Development Opportunity

The Maine DOE is excited to bring The Bruman Group to Maine on October 22-23, 2024. The Bruman Group is a law firm that specializes in federal grants compliance on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Uniformed Grant Guidance (UGG), as well as the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), and the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA). This is an opportunity that should not be missed, and the best part is it’s FREE to attend. More information and registration will be coming soon.

You’re encouraged to learn more about this firm by visiting their website at https://bruman.com/.

Reimbursement Reminders

When requesting reimbursement please keep in mind:

All expenses need to be reasonable, necessary, and allocable to the program and align with the SAU’s approved application.
Invoices submitted for reimbursement should only include expenses that were incurred during the period of performance for the grant.
Subscriptions or license fees for digital access that exceed the period of performance for the grant will not be reimbursed.
Some things to consider when budgeting for professional development using grant funds:
Registration, attendance, and travel must all be incurred during the period of performance for the grant.
Reimbursement is only available after the completion of the professional development.

Two important dates to be mindful of when requesting reimbursement:

Substantial approval date and
Period of Performance for the grant

Grants4ME

Grant Award Notice (GAN) changes for FY 25, if you receive more than $250,000 in ESEA funds a change to the terms and conditions requires monthly invoicing. We are working on updates to the FY 23 GAN which will include amended dates for the period of performance and liquidation of expenditures. The Maine DOE received a Tydings Amendment Waiver which extends the Period of Performance through 9/30/25.

Grants Closing

The grants closing out are highlighted in yellow below. FY 22 ESEA Consolidated Funds and FY 23 Tier III School Improvement Funds period of availability has expired. Please invoice for expenses against these grants as soon as possible. If your school exited Tier III in FY 2024 then your FY 24 Tier III School Improvement funds have also expired. The liquidation period for these funds ends on 12/31/24.

Grant Period of Performance

FY 22 ESEA Consolidated Funds	Substantial Approval – 9/30/24
FY 23 ESEA Consolidated Funds	Substantial Approval – 9/30/25
FY 23 Tier III School Improvement Funds	9/1/22 – 9/30/24
FY 24 ESEA Consolidated	Substantial Approval – 9/30/25
FY 24 Tier III School Improvement	Substantial Approval – 9/30/24* or 9/30/2025^
2024-2025 21^st CCLC Grant Awards	7/1/24 – 6/30/25
FY 25 ESEA Consolidated	Substantial Approval – 9/30/26
FY 25 Tier III School Improvement	Substantial Approval – 9/30/25

*This date is for schools that exited Tier III in FY 2023-2024.

^Schools that are continuing in Tier III status have until 9/30/25 to obligate funds. This date may be shortened if schools exit Tier III status in Fall 2024.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING CALENDAR

Professional Learning offered through the Maine DOE is a fantastic resource for supporting leadership development for administrators and educators. The Department’s Professional Development Calendar is updated regularly with the latest professional development opportunities.

Maine.gov

October 2025

Virtual Office Hours: Tuesday, October 14 at 9 AM. Zoom Link is sent through Grants4ME.

GENERAL & TITLE-SPECIFIC UPDATES

New ESEA Coordinator Trainings Available

⏰Two Key Dates to Remember:

⚠️ Important Guidelines:

🚫 Please Note:

Grants4ME Substantial Approval Dates

Expiring Funds and Grants

Grant Period of Performance

New ESEA Coordinator Trainings Available

Title I Parent and Family Engagement Requirements

Expiring Funds and Grants

Grant Period of Performance

GENERAL & TITLE-SPECIFIC UPDATES

GENERAL & TITLE-SPECIFIC UPDATES

Maine DOE Offers Complimentary 2025 Annual Summit Tickets to Identified Schools

Registration is now open for the 2025 Maine Department of Education (DOE) Annual Summit, which will be held on August 5 and 6 at Thomas College. The two-day event includes breakfast, lunch, and access to nearly 100 sessions from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.

The Maine DOE is pleased to announce that registration fees will be waived for identified schools for up to $2,500 (the equivalent of 10 staff members) per school. This Priority Notice has more information.

GENERAL & TITLE-SPECIFIC UPDATES

ESEA Application Public Comment Period

Annual CNA Updates

Adding/Updating Users in Grants4ME

ESEA Application Public Comment Period

Annual CNA Updates

Annual CNA Updates

Title IA 15% Carryover Rule

GENERAL & TITLE-SPECIFIC UPDATES

TYPICAL TURNAROUND TIME

GENERAL & TITLE-SPECIFIC UPDATES

FRIENDLY REMINDERS FOR PLANNING AND PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION

GENERAL & TITLE-SPECIFIC UPDATES

Grants4ME

Grants Closing

Grant Period of Performance

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING CALENDAR