ESEA Monthly Update- April Update

Maine DOE Monthly Update For ESEA Coordinators 

 Commissioner's Notes

Greetings District and Curriculum Leaders! I have been honored to meet with and hear from so many of you, and look forward to the opportunity to continue our dialogues and partnership on behalf of our students and school communities.  I am humbled by the hospitality I have been shown, and the dedication I have witnessed while traveling across the state, and I am committed to maintaining a perpetual listening tour schedule to better serve you.  

As a part of the DOE commitment for serving educator needs, we will be sending out quarterly requests for your feedback. We would like to identify our areas of strength, and determine ways in which we can improve our practice and efforts. Details and further information will be forthcoming.

Superintendents, please save the date for our 108th Commissioner’s Conference for Superintendents, scheduled June 24 and 25. The exact Coastal Maine location and detailed information is being finalized and will be shared asap. We look forward to this exciting opportunity to connect and learn from one another.

Program

 
Preliminary ESEA Allocations

Thank you for completing the FY17-18 ESEA Federal Funds End of Year Carryover Reports and for requesting reimbursement on regular three-month increments. The ESEA team has completed preliminary allocations for FY19-20 for Title I, Title III, Title IV, and Title V.  Preliminary allocations are posted here. Thank you for patience as we continue to work through the Title II preliminary allocations. The preliminary allocations will be available within two weeks.

When compared to other states, Maine is doing well and our prosperity is reflected in a slight reduction of Title IA funds for FY19-20. Maine’s FY19-20 Preliminary Title IA allocation ($53,219,538) is roughly $2 million less than last year’s allocation ($55,038,663). Because of this reduction, many school districts may receive fewer Title IA funds for next school year.

 

Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA) Requirements

Thank you for the tremendous efforts put forth to complete a district level CNA during the 2017-18 school year. The intent behind this process was to streamline state and federal requirements into one succinct document to support districts in making data driven decisions. Since July 2018, the Department has completed reviews of all submitted district plans. The process of reviewing district CNAs provided the Maine DOE with meaningful information that allowed teams from across the Department to have a deeper understanding of the positive impact that classroom, school, and district educators are having on Maine students. It has also helped in the planning of professional learning opportunities for educators state-wide.

The Department has issued a follow-up about Comprehensive Needs Assessments (CNAs) which includes guidance for 2019-20.  Learn more here. Also, please note that feedback on 2017-18 District CNA will be available to superintendents through their Maine DOE Regional Representative as part of this month’s Superintendent Regional meeting.

For more information regarding CNA requirements, please contact Chelsey Fortin-Trimble at chelsey.a.fortin@maine.gov.

Title I Summer School Reallocation

The Maine Department of Education’s Title IA team is announcing the availability of approximately $7000,000 of FY18 Title IA Disadvantaged and Program Improvement funds for Title IA reallocation purposes. The application will be released on Monday, March 11, 2019. The Reallocated Form for FY18 funds—including how the funds will be used to improve the performance of the Title IA identified students along with a detailed budget must be postmarked by April 12, 2019 at 5:00 p.m.

For more information regarding Title IA summer school reallocation, please contact Jackie Godbout at jackie.godbout@maine.gov or Monique Sullivan at monique.sullivan@maine.gov.

 
ESEA Coordinators’ Annual Training

The ESEA team is looking forward to hosting the annual ESEA trainings for ESEA Coordinators throughout the state during the month of May. Please save the date for the session being hosted in your region!

May 15, 2019: University of Maine - Presque Isle

May 16, 2019: Jeff’s Catering - Brewer

May 17, 2019: Senator Inn - Augusta

May 20, 2019: Elks Lodge - Portland

 

There will be two sessions for “NEW” ESEA Coordinators held in July.

July 9, 2019:  Jeff’s Catering - Brewer

July 10, 2019:  Senator Inn – Augusta

 

The May ESEA training registration link is available here.

 
ESEA Dashboard and Implementation of the Federal Accountability Model Under ESSA

As a reminder, the Commissioner issued a statement about the ESEA Dashboard and Implementation of the Federal Accountability Model Under ESSA – Read more

 Fiscal

NEW! ESEA Spending Handbook

The ESEA team has released a spending handbook that provides general guidance on how local educational agencies (LEAs) may spend funds under Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

 

This spending guidance addresses the following four formula programs:

• Title I, Part A (Improving Basic Programs),

• Title II, Part A (Supporting Effective Instruction),

• Title III, Part A (English Language Acquisition), and

• Title IV, Part A (Student Support and Academic Enrichment).

 

It is important to note that this handbook only provides an overview of each of these programs’ spending rules and options; it does not discuss the many other compliance requirements that apply to each of these programs. The ESEA Spending Handbook is available here.

17-18 Performance Report

The Extension Carryover Report and Final Summary of Expenditure pages in the 17-18 Performance Report are ready to be completed and submitted if FY18 funds are fully expended or by June 30, 2019, whichever is later. Reminder that all expenses paid with FY18 funds must be paid out by June 30, 2019

 

 All DOE 

 
Legislative Update
  • With the flurry of legislation that has been introduced, the Department of Education is working feverishly to fully review each of the 227 bills in their entirety. The process includes our content specialists and other program representatives, who rapidly work on gathering as much information as they can to inform our positions. Our staff is tasked with examining the language and vetting proposals through our Values-Based Decision Model to ensure that our priority questions (Is it good for students?  Does it honor the expertise in the Field? Will engagement with this product or initiative represent responsible stewardship?) can be answered in the affirmative. They must also confirm alignment with the positions taken by the Governor’ office, and then provide testimony or informational letters. Given the pace at which the bills evolve, it is difficult to provide concrete positions in a timely way to the field, as they too may evolve in response to language changes.

 

Assessments
  • The Maine Department of Education has created a visual tool to help schools and districts when communicating with families and communities about the Maine Educational Assessments (MEAs).  - Read more and access the graphic.

 

Awards and Honors
  • The Maine Curriculum Leaders’ Association is seeking Nominations for the 2019 Maine Curriculum Leader of the Year - Read more
  • The Maine Association of School Nurses (MASN) is Seeking Nominations for School Nurse of the Year 2019 - Read more
  • The Brassil award recognizes exceptional English language arts and literacy teachers who have demonstrated excellence in teaching, contributed to the profession, and shown a commitment to the community. MCELA is currently accepting nominations for the 2020 Brassil Award. Go to the MCELA Brassil Award page for further details and to nominate a great teacher before June 30, 2019!

 

Data & Reporting
  • Graduation Reporting Phase One - Based on feedback from our school and district colleagues who have been responsible for the graduation reporting process in the past, we have divided the tasks into what we hope are more timely and manageable steps - Read more
  • The recovery of Q219 MaineCare Seed will occur in the April 2019 subsidy payment and the Maine DOE is asking districts to please review their reports by April 12, 2019 to ensure accurate adjustments to subsidy. SAU staff must review student by student claims on both the public and private MaineCare reports for Q219 by April 12, 2019 - Read more
  • Reminder: Regional School Calendars are due May 3, 2019 - Read more
  • Attendance Counting report for reconciling information is now open April 1 through April 15. -Read more
  • The quarter 3 review of data that includes truancy, behavior, attendance and bullying is also open for review and reconciling.- Read more

 

Facilities, Safety, and Transportation

 

Funding & Operations
  • Public Pre-k Funding for 2019-20 -With the exciting potential to expand pre-k funding being discussed in the legislature as part of the biennial budget, there has been some confusion for schools as to what funding will be available, and to whom, for the 2019-2020 school year. 

In order to receive EPS subsidy for new or expanded public pre-k programs in the 2019-20 school year, school districts must have completed the Public Pre-k Funding Survey by 10/31/18.  Schools who are interested in developing or expanding a pre-k program for the 2020-2021 school year should anticipate completing a funding survey in by 10/31/19.

FMI:  Sue Reed, Early Childhood Specialist, susan.d.reed@maine.gov 624-6632

 

School Health
  • Maine CDC is Seeking Additional Maine Schools for Social Emotional Learning Pilot Program. Schools who were not a part of the original cohort are encouraged to apply. - Read more

 

Special Education
  • As a reminder, the Maine DOE released an Administrative letter regarding Clarification on Requirement to Ensure Parents’ Meaningful Access to IEP Information – Access the letter

 

English Learner Resources & Guidance
  • Through the concerted efforts and dedication of our English Learner Advisory Council, and with feedback from our colleagues in the field, the Department of Education has refined our statewide Language Use Survey. We believe these minor changes have created a more quality document that will aid in ensuring valid identification. -  Read more
  • Guidance Regarding Automated Translation/Interpretation Services. – Read more

 

Professional Development 
  • August 6th thru August 15th, the Maine Department of Education Data Team will be hosting regional data entry trainings. This annual training is geared toward district and school level staff who are tasked with reporting student/staff data to the Maine DOE. - Get more info and register