ESEA Monthly Newsletters

October

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
  • Professional Learning Opportunities
  • Contact Information

Virtual Office Hours: October 10 at 9 AM 

(Contact your regional program manager for the link.) 

GENERAL AND TITLE-SPECIFIC UPDATES

Welcome our new Continuous School Improvement Coordinator

We are excited to welcome Dr. Monique Sullivan as our new Continuous School Improvement Coordinator. Monique is an experienced educator with over 20 years in public education as both a classroom teacher and school administrator spanning grades Pk-12, including urban and rural settings. Prior roles at the Maine DOE include Title I Program Coordinator, ARP ESSER III Coordinator, and ESEA Regional Manager. 

FY23 Performance Report is Now Available

All FY23 ESEA Performance Report pages are now available in Grants4ME. To begin the Performance Report, the district must first change the status of the FY23 application to “Revision Started.”  

Once that status change occurs, several pages will populate with the application that are labeled “PERFORMANCE REPORT:__________.”  

Once all “PERFORMANCE REPORT” pages have been completed, the status of the application will need to be changed to “Revision Completed.” From there, it will follow the same review and signature workflow as the application before being received by MDOE for review. Once reviewed, notes on any necessary corrections will be made on the Consultant Checklist.  

FY23 Performance Reports are due November 1, 2023. Performance Reports cannot be certified by MDOE as accurate until all invoicing for the district has been completed for expenditures through 9/30/23. Invoicing for FY23 ESEA funds for service periods after 9/30/23 will not be approved until the Performance Report is completed and approved. 

There are a few minor changes to the FY23 Performance Reports we want to make folks aware of. First, you should notice the goals the district originally set in the FY23 application now auto-populate on the “PERFORMANCE REPORT: District Profile Goals” and “PERFORMANCE REPORT: School Profile Goals” pages.

Also, for any district with a non-public, please take note of the updated Non-Public Reconciliation page for this year.

Next, for districts that receive Title IVA there is now a page titled, “PERFORMANCE REPORT: Title IV, Part A Supplemental Data” that needs to be completed.

Lastly, districts will need to make a final revision to their FY21 ESEA applications, updating all of the project expenditures so the grant can be closed out. These project expenditures should align with invoiced totals.

Trainings for Performance Report: 

Fall Monitoring Window is Now Open for Submissions

The FALL Monitoring Instrument is now open and ready for the submission of the required monitoring items. All items need to be uploaded to the Monitoring Instrument in Grants4ME by Friday, October 13, 2023.

If your monitoring status is a MEDIUM level of support needed, the items under the "medium" status need to be uploaded. If your monitoring status is a HIGH level of support needed, the items under both the "medium" and "high" statuses need to be uploaded. 
There is a Monitoring Guidance document, fact sheets for each monitoring item, and other resources located on our web page:  ESEA Monitoring | Department of Education (maine.gov)

If you have any general questions or programmatic questions related to the monitoring requirements, please reach out to your regional program manager. If you have any fiscal-related questions, please reach out to our management analyst. 

Title I Summer Reallocated Application: Performance Report is Due 10/15
The Performance Report for the FY23 Title I Summer Reallocated Application is now OPEN.

To access the Performance Report, click “Revision Started” on the Sections Page. Then, the questions will appear on the page titled “Title I Summer School Performance Report”. To submit the report, please click “Revision Completed.” It will then go to the MDOE queue for review.

The deadline for Performance Report submission is October 15. Please complete invoicing prior to finalizing the Performance Report. If an extension is required, please reach out to Rita.Pello@maine.gov
 

Title IIA and Course Reimbursement

Title IIA funding may be used for course reimbursement that is designed to increase teacher and principal quality and is tied to the district or school’s area(s) of high needs. However, if an SAU has course reimbursement as a defined benefit in their teachers’ and/or principals’ contracts, they must first have exhausted all the SAU’s state & local funds allocated for this purpose to avoid supplanting.

Additionally, these funds are not reimbursed until after the course has been successfully completed. If the SAU has provisions in their policies or contracts that tie course reimbursement to their teacher’s and/or principal’s length of employment and need to exercise the provision reclaiming funds already reimbursed by the federal grant, the SAU must return the total amount reimbursed for the course(s) in question to MDOE.
 

FRIENDLY REMINDERS FOR PLANNING AND PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION

FISCAL CORNER

FY21 Funds

The period of performance for ESEA FY 21 funds ended on September 30, 2023. This was the last day that SAUs are allowed to obligate funds for that grant year. The expenditures must be allocable to the program and the SAU’s FY 21 application.

The liquidation period for all unpaid expenditures for FY 21 funds is October 1, 2023, through December 30, 2023.

This also holds true if you are the recipient of Tier III School Improvement Funds for FY22.

Please submit invoices as soon as possible to aid in closing out the grant.

Substantial Approval

The date of substantial approval for any given fiscal year is the date the ESEA application is submitted in substantially approvable form. Substantial approval is granted after a review of the application to confirm that basic requirements are met, and projects and budgets are reasonable and allowable for all applicable ESEA funding streams (all items are labeled for Substantial Approval and in the top half of the Consultant Checklist).

Please note, the date of Substantial Approval is not necessarily the first date an application is submitted, as applications are sometimes submitted that do not meet those requirements and therefore cannot be granted substantial approval. The status of the application can always be noted in the History Log, as well as in the email notifications sent automatically by Grants4ME. The ESEA team prioritizes applications that are working towards substantial approval, and we advise SAUs to do the same.

34 CFR 76.708 When certain subgrantees may begin to obligate funds

Obligations

With budget and planning season in full swing, the ESEA Team wants to remind SAUs of some important considerations when obligations are made. Obligations should not be made prior to the substantial approval date for ESEA Consolidated Application. If Pre-Award Costs have been approved, keep in mind this means the requested funds are available beginning on 7/1.

Caution:  If you have already signed a contract for services to be received for 2023-2024 school year, the contract is not eligible for reimbursement using FY 24 funds. Any contractual services should not be entered into until after the substantial approval date of your application.

The link below provides the regulations for obligations.

34 CFR 76.707 When obligations are made.

Travel Reimbursement

This is a reminder that travel expenses are not eligible for reimbursement until after the fact. These expenses include but are not limited to airfare, meals, lodging, mileage, registration fees, etc. If the SAU has a written travel reimbursement policy that is based on actual costs, then the receipts must be included with the reimbursement request.

The following is an example of receipts for meals that are not acceptable. Receipts for expenses must be itemized. Credit card machine authorization receipts are not itemized.

 

MTSS CORNER with Andrea Logan
MTSS Office Hours

MTSS office hours take place weekly on Tuesdays from 3:30-4:30 and is an open discussion format to bring educators together to discuss all things MTSS. While there is no agenda, participants will often bring a problem of practice that we have an opportunity to help them work through. I’ll also provide any upcoming PD opportunities to be looking out for, and more.  You can come for the whole hour or for just a few minutes. You can register here. Hope to see you there!

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING CALENDAR

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.

TYPICAL TURNAROUND TIME

We strive for effective, efficient, transparent, and collaborative communication. The following document outlines the best practices for optimal communication with the Department 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.

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.

Also, your feedback is encouraged and appreciated. Please contact the ESEA Federal Programs Director, Cheryl Lang, at cheryl.lang@maine.gov with feedback and suggestions.

September

GENERAL AND TITLE-SPECIFIC UPDATES

FY24 ESEA Federal Programs Monitoring Status

All monitoring statuses have been added to the FY24 Grant Award Notifications in Grants4ME. Please remember that monitoring statuses each year are derived from the Monitoring Status Guidance handout located at the following webpage: ESEA Monitoring | Department of Education (maine.gov)

There will be three collection and review timelines (Fall, Winter, Spring) for the MEDIUM and HIGH Monitoring Statuses. The fall monitoring collection and review is as follows:

  • Fall Submission Window:  9/29/23 - 10/13/23
  • Initial Submission Review: two weeks
  • Results & Corrective Actions Review – 30 days

Excess Carryover Waiver for FY23 Title I, Part A

The Maine Department of Education (MDOE) has received approval to grant a school administrative unit (SAU) a 15% excess carryover waiver for its FY2023 Title I, Part A funds, which will become carryover funds on October 1, 2023. Typically, a SAU can only carryover over 15% of Title I, Part A funds with a waiver, which can be granted once every three years as granted under section 1127(b) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).  Absent this waiver from the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE), a SAU who received a waiver in for FY21 or FY22 funds could not receive an additional waiver for FY23.

Please bear in mind that if a SAU receives a 15% Title I, Part A excess carryover waiver from the MDOE for FY23, the next time the SAU would be eligible to receive a 15% excess carryover waiver from the MDOE would be for its FY26 Title I, Part A funds (which would become carryover on October 1, 2026).

ESEA Tydings Amendment Waiver for FY22

Pursuant to the authority granted under section 8401(b) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the Maine Department of Education (DOE) has received approval for a Tydings Amendment Waiver from the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE).

Period of availability of funds in section 421(b) of the General Education Provisions Act extends the period of availability of FY 2022 funds for programs in which the State participates under its approved consolidated ESEA State plan until Sept. 30, 2024.

Title I Parent and Family Engagement Requirements

Parents Right to Know Letter

As part of Title I, Part A, districts and schools must implement important family engagement practices, including sending the “Parent’s Right to Know” within the first four weeks of school, which should be a letter containing the following information:

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

A sample Parent’s Right to Know can be found here. The letter can also be posted in the student handbook and/or on the district’s website.

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. Districts 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, how 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. Districts 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

A sample school-parent compact can be found here.

Title I Summer Reallocated Application Update

The Performance Report for the FY23 Title I Summer Reallocated Application is now OPEN.

To access the Performance Report, click “Revision Started” on the Sections Page. Then, the questions will appear on the page titled “Title I Summer School Performance Report”. To submit the report, please click “Revision Completed.” It will then go to the MDOE queue for review. The deadline for Performance Report submission is October 15.

Relevant districts should have already received a message through Grants4ME with further details on the completion of the Performance Report. An additional message will be sent out in a few weeks as reminder.

Nonpublic Consultation and Documentation

For a district to receive substantial approval prior to the non-public completing the consultation form, the following standards must be met:

  • Communication needs to have been attempted at least three times over a one-month period
  • The final communication needs to be a certified letter with a clear due date at least one week after the letter is delivered.
  • We expect prior communications to the letter to be through at least two different means (an email and a phone call, for example)
  • The district would need to send evidence/logs of these attempts to the regional program manager.

FRIENDLY REMINDERS FOR PROGRAMMING AND IMPLEMENTATION

FISCAL CORNER

FY21 Funds

The ESEA FY 21 funds are due to expire on September 30, 2023. This is the last day that SAUs are allowed to obligate funds for that grant year. The expenditures must be allocable to the program and the SAU’s FY 21 application.

The liquidation period for all unpaid expenditures for FY 21 funds is October 1, 2023, through December 30, 2023.

Please submit invoices as soon as possible to aid in closing out the grant.

Substantial Approval

The date of substantial approval for any given fiscal year is the date the ESEA application is submitted in substantially approvable form. Substantial approval is granted after a review of the application to confirm that basic requirements are met, and projects and budgets are reasonable and allowable for all applicable ESEA funding streams (all items are labeled for Substantial Approval and in the top half of the Consultant Checklist).

Please note, the date of Substantial Approval is not necessarily the first date an application is submitted, as applications are sometimes submitted that do not meet those requirements and therefore cannot be granted substantial approval. The status of the application can always be noted in the History Log, as well as in the email notifications sent automatically by Grants4ME. The ESEA team prioritizes applications that are working towards substantial approval, and we advise SAUs to do the same.

34 CFR 76.708 When certain subgrantees may begin to obligate funds

Obligations

With budget and planning season in full swing, the ESEA Team wants to remind SAUs of some important considerations when obligations are made. Obligations should not be made prior to the substantial approval date for ESEA Consolidated Application. If Pre-Award Costs have been approved, keep in mind this means the requested funds are available beginning on 7/1.

Caution:  If you have already signed a contract for services to be received for 2023-2024 school year, the contract is not eligible for reimbursement using FY 24 funds. Any contractual services should not be entered into until after the substantial approval date of your application.

The link below provides the regulations for obligations.

34 CFR 76.707 When obligations are made.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING CALENDAR

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.

August

GENERAL & TITLE-SPECIFIC UPDATES

Carryover Percentage Waiver for FY23 Title I 
The state of Maine received approval to waive the 15% limit for Title I Carryover for FY23. Please keep in mind there is no guarantee that we will receive this waiver again, so this could affect the district’s ability to use the waiver within the next three years.

ESEA Tydings Amendment Waiver for FY22 

Pursuant to the authority granted under section 8401(b) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the Maine Department of Education (DOE) has received approval for a Tydings Amendment Waiver from the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE).

Period of availability of funds in section 421(b) of the General Education Provisions Act extends the period of availability of FY 2022 funds for programs in which the State participates under its approved consolidated ESEA State plan until Sept. 30, 2024.

FY24 ESEA Federal Programs Monitoring Status

All monitoring statuses are being added to the FY24 Grant Award Notifications within the next week. We will send out an eblast notification when it has been done. Please remember that monitoring statuses each year are derived from the Monitoring Levels Guidance handout located at the following webpage: ESEA Monitoring | Department of Education (maine.gov) 

FY24 ESEA Consolidated Application
Application Training Videos from last year are available as a refresher. A recorded training detailing FY24 funds is also up online.

For Co-ops Only -- Reminder: the district that is the Fiscal Agent needs to complete the FY24 ESEA Consolidated Application.

New Coordinator Training Videos
New coordinator training videos are on the ESEA State Resources page and could be a good refresher for new and seasoned coordinators alike.

ESEA Application Workflow in Grants4ME
As districts begin working on FY24 applications, a reminder to everyone is that an application is not considered submitted until it has been given the status of “LEA Authorized Representative Approved”, which means the following:

  • The ESEA Coordinator has changed the status to “Draft Completed”.
  • School project budget pages have been certified by the school principals.
  • The application has been reviewed and the status changed to “LEA Fiscal Representative Approved” by the business manager.
  • The application has been reviewed and the status changed to “LEA Authorized Representative Approved” by the Superintendent.

While we do work to provide reminders to SAUs when applications appear “stuck” somewhere in that workflow, we advise ESEA coordinators to do the same to ensure applications have successfully made it through the submission workflow in a timely manner and feedback can be provided.


Adding, Removing, and Changing User Access in Grants4ME

As a reminder, barring extraordinary circumstances, the district 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”.

It is the responsibility of the superintendent 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.

Help for Current Page

New help resources are available in Grants4ME!

 

Nonpublic Consultation and Documentation

For a district to receive substantial approval prior to the non-public completing the consultation form, the following standards must be met: 

  • Communication needs to have been attempted at least three times over a one-month period. 
  • The final communication needs to be a certified letter with a clear due date at least one week after the letter is delivered. 
  • Communications prior to the letter need to be through two different means (an email and a phone call, for example).
  • The district needs to send evidence/logs of these attempts to the regional program manager.


FRIENDLY REMINDERS FOR PLANNING AND PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION

FISCAL CORNER

FY21 Funds

The ESEA FY 21 funds are due to expire on September 30, 2023. This is the last day that SAUs are allowed to obligate funds for that grant year. The expenditures must be allocable to the program and the SAU’s FY 21 application.

The liquidation period for all unpaid expenditures for FY 21 funds is October 1, 2023, through December 31, 2023.

Please submit invoices as soon as possible to aid in closing out the grant.

Substantial Approval

The date of substantial approval for any given fiscal year is the date the ESEA application is submitted in substantially approvable form. Substantial approval is granted after a review of the application to confirm that basic requirements are met, and projects and budgets are reasonable and allowable for all applicable ESEA funding streams (all of these items are labeled for Substantial Approval and in the top half of the Consultant Checklist).

Please note, the date of Substantial Approval is not necessarily the first date an application is submitted, as applications are sometimes submitted that do not meet those requirements and therefore cannot be granted substantial approval. The status of the application can always be noted in the History Log, as well as in the email notifications sent automatically by Grants4ME. The ESEA team prioritizes applications that are working towards substantial approval, and we advise SAUs to do the same.

34 CFR 76.708 When certain subgrantees may begin to obligate funds

Obligations

With budget and planning season in full swing, the ESEA Team wants to remind SAUs of some important considerations when obligations are made. Obligations should not be made prior to the substantial approval date for ESEA Consolidated Application. If Pre-Award Costs have been approved, keep in mind this means the requested funds are available beginning on 7/1.

Caution, if you have already signed a contract for services to be received for 2023-2024 school year; the contract is not eligible for reimbursement using FY 24 funds. Any contractual services should not be entered into until after the substantial approval date of your application.

The link below provides the regulations for obligations.

34 CFR 76.707 When obligations are made.

 

Travel

Reimbursement for travel expenses is after the fact. Most SAUs register and book travel in advance for professional development conferences, but reimbursement cannot happen until after the conference has taken place and travel has been completed.

Possible funding streams that you may have available to pay for travel that has been booked for the summer of 2023 are:

  • FY 22 ESEA Consolidated
  • FY 23 ESEA Consolidated
  • FY 22 School Improvement
  • FY 23 School Improvement

Pre-Award Cost Requirements

If a district is looking to request pre-award costs for FY24, which would allow them to obligate FY24 funds as of 7/1/23, they need to complete the “Pre-Award Cost Request” page under the “Allocations” section in their ESEA application. SAUs must be specific with how much funding they are requesting pre-award access to, as well as provide a brief description of those funds. For pre-award cost requests to be approved, like all ESEA funds, they must be reasonable, necessary, and allocable. Additionally, the ESEA application must be initially submitted by the August 1st due date.

July

Monitoring Update
We will be sending out FINAL notifications to all SAUs that were required to submit monitoring documentation during the Spring Submission window. The notifications will either be a successful closeout of the process, reminder of required submissions still pending from approved action plan, or next steps to secure appropriate close out. We are currently conducting a new Monitoring Selection Review for FY24, and the results will be documented on each SAUs FY24 Grant Award Notification (GAN).

Tydings Amendment Waiver
Pursuant to the authority granted under section 8401(b) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the Maine Department of Education (DOE) has submitted an application for a Tydings Amendment Waiver to the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE). We will send out a notification when we receive a determination.

ESEA Application Workflow in Grants4ME
As districts begin working on FY24 applications, we wanted to remind everyone that an application is not considered submitted until it has been given the status of “LEA Authorized Representative Approved.” This means that:

  • The ESEA Coordinator has changed the status to “Draft Completed”.
  • School project budget pages have been certified by the school principals.
  • The application has been reviewed and the status changed to “LEA Fiscal Representative Approved” by the business manager.
  • The application has been reviewed and the status changed to “LEA Authorized Representative Approved” by the Superintendent.

While we do work to provide reminders to SAUs when applications appear “stuck” somewhere in that workflow, we advise ESEA coordinators to do the same to ensure applications have successfully made it through the submission workflow in a timely manner and feedback can be provided.

Adding, Removing, and Changing User Access in Grants4ME
As a reminder, barring extraordinary circumstances, the district 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”.

It is the responsibility of the superintendent 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.

SAUs with Title III and/or Title IV Allocations

Within the ESEA Consolidated Application located in Grants4ME, SAUs are reminded to visit the Allocations page under the Allocations section and allocate any Title III and/or Title IV funds the SAU has into the appropriate sub-categories for those programs.




(Note: Title IV funds may also be transferred to other ESEA programs)
Once the SAU’s Title III and/or Title IV funds, as applicable, have been moved into the appropriate sub-categories, the sub-category funding will then show up on the Create School and District Projects page and allow the SAU to allocate said funds to various projects.

 


A short training video about the Allocations page is also available on the MDOE’s YouTube page, which can be accessed here.

New Coordinator Training Videos

New coordinator training videos are on the ESEA State Resources page and could be a good refresher for new and seasoned coordinators alike.


Rank & Distribution Training
The Title I team delivered a training on the Rank & Distribution portion of the FY24 ESEA Application on Thursday, June 29 at 11:00AM. The recording and PDF version of the slide deck is posted on our resources page.

Title I Equitable Services Update on Preliminary Allocations
In the preliminary FY24 Title I equitable services allocations, the figures were abnormally low. After deeper investigation, a formula error was found and subsequently amended.  We will be releasing updated figures with final allocations. Please note that there will be substantial increases for final FY24 Title I equitable services allocations.

Title I, Part C Migrant Education, McKinney Vento, and ESOL Programs Collaboration

ESOL Programs staff, McKinney Vento liaisons, and Migrant Education Program staff frequently collaborate to support students that qualify for their programs. Oftentimes, Multilingual Learners, Migratory children, and Students Experiencing Homelessness qualify for one, two, or all three of these programs. Therefore, in order to best identify and serve all children who may qualify for these services, the Maine Department of Education recommends these screener forms to be included as part of enrollment packets for every student, every year:

The Maine Department of Education appreciates all the great work schools are doing to support these students. Please follow each program's policies and guidelines for the implementation of these forms and contact each program's corresponding administration for follow up and questions.

Rebecca Carey
ESOL Consultant
rebecca.carey@maine.gov

Robin Fleck
ESOL Consultant
robin.fleck@maine.gov

Jodi Bossio-Smith
Coordinator of Alternate & WIDA Assessments

(207)530-1462
jodi.bossio-smith@maine.gov

Contact

Matthew Flaherty, State Director
Migrant Education Program
207-530-1807
Matthew.Flaherty@maine.gov

Amelia Lyons Rukema
McKinney-Vento Education Specialist
Office of School & Student Supports
Phone: 207-557-1787
Email: Amelia.Lyons@maine.gov
 

Maine’s Model of School Support
The addendum to Maine’s Model of School Support was recently approved by the USDOE. Based on the approved addendum, the Maine DOE identified schools in need of additional support based on 2021-2022 achievement data for the 2022-2023 school year.  On Tuesday, May 23, 2023, those districts with identified schools were notified through a message in Grants4ME that Tier I, Tier II, or Tier III identification letters and Data Dashboard PDFs were uploaded to the District’s SAU Document Library.   

On May 29, May 30, and June 1, we held informational Zoom meetings for school leaders with Tier II and Tier III identified schools.  The meetings were recorded, and the recordings and FAQs were sent to the districts through a message in Grants4ME.  Additionally, informational meetings to discuss the 2023-2024 school year will take place in August. We look forward to providing additional support to Tier I, Tier II, and Tier III schools in their continuous school improvement work.  If you have any questions regarding your school’s recent identification, please reach out to Cheryl Lang, ESEA Federal Programs Director, at Cheryl.Lang@maine.gov and Renee Reilly, Continuous School Improvement Coordinator, at Renee.A.Reilly@maine.gov.

FRIENDLY REMINDERS FOR PLANNING AND PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION

FISCAL CORNER

FY21 Funds

The ESEA FY21 funds are due to expire on September 30, 2023. This is the last day that SAUs are allowed to obligate funds for that grant year. The expenditures must be allocable to the program and the SAU’s FY21 application.

The liquidation period for all unpaid expenditures for FY21 funds is October 1, 2023, through December 31, 2023.

The ESEA team is sending out emails to SAUs that have FY21 funds available for unpaid expenditures. Please submit invoices as soon as possible to aid in closing out the grant.

Substantial Approval

The date of substantial approval for any given fiscal year is the date the ESEA application is submitted in substantially approvable form. Substantial approval is granted after a review of the application to confirm that basic requirements are met, and projects and budgets are reasonable and allowable for all applicable ESEA funding streams (all of these items are labeled for Substantial Approval and in the top half of the Consultant Checklist).

Please note, the date of Substantial Approval is not necessarily the first date an application is submitted, as applications are sometimes submitted that do not meet those requirements and therefore cannot be granted substantial approval. The status of the application can always be noted in the History Log, as well as in the email notifications sent automatically by Grants4ME. The ESEA team prioritizes applications that are working towards substantial approval, and we advise SAUs to do the same.

34 CFR 76.708 When certain subgrantees may begin to obligate funds

Obligations

With budget and planning season in full swing, the ESEA Team wants to remind SAUs of some important considerations when obligations are made. Obligations should not be made prior to the substantial approval date for ESEA Consolidated Application. If Pre-Award Costs have been approved, keep in mind this means the requested funds are available beginning on 7/1.

The link below provides the regulations for obligations.

34 CFR 76.707 When obligations are made.

Travel

Reimbursement for travel expenses is after the fact. Most SAUs register and book travel in advance for professional development conferences, but reimbursement cannot happen until after the conference has taken place and travel has been completed.

Possible funding streams that you may have available to pay for travel that has been booked for the summer of 2023 are:

  • FY 22 ESEA Consolidated
  • FY 23 ESEA Consolidated
  • FY 22 School Improvement
  • FY 23 School Improvement

Pre-Award Cost Requirements

If a district is looking to request pre-award costs for FY24, which would allow them to obligate FY24 funds as of 7/1/23, they need to complete the “Pre-Award Cost Request” page under the “Allocations” section in their ESEA application. SAUs must be specific with how much funding they are requesting pre-award access to, as well as provide a brief description of those funds. For pre-award cost requests to be approved, like all ESEA funds, they must be reasonable, necessary, and allocable. Additionally, the ESEA application must be initially submitted by the August 1st due date.

June

GENERAL & TITLE-SPECIFIC UPDATES

Monitoring Update

We will conducting a new Monitoring Selection Review for FY24, and the results will be documented on each SAUs FY24 Grant Award Notification (GAN).

Tydings Amendment Waiver

Pursuant to the authority granted under section 8401(b) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the Maine Department of Education (DOE) intends to submit an application for a waiver to the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE).  As required, the Maine DOE is currently seeking public comment (June 7th – June 21st) on the request to waive the period of availability for Elementary & Secondary Education Act funds and Title I, Part A carryover limitations.

Rank & Distribution Training

The Title I team will be delivering a training on the Rank & Distribution portion of the FY24 ESEA Application on Thursday, June 29 at 11:00AM.  Please mark your calendars and stay tuned for the invitation and zoom link through a Grants4ME notification in your email inbox.

Title IA Equitable Shares Update

The ESEA team is happy to announce that updated Title IA preliminary estimates are available for non-public equitable shares for the FY24 application.  These amounts have been posted to our website here.

At this time, ESEA Coordinators should be reaching out to their partners at any non-public schools within the SAU’s geographic boundaries to begin the consultation process. The form to document this process has been updated for FY24. It will live in the application and is on our resources page.

Equitable service percentages for Titles IIA, IIIA, and IVA apply to the total amount of funding allocated in each Title after any transfers between Titles have occurred. This means that if the district plans to transfer funds between Titles, that must be agreed upon during the consultation process with its non-public school(s).

The consultation process must also include a discussion of the needs of the students in the non-public school(s), plans for how funds can be spent to meet those needs, and SMART goals to help measure the extent to which those needs will be met. Keep in mind that the public SAU must always retain fiscal control of all ESEA funding, and federal ESEA funds may never be paid directly to a non-public school. All of the SAU’s policies and procedures must be followed, just as they would be if the funds were being spent at the SAU’s public schools, including requirements around supplies, inventories, staff travel, etc.

Schoolwide Application

For districts applying to move their Title I programs from Targeted to Schoolwide, the application should be sent to Rita.Pello@maine.gov and is due by Friday, June 30th.

The Schoolwide Program application process is rooted in the completion of the Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA) done for your specific school. The CNA document facilitates a written process for identifying and addressing needs through data analysis, which is required by Maine law and ESEA statute.

If your school is below the 40% minimum of poverty in your school student population, you will also need to submit an additional waiver.

The Schoolwide Program application/CNA, example, rubric, and related resources can be found on our website. There are also several Title I Schoolwide webinars available on the ESEA website resources page.

Title I, Part C Migrant Education, McKinney Vento, and ESOL Programs Collaboration

ESOL Programs staff, McKinney Vento liaisons, and Migrant Education Program staff frequently collaborate to support students that qualify for their programs. Oftentimes, Multilingual Learners, Migratory children, and Students Experiencing Homelessness qualify for one, two, or all three of these programs. Therefore, in order to best identify and serve all children who may qualify for these services, the Maine Department of Education recommends these screener forms to be included as part of enrollment packets for every student, every year:

The Maine Department of Education appreciates all of the great work schools are doing to support these students. Please follow each program's policies and guidelines for the implementation of these forms and contact each program's corresponding administration for follow up and questions.

Rebecca Carey
ESOL Consultant
rebecca.carey@maine.gov

Robin Fleck
ESOL Consultant
robin.fleck@maine.gov

Jodi Bossio-Smith
Coordinator of Alternate & WIDA Assessments

(207)530-1462
jodi.bossio-smith@maine.gov

Contact

Matthew Flaherty, State Director
Migrant Education Program
207-530-1807
Matthew.Flaherty@maine.gov

Amelia Lyons Rukema
McKinney-Vento Education Specialist
Office of School & Student Supports
Phone: 207-557-1787
Email: Amelia.Lyons@maine.gov

Title IIA & Curriculum Development

As SAUs begin work to prepare for the FY24 ESEA application, we wanted to review one common unallowable use of Title IIA funds that we frequently see. Shortly after the passage of ESSA, SAUs were told Title IIA funds could now be used for curriculum development. Since that time though, the US Department of Education has further clarified that Title IIA can only be used for professional development about curriculum, and not for the work of developing curriculum itself. Purchasing whole-class sets of curricular materials for student use is also unallowable, though buying one set specifically for professional development purposes is allowable. Funds for leadership committees and professional learning communities remains allowable.

Maine’s Model of School Support

The addendum to Maine’s Model of School Support was recently approved by the USDOE. Based on the approved addendum, the Maine DOE identified schools in need of additional support based on 2021-2022 achievement data for the 2022-2023 school year.  On Tuesday, May 23, 2023, those districts with were notified through a message in Grants4ME that Tier I, Tier II, or Tier III identification letters and Data Dashboard PDFs were uploaded to the District’s SAU Document Library (see directions below).   

On May 29, May 30, and June 1, we held informational Zoom meetings for school leaders with Tier II and Tier III identified schools.  The meetings were recorded, and once they are finalized, the recordings and FAQs will be sent out to the districts and schools.  Additionally, informational meetings to discuss the 2023-2024 school year will take place in August. We look forward to providing additional support to Tier I, Tier II, and Tier III schools in their continuous school improvement work.  If you have any questions regarding your school’s recent identification, please reach out to Cheryl Lang, ESEA Federal Programs Director, at Cheryl.Lang@maine.gov and Renee Reilly, Continuous School Improvement Coordinator, at Renee.A.Reilly@maine.gov.

Accessing the District SAU Document Library

1. Log into Grants4ME and select your organization.

2. Select “SAU Document Library” from the left-hand navigation.