ESEA Monthly News Letter

October 5, 2021 

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 from the ESEA Federal Programs Team 

  • Fun Data Fact(s)  

  • Friendly Reminders for Planning and Program Implementation 

  • Professional Learning Opportunities 

  • Contact Information 

Virtual Office Hours 

Tuesday, October 12th at 9 a.m. 

Open Office Hours on Tuesday, October 26th at 9 a.m. 

(Contact Cheryl.Lang@maine.gov or your regional program coordinator for the links.) 

General & Title Specific Updates from the ESEA Federal Programs Team 

Title IA Reallocated Funds 

This is a reminder to have the business office invoice for expenses associated with the Title IA Reallocated 2021 Summer Program grant and for the ESEA Coordinators to complete the closeout report.  Those school administrative units with outstanding invoicing and/or closeout report received an email from Jackie Godbout on October 5, 2021.  Please take some time to complete this report and return it prior to noon time on October 29, 2021 to Jackie.godbout@maine.gov.  If after October 29, 2021, you will need to forward it to Jessica Caron at Jessica.s.caron@maine.gov as Jackie will be retiring and her email will no longer be valid.  It would great if the closeout of this collection could be completed prior to Jackie’s departure.  Please let Jackie or Jess know if you need further guidance. 

Fun Data Fact(s) 

Seventy-nine percent (79%) of ESEA Consolidated Applications have substantial approval, and forty-three percent (43%) of ESEA Consolidated Applications have final approval. 
 


User Access & Submission

For users who need instructions on how to re-assign roles or finish the initial submission process of the ESEA Consolidated Application, please review the Grants4ME Access Guide and Submission Workflow on the ESEA Team’s Grants4ME webpage:  https://www.maine.gov/doe/learning/esea/grants4me. 
 

Parent & Family Engagement 

Title I Parent & Family Engagement Notices/Activities for beginning of school year   

  • Parents right to request the professional qualifications of their child’s teacher notice and what would need to be included in the district response is outlined in our October 2020 newsletter.  Many districts provide this notice in their Student Handbook. 

  • Parents right to request information on state or local assessment policies and procedures including any Opt Out provision notice is also outlined in the October 2020 newsletter.  The notice could be a brief statement in the Student Handbook, and the district would need to be prepared to provide parents with the necessary information.  A district could also provide parents with a letter which could include details and links to the specific information regarding policies and procedures located on the district’s website. 

  • Title I Annual Meeting must be conducted at the beginning of the school year.  The September 2020 newsletter outlines what must be conducted as part of the annual meeting.  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. 

  • 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. Please see the November 2020 newsletter for school-parent compact requirements. 

  • For each child being taught by a staff person for 4 or more consecutive weeks who is not meeting applicable State certification or licensure requirements for the grade level and subject area in which they have been assigned, a letter must be provided to those parents.  See the October 2020 newsletter for more information.  A change from the October 2020 newsletter removes the requirement of this letter for the Emergency Teacher Certification since that certification indicates a content and grade level for which it is being approved.  This 4-week letter applies to staff working under a Commissioner’s waiver, teaching outside of a certificate or license, and substitutes hired under local standards. 

 

 

Fiscal 

We encourage Business Managers to submit monthly invoices for all ESEA titles; however, each ESEA invoice can be for no more than a three-month period.  FY21 and FY22 invoicing for ESEA are now available in the Grants4ME system. You can find resources/videos on invoicing at https://www.maine.gov/doe/learning/esea/grants4me . FY19 & FY20 invoicing for ESEA remains available in the GEMS system. 

Performance Report  

FY19 Funds:  The Tydings Amendment Waiver Report and Summary pages in the FY19 Performance Report are available in the GEM Platform to report expenses from October 1, 2020, to September 30, 2021, that were paid with FY19 funds.  The due date will be November 3, 2021. 

FY20 Funds:  The Carryover Closeout and Closeout Summary pages in the FY20 Performance Report are open in the GEM platform to report expenses from October 1, 2020, to September 30, 2021, that were paid with FY20 funds.  There is a Carryover Financial Run report at the bottom of the page which will show the invoicing balances from the Grant Reimbursement System for each Title and the end Billing Period of the last invoice.  If funds remain and invoicing is not current, your business office should be informed to submit invoices for appropriate expenses paid.  FY20 funds have received a Tydings Amendment Waiver.  If there is an unspent balance as of September 30, 2021, a Tydings Amendment Waiver can be requested on the Carryover Summary Closeout page.  The due date for this report is November 3, 2021. 

FY21 Funds:  The Performance Report for the FY21 funds will be located in the Grants4ME system.  The due date will be November 3, 2021 to report FY21 expenses from July 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021.  The report will open October 6, 2021.  For guidance on how to complete the new FY21 Performance Report in Grants4ME, you can find resources/videos at https://www.maine.gov/doe/learning/esea/grants4me. Please look at the Training Video section on the right side of the Grants4ME page.   

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 learning calendar is available at https://www.maine.gov/doe/calendar. This calendar has increased functionality including a search feature.  

For more information about professional learning opportunities specific to Tier III identified schools, please contact Teri Peaslee, School Turnaround Professional Development Coordinator at teri.peaslee@maine.gov or (207) 624-6706. 

 

 
 

Contact Information 

As always, reach out to your ESEA regional program manager with questions. Their contact information can be found at https://www.maine.gov/doe/learning/esea/contact. Also, your feedback is encouraged and appreciated. Please contact Cheryl Lang at cheryl.lang@maine.gov with feedback and suggestions.