ESEA Monthly Newsletter

September 7, 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 for September

  • ESEA Open Office Hour primarily for questions in relation to invoicing in the Grants4ME platform. Please share this date and time with district fiscal reps - Tuesday, September 14, at 3:00 PM
  • ESEA Virtual Office Hour, which has typically been the 2nd Tuesday of every month will be on Tuesday, September 21st, at 9 AM. This will be recorded and posted on our website.

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

General & Title Specific Updates from the ESEA Federal Programs Team

Title I, Part A Reallocated Funds

We hope your Title I summer school was a successful program and a great use of Title I funding. This is a reminder to have the business office invoice for those expenses through the GEM Federal Grant Reimbursement System and for the ESEA Coordinators to complete the closeout report. These Title I Reallocated funds will remain within the GEM system and will not be migrated to the Grants4ME platform. The Grant Award email sent during the end of April from Jackie Godbout has the closeout report attached to it. If you need another copy, send an email request to jackie.godbout@maine.gov. The due date is October 15, 2021.

ESEA Tydings Amendment Waiver for FY20 Funds and Waiver for Excess Title I Carryover of FY21 Fund

LEA Superintendents, ESEA Coordinators, and Business Managers

As a result of the on-going challenges related to Covid-19, Maine’s request for a waiver in relation to FY20 funds pursuant to section 8401 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) for the following grants has been approved by the federal government:

  • Title I, Part A FY21 funds that will become carryover funds on October 1, 2021, and exceed 15% of the overall grant amount will receive a carryover waiver regardless of whether or not one has been issued within the allowable three-year period.
  • The period of availability for FY’ 20 funds for the following programs have received a Tydings Amendment waiver and will now extend to September 30, 2022, for the following grants:
    • Title I, Part A & D
    • Title II, Part A
    • Title III, Part A
    • Title IV, Part A
    • Title V, Part B, Subpart 2

For more information or questions, please contact your Regional ESEA Federal Program Coordinator.

Friendly Reminders for Planning and Program Implementation for the month of August

ESEA Application

User Access & Submission:

For new users hoping to accessing the Grants4ME portal for the first time, as well as instructions on how to set up new users and assign user roles, SAUs can review the Grants4ME Access Guide located here: https://www.maine.gov/doe/sites/maine.gov.doe/files/inline-files/Grants4ME%20Access%20v4.pdf.

For school Principals, Business Managers, and Superintendents seeking to provide official sign off for their portion of the ESEA Application, please follow the submission workflow steps located here: https://www.maine.gov/doe/sites/maine.gov.doe/files/inline-files/Submission%20Workflow.pdf.

For additional resources on the ESEA Application, including training videos on how to complete the application, please visit the ESEA Team’s Grants4ME webpage: https://www.maine.gov/doe/learning/esea/grants4me.

Parent & Family Engagement

ESEA Data Dashboard:

Districts need to annually notify and educate their families about the ESEA Dashboard. Along with posting the link to the state’s ESEA Dashboard (https://www.maine.gov/doe/dashboard#), districts need to provide an explanation to their families about the dashboard and the information found on the dashboard. We recommend posting this information on a district’s webpage and sharing it with your families. Help in navigating the Data Dashboard is located on the same page as the Data Dashboard itself.

Fiscal

We encourage Business Managers to submit monthly invoices for all ESEA titles.

Performance Report

The Performance Report for the FY21 funds will be located in the Grants4ME system. The due date will be November 1, 2021, to report FY21 expenses from July 1, 2020, through September 30, 2021. The report will request the same information as in previous years—Financial, degree to which goals/outcomes were met, and Titles IA, ID, II, and III supplemental data. This may be a good time to begin collecting outcome and supplemental data.

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.