|
January 2022
Explanation of January 2022 Juvenile Home and Other Deductions from State Payments to School Districts
A deduction is being made for the cost of certain programs that are paid "off the top of state aid". This deduction, which occurs every year, is for the cost of educational programs for children in the state training school, mental health institutes, other licensed juvenile and foster care facilities, or special education costs for foster care children with no resident district and district court placed children. As required by Iowa Code, the cost of these programs is distributed to all school districts based on each district's budget enrollment (line 1.1 of the Aid and Levy Worksheet). The deduction starts in January and will continue through the rest of the year. These deductions reduce cash flow but have no impact on your general fund spending authority. Go to the State Payment Information FY22 screen for an updated breakdown of categorical funding.
If you have future questions regarding this deduction, please contact John Parker, Department of Management, at john.parker@iowa.gov, or 515-281-8485.
Preschool Registration and Other Fees
As districts plan for 2022-2023 Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program (SWVPP) programming, remember that no fees may be charged for SWVPP registration. In addition, fees may not be charged for items which are part of the SWVPP instructional program. It is highly recommended to clearly communicate the details of any fees to families at the time of registration, including hours of programming offered for which there are allowable associated fees, such as non-SWVPP programming and/or child care. For more details, see the SWVPP Frequently Asked Finance Questions.
If you have further questions, please contact Mary Breyfogle at mary.breyfogle@iowa.gov or 515-326-1030.
SBRC Request - FY22 SWVPP Increased Enrollment
Last legislative session, the Iowa general assembly granted authority for the SBRC to award funding to districts that experience an increase in statewide voluntary preschool program (SWVPP) enrollment in the 2021-2022 school year resulting from the decrease in the 2020-2021 school year, during which many parents kept their children home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Funding available for each eligible district, determined based on the statutory language of HF868, Division IV, is provided below. Requests will be heard by the SBRC in a class action format, meaning no districts will be required to appear. To request funds, eligible districts should, by February 15, 2022, send to Kassandra.Cline@iowa.gov the following:
1. Cover letter making the request to the SBRC, including the purpose of the request, dollar amount of the request, the intended use of these funds related to the pandemic, and the date action was taken by the board to approve the request.
2. Board minutes reflecting action taken in a public board meeting approving the request.
Sample resolution language: As part of the district's response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the district’s administration is authorized to submit a request to the School Budget Review Committee for funding related to FY22 SWVPP increased enrollment in the amount of $___________.
Account Coding: Use Project/Source Code 4055 Education Stabilization Fund (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund II) (ESSER II Fund) (CFDA 84.425D) and Program Code 460 SWVPP.
The Iowa Department of Education (Department) will then allocate the requested and approved amounts to each district to offset the increased SWVPP costs for the 2021-2022 school year. Claims for reimbursement of allowable costs will be submitted by the district on a quarterly basis in CASA or Iowa Grants. Since the Department is using federal ESSER relief funds, districts will also need to provide documentation for the use of funds for the purposes of federal reporting. More information will be shared with districts regarding this part of the process.
If you have questions regarding the SBRC process, contact Kassandra Cline at kassandra.cline@iowa.gov or 515-326-2242. If you have questions regarding the claims process, contact Steve Crew at steve.crew@iowa.gov or 515-326-1029.
Medicaid Provider Listening Sessions for School-Based Providers
Iowa Medicaid has announced a Listening Session for School-based Services Providers. Enrollment details and a description of the sessions can be found in the DHS Information Letter NO. 2301-MC-FFS. The letter reports that “The goal of these listening sessions is to hear from providers who have experience in these topic areas and have ideas for ways in which to improve processes and policies. Each listening session will be facilitated to capture ideas for improvement and proposed solutions from participants.”
There are also monthly Provider Town Hall calls where providers can ask questions of the Iowa Medicaid Director. These occur the fourth Thursday of the month. The next meeting is January 27, 2022, 4:00-5:00 PM. Access can be found on the Iowa Medicaid website page at https://dhs.iowa.gov/ime/about/advisory-groups/townhall.
Medicaid Exclusion/Suspension Verification
Report Due January 31
As reported in the September/October 2021 School Business Alert, Iowa Medicaid school-based providers must comply with checking two sources each month to capture employee exclusions and reinstatements: the federal list provided on the HHS-OIG website and the state’s list, which is found on the Iowa Medicaid Program Integrity website.
A search of these sources is to occur monthly to confirm individuals whose services are billed to Medicaid are not excluded. Please monitor to see if any exclusions and reinstatements have occurred since the last search. It is required that these checks are documented. A provider must report to the Iowa Medicaid Enterprise (IME) any exclusion information discovered through such searches. It is important that you do not bill for services provided by an excluded or suspended individual.
A School-Based Provider Search Template has been posted on the School-based Medicaid page of the Department’s website. Please include the names of individuals who oversee services such as the mental health professional, school nurse or special education teacher. The documentation checks are expected for school district individuals providing services to your students attending a non-resident district.
At the end of each quarter, please send the completed spreadsheet to Jim Donoghue, Iowa Department of Education Medicaid Consultant.
For any questions or assistance with checking the Exclusions database or Suspension list, please contact Jim Donoghue at 515-281-8505, 515-326-1032 or at jim.donoghue@iowa.gov.
Medicaid Eligibility Reports Update
As reported in the September/October 2021 School Business Alert, the Iowa Department of Education is in continued discussions with Iowa DHS regarding DHS releasing the eligibility information for IEP/IFSP cases. The most recent data available is from July 2021. In the meantime, please remember that almost all who were enrolled and eligible in July are still eligible.
Iowa Medicaid announced, regarding disenrollment during the Public Health Emergency (PHE), that “Most members will still maintain medical assistance eligibility throughout the PHE." Reasons for disenrollment include that the member: requests disenrollment, dies, is no longer a resident of Iowa, or was erroneously approved.
Currently, the PHE is in place through January 15, 2022 at which point a new announcement will occur, possibly another 90-day extension. Until closing out of the old Interagency Agreement and testing of data transfer is completed, the Eligibility Verification System (ELVS) is available for eligibility inquiries. If you know the student’s Medicaid ID number you can call the ELVS phone system. If you do not know the Medicaid ID number you can use the ELVS portal. You can learn more about the ELVS on the Iowa Medicaid Provider Tools web page.
An announcement will be provided when new Eligibility Reports are available.
Business Associate Agreement Between the Department and Your Agency
In discussions between the Department of Education and Iowa DHS regarding DHS releasing the eligibility information for IEP/IFSP cases, DHS is requiring that the DE hold a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with each LEA and AEA that is an enrolled Medicaid provider. The School Business Official, Board Secretary or CFO will be receiving email with the BAA attached. Please complete the blanks, electronically sign, date and submit back.
If you have further questions regarding Medicaid eligibility, please contact Jim Donoghue at 515-281-8505, 515-326-1032 or at jim.donoghue@iowa.gov.
2022 Legislative Session Begins
The 2022 legislative session began on Monday, January 10. There are various resources available to access information related to any action taken or progress made by the Legislature:
Department of Education’s Legislation Tracking Tool
Department of Education’s Legislative Information Page (including legislative reports)
Iowa Legislature Web Site
Iowa Code
Iowa Administrative Code (also called Iowa Administrative Rules)
Eric St. Clair is the interim policy liaison representing the Department of Education. For further information on legislative issues, contact Eric at eric.stclair@iowa.gov or 515-281-3399.
School Budget Review Committee Hearing
The School Budget Review Committee (SBRC) met in regular session to hold hearings on December 14, 2021. In this session, the Committee discussed unspent and unexpended balances in school district General Fund accounts; reviewed lists of late filers for Certified Enrollment and the Facilities, Elections, and Sales Tax (FEST) Report; state decile rankings for unspent authorized budget (UAB) and UAB less categorical amounts on a per pupil basis; and set the fiscal year 2022-2023 hearing session schedule. The Committee approved modified supplemental amounts (MSA) for eligible districts related to excess costs of providing a limited English proficiency (LEP) program in the prior fiscal year, on-time funding for increased enrollment applications, open enrollment out applications, and LEP programs offered beyond five years. The Committee reviewed AEA and district special education balances and approved MSA for eligible districts with deficit balances. The Committee also approved the Director’s recommendation to maintain special education weightings and awarded negative MSA for four districts based on unused MSA previously awarded based on anticipated costs.
The Committee granted requests of five districts for MSA due to hazard abatement, approved use of the unexpended fund balance for two districts relating to SWVPP start-up costs, and failed to approve MSA for costs related to the operational oversight of the State Board of Education. The Committee also accepted nine corrective action plans due to late filing of financial reports, two of which were accepted with reservations dependent upon the district creating and submitting additional documentation by January 15.
Approved requests for MSA can be found on the SBRC Hearing Information website under the December 14, 2021 Summary of Actions.
If you have further questions, please contact SBRC Liaison, Kassandra Cline at kassandra.cline@iowa.gov or 515-326-2242.
Iowa School Business Management Academy
The Iowa School Business Management Academy will hold its Spring Academy on April 20-April 22, 2022, in the Scheman Building, 1805 Center Dr., Ames, IA. Sessions for Levels I-IV will be held April 20-April 22, 2022, and the graduate-level sessions will be held on April 21-April 22, 2022.
Online registration will begin at 7 a.m. on Monday, February 21, 2022.
SAVE
The following information was submitted by Barbara Lewison, Distributions Program Manager with the Iowa Department of Revenue.
In November, the Department of Revenue implemented the first phase of a new system that allows districts to export a spreadsheet of SAVE funds. Monthly estimated payments will now be posted to the department website and can be located using the keyword, SAVE.
Future information regarding payments will be shared via distribution list. To subscribe to the SAVE list, click on the link at the bottom of the Iowa Department of Revenue website.
If you have additional questions, please contact Barbara Lewison, CPM, MPA : Distributions Program Manager: Local Government Services Division: Iowa Department of Revenue, at barbara.lewison@iowa.gov or 515-314-5936.
| Due Date |
What's Due |
|
|
|
| February 1 |
Last Date to Request Authority to Charge Administrative Cost to Special Education for the Subsequent Fiscal Year
|
| February 10 |
AEA Certified Budget Deadline
|
| February 11 |
Deadline to Request to Appear or Submit Exhibits for March 16, 2021 SBRC Hearing
|
| February 15 |
Last Day to Bill for First Semester Special Education Tuition
|
| February 15 |
Last Day to Bill for First Semester Tuition
|
| February 15 |
SBRC Request for FY22 SWVPP Increased Enrollment Funding
|
Division of School Finance and Support Services
It is the policy of the Iowa Department of Education not to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, sex, disability, religion, age, political party affiliation, or actual or potential parental, family or marital status in its programs, activities, or employment practices as required by the Iowa Code sections 216.9 and 256.10(2), Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. § 2000d and 2000e), the Equal Pay Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. § 206, et seq.), Title IX (Educational Amendments, 20 U.S.C.§§ 1681 – 1688), Section 504 (Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C. § 12101, et seq.). If you have questions or complaints related to compliance with this policy by the Iowa Department of Education, please contact the legal counsel for the Iowa Department of Education, Grimes State Office Building, 400 E. 14th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319-0146, telephone number: 515-281-5295, or the Director of the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, Citigroup Center, 500 W. Madison Street, Suite 1475, Chicago, IL 60661-4544, telephone number: 312-730-1560, FAX number: 312-730-1576, TDD number: 877-521-2172, email: OCR.Chicago@ed.gov.
|
