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 December 19, 2024
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Inside this issue:
Department of Education Resources
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Upcoming Deadlines
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Due Date
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What's Due
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| January 1 |
Last Date to Certify to the Department for Reorganization or Dissolution Action Effective July 1 |
| January 8 |
SBRC Hearing |
| January 15 |
At-Risk/Dropout MSA Application Due |
| January 31 |
Quarterly Medicaid Exclusion/Suspension Verification Report Due |
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Staff Contact Information
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The 2024-2025 open enrollment billing chart and scenarios resource document is available on the Department’s Open Enrollment web page.
New for FY25: Senate File 2368 changed open enrollment tuition (and billing) beginning July 1, 2024. The 2024-2025 open enrollment tuition includes the state cost per pupil and teacher leadership and compensation (TLC) from the budget year (i.e., current year) (changed from prior year) and adds the professional development and early intervention childhood (EIC) supplementary weighting amounts.
Open enrollment programming questions can be directed to Sara Nickel at sara.nickel@iowa.gov or 515-971-7558. Open enrollment billing questions can be directed to Ted Bauer at ted.bauer@iowa.gov or 515-979-5468.
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Question: Can Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program (SWVPP) funds be used to pay or reimburse SWVPP teachers meals as a cost necessary to engage in staff professional development activities?
Answer: Yes. Iowa Administrative Code r. 281-13.1 identifies professional development costs as an appropriate use of SWVPP funds. The cost of professional development, including meals and travel, can be paid from SWVPP pursuant to local board policy surrounding travel and meals.
Question: Are custodial items, such as dishcloths, aprons, mopheads and buckets, allowable direct costs to the nonprofit school food service account or are they considered indirect costs, paid for using other funds? How should these items be coded properly?
Answer: Dishcloths used to sanitize counter tops and aprons that are used directly by kitchen staff in the preparation and service of school meals are allowed as a direct nonfood supply cost to the nonprofit school food service account. However, mopheads and buckets are generally used for custodial purposes both in the school kitchen as well as other areas of the school. Iowa’s current indirect cost plan lists all custodial costs as an indirect cost to the nonprofit school food service account (Function 2620). Please see pages 9-10 of USDA Memo SP60-2016 for more information.
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The Department of Education payments information on the EdPortal includes the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number and the Grant Number for federal funds. A source code should also be assigned to all payments to districts or area education agencies (AEAs). If a payment without the source code is received, please contact Song Luong at song.luong1@iowa.gov or 515-205-0259 so it can be included on the listing. Questions about the payment received can be directed to Angie James at angela.james2@iowa.gov or 515-281-3646.
Districts and AEAs may receive payments from other state agencies as well. If the payment in question is not on the Department’s page, it likely came from a different government agency. All state payments may be accessed through the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) Vendor Payment Portal. The link is also on the Department’s State Payment Information web page.
SAVE distribution questions can be directed to Department of Revenue staff Barbara Lewison at barbara.lewison@iowa.gov or 515-314-5936, or Adam Floyd at adam.floyd@iowa.gov or 515-601-4229.
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The Iowa Chart of Account Coding, found on the Department's Uniform Financial Accounting web page, is
regularly updated to reflect changes necessary to meet fiscal reporting needs.
November 2024
Account Code-Description
Source/Project 4023-Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant Birth to 5 (FAL/CFDA 84.371C)
(Reinstated Nov24) (Previously Education Technology State Grants) (FAL/CFDA 84.386) (Del 2011) (Jan17)
Source/Project 4024-Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant Kindergarten to Grade 5 (FAL/CFDA 84.371C) (Reinstated Nov24) (Previously Education of Homeless Children and Youth) (FAL/CFDA 84.387) (Del 11) (Apr09) (Jan17)
Source/Project 4025-Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant Grades 6 to 12 (FAL/CFDA 84.371C)
(Reinstated Nov24) (Previously Title I School Improvement Stabilization (FAL/CFDA 84.388) (Jan13)
Source/Project 4732-Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (FAL/CFDA 21.027) (Nov24)
Source/Project 4319-Inflation Reduction Act Tax Credits (DOE) (Reinstated Nov 24) Previously direct Child Care Development Block Grants (FAL/CFDA 93.575) (Used with program 840) (Generally Fund 62) (Oct15)
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The Department uses information reported through the School Board Officers and District Leadership Contacts application to populate the Department’s email distribution lists. It is important for this information to be accurate at all times to ensure correct routing.
Existing: School board officers are required to be reported annually by December 15. The following position contacts have also been collected through this application: school business officer, auditor, transportation director, and operations and maintenance director.
New: The following contacts will now also be collected through this application: special education program, work-based learning, career and technical education, medicaid billing, and curriculum.
Further questions can be directed to Holli Marolf at holli.marolf@iowa.gov or 515-281-5812.
The SBRC application for At-Risk/Dropout modified supplement amount (MSA) is now available via the EdPortal. The application is optional; only districts requesting SBRC-granted MSA (Project 1119) will need to complete the “MSA Application” page.
The restricted use of related MSA is to provide additional resources for the 2025-2026 school year that are necessary to implement the at-risk, alternative school, dropout prevention, and returning dropout services for identified students as defined in the local school board’s adopted plan pursuant to Iowa Code section 257.38. MSA awarded for this purpose will not increase regular program spending authority.
Technical note if uploading board minutes prior to certifying the MSA Application: In the MSA Application page, click the Save button when entering or modifying the numbers in line 5 (requested modified supplemental amount) and/or line 7 (number of identified students) BEFORE clicking the Upload Board Minutes button. If entries are made without being saved and then board minutes are uploaded, the amounts in lines 5 and 7 may not be retained.
Questions regarding the At-Risk/Dropout program or application can be directed to Ted Bauer at ted.bauer@iowa.gov or 515-979-5468.
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For School-Based Medicaid policy questions, please contact Tashina Hornaday, Medical Policy Program Manager at Iowa HHS, at tashina.hornaday@hhs.iowa.gov or 515-201-3553.
For Medicaid procedure questions, please contact Melissa Walker, Administrative Consultant of School Health at the Department of Education, at melissa.walker@iowa.gov or 515-864-6701.
Until reports of which students with health care services on their IEP have Medicaid, consider using the Eligibility Verification and Information Services (ELVS) portal. Information can be found on the ELVS page of the Iowa Health and Human Services (HHS) website. More can be learned in the Eligibility List section of the Department website Medicaid page, including instructions for using the ELVS portal.
Reminder: Please double-check that dates of service for which a bill is received (resident district) or sent (serving district) are dates school was in session. For example, no billing should occur for dates when school was not in session due to a holiday break or if school was canceled due to weather or other reasons.
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- Signage: “No Trespassing” signs are allowed on school buses. Iowa Administrative Code r. 281-44.3(34) states, “A ‘No Trespassing’ sign may be affixed to the face of the top step in 2-inch black letters on a white background.” The addition of this sticker is a simple step that can assist with the safety and security of the vehicle.
- Child Safety Seat Recall: The National Highway Transportation Security Administration (NHTSA) announced a recall of certain child safety seats on November 19, 2024. Recall 24C001000 is for certain seats produced by Britax Child Safety, Inc. that were sold with an incorrect label and user guide that may result in an improperly installed seat, increasing the risk of injury in a crash. For details, please go to NHTSA Recall 24C001000.
- Engine Compartment Waiver: In 2022, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) received a waiver permitting states to waive the engine compartment component of the pre-trip inspection skills testing requirement for prospective school bus drivers. According to the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS), FMCSA announced a two-year extension of the waiver, which now expires on November 28, 2026. This waiver was discussed in last month’s issue of the SBA Newsletter. Additional details are available in the Monday, December 2, 2024 Federal Register titled Commercial Driver's License: National School Transportation Association Application for Renewal of Exemption.
As we approach the winter solstice, more students are being picked up, dropped off, and transported in low light situations. This month the Department’s school bus inspection team asks all drivers, but particularly student transportation providers, to pay extra attention to lighting. This not only includes verifying that all lights are working properly, but also ensuring that light output is not reduced by snow, ice, dirt, or salt. This will help other motorists see the vehicle and identify it as a school bus.
Although properly maintained lighting is essential for safe student transportation, there are additional factors for school bus drivers and motorists to consider. The flashing lights of the 8-way warning system and the stop arm provide a clear warning to other motorists. However, bright LED lights may actually reduce other drivers’ ability to see students moving around in the darkness. This is an excellent time for students to be reminded of safe bus stop procedures.
Please check your lights frequently, use extra caution at stops with poor lighting, and continue to provide the safest possible transportation for the students of Iowa.
Are retread (recapped) tires a good choice for school buses? As winter driving season approaches, many student transportation providers are replacing tires on school buses and have asked whether those replacement tires should be recapped tires or new tires.
Iowa Administrative Code r. 281-44.3(64), states, “Recapped tires are permissible as replacements on equipment now in operation for use on rear wheels only, providing tires are guaranteed by the seller. Recapped tires are not permissible where single rear wheels are used.” The 2008 Commercial Medium Tire Debris Study released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration identified no significant difference in tire failure rates between new and recapped tires when all standard tire maintenance protocols were followed.
Determining which tires are right for each vehicle may include a number of considerations including, but not limited to, cost and negotiating power, ride quality, and the anticipated durability and life of the tire. The decision to use new drive tires or recapped ones should be researched and made in the best interest of each individual student transportation provider. Once that decision is made and implemented, proper inspection and inflation are critical to providing safe transportation for the students of Iowa.
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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.
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