The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act
The CARES Act became effective on March 27, 2020, providing states with emergency funding to assist during the COVID-19 crisis. The act established two new funding sources for the state of Kentucky:
- Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund for $193 million
- Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund for $44 million
The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund will be distributed through the Title I, Part A formula to districts. Districts can anticipate receiving about 83% of their FY2019 allocated Title I, Part A funds. The ESSER funding will be in addition to the FY2021 Title I, Part A allocation. For more information on possible ESSER Fund expenditures and uses, see the Special Superintendents’ Webcast on COVID-19 and PowerPoint from April 23.
The CARES Act provides funding flexibilities to support continued learning through:
- Providing a period of availability extension for school year 2018-2019 funds (Project E) through Sept. 30, 2021, for federal programs Title I, Part A; Title I, Part B; Title I, Part C; Title I, Part D; Title II, Part A; Title III, Part A; Title IV, Part A; Title IV, Part B (2019-20 Project E funds); Title V, Part B, Subpart 2; and the McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program.
- Providing relief from the 15% carryover limitation requirements for the 2019-2020 funds (Project F), effectively allowing districts to request a carryover limitation waiver more than once in a three-year period.
FY20 Close-Out Process
At this point in the Coordinator’s Year at A Glance, these activities should be taking place to close out the current school year and begin a new application process for the 2020-2021 school year:
- Amend applications for current grants in GMAP and submit for KDE approval, as needed.
- Use available data (e.g., economically disadvantaged, other low-income data or a combination of poverty indicators) to determine eligible schools for Title I services (for next school year).
- Meet with school principals to collect information on use of funds to support Title I programs for the next funding application.
- Collect signed Time and Effort records for staff who work on multiple cost objectives.
- Consult with the local homeless liaison to determine the number of homeless students and the amount of reservation of Title I funds.
- Consult with eligible private schools and obtain affirmation of consultation with participating private school officials.
- Consult with local early childhood stakeholders (exceptional children, pre-K, Head Start, etc.) to coordinate early childhood services (Title I Pre-K) as appropriate.
- Conduct other stakeholder consultations on the development of the local education agency/school Title I plan. Stakeholders include parents/families, private schools, homeless education programs, migrant education programs, English learner programs and school leadership teams.
- Coordinate services with local neglected or delinquent facilities, if applicable.
- Conduct program evaluation and develop a summary of the results.
- Conduct needs assessment based on findings of program evaluation.
- Meet with district financial staff to reconcile fiscal issues prior to the end-of-year closeout.
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