FY2021 Federal Cash Request Statement of Assurance

The FY2021 Federal Cash Request Statement of Assurance is available in the Grants Management Application and Planning System (GMAP) in the District Document Library. Instructions for uploading the Federal Cash Request Statement of Assurance in GMAP is available on the Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE) Federal Grants webpage. The deadline to submit the assurance is Sept. 30.

Ken Greene will email the FY2021 Federal Cash Request Form (FCR) to the district finance officer contact by July 1. Local education agencies should begin using the new FCR spreadsheet as of July 1. Requests made with the old form after this date will be rejected.

The instructions for the Federal Cash Request process are located on the form. Please be aware, the release of FY2021 federal funds is contingent upon the following:

1. District funding assurances completed and statement uploaded in GMAP
2. Federal Cash Request Statement of Assurance uploaded in GMAP
3. KDE Approved GMAP Application

• Consolidated Application (310G, 314G, 345G, 345GI, 350G, 401G and 552G)
• IDEA B Application (337G and 343G)
• Perkins Application (348G)

For more information about an application, contact the following:

• Consolidated Application:
• Title I, Part A: Title I, Part A Consultants
• Title I, Part D Neglected and Delinquent: Monica Shack or Wes Blake
• Title II, Part A – Supporting Effective Instruction: Title II, Part A Consultants
• Title III – English Language Learners: Jessica Sanderson or Erin Sudduth
• Title IV, Part A – Student Support and Academic Enrichment: Lalah Brewer or Lee Bowling
• Title V, Rural and Low Income Schools: Brenda Considine
• District Funding Assurance: Nicole Crosthwaite
• Federal Cash Statement of Assurance: Ken Greene
• IDEA B Application: Karla Miller or Gary Martin 
• Perkins Application: Karla Tipton

All FCR’s must be submitted to the FCR inbox at fcr.requests@education.ky.gov.

Fiscal Year 2021 District Funding Assurances

The Fiscal Year 2021 District Funding Assurances are currently available in the Grants Management Application and Planning System (GMAP). The assurances are a stand-alone document and not part of the Consolidated Application. 

The role of district funding assurances director has been added to complete and approve the assurances. If district staff need the role of district funding assurances director, contact your GMAP user access administrator to add the role. A list of GMAP user access administrators is located in GMAP under KDE Resources.

Once the District Funding Assurances have been completed in GMAP, it must be printed and presented to your local board for approval. Upon approval by your local board, the superintendent – not the designee – must upload the assurances statement under their GMAP login by Sept. 30. The district funding assurances statement template is located in GMAP in the District Document Library.

Instructions for completing and uploading the assurances statement in GMAP is available at District Funding Assurances Statement Upload Instructions.

For guidance on submitting your assurances, email Nicole Crosthwaite or call her at (502) 564-1979, Ext. 4328. For questions regarding GMAP login, email Jennifer Baker or call her at (502) 564-1979, ext. 4501.

Guidance for Providing Equitable Services Under the CARES Act Released

The U.S. Department of Education released non-regulatory guidance for providing equitable services under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. This guidance document applies to both funds received for the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund and the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund and includes clarification on the following topics:

• The private schools, students and staff to which equitable services provisions apply (questions 1-3 and 8);
• District responsibilities for providing services (questions 4, 5, 7, 9 and 13);
• Consultation requirements (question 6);
• Calculation of the equitable amount designated for services (questions 10-11); and
• The types of services that may be provided (questions 12 and 14)

As the Kentucky Department of Education develops further guidance and resources pertaining to equitable services, email questions to David Millanti.

ICYMI: Tribute to the Class of 2020

A special one-hour tribute recognizing this year's senior class, "Kentucky’s Tribute to the Class of 2020," streamed live May 23. The tribute was hosted by Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman and featured a collection of commencement addresses from Gov. Andy Beshear and several other elected and appointed education leaders across the state, as well as musical performances from Kentucky artists. If you missed it, the celebration can be watched on the Kentucky Department of Education's Media Portal.

FY2021 IDEA Application in GMAP

The 2020-2021 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) applications are now open. To open the application, the director of special education must change the status to “Draft Started.” Contact your district’s GMAP user access administrator for assistance when establishing this role. The deadline for applications is June 15.

IDEA funds are made available July 1 each year from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. However, the effective date of availability of these funds at the local level is the date by which the district submitted an application to the state in substantially approvable form.

Initial applications received after July 1 will not have an effective approval date until the date the application is received in substantially approvable form. This means that once approved, the funds may only be used for activity as of the effective approval date but not before.

For more information, email Karla Miller or Gary Martin.

KDE seeking applicants for What Works Kentucky program

The Kentucky Department of Education is seeking applicants for its inaugural What Works Kentucky (WWKy) cohort.

WWKy is a year-long training program for school and district leaders looking to improve their research and data analysis skills. Participants in the program will complete 30 hours of professional learning – delivered in four single-day workshops spanning a single school year – culminating in the publication of a peer-reviewed research project that informs both the continuous improvement processes in their schools and the broader profession as a whole. 

Potential participants should have a desire to learn more about the state of education in Kentucky and be eager to explore complex questions that impact professional practice. Applicants should hold a leadership position within their school or district and have an earned master’s degree. Preference will be given to leaders in schools and districts with schools identified for Targeted or Comprehensive Support and Improvement and to leaders without terminal degrees (doctor of philosophy, doctor of education).

The application should take about 10 minutes and must be completed in one sitting. To join the cohort, complete the “WWKy 2020-21 Cohort Application.” The application closes May 30, and participants will be announced by June 15.

For more information, visit the WWKy website or email Matthew Courtney.

Call for Best Practices

The Kentucky Department of Education is accepting best practices from schools and districts on its Best Practices and Sustainability website.

The best practice website is designed to serve as a clearinghouse to promote practices that motivate, engage and provide measurable results in student learning, achievement and school and district processes. Any aspect of a school system that can impact student outcomes through improved instruction or operations can be submitted as a best practice.

Best practices should be submitted by May 31 to be considered for acknowledgement at the Continuous Improvement Summit, scheduled for Sept. 28^-29. For more information, email Natasha Napier.

Registration Open for Continuous Improvement Summit

Join the Kentucky Department of Education and Cognia at the annual Kentucky continuous improvement summit, Leading the Way, for up-to-date information to effectively lead your district, school, or classroom during the 2020-2021 school year and beyond.

The conference will be held Sept. 28-29 at the Lexington Griffin Gate Marriott Resort and Spa. The keynote speaker will be Cognia’s Larry Bell. Visit the Cognia website to register or find additional information on this summit flyer.

Educators from across the state of Kentucky will connect and network during this event. Do not miss out on the opportunity to learn from experts and peers to enhance your continuous improvement efforts.

Those receiving this at KSB and KSD, please make sure all employees receive it. Also, ATC principals are asked to forward it to their staffs.

Please send your questions, comments and suggestions on Monday Message to Jennifer Ginn by 10 a.m. Friday to be published in the upcoming week.