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“An ounce of preparation is worth a pound of cure.”
– Benjamin Franklin
Program monitoring may seem overwhelming, but a little preparation now can save time, stress and corrective action later. Taking the time now to review checklists, resources and documentation can prevent the much harder work of recreating records or resolving findings acter the fact.
Monitoring often uncovers issues that aren’t new, just overlooked. When systems are organized and expectations are clear, monitoring becomes confirmation of good practices rather than a scramble to fix problems.
This month’s newsletter focuses on “an ounce of preparation.” Investing effort now can prevent significant headaches later and make monitoring a much smoother experience when your district is selected.
How to Prepare for Monitoring
Consolidated monitoring notifications will come around again in October for the 2026-2027 school year. While that seems like a far way off, the time will be here before you know it. Don’t be caught off guard. Take the time now, especially over the summer months, to organize your program documentation and prepare Title I school principals to do the same.
Whether you use a document storage program or create your own within your district’s Google account, begin by setting up a system to effectively organize both school- and district-level evidence. Organize your system’s structure to align with the district and school checklists posted on the Kentucky Department of Education's (KDE's) Title I Documents and Resources webpage.
Review the Title I, Part A Documentation Training webinar and encourage school leaders to do the same. Meet as a team to discuss documentation expectations and explain your plan for documentation storage and organization.
Create an activity and evidence timeline for yourself and the Title I principals. Set up calendar reminders throughout the year to remind relevant staff to provide documentation. For example, all schools should have evidence for their Title I annual meeting by the end of September. Setting up a calendar reminder can help busy principals remember to collect the documentation needed and store it in the appropriate location.
Set up regularly scheduled meetings with your district finance officer to review GMAP and Enterprise ERP (EERP) alignment and make amendments as you progress through the school year. Take time during your meetings to review all fiscal requirements on the district monitoring checklist. Are district time and effort procedures being followed? Are you prepared to collect staffing counts for your comparability report?
KDE often receives feedback on the amount of time it takes to prepare for consolidated monitoring. The process does not need to be burdensome. While there are some required pieces of evidence listed, many of the checklist indicators include lists of suggested documentation based on common pieces of evidence KDE consultants have seen over the years; but these aren’t the only possible ways to demonstrate compliance. As you review the monitoring checklists, the question to ask yourself isn’t, “Do I have all these documents listed here?” but rather, “What evidence do I have that demonstrates compliance for this requirement?”
Be on the lookout for ways you can streamline and simplify your documentation. Although each indicator on the checklists represents an individual compliance requirement, it is possible that one piece of detailed documentation can demonstrate compliance across multiple indicators. Documentation of meetings often includes a meeting agenda, sign-in sheet and notes. Consider how incorporating the following details into a single meeting summary could replace multiple individual documents:
- Include the names and roles of meeting attendees to help demonstrate the involvement of stakeholders in the process and eliminate the need to provide a separate sign-in sheet.
- Add the date and time of the meeting to demonstrate it was held at a convenient time for participants and at a logical point in the school year. For meetings that occur on a regular basis, include the date(s) of the upcoming meeting(s) to show consistency.
- Reference the meeting purpose on the document to help make a connection to a program requirement. This is especially important when you use terms and acronyms that may not be understood by people outside your district.
- Ensure the minutes or notes contain sufficient detail to provide a reviewer with a general idea of what was discussed. For each item on the meeting agenda, summarize what was discussed as well as any applicable next steps.
The level of detail provided in your documentation makes a huge difference. Two or three detailed documents can often provide just as much (and in many cases, more) evidence of compliance than a dozen documents without detail.
While it may take some adjustment at first, including sufficient detail in your documentation will soon become a habit. It may be beneficial to create some templates with guiding questions and reminders to help ensure consistency. Before you save something, ask yourself why it needs to be saved and what it would demonstrate to a reviewer. Being proactive on the front end will help you to easily participate in the monitoring process in the event that you are selected.
When the time comes, you should have all relevant documentation already stored, organized and ready to be provided to KDE. Reach out to your KDE Title I consultant with any questions regarding indicators on the monitoring checklists.
Principal's Perspective: Summer To-Do List
Submitted by Denise Harover, Title I, Part A Consultant
As we end the school year and start thinking about what needs to be done over the summer, don’t forget about making some preparations for your Title I events that will be held in the next school year. This is a great time to look ahead and start preparing for your Title I annual meeting and the parent and family engagement events you will host. Analyzing the feedback collected from parents can provide you with an idea of how parents want to see Title I funds used in your school. Using and prioritizing parent input helps you make the most of parent and family engagement funds and build strong relationships with families.
Use the summer months to plan your Title I annual meeting as KDE recommends holding the meeting at the beginning of the school year to introduce program requirements and set the tone for the remainder of the year. Will you incorporate the annual meeting into an existing back-to-school night or other highly attended event to maximize the number of parents who receive program information? Consider how you will share Title I, Part A program information with parents during the meeting. Although it is not required, you may want to consider using the KDE Annual Title I Meeting Presentation Template to ensure all required information is shared.
The annual meeting also provides an opportunity to speak to parents about participating on parent committees or advisory councils and encouraging them to be involved at school while creating a positive learning environment at home. Will the information shared at the meeting be made available to parents after the meeting, as well? Consider creating a Title I page on your school’s website where parents can access program information and related resources such as the parent and family engagement policy, school-family compact, testing transparency information, etc.
Take some time over the summer to consider the Title I parent and family engagement events and activities you plan to host throughout the year. Although you may not know the exact nature of each event, go ahead and block off some tentative dates and times on the calendar to ensure you have plenty of time to prepare.
When thinking about the parent and family engagement events you will have, prioritize the input you have received from the parents and allow them to be involved in your decision making. Consider what parents have asked for. Do they need assistance in understanding state academic standards, literacy or math workshops or homework help? They may be interested in family learning nights where they can take home strategies and resources to help their children at home. These types of events meet Title I intent and, if costs are reasonable and necessary, could be supported with Title I funds.
Providing what parents have asked for, when allowable, reasonable, necessary and aligned with Title I intent, is very important in ensuring the parents feel their voices are heard and that they are an important part of school culture. Keep in mind that events supported with Title I funds must support student success and help build capacity; you may occasionally receive suggestions from parents that do not meet the allowability requirements for federal funds. Consider sharing KDE’s Title I, Part A Parent and Family Engagement Program and Allowable Uses of Funds One Pager with parents to help them understand how funds can be spent.
Taking time now to plan activities will help ensure your events strike a healthy balance of meaningful connection to student success and entertainment components that encourage attendance and participation.
Open Title I, Part A Projects and Associated Deadlines
Please review the table below and make note of the approaching deadlines regarding the obligation and expenditure of funds from all open Title I, Part A projects.
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Fiscal Year (FY)
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Period of Award
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85% Obligation
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All Funds Spent or Encumbered
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Final Federal Cash Request
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FY2024
(Project 310K)
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July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2026
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Sept. 30, 2024
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June 30, 2026
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Aug. 31, 2026
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FY2025
(Project 310L)
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July 1, 2024 - Sept. 30, 2026
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Sept. 30, 2025
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Sept. 30, 2026
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Nov. 13, 2026
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FY2026 (Project 310M)
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July 1, 2025 - Sept. 30, 2027
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Sept. 30, 2026
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Sept. 30, 2027
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Nov. 12, 2027
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