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“Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and diligence.”
– Abigail Adams
This quote applies to all of us in the field of education. It reminds us that knowledge is not passive and that it requires effort, curiosity and the ability to be responsible for our own learning.
We are all lifelong learners and should strive to create an environment in our daily work that inspires this in others. We encourage our students to be actively engaged, and we should model this in our own positions.
As principals and administrators, we need to support each other in having an intentional commitment to continued learning and improvement.
KDE to Offer Statewide Federal Programs Training
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is pleased to offer a virtual statewide federal programs training at no cost to school districts on Sept. 9-10. Each session will cover different topics; there may be some overlap of content, but the agendas will not repeat. The topics covered during the two day training include:
- An overview of the requirements in EDGAR (Education Department General Administrative Regulations)
- Procurement
- Case studies of fraud, waste and abuse of federal funds
- Proposed changes to the Uniform Grants Guidance (UGG)
- Interagency agreements
- Appropriation of funding at the federal level
- Hot topics in Washington, D.C.
The training will be provided by The Bruman Group, a legal firm that is nationally recognized for its federal grants management and education regulatory and legislative practice.
The training will benefit district staff who are responsible for the oversight and administration of federal education programs and compliance with legal requirements. We strongly encourage the district superintendent, finance officer and federal programs coordinator to attend.
CPE credit will be available, and we anticipate offering EILA and finance officer professional development credit as well.
To register, please complete the virtual federal programs training online registration form. The training will be recorded and anyone who registers will be able to access the recording (although you must participate in the live training to be eligible for CPE or other professional development credit).
For more information, email Tara Rodriguez or call (502) 564-3791, ext. 4042.
Keep Your District's Contacts Up to Date in Person Role Manager
KDE emails information regarding the Title I, Part A program to all district Title I coordinators throughout the year. These communications include important announcements, deadlines for funding and programmatic needs, new and updated resources, newsletters, and professional learning and training opportunities.
The list of recipients for these emails is generated by a program called Person Role Manager. The district web apps admin point of contact (WAAPOC) can update the personnel listed in this program. The district contacts listed in Person Role Manager feed into the Open House website.
Districts must check and update, if necessary, the name of the Title I coordinator for their district to ensure the correct person receives communications from KDE in a timely manner. This process includes adding new coordinators, as well as removing coordinators no longer working with the Title I, Part A program.
To change or verify the Title I coordinator for your district, follow these instructions:
- Verify the Title I coordinator by selecting your district on Open House.
- If the role is blank or incorrect, the update must be made in Person Role Manager via KDE Web Applications.
- For Title I coordinators who are listed but no longer should be, their Role Status must be changed to “inactive,” and a Role End Date entered via KDE Web Applications | Person Role Manager.
- To add a Title I coordinator, the Role Status must be set to “active,” and a Role Start Date entered. Also ensure an email address is entered on the demographic screen. This should be done via KDE Web Applications | Person Role Manager as well.
To ensure important communications are received, update the contact information and list the correct point of contact as “active” in Person Role Manager for Title I coordinator.
Title I, Part A Carryover Waiver
Section 1127(a) of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) places a carryover limitation on Title I, Part A funds. No more than 15% of the funds allocated to a district for any fiscal year may remain available for obligation for one additional fiscal year.
Districts must ensure at least 85% of school year 2025-2026 (FY26) Title I, Part A funds (project 310M) are obligated for activities that occur no later than Sept. 30, 2026. As stated in Section 1127(c) of ESSA, this carryover limitation does not apply to districts that receive less than $50,000 in Title I, Part A for the fiscal year.
Section 1127(b) of ESSA allows the state to waive this carryover limitation if 1) it determines a district’s request is reasonable and necessary, or 2) supplemental appropriations for this subpart become available. Typically, districts may apply for this waiver once in a three-year period; however, KDE has received a waiver from the U.S. Department of Education allowing waivers to be granted more than once in a three-year period. Please note, this waiver allows KDE to grant a carryover waiver to a district more than once during a three-year period; it does not waive the requirement that the district formally request a waiver from KDE.
Any district wishing to request a carryover waiver for 2025-2026 funds may do so no later than Sept. 30, 2026, by submitting an email to David Millanti. The email must:
- State the district requests a waiver of the 15% carryover limitation;
- Contain the reason for the excess carryover; and
- Describe plans for effectively using carryover funds.
Questions may be directed to David Millanti or your districts Title I, Part A Consultant. Additional information about the carryover limitation is available in the Title I, Part A Carryover Information document.
Principal’s Perspective: Safeguarding Assets
Have you ever wondered why your district Title I coordinator insists that you maintain an inventory of and/or add labels to items purchased with Title I, Part A funds? 2 CFR 200.302(b)(4) requires districts to maintain effective control over and accountability for all funds, property and assets. This includes safeguarding assets and ensuring they are used solely for authorized purposes.
An inventory management system is a common internal process used in financial management systems. Maintaining an up-to-date inventory and/or labelling items purchased with federal funds are practical ways to safeguard equipment, computing devices, information technology systems and supplies purchased with federal funds. Principals should be familiar with the district’s internal controls. School staff should be able to easily locate assets purchased with Title I funds and assess the item’s condition to determine when replacement or repair is needed.
There are specific inventory requirements for items which meet the definition of “equipment.” Equipment is defined as property that has a useful life of more than one year and a per-unit acquisition cost that equals or exceeds the lesser of the district’s capitalization threshold or $10,000. The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) recommends a $5,000 capitalization threshold for school districts for items such as equipment, computers and vehicles.
If your school purchases anything that meets the definition of equipment, your district Title I coordinator should work with you to include the required information in the inventory.
Most of the items purchased by schools with Title I funds do not meet the definition of equipment, however it is in the best interest of the district and school to safeguard these items because they are valuable, will be used for multiple years and could be easily removed from the property. Common items purchased by schools are technology devices (e.g., laptops, tablets, scientific calculators, etc.) and instructional materials (e.g., textbooks, supplemental materials, etc.). Sometimes known as “pilferable” or “walkable” items as they are easily lost or stolen, these types of purchases should be safeguarded. Although these items do not meet the definition of equipment, KDE recommends treating them as though they do for the purpose of safeguarding.
If the answer to any of the following guiding questions is yes, the item should be safeguarded in some way:
- Will the item last longer than one year?
- If the item is damaged, would it be repaired?
- Is the item easily lost or stolen?
- Is the item considered valuable?
Many schools also purchase consumable materials such as workbooks, paper, pencils, etc., which must be replaced regularly because they wear out or are used up. While these items also must be safeguarded, they may not require the same degree of vigilance as items with a useful life of more than one year.
For example, making sure all supplies are stored in a locked cabinet or supply closet until they are needed would be one way to safeguard consumable items. Adhering to standard methods of storage will ensure these items are available to teachers and students when needed as well as prevent the school from ordering unneeded items. If supplies are purchased for a parent and family engagement event, it may be a good idea to label them as such so they aren’t accidentally used for regular instruction or other purposes.
For more detailed information, please see the KDE Safeguarding Assets Purchased with Title I Funds information guide.
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. Please note, the dates for FY2025 have been updated to reflect a waiver KDE received to extend the period of availability of funds.
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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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FY2025
(Project 310L)
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July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2027
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Sept. 30, 2025
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June 30, 2027
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TBD
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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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FY2027 (Project 310N)
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July 1, 2026 - Sept. 30, 2028
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Sept. 30, 2027
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Sept. 30, 2028
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TBD
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