January 12, 2021

ESEA Federal Programs Update

REQUIRED: Federal ESSER and GEER Reporting Survey

The U.S. Department of Education is collecting information on how districts and charter schools are spending their GEER and ESSER funds. The first required collection covers expenditures from March 13 through September 30, 2020. All districts and charter schools that have expended GEER or ESSER funds for services in that window should complete the ESSER and GEER Reporting Survey (fillable PDF) and email it to mde.esea@state.mn.us. The survey must be submitted by January 18, 2021.

The required survey asks for detailed information about the uses of funds, student enrollment, and staffing data. If you have questions while preparing your responses, please send them to Michael Diedrich.

This message is included in the most recent messages to the superintendent, charter school leader, business manager, and ESEA update email lists—please coordinate with the appropriate staff for your situation.

REQUIRED: Title I, Part A Survey

All districts with nonpublic schools that received Title I, Part A funded services in 2019-2020 must complete the linked survey by January 25, 2021. This is a required survey for submission to the federal government a total of the number of students served with these funds. Contact Josh Wang if you you have any questions.

Log into the survey: CSPR II Survey – Title I Part A Nonpublic Services 2019-2020

Username: title1parta+districttype+districtnumber
Password: districttype+districtnumber

For example: District Type: 09 District Number: 0009

• Username: title1parta090009
• Password: 090009
  
  

Title I, Part A Comparability Update

Given the late date and the challenges that school districts and charter schools have had this school year including staffing, MDE will not require any district or charter to complete and submit the Comparability Report this school year. MDE satisfied its responsibility to monitor comparability at least once every two years by collecting and reviewing reports last school year.

ESEA requires a district with more than one school in a grade span receiving Title I funds to ensure comparability or “equivalence among schools” in the allocation of non-federal funds to provide general education. This includes staff and materials. [§1118(c)] The comparability requirement currently applies to about 15 percent of Minnesota school districts. With or without the report, each of these districts is required to ensure comparability every year.

A district subject to comparability must maintain documentation of (a.) its procedures and (b.) its calculations. The documentation should include the working papers and/or spreadsheet(s) used to determine whether the schools are comparable and, when they are not, to reallocate general education resources to achieve comparable or equitable distribution of staff and materials. Completion and retention of a comparability report is not sufficient documentation. Selected districts may be individually monitored to examine such documentation. 

MDE expects to provide more information later this school year about the additional detail expected in the SY2021-2022 comparability report due next fall. Please direct any questions to Monitoring Specialist Wayne Kuklinski. 

Back to Top

Upcoming Training Opportunities!

The MDE Equity and Opportunity Division is ringing in the New Year with learning! Live training sessions below are also listed on the ESEA Grant Applications Tools webpage. 

Title I, Part A Flexibilities

Staff from the Division of Equity and Opportunity Title I, Part A team will offer examples of how programs can invest their Title I, Part A award to support the attendance and engagement of learners in Title I schools. Districts and charter schools struggling to hire teaching or paraprofessional staff may find this session particularly helpful as we consider flexible ways to invest Title I, Part A funds during this 2020-2021 school year. There are two sessions on this topic and there is no need to register: January 14, 2021, 2–3 p.m. and January 26, 2021, 8–9 a.m.

Nonpublic Services – Winter Consultation

Staff from the Division of Equity and Opportunity will walk through suggested topics of the winter LEA-nonpublic consultation. The first session is oriented to LEA officials and the second to nonpublic school officials. The information provided at each will be the same; MDE is expecting different sets of questions from participants and created to separate sessions to accommodate the unique needs of each group. There is no need to register. LEA Officials: January 13, 2021, 8:30–9:30 a.m. and Nonpublic Officials: January 13, 2021, 10–11 a.m.

GEER/ESSER Updates – Application and Draw Timeline

Staff from the Division of Equity and Opportunity GEER and ESSER Team will highlight the upcoming deadlines for applications and draws in SERVS. Districts and charter schools that plan to use either GEER or ESSER for any expenditures between July 1 and December 31, 2020, and have not yet applied are particularly encouraged to attend so that they can take all necessary actions ahead of the January 31, 2021, application deadline and March 15, 2021, draw deadline. Those who will use these funds only for expenditures on or after January 1, 2021, have until May 1, 2021, to apply and September 13, 2021, to draw funds. There are two sessions on this topic and there is no need to register: Thursday, January 21 at 1 p.m. and Thursday, January 28 at 8:30 a.m.

Special Training for Translated Parent Notices

The Equity and Opportunity Division at the Minnesota Department of Education provides all Minnesota public and charter schools with an unlimited online subscription to a library of professionally written and translated forms and notices by TransACT. These documents help compliance with federal parent and family communication requirements under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the Office for Civil Rights (OCR). The vendor portal to access the letters is upgrading the interface with a new look and feel, as well as a new mobile interface and advanced search functions. It is important that users learn about the new format and the option for a district to purchase the ability to connect with the district’s own Student Information System (SIS). The official launch date for Minnesota was June 25, 2020.

Online training for the upgraded format is offered on multiple days and times. Register for the Translated Parent Notices webinar during a time and date that works for you. Please share this information with others in your district or school as well. Register for an account with TransACT on the TransACT website. If you have questions, please contact Michelle Niska (651-582-8323).

Back to Top

Program Highlight

Identifying and Addressing Immediate Local Needs 
Local educational agencies (LEAs) should use a needs assessment to determine the most impactful way to use their Federal ESEA awards. There must be a direct line between the identified need, the activity, and the plan to evaluate the impact of the activity. If the LEA gets the results they intended to see, they may choose to continue or expand the activity in future years. If the evaluation indicates the activity wasn’t as impactful as intended, the LEA may choose to make adjustments or discontinue the activity in following years. This cycle of continuous improvement is central to the implementation guidelines for ESEA Federal grants.

Below are two examples of specific local needs, the matched funded activity, and the evaluation plan.

Send an email to: mde.esea@state.mn.us if you have a program highlight to share!

Back to Top