State School Funding Payments
The October State School Funding Payments for FY 2022 were posted at the following link: State School Payments
The October 26, 2021, payments include: Direct State Aid, Quality Educator Component, At Risk Component, Indian Education for All, Student Achievement Gap, Data for Achievement and Special Education.
The FY 2022 November payment is scheduled for November 19, 2021.
If you have questions regarding the payments, please contact Mari Haefka at (406) 444-9852.
District Tuition Payments per 20-5-321 (1) (d) and (e) and (HB206) - REMINDER
Resident districts for children under the provisions of 20-5-321(1)(d) or (1)(e), MCA and HB 206 shall pay, by December 31st, at least one-half of any tuition and transportation obligations. The remaining obligation must be paid by June 15th. These payments are claims for student attendance in the 20-21 school year.
For more information, see the guidance on the OPI website Tuition Guidance for Out-of-District Placement. This is in accordance with 20-5-324(3), MCA.
If you have questions regarding Tuition, please contact Nicole Thuotte, School Finance Specialist, 406-444-4524.
District Agreement Tuition Payments - REMINDER
Resident districts for children attending a school outside of the child’s district of residence under the provisions of 20-5-320 or 20-5-321(1)(a) or (1)(b), MCA shall pay, by December 31st, at least one-half of any tuition and transportation obligations. The remaining obligation must be paid by June 15th. These payments are claims for student attendance in the 20-21 school year.
For more information, see the guidance on the OPI website Tuition Handbook. This is in accordance with 20-5-324(5)(ii), MCA.
If you have questions regarding Tuition, please contact Nicole Thuotte, School Finance Specialist, 406-444-4524.
Pupil Transportation
TR1 Bus Routes
By November 1 school districts must send the county superintendent one copy of the TR-1 for each bus route and submit the TR-1 for each bus route electronically to the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
By November 10, the county superintendent must electronically receive each TR-1 submitted by the school district.
If you have questions regarding completing the TR1’s, please contact Donell Rosenthal or call (406) 422-0320.
Bus Driver Training Requirement
School bus drivers are expected to present a strong role model for children, as well as represent the school district before the public.
Each school district shall develop and implement a driver training program that meets the needs of the school district and provides appropriate training to accomplish the goal. The plan shall, upon request, be available for inspection by the Office of Public Instruction.
A district approved training program shall include a continuing education program for school bus drivers providing at least 15 hours of in-service training annually.
The minimum required training curriculum can be found in the Montana School Bus Standards on page 55.
For questions regarding driver training, please contact Donell Rosenthal or call (406) 422-0320.
Compensation Expenditure Reporting
MAEFAIRS is available to report information for the FY2021 Compensation Expenditure Report. The Compensation Expenditure report is due to the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) by December 10, 2021.
There is a new Compensation Expenditure Reporting webinar posted on the OPI website at the following link: FY2021 Compensation Expenditure Reporting.
The FY 2021 Compensation Expenditure Reporting Instruction have been updated and are available on the OPI website at FY 2021 Compensation Expenditure Reporting Instructions.
If you have questions regarding Compensation Expenditure Reporting, please contact Renee Richter, Financial Specialist, 406-444-1960.
EANS Update
EANS I (Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools) is part of the CRRSA Act. This relief funding is unique as it is designated to provide services or assistance to eligible non-public schools to address educational disruptions caused by COVID-19. In Montana, Non-Public Schools includes homeschool families and private schools. The application for these funds closed on August 27th. The Cash Request application for allowable reimbursement costs started on September 22nd. The procurement process for the purchase of allowable services and items is being finalized.
The EANS II (Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools) is part of the ARP Act. The EANS II Intent to Apply application went live on October 24th. As the eligibility requirements for the ARP EANS funds differs from the CRRSA EANS funds, applicants will be asked to take a short survey to determine their eligibility. These requirements include meeting a 40% poverty level as well as residing in a Montana county that has been severely impacted by COVID-19. The other stipulation of the ARP EANS, funding is applicants can only request procurement of services and items. No reimbursements for previous purchases or expenses can be paid.
An “Intent to Apply” survey is available to all homeschool and private school participants. This short survey will determine ARP EANS eligibility. If your school received funding under EANS I, you can log into the e-grants system and the “Intent to Apply” button will be available. For new applicants, please refer to the website at www.opi.mt.gov and click on the red EANS button. You will find “New Applicant” information in the EANS II Update box.
For further information or if you have questions, please contact Janey Salomon, OPI EANS Grant Manager at 406-410-1246 or janey.salomon@mt.gov or go to the EANS website.
ESSER Updates
Required ESSER Data Collection
Districts who have received ESSER I, ESSER II, or ESSER III funding will need to report data regarding their use of funds. All information and instructions will be emailed directly to the Authorized Representative (AR) within the next 5 business days. Data collection must be completed by December 17, 2021.
ESSER I
There are just 11 months left to obligate and spend down your ESSER I allocation. ESSER I funds must be obligated by September 30, 2022 and spent by November 10, 2022. If you do not plan to use all of the ESSER I funds, please contact Jeff Kirksey so those funds can be reallocated within the state. All funds not spent by November 10, 2022, will be returned to the Federal Government.
District ARP ESSER Plans
OPI reviewed each of District ARP ESSER plans that were due on August 24, 2021. The OPI will provide feedback on the plans to the districts by November 5, 2021, including any necessary corrections to meet federal requirements. A copy of a uniform and understandable plan converted from the submitted template will be sent to districts with a new link for districts to make any necessary corrections (Due 12/1/21), and/or continuously monitor and update the ARP ESSER Plan at a minimum of every six months. The template available at the link will have the same format and track changes for each version of the plan.
District Safe Return and Continuity of Services Plans
Remember that all Safe Return plans must be reviewed every six months. These plans were to be posted to school websites on June 24, 2021. OPI will review school websites for updated plans in the month of December. Please make sure that you have an up-to-date plan on your website that shows the date of the last review.
Montana Afterschool Grant
The intent-to-apply form is now open for the Montana Afterschool Grant. The $3.8 million dollar ESSER funds will provide grants to eligible schools and non-profits over a three year period. To learn about the Montana After School grant visit the website at: Montana ESSER After School Grant. You can also send questions to mt.afterschool@mt.gov
ESSER Consolidated Guidance
An updated ESSER Consolidated Guidance document has been posted to the OPI website at: ESSER Consolidated Guidance
If you have questions regarding the ESSER Consolidated Guidance document please contact Jeff Kirksey, ESSER Program Manager, 406-444-0783 or Renee Richter, Financial Specialist, 406-444-1960.
ESSER Questions
If you have questions about your ESSER funds and how to use them in accordance with federal regulations reach out to the ESSER Program Manager, Jeff Kirksey or (406) 444-0783.
We are frequently adding content to the ESSER website at: COVID 19 Information.
ESSA Per Pupil Expenditure Reporting
ESSA Per Pupil Expenditure Reporting must be completed by December 10, 2021. Please review the per-pupil calculation for your district(s). The calculation may be reviewed in MAEFAIRS, under Data Entry, ESSA PPE Calculation (please scroll to page 2 for the final per-pupil amount).
An updated ESSA Per Pupil Expenditure Reporting document has been posted to the OPI School Finance Webpage under ESSA Per Pupil Expenditure Reporting: ESSA Per Pupil Expenditure Reporting
If you have questions regarding ESSA Per Pupil Expenditure Reporting please contact Nicole Thuotte, School Finance Specialist, 406-444-4524 or Renee Richter, School Finance Specialist, 406-444-1960.
2022 Election Materials
Election materials for 2022 School District Elections have been posted to the School Finance Elections webpage, including the handbook, calendars, and districts required to report campaign finance. Additionally, the OPI will be conducting election workshops in conjunction with the Montana Association of School Business Officials the weeks of November 8th and 15th.
Election Materials
MASBO Website
If you have questions regarding School Elections please contact Nicole Thuotte, School Finance Specialist, 406-444-4524.
Updated Chart of Account
The Chart of Accounts has been updated and posted to the OPI website: Chart of Accounts
If you have questions regarding the Chart of Accounts please contact Renee Richter, Financial Specialists, 406-444-1960.
The OPI is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, require an alternate format, or have questions concerning accessibility, contact the OPI ADA Coordinator, 406-444-3161, opiada@mt.gov, Relay Service: 711.
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