School Finance Compass March 2023

State School Payments

The February State School Funding Payments for FY 2023 are posted at the following link: State School Payments

The February 23, 2023, payment includes Direct State Aid, Quality Educator Component, At Risk Component, Indian Education for All, Student Achievement Gap, Data for Achievement, and Special Education.

The March payment will be made on March 28, 2023.

If you have questions regarding payments, please contact Autumn Belmont (406) 444-9852

 

FY 2024 Preliminary General Fund Budget Data Sheets

The Office of Public Instruction (OPI) will post the FY 2024 Preliminary General Fund Budget Data Sheets (PBDS) and the General Fund Budget Excel Spreadsheet on March 1^st. The tools below will assist schools in budgeting for the 2024 fiscal year.

• The Preliminary Budget Data Sheets will be posted at the following link: CLICK HERE

• The FY2024 General Fund Budget Excel Spreadsheet and FY2024 General Fund Budget Overview Worksheet will be posted at the following link:  CLICK HERE

Note: When posted for FY2024, please download the current version of the spreadsheet to your computer (right-click on the link and choose "Save Target As" to save it to your desktop.) Previous versions of the spreadsheet are no longer applicable for preliminary budget purposes.

For any additional questions, please contact Laci Novark at (406) 444-4401, Andrea Mohammadi at (406) 444-1960, or Autumn Belmont at (406) 444-9852.

 

Indirect cost rate applications - Due April 30th

Districts that plan to charge indirect costs (e.g., general administration, accounting services, and personnel services) to FY2023 federal and state grant awards using an indirect cost rate must complete an indirect cost rate application form.  Application for an indirect cost rate does not increase the amount of the grant award.

For compatibility with the e-grants system the closing date for applying for an Indirect Cost Rate is April 30, 2023. 

The U.S. Department of Education renewed our indirect cost agreement effective for FY2021.  Consequently, some aspects of the indirect calculation have changed with this application round:

• School Systems enrolling greater than 2,600 students must redirect costs associated with business manager salary and benefits to direct and unallowable.
• Indirect Cost Rates will be awarded per school system rather than by LE.
• The use of a carry forward calculation has been eliminated.  The calculation has been replaced with a five-year rolling average with a 5% discount.

 

Indirect Cost Rate Application and resources for FY2023 are available on the OPI website.

Please review the instructions and additional documentation for more details.

Indirect Cost Rate Cover Letter (please read)

Indirect Cost Rate Instructions

If you reclassify costs to adjust the indirect cost rate, please read the Indirect Cost Rate Instructions prior to reclassification of costs for an adjusted rate.  A reclassification calculator is available for aiding in the determination of an adjusted indirect cost rate. 

If you have questions about how to complete the indirect cost rate application, please contact: Barbara Quinn, School Finance Senior Manager, 406-444-3249.

 

FY 2023 Elections School Elections

Upcoming Election Deadlines:

• Thursday, December 8 through Thursday, March 23 – Trustee candidates file for election
• Tuesday, February 21 – Trustees call for an election
• Thursday, March 30 (by 5:00 pm) – Last day for a candidate to withdraw from the election
• Thursday, March 30 (by 5:00 pm) – Deadline to file as a write-in candidate
• Friday, March 31 – Deadline to notify election judges
• Friday, March 31 – Ballot certification
• Friday, March 31 – Election by Acclamation and Cancellation of the trustee election
• Monday, April 3 – Close of regular voter registration (obtain absentee list from county)
• Monday, April 3 – Not more than 30 days before the election conduct a performance test and certification of voting system
• Tuesday, April 4 – Start of late registration
• Thursday, March 23-Saturday, April 22 – Notice of election is posted

The OPI, in coordination with MASBO, will again be conducting bi-weekly check-in meetings during the election season.  Here is the schedule for those meetings:

• Friday, Feb 24, 2023 10:00 AM Mail Ballot Plans
• Friday, Mar 10, 2023 10:00 AM Election Notices
• Friday, Mar 24, 2023 10:00 AM Ballot Certification
• Thursday, Apr 6, 2023 10:00 AM Mailing Ballots/Signature Verification
• Friday, Apr 21, 2023 10:00 AM Preparing for the Election
• Friday, May 5, 2023 10:00 AM Post-Election Procedures
• Friday, May 19, 2023 10:00 AM Election Wrap-Up

The Zoom link will be available on the OPI website.

Questions: For information on School Elections, please contact: Nicole Thuotte, 406-444-2080; Andrea Mohammadi, 406-444-1960; Barb Quinn 406-444-3249

 

 

Tuition Forms - complete and entered to Maefairs

Student Attendance Agreements should be completed upon enrollment in a school (20-5-322, MCA).  Students who are in foster or group homes outside of their resident district should be entered into MAEFAIRS as soon as they are approved by the attending district.  This allows resident districts to review their obligations or dispute their status as resident district – facilitating payments due in the ensuing year.  Please make sure to enter these agreements in a timely manner and run the reports set up for resident districts in MAEFAIRS.  Please see the forms located under Tuition and Attendance.

FP14.2 Foster and Group Home Student Attendance Agreement

FP15 Day Treatment and Out of State Tuition

If you have any questions, please email OPISchoolFinance@mt.gov or call Andrea Mohammadi 406-444-1960 or Barbara Quinn 406-444-3249.

 

Bus Driver Certificates (TR35)

 

School bus drivers must hold a valid Montana School Bus Driver Certificate (TR35) for a district to be eligible to receive state reimbursement.

 

Qualifications for bus drivers are prescribed by 20-10-103, MCA, and by the Board of Public Education in ARM 10.64.201.  The bus driver certificate forms are provided and must be maintained electronically in the Pupil Transportation System. 

 

The chair of the board of trustees must sign the certificate which is issued to a driver who is authorized and qualified to drive a school bus pursuant to all applicable rules, regulations, and laws. The district must retain a current copy of each bus driver's certificate, provide a copy to the bus service contractor, if applicable, and file a copy with the county superintendent. The bus driver is required to always carry a current and valid hard copy of the certificate while driving a school bus.

 

If you have questions regarding Bus Driver Qualifications, please contact Donell Rosenthal at (406) 461-9316.

 

 

New School Finance Calendar

 

The calendar link on the School Finance website has been updated for FY2023. The link will take you to the GEMS Data Reporting Calendar which is populated with important dates and deadlines that happen throughout the fiscal year. It is sortable by month and can be saved into other workable formats like Microsoft Word or Excel. You can find it here OPI (GEMS) Data Collections Calendar We hope this tool will help education staff across the state.

 

School Year 2022-23 Changes

STRUCTURE CHANGES with an effective date of July 1, 2023:  School districts with changes to operating status, grade level configurations, school/district name, etc., should contact the OPI as soon as possible.  Please send official notice of these change requests, on district letterhead, signed by the Authorized Representative, to the School Finance email at OPISchoolFinance@mt.gov or Andrea Mohammadi at 406-444-1960

 

PERSONNEL CHANGES:  Changes to board chair, clerk/business manager, superintendent, or principal must be changed in OPI Contacts.  Instructions for how to make these changes are found here:  Instructions.  If you have question about how to complete the updates, please contact: CentralUpdates@mt.gov.

 

Updating Contact Information

All school districts please go to the OPI website - Directory of Montana Schools - to verify your schools’ information.  The instructions on how to update your schools’ information can be found at the following link: Instructions.

If you have question about how to complete the updates, please contact: Barbara Quinn 406-444-3249.

 

Change in Position

Congratulations to Jesse Romero.  Jesse was our  Computer Support Specialist in the School Finance Division and helped many of you with your access requests. Jesse has started a new position as of February 6, 2023, with the OPI IT Helpdesk. We wish him the best of luck in his new position!