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Contents:
 OSDE has joined forces with the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA) to produce a monthly broadcast, Education Matters.
Hosted by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister, Education Matters focuses on important topics and key initiatives for public education across the state.
On Thurday’s episode, Supt. Hofmeister highlights a school and community partnership that focuses on students’ mental health. Plus, meet an athlete from the Oklahoma panhandle who is representing the state in an international competition.
Tune in this Thursday, Feb. 20, at 7 p.m. on OETA, or catch the rebroadcast the following Wednesday at 12:30 p.m.
To watch previous episodes, visit sde.ok.gov/education-matters.
 The 2020 Census will be available to complete on April 1.
The Census determines how much federal funding and services our towns, cities and schools receive each year for the next decade.
Each undercounted person means an estimated $1,675 less per year (or $16,750 per person in Oklahoma over the next 10 years) in lost funding, grants and support for our communities – so accurate representation is important!
For example, in 2015, the following U.S. Department of Education state aid programs received funding based on census data:
- Federal Pell Grant Program
- Title 1 Grants to Local Educational Agencies
- Special Education Grants to States
- Vocational Rehabilitation State Grants
- Improving Teacher Quality State Grants
- Career and Technical Education - Basic Grants to States
- English Language Acquisition Grants
- Adult Education - Basic Grants to States
- Special Education Grants for Infants and Families
- Special Education Preschool Grants
- Rural Education
- Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities State Grants
- Supported Employment Services for Individuals with Significant Disabilities
- Program of Protection and Advocacy of Individual Rights
- Rehabilitation Services Client Assistance Program
- Independent Living State Grants
- SNAP (not a USDE grant, but still contingent on the census)
These programs would be hurt by an undercount on the census.
The 2020 Census takes less than 15 minutes to complete, and the impact it has on our communities is far-reaching and long-lasting.
Please educate the families and stakeholders in your district about the importance of the Census for your district and local schools.
How to Help
Schools can be effective in reaching out to hard-to-count populations by providing information about the benefits of Census 2020 and encouraging participation.
Oklahoma has over a million people considered hard-to-count. These individuals are often:
- Non-English speaking
- Very low-income immigrants with various kinds of immigration status
- Without permanent housing
- Distrustful of government forms
- Lacking in internet access or familiarity (the internet will be the primary way for the Census to count people).
How to reach hard-to-count people in your community:
- Host training workshops to train staff to be able to talk about the Census, answer key questions and address concerns.
- Distribute fact sheets and posters about the Census at meetings, events and community gathering places.
- Set up and oversee computers and phones for people to complete the Census in your office.
- Plan and host a Census Day event on April 1, 2020.
- Consider ways to provide space, support and guidance that facilitate Census participation.
Download a variety of informational resources here.
Helpful information to share:
- Census answers are confidential. The Census Bureau is legally bound to handle all data confidentially, and answers are not shared with anyone – not the FBI, IRS, ICE or any other agency.
- It’s easy. Census day is April 1; however, online responses will be accepted beginning in March. Responses can be done online, by paper or over the phone.
- The Census will be printed in English and Spanish. Telephone assistance and the online Census questionnaire will be available in 13 languages. Guides and glossaries will be available in 59 non-English languages and Braille.
For more information, visit okletscount.org or contact the Oklahoma Census team at (405) 815-6552.
Census Day is Apr. 1. Is your district ready to share the importance of participating in the 2020 Census count?
Using new Statistics in Schools (SIS) resources in your classroom will support efforts to ensure EVERY child is counted in the 2020 Census. This count impacts the $675 billion in federal funding that communities receive for special education, Head Start, classroom technology, teacher training, after-school programs, school lunch assistance and more.
To watch a video on Statistics in Schools 2020 Census Program, click here. To learn more, click here.
Download a toolkit here.
National Statistics in Schools Week is Mar. 2-6.
For questions, contact Jeronimo Gallegos at jeronimo.h.gallegos@2020census.gov.
All LEAs receiving a Title IVA grant during the 2020-21 school year will receive a minimum of $10,000.
Please note that this minimum amount has changed from $15,000 to $10,000.
Under section 4105(a) of the ESEA, an SEA that makes subgrants to its LEAs by formula must do so based on their relative shares of funds under Title I, Part A for the preceding fiscal year. However, no LEA may receive an allocation that is less than $10,000.
If you have any questions, contact the Office of Federal Programs at (405) 521-2846.
February commemorates Earthquake Awareness Month. In 2003, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security launched a national public service campaign, Ready.gov, to educate and empower Americans to prepare for, respond to and mitigate emergencies, hazards and threats.
Visit Ready.gov’s earthquake web page to learn how to prepare before, during and after an earthquake.
In addition to Ready.gov, various preparedness activities and drills are available to help education agencies and other key partners think about earthquake safety and response. For more information on earthquake preparedness in schools, including a podcast on earthquake exercises for schools, visit the TA Center’s ShakeOut webpage at https://rems.ed.gov/Shakeout.aspx.
The Federal School Safety Clearinghouse is excited to announce the launch of SchoolSafety.gov, a website that provides the academic community with a one-stop shop for school safety best practices and resources to create a safe and supportive learning environment where students can thrive and grow. SchoolSafety.gov aims to help schools prevent, protect, mitigate, respond to and recover from emergency situations.
SchoolSafety.gov includes:
- The School Safety Readiness Tool, an assessment which assists users in evaluating their respective school’s overall safety posture across 10 foundational elements of school safety and generates a tailored action plan with task prioritization, options for consideration, aligned resources and grant opportunities specific to individual needs;
- A secure information-sharing platform for designated school personnel to share school safety ideas, practices and tactics in a protected environment; and
- A wide array of resources and best practices on key school safety topics to assist with building awareness within the school community to promote vigilance and build capacity to respond to incidents.
SchoolSafey.gov was developed to fulfill key recommendations from the Federal Commission on School Safety.
View the official press release here.
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