SIA Update

This week’s SIA message details:

• What to do when you receive your grant agreement
• Agreements between charter schools and districts 
• Local optional metrics

Applicants have started to receive status updates from their SIA application managers, who have stewarded applications through the review process. SIA application managers will continue to reach out to applicants in the coming weeks to support finalizing applications and moving applicants to the grant agreement process. If you have questions about your application status, please feel free to reach out to your application manager or SIAInfo@state.or.us.

What to do when you receive your grant agreements

Once you have met all application requirements and receive your Grant Agreement you will need to take the following three steps:

1. Make the grant agreement available at the main office and post it on your district website; 
2. Allow for public comment on the grant agreement at an open meeting; and 
3. Share the grant agreement at an open meeting and receive approval by the local school board. You will be required to submit a copy of the board meeting minutes indicating board approval as well as opportunity for public comment. It is acceptable to submit draft minutes to meet this requirement.  

Once you have completed these steps you will need to upload the completed grant agreement and required documentation. For more information on this process please see this week's Frequently Asked Question below. We understand that many district offices may be closed at this time; however a copy should still be available to be provided to those who request one.

Agreement with Charter Schools

Districts that have included public charter schools as part of their SIA application are required to create and submit an agreement between the district and charter school. If you included multiple charter schools in your application, this means you will have multiple district-charter agreements. The district-charter agreement should detail the charter school SIA plan and budget that is aligned to the purposes and allowed uses of the SIA funds. While some applicants included these agreements with their original SIA application submission, many were not able to initially include this information. If your district has not yet provided a district-charter agreement, you will need to submit a copy of your agreement(s) when you return your signed grant agreement to ODE. 

Local Optional Metrics 

While HB 4304 released the requirement for Longitudinal Performance Growth Targets (LPGTs) in this first foundational year of SIA implementation, local optional metrics can still be included in an SIA grantee’s final agreement. It’s worth noting that local optional metrics are truly optional, they are not a requirement.  

Local optional metrics are not a replacement for the SIA Progress Markers, but are supplemental metrics that could support districts’ unique learning and development goals. We recommend that local optional metrics be tailored to the details of this year and use data sources that fit the unique circumstances of this year. While local optional metrics would entail additional reporting and accountability, ODE still sees benefit in the learning that could come from incorporating these into the SIA plan.

This Week’s Frequently Asked Question

Q: When and how will we receive the initial grant agreement ? What is the best way to submit the signed agreement? Are there other required documents that we should submit?

A: Below are the steps to receive and submit the grant agreement:

1. Once your school district has met application requirements, ODE will email your SIA contact person the grant agreement as a .pdf in Smartsheet. You can download the agreement by clicking on “Open Update Form.” You can exit the page after downloading the agreement and return at a later date to upload the signed agreement (i.e. do not click “Submit Update” until after you are ready to submit all of the attachments below).
2. When you are ready to submit the signed grant agreement, you will need to upload the following:
1. Signed grant agreement
2. Board meeting minutes (indicating board approval of the grant agreement and the opportunity for public comment)
3. Signed agreement with sponsored public charter school (if applicable)
4. Local Optional Metrics (if applicable)
3. All of this will be submitted via Smartsheet and submission/upload instructions will be included in the initial email with your district’s grant agreement. Smartsheet will also send weekly automated reminders with these instructions.

Please feel free to reach out to SIAInfo@state.or.us with any questions about submitting the required documentation.

News & Resources

• Share how your district or school is centering mental health as you welcome and connect with students this upcoming school year.
• Find previously shared SIA News and Status Updates. 
• Learn more about the submitted SIA Plans on our webpage. 
• See the Ready Schools, Safe Learners webpage, which includes the latest 3.7.5 version of the guidance, the school metrics dashboard, and additional resources for how public and private schools will take next steps to plan for the 2020-21 school year. As you may have seen in a recent message, a new weekly report to better understand every school’s COVID-19 School Status. Please complete this short COVID-19 School Status Update report for each school. If you’re not sure if your school has already submitted this form, check-in with your administration.

Please send any questions or comments to SIAInfo@state.or.us.  You’ve been automatically added to this listserv based on your role, but you can manage your subscription as needed. We encourage you to share this message with new staff in your school/district who may be interested in receiving these weekly updates.