Federal Programs: News, Updates, and Events

Mark Your Calendar!

• Materials for Consolidated ESEA Spring Desk Monitoring – Due March 17
• Title I-A/II-A/IV-A/V-B Office Hours in March (Tuesdays 10-11 AM)
  • March 14^th – Setting Measurable Goals
  • March 21^st – OPEN Office Hours
  • March 28^th – OPEN Office Hours
  • April 4^th – Office Hours CANCELED
  • April 11^th – Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)

Federal Funds Expiring September 30, 2023

Due to constraints from the pandemic, Oregon school districts are currently operating three grant programs. This is a reminder that the last date to obligate funds from SY 20-21 and SY 21-22 grants is September 30, 2023 and funds must be claimed in EGMS no later than November 14, 2023. ODE is required to return any funds to USED that are not obligated by the 9/30/23 deadline.

Listed below are the percentage of unspent funds remaining statewide. The FST staff will be reaching out to districts shortly to share the update on your district's spending. Please claim funds from EGMS on a regular basis. The ODE staff are here to support districts in spending down and claiming these funds - please don't hesitate to reach out to the Formula Grants Team with any questions.

CIP Budget Narrative Assurances Due June 30, 2023

The Federal Systems Team, in partnership with the Multilingual and Migrant Education team, continues to explore strategies to strengthen the fiscal policies and practices necessary to implement federal ESSA Title programs and reduce administrative burden on districts. As part of this effort, the ODE will make key adjustments to the timeline that federal funds are available for submission and approval. 

District CIP Budget Narrative applications must be substantially approved before June 30, 2023 for federal formula title program grant funds for School Year 2023-2024 to be obligated. 

In order to be considered substantially approved the following assurance forms must be signed by a School District’s Superintendent or Designee and submitted via the CIP Budget Narrative Assurances Smartsheet Form before June 30, 2023:

• ESEA Statement of Assurances
• ESEA School Prayer Certificate of Compliance

School Year 2023-2024 Timeline

The revised timeline around the CIP Budget Narrative submission process can be found below:

• April 1, 2023: ESEA Statement of Assurances & School Prayer Certificate of Compliance submission form opens.*

• June 30, 2023: ESEA Statement of Assurances & School Prayer Certificate of Compliance are due. Must be submitted for a district’s CIP Budget Narrative application to be considered substantially approved, so that federal formula grant funds can be obligated starting July 1st., 2023.*

• July-August, 2023: 2023-2024 CIP-Budget Narrative Application opens. This is dependent on when ODE receives Final Allocations from the U.S. Department of Education. Historically, CIP Budget Narratives have opened the first week in August.

• October 1, 2023: CIP Budget Narrative Prerequisites are due. CIP Budget Narrative Prerequisites include the following sections: Contacts, Private Schools, & Consolidated Spending. Once Prerequisites are submitted and approved, 20% of federal grant funds for 2023-2024 will be made available in EGMS (Electronic Grant Management System).

• November 1st, 2023: Federal Title Program CIP Budget Narrative applications are Due. Once applications are approved, 100% of the corresponding federal grant fund for 2023-2024 will be made available in EGMS (Electronic Grant Management System).

*Denotes changes to the previous year timeline.

Reason for Change in Timeline

Our goal in adjusting this timeline is to better align ODE’s application process with federal regulations and reduce the burden of submissions that occur at the start of the School Year. Federal regulations (34 CFR 76.708) require that federal formula grant funds may not be obligated (incur costs) until the latter of the following two dates: (1) July 1, or (2) the date the applicant submits its application to the state in substantially approvable form. Federal regulations further stipulate that reimbursement for obligations is subject to final approval of the application.

ODE is continuing to review existing processes and procedures to identify ways to reduce burden and align the application timeline with state grants. The Federal Systems Team at ODE stands ready to provide support and answer any questions that you may have regarding this new process timeline.

Kyle Walker, Federal Programs Analyst

ESSA Quick Reference Brief Spotlight:

Purchasing Food with Federal Funds

Districts often find that the sharing of food is an integral part of successful engagement with families. Whether focused on ensuring that students do not go hungry, building the capacity of families to support their student’s education or seeking input from community members at large, the purchase of food in service of district engagement goals can be an allowable expense. In ESSA Quick Reference Brief: Purchasing Food with Federal Funds learn more about the parameters and guidelines around how and when the purchase of food is allowed. Check out other ESSA Quick Reference Briefs on the Federal Programs web page.

Equitable Services Update

New resources are available for the 2023-24 School Year Equitable Services Consultation cycle: 

• 2023-24 Affirmation of Consultation 
• Intent to Participate Letter

Both resources are available on the Private School Participation under ESEA webpage. Districts can use either of these ODE created resources, download similar forms from TransAct, or create their own that meet all requirements under ESEA sections 1117 and 8501.

A new process is in place for submitting 2023-24 Consultation documentation:

• Please submit all consultation documents through the Evidence of Consultation form.
• All districts that have a non-profit private school that enrolls any grade K-12 within their geographic boundaries, or consult with a private school outside their boundaries for Title I, Part A services, must submit a document for each private school – regardless of the private school’s response to the offer of consultation.
• To assist districts in identifying private schools for consultation, the ODE has created a Private School District List.
• The Evidence of Consultation Form FAQs document can answer most of questions about the form. Additionally, you can contact the Private School Ombudsman, Janette Newton.

The current Title IA Family Income Survey should be used to collect income data from potential private school participants through June 30, 2023. On July 1^st, a new survey will be provided on the Private School Participation under ESEA webpage.

If you have any questions, comments, criticisms or concerns, please contact the Private School Ombudsman, Janette Newton, by email or phone 503-551-9405. It is essential that feedback is shared by all equitable service participants so that the ODE can continue to refine best practices for equitable service programs.

ODE Considering Submission of Tydings

Waiver Request to ED

We need your input! We know this year has been challenging in many ways and we're exploring ways to support district efforts to serve students. To that end, the Oregon Department of Education is considering applying to the U.S. Department of Education (ED) for a Tydings Waiver which will extend the period of availability for 2021-2022 Title funds through September 30, 2024 for the following program:

• Title I-C: Education of Migratory Children

The pursued Tydings Waiver would also lift the 15% spending cap on carryover of 2022-2023 Title I-A: Improving Basic Programs Operated by LEAs funds. If ODE’s request is approved by ED and a district takes advantage of the waiver to carryover more than 15% of its 2022-2023 Title I-A funds, the next time ODE will be able to allow carryover of more than 15% will be for its 2025-26 Title I-A funds.

Please be aware that Tydings Waivers are not guaranteed to be approved and that Title funds should continue to be spent down before September.

Please complete a brief (no more than 5 minute) survey to help the Federal Systems and Multilingual & Migrant Education Teams consider whether we should pursue this opportunity. Please participate in the survey before April 15, 2023.

For questions, please contact Kyle Walker, Program Analyst on the Federal Systems Team at kyle.walker@ode.oregon.gov.

We Need Your Voice! Title II-A Survey Coming in April

Each year the U.S. Department of Education (ED) conducts its annual survey on district use of funds under Title II, Part A “Supporting Effective Instruction”. The data collected in this survey provides ED with information needed for the annual budget deliberations in Congress and is used to report on ED’s Title II, Part A program performance indicators, as required by the Government Performance and Results Act (GEPRA). While completion of the survey is not required to receive funds, district participation is crucial to helping ED tell the story of the impact Title II-A funds have in districts and to ensure Congress understands the need for continued funding under this program. Findings from previous cycles of this survey are posted on ED’s website: https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-formula-grants/school-support-and-accountability/instruction-state-grants-title-ii-part-a/resources/. The first week in April districts will receive an email from Westat, the organization conducting the survey on ED’s behalf. Districts will have approximately three weeks to respond to the survey. If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Westat directly by telephone at 1-855-817-1704 or by e-mail at title2afunds@westat.com.Thank you in advance for your willingness to participate in this important data collection opportunity for Title II-A!

Foster Care Transportation Reimbursement

Under ESSA, school districts have new responsibilities for educating students who are in the custody of OHS/Child Welfare (foster care students). Transportation procedures must ensure that students in foster care needing transportation to their school district/school of origin will promptly receive transportation and that this transportation is provided for the duration of the student's time in foster care.

To receive reimbursement for these costs districts must submit to ODE the Foster Student School of Origin Transportation Reimbursement Form. ODE is currently processing second quarter submissions for 2022-2023. The schedule for the remaining quarters is listed below. If you have questions, contact Bethany Kincaid at bethany.kincaid@ode.oregon.gov.

SCHOOL YEAR 2022-23: 

MONTHS                               REQUEST DUE DATE

July 1 - Sept 30, 2022           November 11, 2022

Oct 1 - Dec 31, 2022             Feb 10, 2023

Jan 1 - Mar 31, 2023             May 12, 2023

Apr 1 - Jun 30, 2023              Aug 11, 2023

Check out our Monitoring Resources!

Each year the Federal Systems Team (FST) reviews districts’ implementation of federal programs and spending. This monitoring effort is intended to help strengthen the systems and methods that districts are using to implement programs with integrity.

All materials for the monitoring effort are available on our ESEA Monitoring web page. These documents represent the 2022-23 monitoring cycle and are subject to minor revisions each year. Please use these materials to conduct a check on your current system whether or not you are selected for monitoring.

• ESEA Monitoring Organizational Tool The ESEA Monitoring Organizational Tool includes information on all the requirements within ESEA for which districts are responsible. This tool serves as a reference for districts regarding what documentation must be maintained at the local level.
• Self-Assessment for ESEA Monitoring

The self-assessment is designed to help districts examine their practices around federal programs. Districts complete the self-assessment to develop shared understanding of the district's current practices relative to ESSA requirements, noting strengths and identifying where technical assistance/support may be needed from ODE.

• Submission List for Monitoring This list describes which materials a district must submit as evidence for each component of monitoring. These materials are uploaded by the district into OneDrive and are reviewed by the monitoring teams at ODE.

Meet Ellie Wright!

Ellie Wright joins the Federal Systems team as a part-time Office Specialist and will be working closely with the Expanded Learning team. Born and raised in Seaside, she moved to Forest Grove to attend Pacific University. Ellie holds a BA in General Music and worked in the library. She’s held a multitude of different jobs, from retail to security for events around the Portland area. In her spare time, Ellie enjoys reading, video games, playing in a community band, and taking care of her 3 cats with her husband.

FST's "Framework of Support"

Our goal is to provide differentiated support and strengthen the partnership between districts and ODE federal program staff. Check out the resources and support below and please don’t hesitate to reach out and let us know how we can support you!

Need Further Assistance? 

The Federal Systems Team is here to help!

Director: Liz Ross  Title IA: Lisa Plumb, Jen Engberg, Sarah Martin, & Amy Tidwell Title VB: Amy Tidwell Title ID: Jen Engberg  Title IIA: Sarah Martin Title III: Kim Miller, Susy Mekarski, & Leslie Casebeer Title IVA: Lisa Plumb Title IVB: Raquel Gwynn Private Schools: Janette Newton SSA Summer: Sophie Hilton Foster Care POCs: Marlie Magill Foster Transportation: Meera Kreitzer Jump Start Kindergarten: Nancy Hauth McKinney-Vento & ARP - HCY: Chris James  Support / Newsletter Contacts: Jennifer Sappington, Maddie Lawrence, and Laura Remondino