Child Nutrition & Community Programs
Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA)
☀️Summer Meal Program🍽️
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the TDA are launching the annual Summer Meal Program to provide no-cost, nutritious meals to children 18 and younger while school is out. School systems are being asked to use their communication channels to spread the word to local families throughout the summer.
🗓️ Key Timeline
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Starting Around June 1: Families can begin using state tools to locate nearby meal sites and confirm operating dates/times.
‼️ Required Action Steps for School Systems
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Standard / Open Congregate Sites: Ensure your family messaging explicitly states that meals are served at no cost, and that children do not need to register or provide an ID.
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Rural Non-Congregate Sites: Clearly communicate any special local requirements to families (e.g., specific hours for parent pick-up or home delivery flexibilities).
📃Family Resource Tools (Share with Parents)
Districts are requested to frequently share the following text with families:
“Starting around June 1, families can use two tools to find nearby sites serving no-cost meals for children 18 and younger ─ VISIT SummerFood.org or CALL 2-1-1. Use these tools frequently to confirm service dates and times.”
💻 Free Marketing Materials
The TDA has developed free promotional items, graphics, and online resources for schools to easily plug into their summer newsletters or social media.
Click here or the button below to view the full article.
Facilities, Capital Outlay, & CTE Funding
🏫 New Instructional Facility Allotment (NIFA) Application (SY 2026-2027)
The New Instructional Facility Allotment (NIFA) application module is now open with a brand-new look and expanded eligibility criteria following House Bill 2 (89th Texas Legislature).
💰 Key Financial & Program Updates
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Expanded Budget: Total state program appropriation increased from $100 million to $150 million per school year.
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New Eligibility: Funding now includes newly constructed/repurposed facilities, 10+ year leases, new CTE centers, Performing Arts Facilities (PAF), and renovations of existing classrooms for high-cost/undersubscribed CTE programs.
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Allotment Amount: Up to $1,000 per student in Average Daily Attendance (ADA) for the first year of operation, and an additional $1,000 per new additional student ADA in year two (subject to potential proration).
Note on CTE Renovations: TEA anticipates a higher volume of applications and will review/potentially disqualify CTE renovation requests if programs are not deemed high-cost or undersubscribed.
🗓️ Important Deadlines
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Application Opened: Tuesday, May 26, 2026
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Application Deadline: Wednesday, July 15, 2026
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Follow-Up Requirement: Districts receiving funds must complete a mandatory online "instructional days" survey in Fall 2027 for final funding settle-up.
📋 Application Requirements & Documentation
Applications must be submitted through the FSP module in TEAL (requires the NIFA User role for entry and District Approver/Superintendent role for submission). You must upload:
- Actual photograph of the facility.
- Legal document demonstrating substantial completion or a copy of the lease.
- Site plan & Floor plan.
- Demolition plan (if applicable).
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CTE Survey (required only for CTE Renovation applications, available on the TEA website).
Critical Attendance Warning: Attendance must be tracked specifically for the new facility using a student tracking system that meets the Student Attendance Accounting Handbook requirements. Even if attendance is typically logged at a student's home campus, specialized tracking is mandatory for NIFA funding reviews.
Contact & Support
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FSP System/TEAL Roles: Jared Dabdoub | (512) 463-8117
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NIFA Program Questions: Whitley Moore | (512) 463-9359 | nifa@tea.texas.gov
Click here or the button below to view the full bulletin.
Federal Grants Compliance & Deadlines
📅 2026-2027 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Consolidated Grant Application
The 2026-2027 ESSA Consolidated Federal Grant Application is now live in eGrants. School finance leaders must complete a specific sequential, multi-step process in TEAL to unlock and submit their applications.
💰 View Allocations
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Planning Amounts: Districts and open-enrollment charter schools can view their specific allocations using TEA’s Interactive Dashboards for Entitlements on the Grant Allocations and Award Balances webpage.
🔄 The Required 3-Step Application Process
To prevent delays, the following steps must be completed in order by an authorized grantee official within TEAL:
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Submit the SC5003 Schedule Log into TEAL ➡️ Select eGrants ➡️ Click Special Collections on the menu bar ➡️Complete and certify the SC5003 – Formula Grants Consolidated Schedule.
2. Submit the ADC Form Once the SC5003 is submitted, the Applicant Designation and Certification (ADC) form will unlock. Go to eGrants ➡️ Click Grants on the menu bar ➡️Certify and submit the ADC.
3. Complete the eGrants Application Submitting the ADC will finally unlock the official 2026-2027 ESSA Consolidated Grant Application for submission.
⚠️ Critical NOGA Guardrail: Gun-Free Schools Report
- Districts must complete and submit the PR6000 — Gun-Free Schools District Report to TEA.
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Impact: A Notice of Grant Award (NOGA) will not be issued until this report is processed. For reporting questions, contact SafeSchools@tea.texas.gov.
🗓️ Final Deadline
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Due Date: All materials must be submitted through the eGrants system by 11:59 p.m. Central Time on Thursday, September 3, 2026.
Core Contact Directory
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General Title Programs (Titles I-A, I-D, II-A, IV-A, V-A, V-B): Federal Program Compliance Division | ESSASupport@tea.texas.gov
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Title III, Part A (ELA & Immigrant): Special Populations Compliance Unit | (512) 463-9414 or SPM@tea.texas.gov
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Application/Negotiation Questions: Contact your district's assigned negotiator via the Grants Administration Division Contacts page.
Click here or the button below to view the full bulletin.
Special Education Allotments & Reporting
✨ Special Education Funding Update:
Transition to Service Intensity Model
Following legislation from the 89th Regular Session (HB 2 & SB 568), Texas is officially transitioning from an instructional setting-based funding system to a Service Intensity Model for the 2026-2027 school year. Funding will now be driven directly by a student's specific documented needs, regardless of their physical classroom setting.
💰 Funding Impact
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Increased Allotment: The Commissioner must adjust funding formulas to ensure the statewide special education allotment is approximately $250 million greater for SY 2026-2027 than it would have been under the old 2025 system.
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Two New Allotments: State funding will now flow through two newly established components: Tiers of Intensity and Service Group Allotments.
🗓️ Critical PEIMS Reporting & Data Deadlines
To run both systems concurrently for SY 2026-2027, school systems must meet strict rolling deadlines to report three new data elements per student: (1) Tier of intensity, (2) Applicable service group(s), and (3) Average special education minutes per instructional day.
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October 8, 2026 (1st Six Weeks Attendance Submission): Districts must review IEPs in place on day one of the school year and upload the new data elements for at least 50% of their special education student population.
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December 3, 2026 (2nd Six Weeks Attendance Submission): Districts must report the remaining special education student data. By this deadline, eligible days present must be reported for both the old instructional setting codes and the new intensity tiers for all funded students.
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June & July 2027 (PEIMS Summer & Resubmission): Final window to correct data errors or clarify values submitted earlier in the year.
🛑 Postponement Notice: The collection of the previously announced "Educational Environment" data element has been officially delayed and will not be collected until the 2027-2028 school year.
💵 Summer Stipend Grant Opportunity
To offset the heavy administrative burden of reviewing IEPs over the summer, a one-time extra-duty stipend grant will be available via ESC 10.
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Eligibility: Districts, charters, or Shared Services Arrangements (SSAs) with an enrollment of at least 50 students receiving special education services.
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The Catch: Grant recipients must agree to submit at least 10% of their total special education student data early via TEA’s early data request process by August 14, 2026.
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‼️Action Item: Reach out to your regional ESC special education personnel for application details.
Training & Support Channels
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Weekly Zoom Office Hours: Every Thursday from 9:00–9:30 a.m. and 4:00–4:30 p.m. (Registration link remains unchanged).
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Policy/Funding Questions: Email spedfunding@tea.texas.gov.
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PEIMS/TSDS Technical Support: Submit a TIMS ticket or email TSDSCustomerSupport@tea.texas.gov.
Click here or the button below to view the full article.
♿SY 2024–2025 (FY 2025) Final IDEA-B LEA MOE Compliance Reviews Available
TEA has released the final Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part B (IDEA-B) Local Educational Agency (LEA) Maintenance of Effort (MOE) compliance reviews for the 2024–2025 school year. These reports incorporate the agency’s evaluation of local responses/exceptions submitted following the preliminary reviews in March.
📂 How to Access Your District's Report
To view your final compliance status, log into TEAL and follow these navigation steps:
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Select GFFC Reports and Data ➡️ Click View Reports and ISD.
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From the Report Title drop-down, select "IDEA-B LEA MOE Compliance Review".
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From the School Year drop-down, select "2024–2025".
- Click Search and open the document dated May 2026.
⚠️ Crucial Directive for Noncompliant School Systems
If your final review indicates that your district failed to meet compliance standards, you will likely owe a refund to the state for failing to maintain local special education funding efforts.
🛑 Do NOT Remit Payment Yet: Noncompliant districts are strictly instructed not to send refunds to TEA at this time. Wait until you receive an official letter from the Federal Compliance Officer (within the Department of Grant Compliance and Administration), which will outline your specific contacts, resolution process, and billing instructions.
Resources & Support
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Program Guidance: Visit the IDEA-B LEA MOE Compliance Standard page on the TEA website for reference materials and calculation toolkits.
State Aid Forecasts & Summary of Finances
🎓Updated CCMR Outcomes Bonus Data (Class of 2024)
TEA has released the final counts of College, Career, or Military Readiness (CCMR) Outcomes Bonus eligible students for the Class of 2024. These student counts will be used to determine final settle-up and funding in your FY 2026 state aid calculations.
🔍 Accessing the Data
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Where to Look: Final student-level listings and district reports are now available via the TEAL Accountability application under CCMR Resources.
💡 Funding Reminders & Thresholds
- As a critical reminder, districts only receive funding for graduates who exceed state-defined percentage thresholds within three specific student groups.
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Student Group
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State Funding Threshold
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Bonus Amount Per Student (Above Threshold)
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Economically Disadvantaged
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11% of annual graduates
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$5,000
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Non-Economically Disadvantaged
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24% of annual graduates
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$3,000
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Special Education
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0% (No threshold—all qualify!)
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$4,000 (Increased via HB 2)
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⏱️ Deadline for Data Inquiries
- If your team identifies discrepancies in your final student counts, formal inquiries must be submitted to the Performance Reporting Help Desk by June 27, 2026.
Click here or the button below to see the full article.
📊 Summary of Finances (SOF) Update & Tax Projection Warnings
TEA has updated both the LPE and DPE columns of the 2025-2026 Summary of Finances (SOF) using actual attendance data from the first 4 six-week reporting periods.
📈 Attendance & Funding Forecasts
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Current Adjustments: TEA is currently using the 4th six weeks data to estimate attendance for the 5th and 6th six weeks.
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June Update: Actual data from the 5th six weeks will be integrated into the SOF next month.
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Final Reconciliation: Full-year actual attendance (from summer PEIMS resubmission) will determine final funding during TEA’s Near-Final Settle-Up in September 2026.
⚠️ Tax Collection Warning (Action Required)
- TEA is currently utilizing PEIMS Budgeted M&O tax collections for these 2025-2026 SOF calculations. These figures will not be officially replaced by TEA until the Tax Information Survey results are pulled in September.
- 🟥 Critical Cash Flow Advice: Many Texas districts are finding that they need to reduce their projected tax collections. Early budgeted numbers were calculated before the full, compounding financial implications of the increased homestead exemption were entirely understood.
‼️Next Steps for Your Finance Team
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Template Adjustment: If you use the ESC 13 State Aid Template, these older, budgeted tax collections are pre-loaded into your sheet.
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Local Action: Since you are nearly through the FY 2026 fiscal year, your business office should manually overwrite the 2025-2026 tax collections on the "Data Entry" tab with your latest, more accurate local estimates. This will help you forecast whether you are tracking toward an under- or over-allocation before September settle-up.
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