Region Three Pilot “Virtual” Consolidation

Consolidation Legislation and Guidance Title I Schoolwide Fiscal Guidance issued February, 2008 [Section E] Designing Schoolwide (SW) Programs Guidance

Consolidation Legislation and Guidance EDGAR Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A FED. REG (JULY 2, 2004)

What Does Consolidation Mean? Schoolwide school treats the funds it is consolidating as a single “pool” of funds. Funds from the contributing programs lose their identity. The school uses funds from this consolidated schoolwide (SW) pool to support any activity of the SW program. [Section E2]

What is the Purpose of Consolidation? The purpose of consolidating funds is to help a SW program school effectively design and implement a comprehensive plan to upgrade the entire educational program in the school based on the school ’ s needs identified through its comprehensive needs assessment [E-1].

State Aid dollars and local tax revenue Title I, Part A Title II, Part A Title II, Part D (purposes) Which Funds can be Consolidated?

Title III (?) Title VI (?) Section 31a Which Funds can be Consolidated?

Why Consolidate?

When State-aid and local tax revenue is pooled with supplementary Federal funds and/or Section 31a, individual funding streams lose their identity. This provides the school more flexibility in program implementation. Flexibility

The district could not afford costs associated with grade level meeting time for analyzing assessment data. This meeting time was not allowable out of any of the supplementary programs. Now, these meetings can be implemented in accordance with the SW Reform model and comprehensive SW plan. The funding source becomes moot. Flexibility Example

The school determines that the summer school program needs funds in excess of the available Title I allocation. In a consolidated SW program, IIA funds could be used to support direct instruction without the necessity of a “ transfer ”.

Time and Effort – DRAFT!!! If State Aid and local tax revenue are pooled with Federal dollars and/or Section 31a, and personnel are 100% funded with pooled dollars AND performing a single FUNCTION Semi-Annual Certification documentation is streamlined. (MDE will provide a template.)

Budget Consolidated Application budgeting requirements are GREATLY reduced. One district level budget that includes aggregate amounts for all consolidated schools. Single item per function and cost objective.

No need to submit the Consolidated Application and Title I School Selection by May 13 th. A July 1 submission date of a quality application will ensure mid-August approval. Due Date

LEA Planning Cycle The requirement to complete the LEA Planning Cycle is removed.

Amendments Amendment process is streamlined.

If Section 31a funds are pooled, the requirement for Eligibility Worksheets and identification of eligible students is eliminated. Eligibility Worksheets

Increased technical support for schools and districts related to school improvement planning. Technical Support

School Improvement Plan Emphasis is on a high-quality plan rather than the level of description included in the budget.

Eligible targeted schools can accelerate the year of planning to become a consolidated SW school for Targeted Schools

Consolidation Requirements

Comprehensive Needs Assessment The school must conduct a comprehensive needs assessment (using all four types of data) to identify gaps in student achievement and identify needs of students, staff and other stakeholders.

Schoolwide Plan Exceptional, comprehensive Schoolwide Plan that is focused on an identified Schoolwide reform and aligned to the comprehensive needs assessment.

Basic Program Historical school-level basic educational program is identified and continues to be offered. (MDE will provide a template.)

Identification of Consolidated Funds SW school must identify in its SW plan which programs are included in its consolidation and the amount each program contributes to the consolidated SW pool [E-2]. (See “Combining Funds in a SW Program” Template.)

Equitable Services Funds must still be shared with private schools as required by legislation.

Supplement not Supplant Each school operating a SW program must receive all the State and local funds it would otherwise receive to operate its educational program in the absence of Title I, Part A or other [supplemental] education funds [E-2].

Intent and Purposes The school must be able to demonstrate that its SW program contains sufficient resources and activities to reasonably address the intent and purposes of the included programs, particularly as they relate to the lowest-performing students [E-14]. (See “Combining Funds in a SW Program” Template.)

Other Program Responsibilities Annual Title I, Part A meeting Parent involvement Agendas, sign-ins, bids, contracts District required set-asides

Other Program Responsibilities Maintenance of Effort Title I Comparability Title I School Selection Health and Safety and Civil Rights

Record Keeping

Programmatic Record Keeping Evidence that intent and purposes of programs were fulfilled.

Financial Accounting “Virtual” pooling – maintain multiple grant numbers, function codes and cost objectives. Two drawdown options: (1) Proportionate charging (2) Sequence charging Functional category reporting must still be maintained

State-Aid and local tax revenue must be distributed fairly and equitably to all schools–including SW program schools–without regard to whether those schools are receiving Federal and State supplementary funds. [E-18] Financial Accounting

Comparability – Two Options: (1) Proportionate charging (2) Other Ability to determine if Federal funds are unspent at the end of the year.

Monitoring

Programmatic Review of proposed activities Activities linked to needs assessment Research base Monitoring

A school operating a SW program that is consolidating only Federal education funds and Section 31a funds must ensure these funds are being used only to address instructional needs that are identified in the SW plan and directly linked to the school’s needs assessment. Monitoring

Goal: 100% Participation from Eligible Region 3 Schools

Current Status:

QUESTIONS