ESSA Newsletter

Welcome to this month’s Federal Programs newsletter! This time of year brings lots to celebrate—graduations, end-of-year events, and big milestones—along with plenty to wrap up before summer.

Inside, you’ll find key dates, updates, and helpful resources to keep you on track. And remember, we’re always here and happy to help if you need anything!

Join us for our virtual Spring Federal Programs session on May 5 for timely updates and end-of-year tips. Register here

- Tami Knight, Monica Diaz, and Mercedez Rassi

www.esc15.net/titlei

If your district anticipates contracting with the ESC for ESSA Support next year, there are a few tasks we ask of you:

1. Letter of Intent - please let us know of your intention to contract with us by completing this form.
2. Schedule a Meeting - Go ahead and book an appointment with Tami or Mercedez by completing clicking the appropriate link below, then typing your district's info into your chosen time slot. Not sure whether to book with Mercedez or Tami? Click here to see the person assigned to your district.

Book with Tami here

Book with Mercedez here

Planning amounts for the 2026-27 ESSA programs are now available. You can view your entitlements through the Interactive Dashboard, or you can access them in Excel format here.

There are three steps to making 26-27 funds available:

1. SC5003 - This schedule must be completed in order for the ESSA, SpEd, and Perkins grant applications to open. This schedule acknowledges the provisions and assurances for each grant, and is the means for LEAs to notify TEA of equitable access/barriers. To complete this schedule, log into TEAL, click Special Collections tab on the menu bar, complete the schedule and submit.
2. Applicant Designation & Certification (ADC) - The ADC form will open on May 20. This form notifies TEA of your plans to apply for funding. Once the ADC is submitted, the grant applications will become available (after 5/20/26).

If you have an ESSA Support contract with us, Tami or Mercedez will reach out to you with next steps.

On Friday, May 1, your district received a Smartsheet survey requesting feedback on the technical assistance you’ve received from our ESC for Title I-A, Title I-C (Migrant), Title II, and Title IV programs.

The survey asks about the support you’ve received and your level of satisfaction. We’d truly appreciate your honest input as we continue to improve our services.

Your program contacts:

• Title I-A: Monica Diaz (Parent & Family Engagement), Tami Knight, and Mercedez Rassi
• Title II-A: Tami Knight and Mercedez Rassi
• Title I-C: Elizabeth Rangel
• Title IV-A: Rusty Fleeman & Corey Turner

Thank you in advance for helping us grow and better support your work!

TEA’s Grant Compliance and Administration team is launching their Annual Satisfaction Survey. Your voice matters! This quick, anonymous survey is an easy way to share feedback on the support, guidance, and responsiveness you receive. Your input helps shape improvements to better serve LEAs across the state. Take a few minutes to participate by May 15, 2026!

Click here to complete the survey.

If your district was selected for a Program Monitoring Validation (PMV) this year, results were shared via a Smartsheet email on Friday, May 1. Here are the Region 15 supported districts who were validated:

• Crane ISD
• Early ISD
• Irion County ISD
• Rocksprings ISD
• Sonora ISD
• Glasscock ISD
• Midland Academy Charter

Having trouble locating the email or need help reviewing your results? Reach out to Tami or Mercedez. We’re happy to help!

Heads up for the 2026–2027 school year: TEA will be rolling out a new fiscal monitoring protocol! While this process typically kicks off in January, school systems selected for a fiscal review can expect notification a bit earlier this year, beginning in April. Selected districts will have one of two types of reviews:

• Full Fiscal Review - High risk districts; will review indicators for up to 3 class object codes
• Flash Review - Medium or Low risk districts; will review indicators for one class-object code

Want to get ahead? You can learn more by visiting TEA’s Federal Fiscal Monitoring Division website, and we’ll also walk through what this means (and how to prepare) during our Spring Federal Programs session on May 5. Hope you’ll join us!

Final amounts and carryover for ESSA and RLIS grants became available February 27 (Click here for the GovDelivery). Most of our districts have already completed their amendments, but if you are still working on it, or need to make another change, you have until June 2 to submit an amendment. Here are a couple quick reminders:

• You must adjust your local budget to included final amounts and carryover. Check your local policies and procedures to see whether you should do this upon submission of your amendment or once you receive a NOGA.
• Best practices for managing these grants include: carrying over zero dollars, drawing down funds regularly (we recommend monthly), and ensuring that grant funds are used to benefit the current grant year students.

If your LEA is eligible for SRSA funds (Small Rural School Achievement) and you plan to apply, the application is now open.

Not sure if you're eligible? You can view eligible Region 15 districts here: Region 15 FY26 SRSA and RLIS Eligibility List.

It is VERY important that the LEA checks the list above to ensure USDE has the LEAs correct contact information, as these contacts will be included in corresponded regarding the SRSA application. If you are not included in your LEAs contacts and should be, please contact reap@ed.gov.

Here are some highlights about applying for SRSA or RLIS:

• Districts that are dual eligible may only apply for one: SRSA or RLIS grant

• SRSA grant application are completed directly through USDE and are sent via email.

• The FY2026 SRSA Application will be available to eligible LEAs from April 13 through May 18, 2026.

• If you plan to apply for RLIS, there is nothing to do at this time. That application will open in the Fall.

TEA has completed the final Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) local educational agency (LEA) maintenance of effort (MOE) determinations for school year 2024–2025. Follow these steps to find your determination in the GFFC Reports and Data Collections secure application:

1. Log on to TEAL.
2. Select “GFFC Reports and Data Collections.”
3. Select “ESSA LEA MOE Report” from the Report Title drop-down menu.
4. Select “2024–2025” from the School Year drop-down menu.

The “Status” column of the determination indicates whether you are compliant or noncompliant.

Keep in mind, school systems only have to pass ONE of the FOUR MOE tests to be compliant. All districts in Region 15 were compliant, but Tami or Mercedez may have reached out to your district if you failed one or more of the tests so that you could review for next year.

In order to help schools implement compliant programs, TEA has published frequently asked questions for various program areas.

ESSA:

• Title I-A FAQ (08/25)
• Title I-D FAQ (11/22)
• Title II-A FAQ (09/25)
• Title IV-A FAQ (09/25)
• ESSA Private Nonprofit Equitable Services (09/25)

This planner was developed in a partnership between TEA and the Title I Statewide Initiative. It provides a monthly guide for ESSA programs.

Our End of Year ESSA Checklist is hot off the presses and ready for you to use! Click the image or the title above to download it.

It’s almost time to complete your ESSA Consolidated Compliance Reports—are you ready?

To help you prepare, we’ve updated our District and Campus Compliance Checklists to align with TEA’s latest ESSA Consolidated Compliance Reports Program Compliance Self-Check Guide (Version 8.1). These checklists are a great way to make sure you’ve addressed everything that will show up on the report before you submit in July 2026.

You’ll notice updates marked with NEW in bold red text, making it easy to spot what's new to the report this year for you to double-check as you finalize your documentation.

Reminder: these aren’t new requirements—just items that will now be included on the compliance report.

Take a few minutes to review your checklist now. It’ll make the reporting process much smoother later! As always, we’re here if you need us! Don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or for support.

Did you know TEA recently updated the ESSA Consolidated Compliance Reports Program Compliance Self-Check Guide (Version 8.1)? To help you navigate these changes, we’ve revised our District and Campus Compliance Checklists to align with the updated requirements for the 2025–2026 grant year and beyond.

All updates in our checklists are easy to spot and marked with NEW in bold red text. We encourage Federal Programs staff to take a look, as these items will be reported in July 2026 with the submission of the 2025–2026 ESSA Consolidated Compliance Reports.

*Reminder: these are not new requirements; they are simply new items on the compliance report.

As always, we’re here to help—reach out anytime with questions or for support!

Our 2025-2026 ESSA Workshops have also been tentatively scheduled. Please note that these dates are subject to change! We often receive notice of trainings we are required to attend after we create our PD schedule. We do our best to communicate changes promptly and we appreciate your understanding!

This year, we're trying something new! We're incentivizing you to engage and attend. Grab your 2026-27 ESSA Passport and attend sessions to win prizes. You can view the schedule here: 2026-2027 Region 15 ESSA Workshop Schedule.

Instead of a Coffee Chat this month, please join us for our Spring Federal Update on Tuesday, May 5 (9:00-12:00).

We had to reschedule our Spring ESSA update due to a conflict with a TEA-ESC obligation. Please update your calendars. We apologize for any inconvenience.

TEA's Department of Grant Compliance and Administration (GCA), in partnership with the ACET LEA CNA Committee, is launching Statewide Office Hours for 2026. These bi-weekly sessions are designed to provide timely updates, practical guidance, and an opportunity for open discussion with districts across the state.

Office Hours will be held on Thursdays from 2:00–3:00 p.m. and began February 12, 2026. The next session will take place April 1.

Each session will include:

• Department Updates & Hot Topics (20–25 minutes)

• Division-Specific Focus + Open Q&A (35–40 minutes)

Agendas will be shared the Monday prior to each session via GovDelivery.

District staff are encouraged to register and participate in these valuable conversations to stay informed and connected. Register here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LJOrFAg9TXOJ_EuA6pScpQ

*once you register, you'll receive a calendar invitation for all scheduled events*

Mark your calendar for May 27 (9:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m.) for a statewide virtual training on the 2026–27 ESSA Consolidated Application. This session will walk through key components of the application and include sample data entry to help you feel confident and prepared. Registration information will be shared in mid-March. Stay tuned for details!

The Federal Program Compliance Division is announcing a series of statewide virtual training opportunities for school systems. The trainings will take place in April, May, and June 2026. To register and view the dates, times, training topics, and training descriptions, visit the Statewide Training Series webpage. There is no cost for the training. A link to access the training recordings and handouts will be posted to the Statewide Training Series webpage after each training. Captions will be provided.

Training Dates and Topics

• April 23, 2026: Title IV, Part A, Compliance Under Construction: Building a Rock-Solid Monitoring and Self-Check Process
• April 30, 2026: Blueprint for Compliance: Navigating Title I, Part A Monitoring & Self Check Essentials
• May 11, 2026: Title I, Part C Compliance Under Construction: Building Monitoring Protocols and Effective Self-Assessment
• May 19, 2026: Blueprints to ESSA Private Nonprofit (PNP) Compliance: Building PNP Equitable Services That Pass Inspection
• May 27, 2026: 2026-2027 ESSA Consolidated Application Statewide Virtual Training
• June 3, 2026: Structural Oversight and Monitoring Framework for Title I, Part D, Subpart 2
• June 9, 2026: Constructing Compliance: A Builder’s Guide to Title II, Part A Monitoring
• June 11, 2026: Title I, Part A Within-LEA Allocations and SC5000 Statewide Virtual Training

Save the date for GCA Con, November 10–12, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio. This conference brings together grants, compliance, and family engagement professionals for focused learning and collaboration.

This year, GCA Con will be held in lieu of the annual Parent and Family Engagement Conference and the Title I Compliance Academy, combining both focus areas into one comprehensive event. Approximately 50% of breakout sessions will center on Parent and Family Engagement (PFE)—with continued support for PFE Liaisons—while the remaining sessions will focus on ESSA program compliance to strengthen implementation across districts.

Registration information will be released in late March to assist with budget planning—be on the lookout for details!

Note: GCA = Grant Compliance and Administration

Thank you to everyone who joined us for last month’s ACET Virtual Academy—it was a great success! In addition to the Spring Conference, be sure to mark your calendars for two more virtual learning opportunities this year.

• Summer Virtual Academy - June 25 (9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.): ACET will host a Summer Virtual Academy featuring 8 high-impact sessions, 4 specialized tracks, and a TEA-led general session—designed to provide practical learning you can immediately put into action.
• Fall Federal Program Director Academies - Sept. 22 and Oct. 6 @ 9-3: In place of a fall in-person conference, ACET will offer two virtual Federal Program Director Academies on September 22 and October 6 (9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. each day). Join TEA and leading FPD experts for two focused days designed to strengthen compliance, sharpen your skills, and equip you with ready-to-use strategies to maximize every federal dollar and lead with confidence.

Inside this edition:

• The 24-Hour Challenge: Our script for the perfect positive first call.

• The "Home Input" Survey: 3 simple questions to harness family expertise.

• High School Hacks: How to scale positive contact for 150+ students without burning out.

• Leadership Corner: How admins can resource and validate engagement efforts.

Introducing the Engaging Texas Families Podcast, a new podcast from the Parent and Family Engagement Statewide Initiative!

Each episode, we’ll help you connect, grow, and empower your family with practical tips and insightful conversations. We’ll explore the tools, strategies, and resources you need to be an engaged and confident partner in your child’s success.

Is there anything we can do to help you with your ESSA programs? Please let us know if there is anything we can do for you. Our contact information is below.

Email: federalprograms@esc15.net
Website: www.esc15.net/titlei
Location: 612 South Irene Street, San Angelo, TX, USA
Phone: 325-658-6571
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Region15ESC
Twitter: @Region15ESC