ESSA Newsletter

We hope your November is off to a good start and that you’re finding plenty to be thankful for this month. As you dive into all things ESSA, just remember—we’re here for you! If you need help, ideas, or someone to talk through federal program questions with, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Wishing you a month full of gratitude and good things!

- Tami Knight, Mercedez Rassi, and Monica Diaz

www.esc15.net/titlei

The SC9000 schedule provides data that is used in determining federal funding to support students residing in facilities for neglected or delinquent students.

According to a list provided by TEA, the following districts should submit data:

• Brookesmith (Mullin Oaks)
• Cherokee (Cherokee Home for Children)
• Paint Rock (Garza Co. Regional Juvenile Center)
• San Angelo (CV Home for Girls; West Tx Boys Ranch)
• San Felipe Del Rio (Val Verde Co Juvenile Del. Center) - an error?
• Texas Leadership Public Schools (West Tx Boys Ranch) - an error?

Data needed: the October 2025 caseload of children ages 5 through 17, who resided in the residential facility for at least one day during a 30-consecutive-day period, at least one day of which falls within the month of October 2025.

Due by December 5, 2025 in eGrants (See Special Collections tab in eGrants).

The 2025-2026 Title V, Part B Rural and Low-Income School Program Grant Application is available in eGrants and will close soon.

Applicant Designation and Certification (ADC) Form

The ADC form must be submitted before the grant application is available in eGrants. To access the ADC, log into TEAL and select eGrants as the application. Once in eGrants, click on Grants on the menu bar, then select Apply for Eligible Grants.

Application Due Date

Eligible applicants must apply through the eGrants system by 11:59 p.m. Central Time, November 14, 2025.

If you are one of our ESSA Support Contract districts, Mercedez or Tami have completed this grant on your behalf.

On Monday, October 20, TEA notified the districts who were selected for Program Monitoring Validation for this year. The districts we support who were selected are featured in the graphic below.

We are eager to help you! Mercedez and Tami will assist districts selected for Title I-A topics; Elizabeth Rangel will assist districts selected for Title I-C (Migrant) topics.

Documentation for the validation is due to be uploaded to SmartSheet by December 19.

As a reminder, TEA's process for Program Monitoring Validation is a 5-6 year cycle, and we are in Year 2 of this cycle. This means that, if you weren't selected this year or last year, your validation is coming within the next 3-4 years. You can learn more about the validation process by visiting TEA's ESSA Program Monitoring Validation website.

All school systems that applied for Title II, Part A program funds in 2024-2025 and did not redirect 100% of their Title II, Part A funds via funding transferability and/or the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) are required to report the following data from the 2024-25 grant year:

• description of how LEA is using Title II funds and how the activities improve staff effectiveness
• description of how Title II funds are being used to provide equitable access to teachers for low-income and minority students (if applicable)

Survey opened November 3 and will close January 9, 2026.

Click here to read the To the Administrator Addressed letter.

School systems that redirected 100% of their Title II, Part A funds via Funding Transferability and/or Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) will not be required to submit the requested data, as they did not operate a Title II, Part A program in the 2024-2025 grant year.

Two Virtual Training Options (click link to register):

1. November 5 @ 1:00-2:00
2. November 10 @ 1:00-2:00

Under ESSA, Section 1118(c), known as the comparability of services requirement, school systems may receive Title I, Part A funds only if state and local funds will be used in Title I, Part A campuses to provide services that are at least comparable to the services provided in non-Title I, Part A campuses. If the school system serves all its campuses with Title I, Part A funds, it must use state and local funds to provide services that, taken as a whole, are substantially comparable in each Title I, Part A campus.

All districts must complete the CAD Survey by November 14, 2025. Some districts must also complete the Comparability Computation Form (CCF), which is also due November 14 in GFFC Reports

Who must complete the CCF? A school system is exempt from completing/submitting the CCF if it meets any of the following criteria:

• The school system has only one campus per grade-span group.
• The school system has multiple campuses in the grade-span group, but no overlap of grade levels.
• The school system has an overlap of grade levels, but no Title I, Part A campuses in the grade-span group.
• The school system uses exclusion criteria to exclude one or more campuses, resulting in no basis for comparison.

Note: Grade-span groups should match the basic organization of schools in the school system. For example, a school system with elementary, middle and high school campuses would have three grade-span groups. If there is any overlap in grades, the campuses with the same grades should be tested in the same grade-span group. If there is no overlap in grades, the campuses may be separately tested.

School systems that do not meet any of the exemption criteria listed above are required to conduct comparability of services testing by completing the CCF. The school system must use its 2025–26 current school year budgeted data to complete the CCF. The CCF may be found on TEA's Comparability of Services page. The CCF must be turned into GFFC Reports by Friday, November 14, 2025.

Does your district use Indirect Cost Rate?

School districts (districts) must request an indirect cost rate each year by completing and submitting the Indirect Cost Rate Proposal (ICRP) Additional Costs Workbook (ACW). The submission deadline is January 16, 2026.

*Note: Charter school guidance will be provided in a separate communication next spring.

The submission of the ICRP ACW serves as the district’s request for an indirect cost rate. Rates will be calculated only for districts that submit a completed ICRP ACW in a timely manner.

Need help? TEA will conduct online training opportunities Nov. 12 and Dec. 11. See TEA Training Opportunities below for more info!

Revised rules governing federal procurement of goods and services became effective October 1, 2025:

Two specific changes may impact and give greater flexibility to school systems if local policy and procedures are changed to reflect the following changes.

• The new micro-purchase threshold will be $15,000 (previously $10,000). The federal grant regulations (2 CFR §200.320) still allow for the school system to self-certify a higher threshold (see below).
• The new simplified acquisition threshold will be $350,000 (previously $250,000). This can increase the purchasing threshold when the school system is required to implement a formal procurement process of sealed bids or vendor proposals.

The local school system may choose whether to implement these higher procurement thresholds mid-grant year by the processes outlined below, or may choose to continue to follow the current federal grant procurement policy and procedures.

How to Implement Federal Changes:

For eligible school systems that do self-certify a higher micro-purchase threshold, the previous board-approved self-certified threshold that is codified in the local policy and procedures remains the most restrictive and must be followed until the following processes are completed.

• The local board must approve the reasoning for and the higher self-certified threshold and document the approval in local board minutes. Note that the school system does not notify TEA if you are following the statutory threshold of $15,000 (previously $10,000), as the statutory threshold is already approved for the school system.
• The school system must revise and update local policy and procedures to include the higher threshold, and
• The school system must notify TEA of the higher threshold through the Department of Grant Compliance and Administration’s EDGAR Connect system.

The self-certified threshold process will be as follows:

• Self-certified thresholds from $15,001 to $49,999 will continue to only require notification to TEA through the EDGAR Connect system.
• Self-certified thresholds of $50,000 to $99,999 will require the following documentation to be uploaded with the notification through the EDGAR Connect system.
  • Proof of eligibility,
    • low risk grantee as stated in the most recent federal audit (this is written by the external auditor and is not TEA’s annual risk assessment status), or
    • internal organizational risk assessment that identifies, mitigates, and manages financial risk (the assessment must address all three areas of identification, mitigation, and management of risk).
  • Local board minutes documenting the approved threshold policy, and
  • Local policy reflects the new threshold and the reason the higher threshold is needed.

Simplified Acquisition Threshold
For school systems that wish to implement the higher simplified acquisition threshold, the previous $250,000 threshold that is codified in the local procurement policy and procedures remains the most restrictive and must be followed until the following processes are completed.

• The school system must revise and update local policy and procedures to include the higher threshold, and
• The local board must approve the updated procurement policy, which reflects the higher threshold, and document the approval in local board minutes.

Once both actions are completed, the school system may begin implementing the higher threshold.

Note that all federal procurement policies and procedures must be followed for all federal grant procurements, whether implementing these new thresholds or not.

For any questions regarding the implementation of updated federal regulations or federal grant procurement requirements, please email Cory Green (cory.green@tea.texas.gov) and Nick Davis (nick.davis@tea.texas.gov) in the Department of Grant Compliance and Administration.

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

A few of these have been updated in recent months!

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.

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is providing two training opportunities via Zoom for independent school districts (districts)* interested in learning more about completing the request for indirect cost rates for 2026–2027.

*TEA will notify charter schools of the process they will use to request an indirect cost rate for 2026–2027 in early 2026.

Title of Training Sessions:

Completing the Indirect Cost Rate Proposal (ICRP) and Additional Costs Workbook (ACW)

Objective: The goal is to provide ESC staff and district administrators with information and guidance regarding TEA’s Indirect Cost Rate processes, procedures, and forms, and to assist districts in meeting upcoming deadlines.

Description: This training session is designed to inform districts of the upcoming timeline for ICRP activities and updated procedures. Districts that are requesting indirect cost rates for school year 2026–2027 must submit an ICRP ACW by January 16, 2026. This training is intended to assist districts in meeting this deadline. Staff from TEA will discuss the ICRP ACW procedures and timelines, offer examples and explanations, walk districts through the worksheets and required data, and allow time for specific questions.

Zoom Training Dates/Times (content in each session is identical):

• November 12, 2025, from 10:00–11:00 AM – Register
• December 11, 2025, from 1:00–2:00 PM – Register

Target audience: Training is open to all districts, particularly Business Managers and other staff involved in completing the 2026–2027 ICRP ACW to request indirect cost rates for the next school year.

Important Note: this training is applicable only to districts and not charter schools since charter schools’ indirect cost rates are calculated in a different manner.

This one-and-a-half-day conference is open to all LEA/Charter Directors, Administrators, Teachers and Staff implementing a Title I, Part A Schoolwide Program (SWP) or a Targeted Assistance Program (TAP).

• When: Feb. 19-20
• Where: Embassy Suites, Austin
• Registration Fee: $200 per person

Click here to register

MORE INFORMATION COMING SOON

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!

Note: We will not host a November ESSA Coffee Chat. Instead, please make plans to attend our Fall Federal Update (flyer linked below).

Title I schoolwide programs run best when principals know what’s expected — and feel equipped to handle it! In this session, federal program directors will receive a ready-to-use training toolkit designed to help principals understand the “why” and “how” behind schoolwide program requirements. From documentation do’s and don’ts to simple systems for staying organized, this session offers practical tools and resources you can use right away to make compliance a little less complicated — and a lot more doable.

Click here to register for access to this on-demand course!

Parenting isn’t easy — especially when kids would rather scroll than talk! 😅 Join us for our first Region 15 Parent Series with the STAY Together Program, where we’ll share simple, fun, and meaningful ways to connect with children.

Whether your parents at your district are struggling with screen time, communication, or just want to build a closer, more positive relationship — this session is for them!!

Let’s come together (virtually!) to learn how small changes can make a big difference at home. Please share this FREE parent session with your parents!

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