ESSA/ESSER Newsletter

Welcome to our October newsletter! As the leaves change and the air gets crisp, we’re brewing up some exciting updates and tips in grant management to keep you ahead of any spooky surprises. Don’t let the ghosts of paperwork haunt you—reach out if you need a hand, we’re always here to help!

- Tami Knight, Mercedez Rassi, and Monica Diaz

www.esc15.net/titlei

TEA issued a GovDelivery on 9/26/24 notifying districts of the Comparability requirement for 24-25.

Comparability Requirement: state and local funds used on Title I campuses must be at least comparable to services provided on non-Title I campuses.

Comparability has two parts:

1. Comparability Assurance Document (CAD) - this survey must be completed by ALL LEAs that receive Title I-A funds. In it, you report to TEA whether your district is exempt from the Comparability Computation Form (CCF). Click here to access the CAD survey.
2. Comparability Computation Form (CCF) - this Excel spreadsheet must be submitted by non-exempt LEAs to demonstrate compliance with the requirement. Submit the completed CCF to GFFC Reports and Data Collections through a TEAL account.

Most of the districts in Region 15 are exempt. Here are the exemption criteria:

• The LEA has only one campus per grade-span group
• The LEA has multiple campuses in the grade-span group but no overlap of grade levels
• The LEA has overlap of grade levels but no Title I, Part A campuses in the grade-span group
• The LEA uses exclusion criteria to exclude one or more campuses resulting in no basis for comparison (see the Comparability Handbook for details on exclusions)

Comparability is due by November 15, 2024. Let us know if you have any questions!

The Title V, Part B Rural & Low Income Schools Grant application window is open for those who are eligible. The grant application became available 9/16/24 and is due by 11/15/24. The following Region 15 districts are eligible to apply:

• Ballinger ISD
• Bangs ISD
• Brady ISD
• Brownwood ISD
• Coleman ISD
• Junction ISD
• San Felipe-Del Rio CISD
• San Saba ISD

If you contract with us for ESSA Support, Mercedez or Tami has reached out to you to offer assistance.

2024-25 Program Monitoring Statewide Virtual Session: RESCHEDULED

The statewide program monitoring training that was to be held on 10/2/24 has been cancelled. The reason for the delay is because USDE visited Texas this summer to validate TEA. TEA is hoping to receive the results of their validation prior to finalizing their plans for LEA monitoring this year as there may be a need to refine their plans based on any findings that call for action.

The statewide program monitoring session will be rescheduled as soon as TEA is able to finalize their monitoring process. Stay tuned!

Note: TEA's tentative plans for monitoring: If you are selected for an ESSA Random Validation, you should expect to provide documentation of any ESSA program for which your LEA receives funds (with the exception of Title III, which is managed through another division at TEA).

Are you looking for ways to reduce paperwork for your staff? If you have eligible employees, your district should consider applying for the Substitute System of Time and Effort. This allows certain employees to submit semiannual certifications, rather than monthly Personnel Activity Reports (PARs).

Eligible employees:

• The employee’s schedule must include multiple activities or cost objectives.
• The employee must work on a set schedule.
• The employee may not work on multiple activities or cost objectives at the exact same time.

To use this flexibility, your district must apply for it annually by completing the certification form through the EDGAR Connect WorkApp. Not sure if you're eligible? Look for your LEA's name on the list of approved LEAs.

It's that time again! You should have received a GovDelivery on 9/3 from TEA.

The Year 5 USDE ESSER report will be completed in two phases.

• Phase 1 - open 9/1/24; due 1/15/25
• Phase 2 - open 11/1/24; due 3/15/25

See graphic below for more details.

We asked our PEIMS department for help with this. Since PEIMS reports for 24-25 are currently being prepped, there are no PEIMS reports for the 9/30/24 snapshot (used for CROSSACT; the SCHOOLS report uses a 9/30/23 snapshot date).

For ASCENDER users, our PEIMS folks recommend generating HRS4450 FSP Staff Salary Report. From there you may modify the printing parameters for district/campus options. We are told that non-ASCENDER users most likely have a comparable report available.

For more help with this, reach out to your HR department (this is pretty far outside of our federal programs lane).

The end of ESSER 3 is here! September 30, 2024 was the end of the ESSER III grant period. Your district might find yourself in one of four categories:

1. All of your ESSER 3 funds are spent, drawn down, and your available balance is $0. High five! Hooray! You have much to celebrate!
2. All of your ESSER 3 funds are OBLIGATED, but you have some that you cannot draw down quite yet. You're not alone. As of Monday, 9/30, TEA reported that about $682 million was unexpended. Districts have 90 days to liquidate ESSER 3 funds. Please see that your funds are drawn down by December 29, 2024.
3. All of your ESSER 3 funds are OBLIGATED, but you anticipate that you will NOT be able to draw them down by 12/29/24. You need to request a liquidation extension. To do this, log into the ESSER Compliance WorkApp and change the status of the Liquidation Extension tool to “in-progress”. This allows TEA to have a better indication of the number of LEAs seeking the liquidation extension.
4. Some of your ESSER 3 money is NOT obligated. Unfortunately, these funds will lapse. This may result in your LEA having an increased risk level.

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

ESSA:

• Title I-A FAQ (06/23)
• Title II-A FAQ (RECENTLY REVISED! 09/24)
• Title IV-A FAQ (06/23)
• ESSA Private Nonprofit Equitable Services (07/23)

ESSER:

• ESSER FAQ
• ESSER Side-by-Side Comparison

All of our resources have been updated for the 24-25 school year! Click the items below to download!

Be sure to carefully review and address each task that is relevant to your district. If you aren't sure, reach out to Tami, Mercedez or Monica and we can help!

Have you been catching these awesome newbie training series TEA is conducting? If you've missed some, it's okay! Most of them have been recorded and you can catch up this way!

There are still some sessions coming up! Check out the offerings here and register. You may access the presentation slides and view the recordings from the same link.

The annual PFE conference will be held in Houston October 16-18 at the Marriott Westchase. Registration costs $275.

Need more information? Not sure how to pay for it? Check out the Conference Brochure or the Funding Letter.

These cluster sessions are intended to be a convenient way for teachers, parent liaisons, and administrators to enhance their communication skills to strengthen family partnerships! Lots of choices in dates and locations - choose the one that works best for you! Registration costs $150.

Our 24-25 ESSA/ESSER PD sessions have been tentatively scheduled! Keep in mind, our PD dates are always subject to change because of required trainings that we may be asked to attend.

Join us for our Federal Programs Coffee Chats! These are very informal Zoom meetings where participants log in, hear a few updates, and ask questions. Click the picture below to access the flyer and a live link to our Zoom meeting.

Don't forget to register for the following virtual workshops or attend a one day workshops that will cover all four virtual workshops!

• Nov. 13th - 1pm-4pm
  
• Feb. 12th - 9am-12pm
• May 7th - 9am-12pm

Or the in-person workshop on November 20th from 9am-4pm! We are going to be bringing in Ernesto Mejia from CoolSpeak from 9am-12pm and in the afternoon, you can select from a PFE session or a McKinney-Vento session.

Our Mental Health Specialist, Anne Hardegree is bringing back parent courses to help parents with understanding their child's behavior and how to help their child regulate their behavior. It is once a week and being offered during lunch and in the evening. Please share this great opportunity with your parents! Please have them register here.

What are we talking about?

The 1st Quarter of "The Family Learning Connection" published by the Title I, Part A Parent and Family Statewide Initiative, is now available on our website here and on our Smore page here.

What's in this newsletter?

The newsletter covers a range of topics, including Parent-Teacher Conferences, Fall Extracurricular Activities, Parent-Teacher Communication and the recipients of the 2023-2024 Promising Practices Award.

This new website is designed to support districts in empowering parents to navigate the school system with ease. Explore a wealth of resources, including informative newsletters, best practice expos, and up-to-date conference information. Whether you're seeking guidance, staying informed, or looking for ways to engage with the educational community, this website has it all. Check it out today!

This is a free opportunity as parent educators to take this free training and share this knowledge with your parents! PAX Tools™ is a collection of trauma-informed evidence-based behavioral strategies for families and communities to promote the development of self-regulation in children. Adults who participate in PAX Tools Community Workshops receive the strategies and materials they need to effectively use PAX Tools with children.

For more information contact Alex Nieto a 325-703-3009 or alex.nieto@esc15.net

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