ESSA/ESSER Newsletter

February is here, and with it comes a fresh round of grant management updates! While the season may be all about hearts and chocolates, we’re focused on helping you navigate the latest changes and challenges. As always, we’re here to support you—no frills, just friendly guidance when you need it!

- Tami Knight, Mercedez Rassi, and Monica Diaz

www.esc15.net/titlei

The timeline for implementation of the new federal grant regulations (Uniform Grant Guidance, UGG) has been revised.

Earlier this year, we hosted TEA in their presentation of EDGAR updates (the Top Gun themed presentation in October). During this session, the understanding was that these changes would go into effect for new grants on July 1, 2025.

USDE has provided notice that all UGG changes are effective immediately for all active awards (see TEA's To the Administrator Addressed bulletin). In this bulletin, TEA addresses key changes and how it may impact your LEA. Please review those changes and make plans to update your administrative procedures and policies as appropriate.

TEA federal monitoring has said it will issue findings with no questioned costs this year for findings solely related to the changes implemented early by this new USDE notice and LEAs must retain this letter as documentation for your own auditor in case of future findings.

TEMPLATE - as a reminder, Region 15 purchased a UGG/EDGAR manual template for Region 15 LEAs last summer from the BruMan Group. You should have received a copy of this from Mercedez or Tami. Let us know if you need us to send it again.

It's time to disseminate your Federal Report cards!

At a minimum, the LEA must—

• Post direct links to the State, LEA and campus report cards on its website;
• Notify parents of all students about the availability of the report cards and the options for obtaining them;
• Provide appropriate translation (either oral or written) upon request;
• Make hard copies available to parents upon request; and
• Make hard copies available for viewing in public locations.

As per recent guidance from the U.S. Department of Education, the expectation is that each LEA shall have the federal report cards posted on its website for a minimum of 3 years.

Sample parent notification letters in English and Spanish that LEAs may customize are available on the TEA Federal Report Card Web Page. TEA strongly encourages LEAs to translate the sample letter into a language and format that all parents can understand.

LEAs are not required to use the sample parent notification letters, but they must make the federal report card information readily accessible to the public, and LEAs must notify parents of the availability of the federal report card information no later than Monday, March 3, 2025.

Note: the links posted to your website must be the actual PDF for each report (in other words, do not simply link the TEA webpage and expect parents to search for your report).

Phase 1 of Year 5 USDE ESSER Reports is behind us! Most of our Region 15 districts have actually already completed Phase 2, as well! Fantastic work!

Phase 2 is due 3/15/25 and includes ESSER I, ESSER II, & ESSER III reports. See the GovDelivery on 9/3 from TEA. for details.

Do you need some help with your USDE ESSER Reports? Mercedez and Tami will be offering office hours to lend a hand!

Office Hours - most Tuesdays at 2:00-3:00 (see specific dates below).

Zoom link

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 (067/24)
• ESSA Private Nonprofit Equitable Services (08/24)

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!

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.

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 $50.

Although registration and additional information for the 2025 Parent and Family Engagement Conference will not be available until April 1, 2025, the application to present is now open!

If you or someone you know is interested in presenting at this conference, please visit the PFE Statewide Initiative website HERE for more information. Before applying, you will have to review the Application to Present Guidelines document linked on our website here.

Presenters are not limited to Title I, Part A or PFE. We are looking for presenters on any of the following:

• Title I, Part A
• ESSER
• Title I, Part C (Migrant)
• Title II, Part A
• Title III, Part A - ELA and Immigrant
• Title IV, Part A
• Title IV, Part B - 21st Century Schools

The application closes at 5pm (CST) on Saturday, March 29, 2025, so hurry and get yours in ASAP.

The Anita Villarreal Innovation in Engagement Award recognizes schools and Local Education Agencies (LEAs) that have demonstrated exemplary efforts in enhancing parent, family, and community engagement for the betterment of their students. This award aims to highlight best practices that actively involve stakeholders in the planning, execution, and evaluation of programs or events that foster a collaborative learning environment.

Deadline is March 7th! Apply here

We’re excited to announce two upcoming Best Practices Expos that are free to attend and full of valuable insights for educators, families, and community members!

February 26: Spring Forest Middle School will present its "High School Ready" program, designed to help students and families navigate campus transitions smoothly and confidently.

April 10: Dr. Stefanie Rodriguez from Behavior Savvy Solutions will share strategies for building stronger, healthier school environments.

You’ll find more information on these events in the flyers below and on our website at https://pfetexas.net/bestpractices.

We hope you’ll join us!

What are we talking about?

The 3rd 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 do I do with the newsletter?

We encourage you to share this newsletter with all parents, families, and community members by whatever form(s) and languages are best for your unique schools and/or district. By incorporating these newsletters into communication channels with all stakeholders, you can empower parents, guardians, caregivers, and families to play an active role in their child's educational journey.

What's in this quarter?

The newsletter covers a range of topics, including childhood depression, increasing empathy, a college application timeline, how grandfamilies can engage with schools, and so much more. We believe that by sharing this information, we can contribute to creating a more collaborative and supportive learning environment for students.

We look forward to working together to strengthen the partnership with the families you serve.

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