ESSA NEWS - ESC 17 Accountability

August 2020

CARES Act - ESSER Funding Application Due August 24, 2020!

The deadline is fast approaching to submit your ESSER Funding Application. Please visit the Grant Opportunities page on the TEA website and locate the 2020-2021 Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Grant or use the following link to access Parts 1 and 2 of the application.

https://tea4avoswald.tea.state.tx.us/GrantOpportunities/forms/GrantProgramSearch.aspx

Submission instructions are included on the front page of the grant but please don't hesitate to call us if you have questions.

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NEW Federal Program Compliance Division Updates - COVID-19

Below, please find some Federal Program Compliance Division Updates.

Updated July 23, 2020 - CARES ACT Equitable Services FAQ

https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/covid/COVID-19-CARES-Act-Equitable-Services-FAQ.pdf

Updated July 23, 2020 - CARES ACT Funding and Expense Reimbursement FAQ

https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/covid/COVID-19-CARES-Act-Funding-and-Expense-Reimbursement-FAQ.pdf

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New Funding Information! CARES Act - Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF)

Local Education Agency Funding Opportunity Announcement

The state of Texas announces the availability of Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF) for Local Education Agencies (LEAs).

This program will be coordinated by TDEM and provides funding to school districts for COVID-19-related expenditures that were incurred between March 1 and May 20, 2020.

LEAs may seek reimbursement for eligible costs incurred during this period, up to the maximum amount designated for each LEA. All costs are subject to a 25% matching requirement.

LEAs may find their funding allocations and full program information at https://tdem.texas.gov/crf-lea

How to Apply

The application period is now open and will continue through September 30, 2020. Please note that all reimbursement requests must also be submitted by this deadline.

LEAs interested in applying should complete the following steps:

Program Overview and Training

Training and further information on this funding will be provided in a Zoom webinar Monday – Friday from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM. During this training, TDEM will provide an overview of the CRF program for local education agencies as well as a walkthrough of the Grants Management System (GMS).

The training consists of two parts. The first part (approximately 15 minutes) provides an overview of the program. The second part (approximately 45-55 minutes) provides a detailed review of how to use the Grants Management System (GMS), submission of requests for reimbursement, and other GMS based activities.

Only LEAs that register will receive a link to participate in the training sessions. To register to attend a session please go to https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYpfu6urDgvG93eNoD578Ldt7F0yjOQnto8

TDEM has provided job aids with step-by-step instructions for registering in GMS and submitting application packages. These may be found at https://grants.tdem.texas.gov/site/Job%20Aids.cfm.

Full program information can be found at www.tdem.texas.gov/crf/lea/. This webpage provides detailed guidance on the program and includes links to all required forms.

For more information or questions, please contact your regional TDEM contact

Colleen O’Neal, MCP, TEM

Unit Chief

Texas Division of Emergency Management

Office: 806-740-8936

Cell: 806-474-4156

Extension of 2019/20 Grant - NOGA Information

You may have received a New NOGA for the 19’-20’ Federal Grants. This New NOGA is actually the extension of the 19’-20’ grant money, which means you will potentially be running two grants simultaneously If you have not expended all of your 19’-20’ monies. We are including the wording from the Federal Grants FAQ to explain.

5. How and when will the ESSA grant application end dates be extended? Posted June 4, 2020

The Grants Administration Division is working to extend the end dates of the ESSA grant programs covered by the USDE waiver. The 2018-2019 grants (the funds actually extended by the waiver) are closed and any available carryover is in the 2019-2020 grant that is currently open.

To extend the 2018-2019 funds, we are extending the 2019-2020 grant application end date to 9/30/2021. This will cause the LEA to have two grants (2019-2020 and 2020-2021) running

concurrently through 9/30/2021 and serving the same time period (July 1, 2020, through September

30, 2021).

Extending End Dates and Amendment Deadlines

As detailed in the June 25, 2020, To the Administrator Addressed correspondence, TEA is extending the end dates for the following grant programs.

2019-2020 ESSA Federal Consolidated Grant, which includes:

Title I, Part A—Improving Basic Programs
Title I, Part C—Migrant Education Program
Title I, Part D, Subpart 1—Neglected, Delinquent, State Agency Programs
Title I, Part D, Subpart 2—Neglected, Delinquent, and At-Risk Programs
Title II, Part A—Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting Programs
Title III, Part A—English Language Acquisition and Immigrant Programs
Title IV, Part A—Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants

2019-2020 Title V, Part B—Rural and Low-Income School (RLIS) Program Grant

These grants were scheduled to end on September 30, 2020. However, the U.S. Department of Education has granted TEA a waiver to extend the period of availability for certain federal grants.

The new end date is September 30, 2021. Guidance regarding the extension of 2019-2020 grant funds can be found in the Federal Funding and Grants FAQ, listed under District Waivers, Finance & Grants, TEA Coronavirus (COVID-19) Support and Guidance website.

Extension of Amendment Deadlines for 2019-2020 ESSA and RLIS Grant Programs

Because the 2019-2020 ESSA and RLIS grants have been extended, the amendment deadlines for these programs are extended as follows:

Application Schedules

Program Schedules (including the SC5000) - New Amendment Deadline- June 30, 2020

Budget Schedules - New Amendment Deadline - June 30, 2021

After June 30, 2020, the program schedules, including the SC5000, cannot be amended for the 2019-2020 ESSA Federal Consolidated Grant and the 2019-2020 Title V, Part B Rural and Low-Income School Program Grant. After this date, only budget schedules can be amended as needed until the amendment deadline, June 30, 2021. Any changes needed to the 2019-2020 application program schedules after June 30, 2020, will be reflected in the 2020-2021 application program schedules.

2019/20 ESSA Consolidated Compliance Reports have been released

ACE districts

Your ACE consultant will be contacting you soon to schedule time to complete your ESSA Consolidated Compliance Report for the 2019/20 school year.

Homeless Student Liaison Information

2020 TEHCY Summit

Join the Texas Education Agency (TEA) Texas Education for Homeless Children and Youth (TEHCY) Program for two days of inspiring speakers, workshops, and valuable training's on the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. In response to COVID-19, the summit has been moved to a virtual format. While this change will require some adjustments, it will also bring many new opportunities. All attendees will have access to a complete range of recorded sessions and workshops. The remote format will allow you to enjoy the conference from anywhere, hopefully enabling us to have representation from every district across Texas.

We’re pleased that this year’s conference is being hosted in partnership with Texas Network of Youth Services (TNOYS). Having worked across youth-serving systems for 40 years, TNOYS will offer a new perspective, as well as the unique opportunity to learn from youth who have lived experience with homelessness.

Led by this year’s theme, Spotlight on Resilience, attendees will enjoy engaging and interactive sessions, workshops, and activities that encourage them to tap into their own resilience and that of the students they serve. Join us to develop concrete skills, acquire practical tools, develop strategies to meet the needs of students experiencing homelessness, and earn CEUs in the process.

The summit will feature professional development tracks and presentations that are geared toward TEHCY subgrantees, LEAs, ESCs, and stakeholders. The TEHCY Support Center will provide several presentations. Sessions will equip attendees with practical skills for advancing equity for students experiencing homelessness. Topic tracks and presentations will include: