Monthly Communication

for Continuous Improvement and State & Federal Programs

January 2021

Welcome to the monthly Continuous Improvement and State & Federal Programs communication. The purpose is to contextualize Continuous Improvement into our daily work, to efficiently complete all State and Federal Program tasks, and to promote moving these tasks past simple compliance.

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In This Issue

Upcoming Important Due Dates and Events
2021 Coronavirus Relief Fund FAQ
MICIP Update and PD
31a and February Count
AER

Mark Your Calendar

January:

January 7 - MICIP Open Forum #5 (MICIP)
January 8 - GEMS Reconfirmation Submission Due (Extended COVID Plans)
January 12 - MASFPS Learning Series (MTSS)
January 15 - Training Report to Transparency Webpage (Extended Covid Plans)
January 15 - Consolidated App Amendments Due
January 19 - MICIP Open Forum #6 (MICIP)
January 27 - Regional S&F Programs Meeting hosted by MAISD (see below)

February:

February 1 - Progress Report to Transparency Webpage (Extended Covid Plans)
February 3 - MASFPS Learning Series (MICIP)
February 5 - GEMS Reconfirmation Submission Due (Extended COVID Plans)
February 15 - AER Posting Deadline (see below)
February 17 - Regional S&F Programs Meeting hosted by OAISD (see below)

Coronavirus Relief Fund FAQ

As part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, states will share in over $80B in Educational Stabilization Funds, $1.6B of which will be coming to Michigan. It looks like districts can expect to receive around 4x of the funding from the last stimulus.

Thank you to Chris Glass, West Michigan Talent Triangle, for this quick synopsis of the Coronavirus Relief Fund:

Succinct Synopsis/FAQ
If you're looking for a deep dive, here is the full text (starts on page...1,859? Yes, 1,859)

MICIP Update

MICIP is live. Here are some current resources:

Latest MICIP Newsletter - Lots of Info!
MICIP Process Guides - Essential info for district and school leaders
Flowchart for getting connected - Best resource on this
MAISD MICIP Open Forum Info - Links, videos, upcoming events...it's a party
Upcoming MICIP PD through MASFPS on February 3 (Info | Registration)

31a and the February Count

All districts are required to identify students that meet the eligibility requirements for At Risk. This is accomplished through MSDS during count periods. Students must be included in 2 of the 3 count periods (October, February, and End of Year) to be counted as At Risk.

I also suggest that program coordinators collect service data at this time as well. Although the data is not reported until July 15, it can be very difficult to pull together in the summer. Why not space the work out and just collect it at each count period?

Identification and tracking of services often happens in student information systems or data warehouses. If you're still tracking by hand, you're welcome to make a copy and use this 31a Template Worksheet. I promise it will make your life easier if you don't already have other technology doing the work for you. Feel free to reach out to me for more information (contact info at the bottom).

Please Read

As a reminder, your 31a funding is calculated from your Free and Reduced Lunch Count. There are many other implications for accurate F/R lunch counts, such as the Title I building service order in the TISS and school accountability. In an era where we are giving away meals to all students and not seeing families face to face, it may be difficult to get the forms turned in, but please keep up the effort to identify all eligible students.

AER 2020-21

Just a quick reminder of the February 15 posting deadline for the 2020-21 AER. Additional resources:

Upcoming 20/21 Regional State and Federal Program Meetings

Mark your calendar for the following dates. At this time, please plan on the meetings being offered virtually. Although these are being organized by MAISD and OAISD, anyone can attend any session.

MAISD - No Registration Necessary