Monthly Communication

for Continuous Improvement and State & Federal Programs

June 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.

In This Issue

MICIP Collaboration Series Wrap-Up
Consolidated Application
31a Annual Program Fiscal Report
MASFPS Professional Learning in 21/22

MICIP Collaboration Series Wrap-Up

The MICIP Collaboration Series completed its 4th and final session on May 26th. All videos, presentations, and materials for the series are available at the Series Dashboard. Please take advantage of this information, which is sourced from across the state.

When is my MICIP plan due?

There is no “submit” button on MICIP. June 30th is a practical deadline to align with the July 1 obligation date for the consolidated application (*normally...see below). The Revised School Code indicates that plans must be “available to the department” not later than September 1 each year. If districts embrace continuous improvement and keep the MICIP process and platform active, you will always be in compliance.

Consolidated App Update

NexSys is the new grant management platform that is replacing MEGS+. We will do all our consolidated app work in NexSys this year. However, there is no published date that NexSys will be ready. MDE has stated that a new due date for the consolidated app will be provided when NexSys becomes available. No matter when this happens, as long as all communicated due dates are met, you can expect a July 1 obligation date.

Suggestions:

Use this time as you normally would to complete program budgets - just do it all on a spreadsheet so it is ready to go.
Complete all communications and consultations with private schools. Use the MDE-Provided Equitable Services Spreadsheet for planning purposes so you will be ready to enter the information in NexSys.
Seek out pre-approvals for anything you might want to spend funds on over the summer and other new expenditures or positions. Contact your OES rep and get a head start on job descriptions, contracts, etc.

31a Annual Program Fiscal Report

The APFR will be in NexSys
The report is largely the same as last year
Even though NexSys isn't ready, now is the time to start gathering your program information

More info from Dawn Carmody, MDE 31a Team:

The FY21 Section 31a APFR will be in NexSys and should be announced to districts in the next couple of weeks. The Section 31a consultant team is working with the programmers to get the final adjustments to the report complete as well as the OES management to get the TA resources prepared to share for when it goes live. The general format (fiscal reporting, instructional and non-instructional expenditure categories, MTSS questions, and school breakfast programs) is the same with only a few minor changes. Having districts begin collaborating between program and fiscal offices to ensure they have the correct service student counts (served and served that are ED eligible) and costs to enter in the report is encouraged.

MASFPS Professional Learning in 21/22

When working on your consolidated applications, don't forget to consider your own professional learning needs. See below for two job-embedded, ongoing professional learning opportunities from MASFPS. Note: Registration begins after July 1.

2021-2022 MASFPS Directors’ Workshop Series (Formerly Known as Boot Camp)

11 full and half day virtual sessions to support new and veteran educators directing and/or implementing State and Federal Programs.

2021-2022 MASFPS Professional Learning Institute (Replacing the Fall and Winter Institutes)

6 half day virtual sessions & one face to face full day session, to support new and veteran educators directing and/or implementing State and Federal Programs.