Sara Friedrich – Sent on behalf of Barbara Moore:
Mid-Year IDEA Grant Reminders
IDEA Excess Cost – Thank you to all districts and cooperatives for your patience during the IWAS Excess Cost release. Thank you also to all those that have already completed and submitted the FY20 Excess Cost in the new IWAS system. The Excess Cost Excel spreadsheet is available on the IDEA grant webpage for those who would like to use this format as a reference (updated spreadsheet dated 1/28/2020). Excess Cost is due in IWAS no later than Friday, February 28, 2020. Please keep these points in mind for the FY20 IDEA excess cost calculation.
- Due to the nature of the calculation process, it is imperative that all calculation pages are saved in the order they appear in the system.
- Data locations must be included (AFR lines, expenditure reports, etc.) in the “IDEA and ESEA Title Expenditures” section of the Excess Cost system.
- December 1, 2019 Child Count is needed to complete the “Excess Cost Calculations” section of the Excess Cost system.
IDEA Grant Periodic Performance Reports – Below is the Grant Periodic Reporting Calendar which includes report due dates. Please note, grants with an extended project year must complete the 5th Quarter report as well. Entities that do not complete and submit the programmatic report in a timely fashion are at risk of having grant funds frozen. Districts and cooperatives that are required to submit monthly reports must have these completed and submitted by the 21st of each month. IDEA has a required form that meets both GATA and IDEA requirements. The link to this required reporting form is included on the IDEA Part -B Information section of the ISBE website.
Maintenance of Effort (MOE) – As always, districts and cooperatives are encouraged to monitor spending to ensure maintenance of local spending and the use of IDEA grants as supplemental funds. We anticipate that the MOE compliance worksheets will again be available/mailed in April. Any districts/cooperatives with negative MOE must work toward resolving the MOE issue as soon as possible. Pam Jurkoshek, the ISBE Moe Consultant, will be available in April to provide assistance with MOE issues.
Final Amendments – Amendments to the IDEA grants can be submitted up to 30-days before the end of the grant period. The last day to submit an amendment to the IDEA grant with a standard June 30 end date is May 31, 2020. The last day to submit an amendment to the IDEA grants with an extension to August 31 is August 1, 2020.
Review of IDEA Grants – We encourage districts and cooperatives to conduct regular review of their IDEA grant applications and IDEA spending.
- Amend the grant to update previously vacant positions that were notes as “vacant” or “TBD”.
- Amend the grant to include new expenditures and/or expenditure changes, including increases of 10% or $1,000 in an object code, so that grant accurately reflects the districts spending.
- Ensure that at least 5% of the IDEA funds were expended, not just budgeted, for professional development activities. This may be included in 2210 or in 4000/300 for districts purchasing this service from their cooperative.
- Grants with carryover funds from FY19 must expend at least that minimum amount of IDEA funds. For example, a grant with $80,000 in FY19 IDEA carryover funds must expend at least a minimum of $80,000 IDEA funds in FY20 to avoid losing the carryover funds. Any carryover not expended must be paid back by the district.
Nonpublic Proportionate Share –
- Each district providing nonpublic proportionate services to eligible students must track the proportionate share funds expended and any unexpended proportionate share funds that will carry over into FY21. Please double-check the required proportionate share amount that is to be budgeted – many districts saw this number increase with final allocations.
- Districts must coordinate with nonpublic schools/known home-school parents to schedule Timely and Meaningful Consultation (TMC) meeting which much occur no later than May 31, 2020.
- Please retain copies of the TMC documents as local records. Proof of this meeting will be required in the FY21 IDEA Part-B Consolidated Application. At a minimum, districts will be required to upload their proof of publication from the TMC within the IDEA Part-B Consolidated Application.
Procedural Change – As a reminder, cooperatives and districts who chose the 1-year procedural change extension will transition to direct allocation at the end of this grant period. IDEA Part B funds will be directly distributed to the districts who generate the funds. The standard implementation was in FY20, but those will the extension will make this change beginning with the FY21 grant. All districts will be required to complete the IDEA Part-B Consolidated Application beginning in FY21. Grants should be submitted as soon as possible, but no later than July 1, 2020. Additional information will be provided when the grants are released.
We hope this information is helpful in completing the IDEA grant process and meeting required timelines. Please contact your IDEA grant coordinator with any questions at 217-782-5589 or email: Kimberly Beachy kbeachy@isbe.net, Mandi Richards marichar@isbe.net or Todd Williams at todwilli@isbe.net. Be sure to visit the IDEA Part B Grant Program Information section of the ISBE website for additional IDEA resources.
www.isbe.net/Pages/IDEA-Part-B-Grant-Program-Information.aspx
Thank you,
Sara Friedrich
Program Specialist II
Illinois State Board of Education
Special Education Departments
100 N. 1st Street
Springfield, IL 62777
(217) 782-5589