From Gene.Evans at state.or.us Mon Oct 13 08:25:40 2008 From: Gene.Evans at state.or.us (EVANS Gene) Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2008 08:25:40 -0700 Subject: [Busmgrs] School Improvement Fund Budget Narrative Message-ID: SIF Budget Narrative Now Online-October 10 - 31 See SIF Data Collection and SIF Funding Timeline Summary: This message contains information regarding the launch of the 2008-09 SIF Budget Narrative and 2007-08 SIF CarryOver collections. ODE will be using these tools to collect narrative and budget data from school districts, ESDs, youth correction and juvenile detention programs to explain how they plan to spend their SIF grant funds for 2008-09 and carryover funds from 2007-08. SIF Grants-Improvement Over Two Years: ODE awarded School Improvement Fund (SIF) Grants to districts, ESDs, and youth corrections and juvenile programs in October 2007. The Legislature funded SIF Grants to increase student achievement over two years. Implementation of the same evidence-based areas and activities over a two-year period is a requirement of the grant. The department will compile SIF budget and program data following each implementation year to prepare a report to present to the Legislature in February 2009 and in February 2010. Funding: The 2008-09 SIF allocations will be deposited in district and program treasury accounts after grant recipients have successfully submitted their SIF Budget Narrative for Year Two and their SIF Data from Year One. Updated SIF Allocations for 2007-08 and 2008-09 are also available on the SIF website. Instructions: For instructions on how to access the 2008-09 SIF Budget Narrative, click on Budget Narrative Instructions. These instructions are also available on the SIF website Timeline: BUDGET NARRATIVE, October 10-31 Grant recipients complete the online 2008-09 SIF Budget Narrative, part of the CIP Budget Workbook. The following bullets provide a measure of implementation flexibility: * Carry Over-2007-08 SIF Grant funds may be carried over until June 30, 2009; 2008-09 SIF Grant funds may be carried over until June 30, 2010. Carry over will be reflected in the SIF Budget Narrative. * Shifting Funds-SIF grant recipients may shift funds among object codes within approved areas and among approved areas not to exceed $5,000 or 5% of the total grant, whichever is less. * ADMw Adjustments-Adjustments for final ADMw amounts will be made in November following the fiscal year funds were received. Please note: SIF Budget Narratives must reflect approved SIF Applications. If you have questions about this requirement, please contact Mike Wiltfong and Julie Anderson before you fill out the online Budget Narrative. Thank you. DATA COLLECTION, November 3-21 After successfully submitting the SIF Budget Narrative, grant recipients will complete the online 2007-08 SIF Data Collection. Submission rules for the SIF Data Collection will be posted in late October. Please note: ODE will pre-fill data collection fields 1- 6 and 8. The fields are described in "Guidance for the School Improvement Data Collection Requirements," pages 2-4. During the SIF Data Collection window, districts will complete fields 7 and 9-13. Memorandum # 013-2007-2008 SIF Data Collection sent April 2008 linked to the above document. TREASURY ACCOUNT DEPOSITS, Week of Nov. 24 A second deposit will be made the week of Dec. 22 to allow for technical assistance, if needed. Contact Information Please e-mail Mike Wiltfong and Julie Anderson with questions. Thank you. ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender immediately and delete the communication and any attachments. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. ********************************************************************** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Gene.Evans at state.or.us Mon Oct 13 09:26:47 2008 From: Gene.Evans at state.or.us (EVANS Gene) Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:26:47 -0700 Subject: [Busmgrs] District Best Business Practices Advisory Committee - UPDATE Message-ID: To: All Superintendents, District Business Officials Re: District Best Business Practices Advisory Committee Summary: This communication provides an update on advisory committee activities, including the audit of Multnomah ESD, and requests school districts to volunteer for an audit of business practice areas. As you know, the Oregon Legislature created the District Best Business Practices Advisory Committee (DBBPAC) to advise the Department of Education (ODE) on the development of a system for auditing the business practices of school districts and education service districts (HB 3141, 2007). Since its formation in October 2007, the DBBPAC has recommended audit criteria in the areas of new construction and purchasing and contracting. The committee is currently working on food services and will take up the area of transportation in November. Other business practices to be considered are grounds maintenance, building and systems maintenance, and financial practices. Committee information posted online includes detailed meeting minutes, best practices criteria recommended by the DBBPAC and approved by the ODE, and other resources related to best practices: http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=1637 The committee also recommended that all audits have two guiding principles: First, an audit identifies the positive accomplishments of a district in achieving sound business operations to ensure fiscal responsibility, taking into account local priorities and objectives, in order to share best practices identified in the audit with all school districts and ESDs in the development of a toolkit to serve district boards, administrators and business officials. Second, an audit identifies the area in which a school district could improve its practice and gives the district ideas for how to remedy these areas. Ideas can come from National State Auditors Association Standards or equivalent resources, or the Best Practices toolkit developed from audits of other school districts. Multnomah Education Service District volunteered for the first audit. ODE contracted with the Secretary of State to conduct the audit of purchasing practices, which is currently in the report drafting stage. The audit report will be available during the week of November 15, 2008 on the Secretary of State's website at http://www.sos.state.or.us/audits/reports/index.html. The DBBPAC is seeking additional school districts and ESDs that would like to volunteer for an audit in the business practice areas with adopted criteria. The committee is looking for diversity in size and geographic location. For more information, contact Adrienne Sexton, Office of the Superintendent Adrienne.Sexton at state.or.us (503) 947-5887 ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender immediately and delete the communication and any attachments. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. ********************************************************************** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: