From michael.wiltfong at state.or.us Mon Sep 13 12:22:06 2010 From: michael.wiltfong at state.or.us (WILTFONG Michael) Date: Mon, 13 Sep 2010 12:22:06 -0700 Subject: [Busmgrs] American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - Section 1512 Reporting Due - District Deadline of 9/30/10 Message-ID: TO: Oregon School District Superintendents; School District Business Managers; Grant Managers FR: Sue MacGlashan, Assistant Superintendent - Office of Finance and Administration (ODE) RE: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - Section 1512 Reporting Due - District Deadline of 9/30/10 By now, all of you are probably well aware of the reporting requirements under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which was signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009. This law has provided a significant increase in federal support for education at a critical time for states but also requires extensive reporting by entities receiving ARRA funding. Data on the use of ARRA funds by recipients (i.e., the state) and sub-recipients (i.e., local educational agencies and other entities receiving funds through the state) are due to the federal government no later than the 10th day after the end of each calendar quarter. We are approaching the due date for the current quarter's reporting to the federal government - October 10, 2010. No waivers can be granted for Section 1512 reporting; it is mandatory. For the state to meet the federal deadline, ODE's sub-recipients will have to submit their data to ODE by September 30, 2010. ODE's data collection tool titled "Recovery Act Reporting Collection" opened on Thursday, September 2. As with previous rounds of reporting, ODE's reporting system will collect required information for each grant ODE has made to its sub-recipients and the state will report these data to the federal government on your behalf. Your reporting needs to include cumulative data on your ARRA activities from February 17, 2009, through September 30, 2010 - with the exception of the job data. You should report your job data for the July 1-September 30 quarter only (i.e., not cumulatively). To assist you with reporting, there is a button entitled "Pre-Populate with Previous Quarter's Data and Save" that - when selected - will pre-populate the collection and save with the previous quarter's data on job impact, infrastructure and vendors. If there are no changes from your previous submission, your data have been saved and you can exit the collection. Or the pre-populate feature can be used as your starting point if you need to make changes; i.e., you can pre-populate and then simply update only those fields needing revisions, such as "Jobs Impact Methodology." When you are finished with your edits, hit the "Save" button when ready to submit and this will overwrite any previous data entries. The date and time stamp will be updated each time the "Save" button is pushed. Updates Made Last Quarter to ODE's Collection Tool: 1. When discussing our reporting with the federal government, they inquired which methodology was used to calculate jobs data. To be able to answer this question, we needed to enhance the data collection tool and you must now select the methodology you used to calculate jobs created and retained. The new feature is very simple. The tool has a drop-down menu with two options - "General" or "Definite Term" - and you simply need to select the methodology you are using. Section 3 of ODE's FAQ document addresses job reporting and questions 3.5, 3.6 and 3.7 specifically address the general and definite term methodology. 2. As noted in an earlier communication, there was to be a change to how vendor data are reported; consequently, ODE added a "Payment Date" field to the data collection tool. This will assist us in our review of the discreet individual vendor payments reported. The completion of this field is required when reporting new vendor payments. You are not required to complete this field for those vendor payments that were pre-populated using the "Pre-Populate with Previous Quarter's Data and Save" button. For your reference, here is a link to the ODE's FAQ document on Section 1512 reporting. http://stimulus.k12partners.org/content/frequently-asked-questions-about-reporting-under-american-recovery-and-reinvestment-act-200-1 Also for your reference, listed below are the ODE contacts for each ARRA grant. For more information, please contact (to search the staff directory, click http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/staff/staff.aspx). Grant Title Grant Manager ODE Contact IDEA Part B, Section 611 Steve Smith Steve Smith IDEA Part B, Section 619 Nancy Johnson-Dorn Nancy Johnson-Dorn IDEA Part C Nancy Johnson-Dorn Nancy Johnson-Dorn SFSF Michael Wiltfong Michael Wiltfong CNP Heidi Dupuis Heidi Dupuis Title IA Janet Bubl Janet Bubl Title IID Technology Carla Wade Carla Wade Homeless Dona Bolt Dona Bolt School Improvement Tryna Luton Tryna Luton As always, thank you for your assistance in helping the State of Oregon comply with the reporting requirements of ARRA. Without you, we would not be successful! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From michael.wiltfong at state.or.us Tue Sep 21 09:57:21 2010 From: michael.wiltfong at state.or.us (WILTFONG Michael) Date: Tue, 21 Sep 2010 09:57:21 -0700 Subject: [Busmgrs] EPA's Sweeping New/Proposed Emission Regs: Analysis & Strategic Options: Executive Briefing Message-ID: Good morning everyone, Passing along this information as we thought this may be of interest to some. Please note the date and time below. Subject: EPA's Sweeping New/Proposed Emission Regs: Analysis & Strategic Options: Executive Briefing This audio conference will: *Provide key insights and analysis of proposed EPA new boiler emission rules - primary focus: Boiler Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) & Boiler Area Source Rule *Evaluate potential cost and compliance impacts on municipal, educational and non-profits *Discuss best practice benchmarking approach to evaluate resources, technology & emissions *Review strategic planning considerations, potential compliance exposures & options The EPA's sweeping new proposed boiler emission standards will place a HUGE cost burden on colleges/universities, municipalities, and hospitals/medical centers, among other non-profits, big and small alike, across the board, if implemented as currently published in the Federal Register. Our speaker, a leading air pollution compliance expert, environmental attorney, and former EPA Associate Regional Counsel, who enforced EPA regulations (New Source Performance Standards, MACT, Boiler Area Source Rules), will share key insights, analysis, and best practices. So you can better understand and stay on top of pending new EPA regulations, allowing you to best assess the potential costs your company may face moving forward, and to strategically prepare your organization for the upcoming compliance challenges, and financial investments, so you can minimize the impact your budget and bottom line. Who should attend: Physical Plant/Facility Management Power Plant Chief/Supervisor/Managers Public Works/Administrators/City Managers Executive Directors/Planners/Budget Analysts Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Managers Sustainability/Natural Resource Managers Environmental and Process Engineers Engineering & Plant Services Professionals Facility/Energy Planning Professionals Environmental Compliance & Reporting Management Air Pollution/Monitoring/Environmental Resource Managers Environmental Health and Safety Management Utility/Renewable Energy Managers Production/Operations/Engineering/Environmental Management Environmental Consultants and Attorneys Environmental Risk Management Professionals Cost: $88.00 per dial-in line: WITH PROMO CODE: EPA5 TO RECEIVE GOV'T/EDUCATIONAL/NON-PROFIT PRICING DISCOUNT PLEASE ENTER PROMO CODE: EPA5 WHEN REGISTERING Tues. Sept 21th, 2010 2:00 PM EST For a detailed conference summary, and to register, please go to: www.biowood-energy.com/EPA_Emissions_Briefing_Sept21 Or: Friday, Sept 24th, 2010 2:00 PM EST For a detailed conference summary, and to register, please go to: www.biowood-energy.com/EPA_Emissions_Briefing_Sept24 To unsubscribe please reply to this email with REMOVE in the subject line ThermQuest, LLC, PO Box 537 Hatfield, MA 01038 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From michael.wiltfong at state.or.us Thu Sep 23 13:45:07 2010 From: michael.wiltfong at state.or.us (WILTFONG Michael) Date: Thu, 23 Sep 2010 13:45:07 -0700 Subject: [Busmgrs] State School Fund and Ed Jobs Update Message-ID: DA: September 23, 2010 To: Oregon School District Business Managers FR: Michael Wiltfong - Office of School Finance RE: State School Fund and Ed Jobs Update Good afternoon everyone, As you probably are aware, as of September, State General Fund resources are expected to be $1.269 billion below the close-of-session forecast. In response to this latest forecast, the Governor announced his intention to use his statutory authority to make across-the-board cuts to balance the statewide budget. This results in a reduction of $401.9 million (or an additional $158.6 million to the June allotment reduction) to the State School Fund. The June allotment reduction has already been accounted for in the July SSF estimates for 2010-11. We now need to account for the September allotment reduction. Yesterday the Emergency Board approved an increase in the Federal Funds expenditure limitation for the State School Fund by $117,949,095 to recognize additional resources from the federal Education Jobs Fund Program. On August 10, 2010, President Obama signed a bill extending $10 billion to states for the Education Jobs (Ed Jobs) Fund Program. This program and funding are in addition to the federal State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF) program, with which many of you are familiar. Initial Ed Jobs guidance from the U.S. Department of Education is available on the State School Fund website under the Ed Jobs section at the following URL: http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=1363 Earlier this month, the Governor submitted Oregon's Ed Jobs application and opted to use the State's primary elementary and secondary education funding formula as identified in Oregon's application for funding under the SFSF program. Similar to the SFSF program, we will be using the State School Fund formula to calculate the Ed Jobs district allocations. I do this by calculating each school district's and ESD's State School Fund Grant as two scenarios - one with the Ed Jobs funds and one without. The difference between the amounts becomes each district's Ed Jobs allocation. Once the allocation is established, we won't be reconciling, which brings me to my next challenge. In addition, in conjunction with an agreement with the Senate President and Speaker of the House to retain total funding for the 2009-11 State School Fund in the amount of $5.756 billion, the Emergency Board allocated $7 million from the general purpose Emergency Fund and noted that legislative action will be necessary during the 2011 legislative session to access reserves or other available resources for approximately $35.5 million for the State School Fund. Of course there are still four revenue forecasts yet to be revealed for the 2009-11 biennium, so there are still a lot of unknown variables. However, in an attempt to provide the most accurate estimates possible based on what is known presently, and based on the agreement from the Senate President and Speaker of the House to retain total funding for the 2009-11 State School Fund, I will be including the approximate $35.5 million in my next round of estimates. The State School Fund amount of $5.756 billion will be the basis for calculating the 2010-11 Ed Jobs and 2010-11 SFSF allocations and rebalancing the State School Fund. If you should have any questions on this matter, please feel free to contact me. Thank you, Michael Wiltfong State School Fund Coordinator School Finance Unit, Director Oregon Department of Education michael.wiltfong at state.or.us -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From michael.wiltfong at state.or.us Mon Sep 27 10:58:48 2010 From: michael.wiltfong at state.or.us (WILTFONG Michael) Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2010 10:58:48 -0700 Subject: [Busmgrs] Letter to Chief State School Officers from the U.S. Department of Education Message-ID: Good morning everyone, We are forwarding this letter from the Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, to make you aware of a communication that was sent to Chief State School Officers regarding a matter that is relevant to managing U.S. Department of Education grants. Please share the letter with appropriate managers and staff ******************************************************************************* September 7, 2010 Dear Chief State School Officers: As you prepare for another school year, we want to provide you with some important information related to reporting fraud, waste, and abuse of funds from the U.S. Department of Education (Department). We know that 2010 has been particularly busy for everyone. Funds made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act have provided an unprecedented opportunity to save jobs and advance reforms that improve student achievement. With this opportunity comes increased responsibility for all of us to conduct ourselves ethically and to mitigate the risk of waste, fraud, and abuse. Like you, the Department, including the Office of Inspector General (OIG), works to ensure that education dollars reach intended recipients and serve intended purposes. We also work to ensure that these funds and programs funded by the Department are protected from fraud, waste, and abuse. As part of this important effort, we are providing several resources that describe fraud laws and how to report fraud at www.ed.gov/fraudprevention. Please distribute this information widely among your employees, subgrantees, and contractors. The OIG identifies and investigates individuals and groups who may have committed fraud with education funds or with respect to Department-funded programs. Each week, criminals are prosecuted and convicted, and receive sentences that include significant prison terms and monetary penalties. Cases have included school or college officials making false statements regarding grant eligibility and performance; creating false documents to obtain grants for students who do not attend the school or are enrolled in ineligible programs; setting up shell companies to which education dollars are funneled; embezzling money from school accounts; using school accounts and credit cards to make purchases for personal purposes; and accepting bribes and kickbacks from contractors. Please help us put a stop to these crimes. In addition to reading and distributing this information, report any suspicion of fraud, waste, or abuse to the OIG Special Agent in Charge in your geographic area. Contact information is available at the following Web site: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oig/oigaddress.html. You also may contact the OIG by e-mailing oig.hotline at ed.gov; calling 1-800-MISUSED (1-800-647-8733); or writing to: Inspector General's Hotline, U.S. Department of Education, Office of Inspector General, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202-1500. Thank you for your continued leadership and efforts on behalf of your students. Sincerely, /s/ /s/ Arne Duncan Kathleen S. Tighe Secretary of Education Inspector General cc: State Title I Directors State Directors of Special Education State Fiscal Stabilization Fund Contacts *****CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE***** This e-mail may contain information that is privileged, confidential, or otherwise exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you are not the addressee or it appears from the context or otherwise that you have received this e-mail in error, please advise me immediately by reply e-mail, keep the contents confidential, and immediately delete the message and any attachments from your system. ************************************ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From michael.wiltfong at state.or.us Tue Sep 28 18:15:53 2010 From: michael.wiltfong at state.or.us (WILTFONG Michael) Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2010 18:15:53 -0700 Subject: [Busmgrs] State School Fund and ARRA Section 1512 reporting updates Message-ID: Good evening everyone: Just a brief announcement to let everyone know I have posted revised State School Fund (SSF) estimates on the SSF website at the following URL: http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/results/?id=168 These SSF estimates account for the following: 1. Governor's recommended September GF allotment reduction of $155,133,366 2. Additional reduction of $3,492,043 to the "Trigger" 3. Add back of $117,949,095 in federal Ed Jobs limitation 4. Add back of $7,000,000 from the September 2010 Eboard 5. Add back of $33,676,314 from legislative commitment to backfill the remaining allotment reduction PLEASE NOTE: The current estimate does not include ARRA State Fiscal Stabilization Funds (SFSF) or Ed Jobs funds. Please see the first page of the school district estimates, or the Assumptions page, to review accounting of the federal stimulus dollars. I will be accounting for SFSF and Ed Jobs funds in separate rounds of SSF estimates to establish the districts' shares. 2010-11 SFSF and Ed Jobs funds will be made available in the Electronic Grant Management System (EGMS) in October. ARRA Section 1512 reporting As of 6:00 PM today, only 110 of 204 districts, or 54% have submitted their 2010-11 first quarter ARRA SFSF report. This is just a friendly reminder that the collection closes this Thursday, September 30, 2010. I will be participating at conference in Eugene this Thursday, so I am asking that you contact me this Wednesday if you need help or have questions. Thanks everyone for your hard work! Michael Wiltfong State School Fund Coordinator School Finance Unit, Director Oregon Department of Education michael.wiltfong at state.or.us -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: