From michael.wiltfong at state.or.us Mon Apr 4 09:24:20 2011 From: michael.wiltfong at state.or.us (WILTFONG Michael) Date: Mon, 4 Apr 2011 09:24:20 -0700 Subject: [Busmgrs] A message from Michael Elliott: 2010-11 State School Fund update Message-ID: DA: April 4, 2011 TO: District Business Managers FR: Michael Elliott State School Fund Coordinator Oregon Department of Education RE: 2010-11 State School Fund update Good morning, I wanted to let everyone know that we have posted updated 2010-201 State School Fund estimates on the website at: http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/results/?id=168 These estimates include the following data which have been updated since the last estimate: * IEP counts from the December 2010 Special Education Child Count; * Updated 2010-11 2nd period ESL ADM; and * Updated 2010-11 2nd period Pregnant and/or Parenting ADM. Please note the updated 2010-11 SSF estimates include $1,868,489 in additional State General Fund appropriation as identified in HB 5050 (2011). We have also posted an update for the 2009-10 High Cost Disability Grant reconciliation. The collection has officially closed and we consider the posted distributions as final. I know the big question on everyone's mind is the 2011-12 State School Fund estimates in light of the Ways & Means Co-Chairs' proposed budget. We have a few questions that need to be resolved and we intend to have an updated SSF estimate available this week. We will also be posting 2009-10 SSF estimate updates this week. Thank you for all of your help as I learn the new position. Also if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Sincerely, Michael Elliott -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mcarleton at cgesd.k12.or.us Mon Apr 4 10:10:26 2011 From: mcarleton at cgesd.k12.or.us (Meriko Carleton) Date: Mon, 4 Apr 2011 17:10:26 +0000 Subject: [Busmgrs] FW: A message from Michael Elliott: 2010-11 State School Fund update, 2011-12 SSF Estimate In-Reply-To: <23F75C1E3B6B6845A3F5BEF10972FCAA10C69506@SN1PRD0302MB100.namprd03.prod.outlook.com> References: <23F75C1E3B6B6845A3F5BEF10972FCAA10C69506@SN1PRD0302MB100.namprd03.prod.outlook.com> Message-ID: Dear Sir: RE: Problem with receiving ODE emails I have contacted ODE Helpdesk; have went over my non receipt of email situation with Barbara Cruickshank; she notified Mike Wiltfong: They verified that I was on ODE's list serve to get a copy of all ODE emails from Mike Wiltfong. My email address is mcarleton at cgesd.k12.or.us. However, I am still not receiving any emails from Mike Wiltfong, Michael Elliott, etc. I am not certain what recourse there is to correct this. It is not on our side, as I have checked with our IT Server Administrator, Cody Harmon. Thank you for your help... Sincerely, Meriko A Carleton, Deputy Clerk Columbia Gorge ESD 400 E Scenic Drive#2.207 The Dalles, OR 97058 mcarleton at cgesd.k12.or.us 541-298-8454 From: superintendents-bounces at groups.cosa.k12.or.us [mailto:superintendents-bounces at groups.cosa.k12.or.us] On Behalf Of Kent Hunsaker Sent: Monday, April 04, 2011 9:36 AM To: Mailing List: Superintendents Subject: FW: [Busmgrs] A message from Michael Elliott: 2010-11 State School Fund update, 2011-12 SSF Estimate Please note the below message from Michael Wiltfong that indicates when districts will receive an updated 2011-12 SSF Estimate (based on the co-chairs proposed budget) and notifies business managers of updated 2010-11 SSF estimates. We were putting together an approximation of what the co-chairs budget would mean for school districts, but decided to not go further as Michael is planning on giving each district an estimate sometime this week. kent From: busmgrs-bounces at listsmart.osl.state.or.us [mailto:busmgrs-bounces at listsmart.osl.state.or.us] On Behalf Of WILTFONG Michael Sent: Monday, April 04, 2011 9:24 AM To: 'Busmgrs at listsmart.osl.state.or.us' Subject: [Busmgrs] A message from Michael Elliott: 2010-11 State School Fundupdate DA: April 4, 2011 TO: District Business Managers FR: Michael Elliott State School Fund Coordinator Oregon Department of Education RE: 2010-11 State School Fund update Good morning, I wanted to let everyone know that we have posted updated 2010-201 State School Fund estimates on the website at: http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/results/?id=168 These estimates include the following data which have been updated since the last estimate: * IEP counts from the December 2010 Special Education Child Count; * Updated 2010-11 2nd period ESL ADM; and * Updated 2010-11 2nd period Pregnant and/or Parenting ADM. Please note the updated 2010-11 SSF estimates include $1,868,489 in additional State General Fund appropriation as identified in HB 5050 (2011). We have also posted an update for the 2009-10 High Cost Disability Grant reconciliation. The collection has officially closed and we consider the posted distributions as final. I know the big question on everyone's mind is the 2011-12 State School Fund estimates in light of the Ways & Means Co-Chairs' proposed budget. We have a few questions that need to be resolved and we intend to have an updated SSF estimate available this week. We will also be posting 2009-10 SSF estimate updates this week. Thank you for all of your help as I learn the new position. Also if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Sincerely, Michael Elliott -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed... Name: ATT33656.txt URL: -------------- next part -------------- An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed... Name: ATT00001.txt URL: From lillie.gray at state.or.us Wed Apr 6 09:26:47 2011 From: lillie.gray at state.or.us (GRAY Lillie) Date: Wed, 6 Apr 2011 09:26:47 -0700 Subject: [Busmgrs] Updated 2009-2010 State School Fund estimates Message-ID: DA: April 6, 2011 TO: District Business Managers FR: Michael Elliott Department of Education RE: 2009-10 State School Fund update Good Morning, I wanted to let everyone know that we have posted updated 2009-2010 State School Fund estimates on the website at: http://www.ode.state.or.us/services/ssf/finance/estwarrants/2009_10-ssf-estimate-as-of-4_5_11-1812hrs-(2.94b)-w_o-sfsf.pdf The estimates do not include updated Small High School Grant information nor do they include updated information for Students on IEP above 11% of ADMr. Those calculations will be updated later. Additionally, these estimates assume a $5,000,000 reserve to account for any changes resulting from any adjustment to the Small High School Grant, waivers for Students on IEP above 11% of ADMr, or other adjustments. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Sincerely, Michael Elliott State School Fund Coordinator 503-947-5627 Michael.S.Elliott at state.or.us -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From lillie.gray at state.or.us Wed Apr 6 18:57:25 2011 From: lillie.gray at state.or.us (GRAY Lillie) Date: Wed, 6 Apr 2011 18:57:25 -0700 Subject: [Busmgrs] IDEA Funding Changes Message-ID: TO: All District, ESD, and Program Special Education Directors and Business Managers The message below is being sent to you on behalf of: Nancy Latini, PhD Assistant Superintendent Student Learning & Partnerships ______________________________________________ April 6, 2011 RE: IDEA Funding Changes As most of you are aware, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) at the US Department of Education conducted a verification visit in Oregon last September. OSEP issued a verification letter to the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) in February, and it contained two findings related to IDEA fiscal requirements. The purpose of this memo is to inform you of the changes that the ODE has implemented in response to those findings. I. Availability of Federal Funds * ODE's past practice for IDEA grants was to make these funds available for 18 months (e.g., July 1, 2008 - December 31, 2009), with a 45-day window to submit claims for reimbursement in the Electronic Grants Management System (EGMS). If districts were unable to expend the funds within this time period, they were contacted and given an extension through September 30. This was contrary to federal regulations. * Beginning with the FFY 2009 IDEA grants, all IDEA formula grants will be available to districts for 27 months (e.g., July 1, 2009 - September 30, 2011). * At the end of the 27-month period, districts will have 90 days to submit claims for reimbursement in EGMS. * The Special Education Finance Q&A (http://www.ode.state.or.us/data/schoolanddistrict/funding/sped/fundingqa.doc) has been updated to reflect this change (see question #9 on page 3), and all FFY 2009 and FFY 2010 awards have been extended to 9/30/11 and 9/30/12 respectively. New sub-grant award notifications for FFY 2010 grants were issued in late March when the final allocations were made available in the EGMS. II. IDEA Part B, Section 619 Funds * ODE's past practice for IDEA Part B, Section 619 funds was to direct 100% of the flow-through amount to Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education programs for services to children ages 3 through 5. This was contrary to federal regulations. * IDEA Part B, Section 619 funds are for children with disabilities ages 3 through 5, and a portion of the funds should have been directed to school districts based on the 5 year-old kindergarten students with disabilities that districts are responsible for serving. * Beginning with the FFY 2009 IDEA Part B, Section 619 grant, ODE has calculated the gross amount of funds that a district would receive if it were responsible for the education of all children with disabilities ages 3-5 residing within its boundaries. The calculation was computed according to the requirements outlined in 34 CFR ? 300.816. * As per the verification letter, ODE then calculated a per student amount based on the Special Education Child Count (SECC) for children ages 3-5 and determined how much of the district's gross amount must be distributed to the district to provide special education and related services to the eligible 5 year-old children with disabilities residing in the district who are enrolled in kindergarten. This amount is the net amount of 619 funds that will be made available in EGMS. * The amount of the distribution must go to all eligible districts, which in some cases will be very small. * For FFY 2009 and FFY 2010, the net amount for districts will come from state set-aside funds for those years. The current EI/ECSE contracts will not be reduced. * For FFY 2011 and forward, the amount of 619 funds distributed to districts will result in a reduced amount of 619 funds available for EI/ECSE contracts as these funds should from now on be distributed to the entity serving the children. * For districts identified with significant disproportionality in FFY 2009 or FFY 2010, the gross amount of 619 funds must be included in the 15% CEIS calculations for those years. Those districts will be contacted directly by ODE to ensure all requirements related to significant disproportionality are met. * FFY 2009 and FFY 2010 sub grants will be available in EGMS later this month, and sub grant award notifications will be issued at that time. * The grant manager for 619 sub grants is Alan Garland (alan.garland at state.or.us or 503.947.5759). Ruby Sandberg, Executive Support to Nancy Latini, Assistant Superintendent Oregon Department of Education Office of Student Learning & Partnerships 503-947-5738 FAX: 503-378-5156 ruby.sandberg at state.or.us -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From michael.wiltfong at state.or.us Thu Apr 7 11:05:26 2011 From: michael.wiltfong at state.or.us (WILTFONG Michael) Date: Thu, 7 Apr 2011 11:05:26 -0700 Subject: [Busmgrs] A message from Phyllis Reynolds: EGMS Update Message-ID: DA: 4/7/2011 TO: Business Managers RE: EGMS Update Good Morning, Today ODE will be releasing a new version of the Electronic Grants Management System (EGMS). There are several enhancements of which you should be aware. First, at the top of the Main page of EGMS you will see a message button labeled "Check for Announcements Here". Any notifications regarding EGMS will be posted on this page as well as being sent via one or more of our List-Serve email lists. Second, under Web-Reports you will find a new report entitled SAN Notification. From this point forward any Sub Grant Award Notifications (SANs) created for new or modified grant awards will be created in PDF format and posted in this list. As long as the grant is open the SAN will remain on this list, and you can print it as needed for your fiscal operations. We will be adding any specific instructions regarding each sub grant to the SAN in place of the Award Letters you may have received in the past. Third, if you have sub grants with multiple fund sources you will find each CFDA attached to a given sub grant in the CFDA report and under the Web-Sub Grant/Sub Grant list in the detail of each sub grant. We hope these changes will make your sub grant data more accessible and user-friendly. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, suggestions or if you find a bug. Phyllis Phyllis Reynolds Grants Coordinator Office of Procurement Services (503) 947-5886 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From lillie.gray at state.or.us Fri Apr 8 16:27:54 2011 From: lillie.gray at state.or.us (GRAY Lillie) Date: Fri, 8 Apr 2011 16:27:54 -0700 Subject: [Busmgrs] Preparing for a Potential Federal Government Shutdown Message-ID: The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) is preparing for a potential temporary federal government shutdown. A shutdown that lasts for two weeks or less should not cause an interruption in federal payments to districts and other providers through ODE"s Electronic Grants Management System (EGMS). ODE's Office of Finance and Administration will continue to monitor the situation. Should the shutdown extend beyond two weeks, ODE has a plan in place, subject to approval by the Department of Administrative Services, to continue payments for at least another two weeks. As more information becomes available from our federal partners, we will share it with you as soon as possible. Sue MacGlashan Assistant Superintendent Office of Finance and Administration Oregon Department of Education 255 Capitol Street NE Salem, Oregon 97310 (503)947-5658 susan.macglashan at state.or.us -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From lillie.gray at state.or.us Fri Apr 8 16:38:14 2011 From: lillie.gray at state.or.us (GRAY Lillie) Date: Fri, 8 Apr 2011 16:38:14 -0700 Subject: [Busmgrs] Update on Impact of Potential Federal Shutdown on Child Nutrition Programs Message-ID: Please see the attached memo. Reimbursements for nutrition programs will be possible even in the event of a federal shutdown. Sue MacGlashan Assistant Superintendent Office of Finance and Administration Oregon Department of Education 255 Capitol Street NE Salem, Oregon 97310 (503)947-5658 susan.macglashan at state.or.us -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.emz Type: application/octet-stream Size: 1793 bytes Desc: image001.emz URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: CND Shutdown-s.pdf Type: application/octet-stream Size: 29851 bytes Desc: CND Shutdown-s.pdf URL: From lillie.gray at state.or.us Wed Apr 13 11:45:30 2011 From: lillie.gray at state.or.us (GRAY Lillie) Date: Wed, 13 Apr 2011 11:45:30 -0700 Subject: [Busmgrs] 2011-12 State School Fund update Message-ID: DA: April 13, 2011 TO: District Business Managers FR: Michael Elliott Department of Education RE: 2011-12 State School Fund update Good Morning, We have posted updated 2011-12 State School Fund estimates on the website at: http://www.ode.state.or.us/news/announcements/announcement.aspx?ID=7226&TypeID=4. These estimates are based on the Ways and Means Co-Chairs' budget of $5.7 Billion for schools in the 2011-13 biennium. Of that $5.7 Billion, $2.85 Billion will be spent in the first year. The first year's budget includes $100 Million in a School Year Subaccount. According to the Co-Chairs' budget, these funds are only available to school districts and only for "reduction in class sizes and enhancement of learning opportunities, including, but not limited to increasing number of school days in the 2011-12 school year." School districts will have to apply for these funds. We have posted an estimate showing the breakdown of the $100 Million of the School Year Subaccount by district if all districts apply for and receive a prorated portion of the School Year Subaccount available. These funds would be distributed through ODE's Electronic Grant Management System (EGMS). That estimate, available here: http://www.ode.state.or.us/news/announcements/announcement.aspx?ID=7228&TypeID=4, also includes the estimated SSF payment and a total of all estimated payments to demonstrate total funding from both sources for ease of use. Please note as this legislation is not final, these numbers can change. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Sincerely, Michael Elliott State School Fund Coordinator 503-947-5627 Michael.S.Elliott at state.or.us This message, including any attachments or links, may contain privileged, confidential and/or legally protected information. Any distribution or use of this communication by anyone other than the intended recipient is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender immediately by replying to this message and then delete all copies of the original communication including any attachments and/or links. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From michael.wiltfong at state.or.us Thu Apr 21 15:31:51 2011 From: michael.wiltfong at state.or.us (WILTFONG Michael) Date: Thu, 21 Apr 2011 15:31:51 -0700 Subject: [Busmgrs] A message from the Office of Student Learning & Partnerships: IDEA Part B Grant Award Estimates for 2011-2012 Message-ID: TO: All District and ESD Special Education Directors and Business Managers The message below is being forwarded to you on behalf of: Nancy Latini, PhD Assistant Superintendent Student Learning & Partnerships _________________________________________________________________________ April 21, 2011 RE: IDEA Part B Grant Award Estimates for 2011-2012 Please find two spreadsheets that estimate your total IDEA Part B Grant Awards for 2011-2012 at this link: http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?=2937. Included in the spreadsheets are the gross and net estimated totals for your district for Part B Sections 611 and 619 and the estimated 15% for Coordinated Early Intervening Services. The only difference between the two estimates is the amount of Part B Section 611 funds for each district. One version estimates full IDEA funding for 2011-12, and the other version estimates reduced funding based on the US Department of Education's denial of Oregon's MOE waiver request. Please note that the estimates are based on flat funding of IDEA from last year as final allocation amounts from the US Department of Education are not available at this time. We are not able to provide you with final award amounts until March of 2012 after new data is provided to our office to run the final formula. Traditionally, our estimates have very closely approximated the final award amount. Another useful resource is our Special Education Finance Q and A. This document can be helpful for IDEA budget and expenditure planning, and is accessible though this link: Special Education Financing Q & A We hope that this information will be helpful to you as you prepare for the 2010-2011 school year. If you have questions about the spreadsheet or Special Education Financing Q and A, please contact Steve Smith at steve.w.smith at state.or.us or you may call him at 503-947-5711. If you have any difficulty opening the links, please contact Ruby Sandberg at ruby.sandberg at state.or.us or 503-947-5738. The Oregon Department of Education is an equal opportunity agency and employer. Messages to and from this e-mail address may be made available to the public under Oregon law. ***************************** Ruby Sandberg, Executive Support to Nancy Latini, Assistant Superintendent Oregon Department of Education Office of Student Learning & Partnerships 503-947-5738 FAX: 503-378-5156 ruby.sandberg at state.or.us Ruby Sandberg, Executive Support to Nancy Latini, Assistant Superintendent Oregon Department of Education Office of Student Learning & Partnerships 503-947-5738 FAX: 503-378-5156 ruby.sandberg at state.or.us -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From michael.wiltfong at state.or.us Thu Apr 21 15:50:36 2011 From: michael.wiltfong at state.or.us (WILTFONG Michael) Date: Thu, 21 Apr 2011 15:50:36 -0700 Subject: [Busmgrs] A message from the Office of Student Learning & Partnerships: State Request for Special Education MOE Waiver Message-ID: TO: All District and ESD Special Education Directors The message below is being forwarded to you on behalf of: Nancy Latini, PhD Assistant Superintendent Student Learning & Partnerships ______________________________________________ April 13, 2011 RE: STATE REQUEST FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION MOE WAIVER As you know on March 8, 2011 the Oregon Department of Education submitted a request for a special education waiver to the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). After two follow up calls and submitting additional information as they requested we were notified late last week that Oregon was denied a waiver. OSEP determined that the submitted shortfall for Maintenance of Effort (MOE) was not due to "exceptional or uncontrollable circumstances to grant a waiver" and Oregon will not be granted a waiver to allow for a reduction to its amount of State financial support provided for special education and related services . The Department is working with our legislative leadership to determine what steps we might be able to take to address the issue. As you are aware, if Oregon does not meet special education MOE the funds from IDEA will be reduced by the same amount by which we fail to meet the requirement. At this time the amount is approximately $15 million. Please know that we are working to ensure that Oregon legislative leadership has all the necessary information to determine their next steps. Do not hesitate to contact me should you have further questions. Nancy Latini, PhD Assistant Superintendent Oregon Department of Education Student Learning & Partnerships 503-947-5702 nancy.latini at state.or.us Ruby Sandberg, Executive Support to Nancy Latini, Assistant Superintendent Oregon Department of Education Office of Student Learning & Partnerships 503-947-5738 FAX: 503-378-5156 ruby.sandberg at state.or.us -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From michael.wiltfong at state.or.us Wed Apr 27 07:36:08 2011 From: michael.wiltfong at state.or.us (WILTFONG Michael) Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2011 07:36:08 -0700 Subject: [Busmgrs] A message from Michael Elliott: 2011-2012 School Year Subaccount Update Message-ID: District Business Managers, We've been getting some questions regarding SB 5552 and SB 5553, and the 2011-12 School Year Subaccount ("SYS"). Below is an observation and questions & answers to hopefully help with your understanding based on what we know as of today. Observation: The bill deliberately is lacking in specificity and allows school districts to outline how they will achieve learning opportunities and to minimize impact of school day reductions. It is the intention of the Legislature to have school districts demonstrates a good faith effort to achieve enhanced learning opportunities and to minimize the impact to school day reductions. The plan/report the school district submits should clearly demonstrate that the district took steps to prioritize services to children, but this does not limit the district's capacity to bargain with its employees. Enhancement of learning opportunities was specifically left to the districts to outline what/how this would be achieved. I.e., how did the school district invest its share of the SYS funds to get the best possible outcome given the circumstances? Q & A: 1. Is the $100M subaccount included in the SSF estimates? A. No. The $100M SSF subaccount is not included in the individual district State School Fund estimates. It is listed in a separate estimate that includes the SSF grant and the $100M grant based on ADMw. Added together they would provide a total estimate of revenue for the school district. This information was posted April 13, 2011, and can be found under the News Announcements on the State School Fund website at the following link: http://www.ode.state.or.us/news/announcements/default.aspx?topic=168 2. Where do I code the revenue and expenditures for the subaccount? A. The $100 million of SYS funds should be recorded in the General Fund (100), Source code 3299 - Other Restricted State Grants-in-aid. ODE is waiting to hear if there will be any subsequent reporting requirements. The expenditure side must be tracked to allow for adequate reporting when requested. It has not been determined if a statewide tracking code will be put in place, but until then please use your own tracking method. 3. May districts use the SYS funds to pay existing teachers COLAs, step increases, one time payments or other payments and still qualify under SB 5553? A. Not specified at this time. If SYS pays for raises while the school district makes no attempt to minimize a reduction in school days, this would likely not be well received by the Legislative review. 4. What type of reporting/application process will Districts need to undergo in order to obtain the SYS funds? A. There's no prescriptive form and we would anticipate the format to vary by district depending on how they use the funds. We would refer SDs to the second paragraph of the Budget Note in SB 5552: a. At a minimum, a school district's or program's written proposal shall include a description of the enhancements and activities along with the funding for each with comparable data for the 2010-11 school year, any measurable outcomes, and how the school district or program determined its priorities for expenditures. Proof of compliance shall consist of a signature by the School District Superintendent certifying compliance along with proof of the School Board's review and adoption of the written proposal (e.g., Board minutes, resolution, or signatures). b. These funds will be made available through EGMS, but should be run through the General Fund as that is where the anticipated expenditures will be to qualify for a reduction in class size, increase school days and etc. It is my understanding each districts' allocation will be posted on EGMS and will be available to each district as other grants are handled. 5. If a district is planning on cutting days from the school year but can use the SYS funds to cut fewer days, is that an increase of the school year that would qualify? A. Yes. 6. If a district is able to use SYS funds to shift non-instructional days to instructional days, does that qualify as an appropriate use of SYS funds? A. Yes. 7. May SYS funds be carried over from 2011-12 to 2012-13? A. No. Again, this information is based on what is known at this time. As more questions/concerns are identified, we will do our best to respond to the field. Thank you, Michael Elliott & Barb Cruickshank Oregon Department of Education -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From LColley at roseburg.k12.or.us Wed Apr 27 14:44:45 2011 From: LColley at roseburg.k12.or.us (Lance Colley) Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2011 14:44:45 -0700 Subject: [Busmgrs] A message from Michael Elliott: 2011-2012 School Year Subaccount Update In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <7A4B6B662669524A881B0CA5F0C4B29E2B210ED9DA@RSDMAIL.RSBGSD.K12.OR.US> Last year we were told that reporting through EGMS could be done utilizing what we determined to be best practices for tracking expenditures. Then, with very little notice, we were required to report electronically using the chart of accounts in a way that had not been previously required. Can you tell us in advance if we will have to report expenditures by fund, function and object, or will general information in EGMS be adequate to meet the required reporting responsibilities? To be efficient, we would all appreciate some direction prior to starting our application for funds, but certainly before we start spending the money. Thanks in advance. From: busmgrs-bounces at listsmart.osl.state.or.us [mailto:busmgrs-bounces at listsmart.osl.state.or.us] On Behalf Of WILTFONG Michael Sent: Wednesday, April 27, 2011 7:36 AM To: 'Busmgrs at listsmart.osl.state.or.us' Subject: [Busmgrs] A message from Michael Elliott: 2011-2012 School Year Subaccount Update District Business Managers, We've been getting some questions regarding SB 5552 and SB 5553, and the 2011-12 School Year Subaccount ("SYS"). Below is an observation and questions & answers to hopefully help with your understanding based on what we know as of today. Observation: The bill deliberately is lacking in specificity and allows school districts to outline how they will achieve learning opportunities and to minimize impact of school day reductions. It is the intention of the Legislature to have school districts demonstrates a good faith effort to achieve enhanced learning opportunities and to minimize the impact to school day reductions. The plan/report the school district submits should clearly demonstrate that the district took steps to prioritize services to children, but this does not limit the district's capacity to bargain with its employees. Enhancement of learning opportunities was specifically left to the districts to outline what/how this would be achieved. I.e., how did the school district invest its share of the SYS funds to get the best possible outcome given the circumstances? Q & A: 1. Is the $100M subaccount included in the SSF estimates? A. No. The $100M SSF subaccount is not included in the individual district State School Fund estimates. It is listed in a separate estimate that includes the SSF grant and the $100M grant based on ADMw. Added together they would provide a total estimate of revenue for the school district. This information was posted April 13, 2011, and can be found under the News Announcements on the State School Fund website at the following link: http://www.ode.state.or.us/news/announcements/default.aspx?topic=168 2. Where do I code the revenue and expenditures for the subaccount? A. The $100 million of SYS funds should be recorded in the General Fund (100), Source code 3299 - Other Restricted State Grants-in-aid. ODE is waiting to hear if there will be any subsequent reporting requirements. The expenditure side must be tracked to allow for adequate reporting when requested. It has not been determined if a statewide tracking code will be put in place, but until then please use your own tracking method. 3. May districts use the SYS funds to pay existing teachers COLAs, step increases, one time payments or other payments and still qualify under SB 5553? A. Not specified at this time. If SYS pays for raises while the school district makes no attempt to minimize a reduction in school days, this would likely not be well received by the Legislative review. 4. What type of reporting/application process will Districts need to undergo in order to obtain the SYS funds? A. There's no prescriptive form and we would anticipate the format to vary by district depending on how they use the funds. We would refer SDs to the second paragraph of the Budget Note in SB 5552: a. At a minimum, a school district's or program's written proposal shall include a description of the enhancements and activities along with the funding for each with comparable data for the 2010-11 school year, any measurable outcomes, and how the school district or program determined its priorities for expenditures. Proof of compliance shall consist of a signature by the School District Superintendent certifying compliance along with proof of the School Board's review and adoption of the written proposal (e.g., Board minutes, resolution, or signatures). b. These funds will be made available through EGMS, but should be run through the General Fund as that is where the anticipated expenditures will be to qualify for a reduction in class size, increase school days and etc. It is my understanding each districts' allocation will be posted on EGMS and will be available to each district as other grants are handled. 1. If a district is planning on cutting days from the school year but can use the SYS funds to cut fewer days, is that an increase of the school year that would qualify? A. Yes. 1. If a district is able to use SYS funds to shift non-instructional days to instructional days, does that qualify as an appropriate use of SYS funds? A. Yes. 2. May SYS funds be carried over from 2011-12 to 2012-13? A. No. Again, this information is based on what is known at this time. As more questions/concerns are identified, we will do our best to respond to the field. Thank you, Michael Elliott & Barb Cruickshank Oregon Department of Education -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From michael.wiltfong at state.or.us Wed Apr 27 17:30:38 2011 From: michael.wiltfong at state.or.us (WILTFONG Michael) Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2011 17:30:38 -0700 Subject: [Busmgrs] Poverty calculations in the State School Fund Message-ID: DA: April 27, 2011 TO: District Business Managers RE: Poverty calculations in the State School Fund There have been some recent questions regarding how poverty is calculated for the State School Fund. Particularly, some districts have noted concerns because they see decreases in their poverty weighting for the ADM. However, they are simultaneously experiencing increased poverty in their district and region. We hope to further explain how poverty weighting is calculated to answer some of these questions. ORS 327.013(1)(c)(v)(I) sets forth the poverty calculation, which states: The number of children 5 to 17 years of age in poverty families in the district, as determined by the Department of Education from a report of the United States Department of Education based on the most recent federal decennial census, as adjusted by the school district's proportion of students in the county receiving free or reduced price lunches under the United States Department of Agriculture's current Income Eligibility Guidelines if the number is higher than the number determined from census data and only if the school district had an average daily membership of 2,500 or less for the 1995-1996 school year, and as further adjusted by the number of students in average daily membership in June of the year of distribution divided by number of students in average daily membership in the district, or its predecessors, in June of the year of the most recent federal decennial census; The first step is to determine the number of children ages 5 to 17 years in poverty as calculated by the latest decennial census. The statue provides that the census numbers are further adjusted by current ADM to account for changes in population since the last census. We're currently using the 2000 Census data for the 2009-10 determination. Thus, we are ten years removed from when the last census was taken. The adjustments made to the ADM should account for this difference. The 2010 Census data will be used for the estimates as soon as it is available. The second step is to determine the district's proportion of the county's students receiving Free or Reduced Lunches. This only applies to school districts with an average daily membership of 2,500 or less for the 1995-1996 school year. The important aspect of the Free or Reduced Lunch number is that it is based on participation by district by county. If every district in the county is experiencing an increase in poverty then chances are no one district will see an increase in their ADM weighting based on poverty because no one district is increasing their proportion of the county's students receiving free or reduced lunches. In some instances districts will see a decrease in weighting even though their available free or reduced lunch count increases. That's because the statute requires us to calculate based on "students in county receiving free or reduced price lunches." In other words, it's based on participation and not available slots. Once both numbers are determined, we take the larger of the two numbers for those districts that had an ADM of 2,500 or less in 1995-1996. Districts with ADM of 2,500 or more in 1995-1996 are only allowed to use the prorated census number. A significant challenge with this calculation is the timing of data. For example, we don't have Free or Reduced Lunch data for the 2011-12 school year, so the calculation defaults to the prorated census data. We believe that this defaulting to census data resulted in swings in the poverty weighting for the smaller districts and prompted some of the recent inquiries. To minimize these swings, we will use the most recent Free and Reduced Lunch data we have until that data can be updated. Thus, we will be using the 2010-11 Free or Reduced Lunch data until such time that we can update with the 2011-12 Free or Reduced Lunch data. There appears to be two answers to some of the concerns about the recent swings in poverty data. The first answer, as explained above could be that the calculation defaults to the census data when that is the only data available. The other answer may well lie in the fact that all of Oregon is experiencing an increase in poverty levels and most districts are experiencing a decrease in ADM. Individual districts may see a decrease because their proportion in relation to the rest of the county is decreasing. We hope this helps with your understanding and please let us know if we can be of further assistance. Thank you, Mike Wiltfong and Michael Elliott Oregon Department of Education -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From michael.wiltfong at state.or.us Fri Apr 29 17:40:53 2011 From: michael.wiltfong at state.or.us (WILTFONG Michael) Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2011 17:40:53 -0700 Subject: [Busmgrs] A message from Michael Elliott: 2011-12 State School Fund update Message-ID: DA: April 29, 2011 TO: District Business Managers FR: Michael Elliott State School Fund Coordinator Department of Education RE: 2011-12 State School Fund update Good Afternoon, I have posted the updates to the 2011-12 Estimate on ODE's website here: http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/results/?id=168 These include the latest information we have available. In the first estimates, there were questions regarding the $100M School Year Subaccount and how it was accounted for in the State School Fund Estimate. This estimate should clarify and answer most of those questions. The School Year Subaccount funds are grant-based funds and are not included in the individual district estimates. Instead those funds are apportioned in the School Year Subaccount estimate. That estimate has been updated as well and is located here: http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=1363 To further clarify this situation, the caption over each district's individual estimate should now show that the $100M is School Year Subaccount funds is excluded and will be distributed through EGMS. Additional changes in this estimate include using the overall figure of $5.677B for the 11-13 biennium. This number is the $5.7B figure passed by the Legislature and the Governor without the increase in the Common School Fund. The additional money to be distributed from the Common School Fund is accounted for on the local revenue side of each district's individual estimate. Again, $100M of the $5.677B provided by the legislature is to be distributed through EGMS and will not be reflected in the individual district estimates for 11-12. Thus, the total amount running through the State School Fund will be approximately $2.74B less additional reductions such as High Cost Disability Grant, Facility Grant, etc. Only $2.74B will be distributed through the State School Fund for the 11-12 school year. For comparison purposes, the Governor's recommended budget had approximately $2.78B being distributed through the State School Fund. So even though the signed budget increased the funds available to schools overall, the State School Fund is about $40M less than what was in the Governor's recommended budget. Thus, State School Fund distributions will be less than estimated distributions under the Governor's recommended budget. The State School Fund distributions do not include the $100M School Year Subaccount funds distributed separately. Thank you for the questions. If you have any other questions, please let me know. Sincerely, Michael Elliott State School Fund Coordinator 503-947-5627 Michael.S.Elliott at state.or.us -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: