Blogs

Recent announcements posted by the Texas Education Agency that will be of special interest in reference to the school district’s or charter school’s financial management activities are listed below.

To access more information, click on the item titles below.

Proposed 2017-2018 Student Attendance Accounting Handbook (SAAH) and the 2017-2018 SAAH Change Document

TEA posted proposed versions of the 2017-2018 Student Attendance Accounting Handbook (SAAH) and the 2017-2018 SAAH Change Document to the SAAH web page on the Texas Education Agency (TEA) website:

http://tea.texas.gov/Finance_and_Grants/Financial_Compliance/Student__Attendance_Accounting_Handbook/

The final adopted versions of the documents will be posted on the TEA website after the Commissioner Rule adoption process is completed.

Compliance issues related to the various requirements could result in ineligible attendance for state aid funding purposes and refunds of unearned state aid amounts received.

Financial Hardship Transition Program

House Bill 21 (85th Legislature, 1st Called Session) established a Financial Hardship Transition Program under Texas Education Code 42.451 (“Hardship Grants”). The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is in process of determining eligibility and calculating the Hardship Grant amounts. All eligible districts under the legislation will receive a grant award. Therefore, districts do not need to apply to TEA to receive a grant. The Agency does not currently have a list of districts eligible for the grants. The TEA will release another TAA letter in early fall with more information. TEA currently anticipates being able to award grants by no later than December 2017. 

Texas Equity Toolkit

Action Required: Under ESSA, all districts receiving Title I funding will be required to submit an Equity Plan to better understand and address the challenges they face in providing equitable access to excellent teachers for low-income and minority students.  Submissions for Texas Equity Plans will be from September 1st to November 1st of 2017.

Validations of Fiscal Data Reported by LEAs for Federal Grants  

Action Required: The Federal Fiscal Compliance and Reporting Division will conduct random validations of the self-reported data submitted by LEAs related to fiscal compliance for federal grants programs.  Listed below are the data subject to validation this school year. Additional data validations may be added as needed.

• SC5050 Request for Federal Funding and Indirect Cost Rate for Charter Schools - Deadline date November 1, 2017
• Title I, Part A Comparability Computation Form - Deadline date November 12, 2017
• SC9000 Annual Survey of Children in Local Residential Facilities for the Neglected/Delinquent - Deadline date December 5, 2017
• SC9010 Survey of Children in Stage Agency Facilities - Deadline date January 4, 2018
• 2017–2018 SC5050 (open-enrollment charter schools claiming significant expansion) - Deadline date January 31, 2018
• Substitute System of Time and Effort Management Certification, Teacher Certifications, and Teacher Schedules - Deadline date May 30, 2018
• Justification of Specific Expenditure Forms: Educational Field Trips and Out-of-State Travel - Deadline date June 1, 2018

Proposed Amendment to 19 TAC Chapter 129, Student Attendance, Subchapter AA, Commissioner's Rules, §129.1025, Adoption by Reference: Student Attendance Accounting Handbook

Summary: The proposed amendment would adopt by reference the 2017-2018 Student Attendance Accounting Handbook.

Public Comment Period: August 25, 2017 - September 25, 2017.

Earliest Possible Date of Adoption: September 25, 2017.

Proposed Effective Date: November 15, 2017.

Withdrawal of and Amendment to 19 TAC Chapter 62, Commissioner's Rules Concerning the Equalized Wealth Level, §62.1071, Manual for Districts Subject to Wealth Equalization

The amendment adopts as a part of the Texas Administrative Code (TAC) the Manual for Districts Subject to Wealth Equalization 2016-2017 School Year, Revised April 2017. The manual contains the processes and procedures that the Texas Education Agency uses in the administration of the provisions of the Texas Education Code (TEC), Chapter 41, and the fiscal, procedural, and administrative requirements that school districts subject to the TEC, Chapter 41, must meet. The amendment replaces an earlier version published in the April 21, 2017 issue of the Texas Register that has been withdrawn.

Public Comment Period: August 25, 2017 - September 25, 2017.

Public Hearing Notice: A public hearing to solicit testimony and input on the amendment will be held from 1:30 p.m. until the conclusion of testimony or not later than 2:30 p.m. on August 31, 2017, in Room 1-100, William B. Travis Building, 1701 North Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas 78701.

CULMINATION OF THE 2016-17 HIGH-QUALITY PREKINDERGARTEN GRANT

The High-Quality Prekindergarten Grant closes on August 31, 2017. School districts and charters are encouraged to complete their compliance documentation, financial obligations and submit corresponding data by close of the grant. Attached is the remaining amount of HQPG funding per grantee.

Please note the following dates:

• August 31, 2017 - Last day to obligate any HQPG funds to any activity or supplies
• October 2, 2017 – Last day to submit a final expenditure report
• November 1, 2017 - Last day to submit a revised final expenditure report(s)

Attendance, Admission, Enrollment Records, and Tuition - August 2017

Action Required: TEA released their annual letter that summarizes important statutes relating to student attendance, public school admission, enrollment records, and tuition.  Part I of the letter relates to compulsory attendance, Part II relates to attendance for course credit, Part III relates to public school admission, Part IV relates to enrollment records, and Part V relates to tuition.  In each part, TEA has identified which statutes do or do not apply to open-enrollment charter schools.  TEA hopes you will find this summary helpful as you begin the 2017-2018 school year. School districts and open-enrollment charter schools are to amend, as needed, local policies, procedures, processes and programs to ensure compliance with updated requirements covered in this letter.

Compliance issues related to the various topics covered in this letter could result in ineligible attendance for state aid funding purposes and refunds of unearned state aid amounts received.

Charter Admission, Enrollment, and Withdrawal

Action Required: TEA released their annual letter that summarizes several important statutes relating to open-enrollment charter school admission, enrollment, and withdrawal. TEA hopes you will find this summary helpful as you begin the 2017-2018 school year. For more information, addressing both charters and school districts, charter school officials also need to cross-reference the To the Administrator Addressed letter regarding attendance, admission, enrollment records, and tuition. School districts and open-enrollment charter schools are to amend, as needed, local policies, procedures, processes and programs to ensure compliance with updated requirements covered in this letter.

Compliance issues related to the various topics covered in this letter could result in ineligible attendance for state aid funding purposes and refunds of unearned state aid amounts received.

Information for Districts, Campus, and Charter Schools with Areas of Need Identified through the 2017 State Accountability System

Action Required:  Title 19 of the Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §97.1063 and Texas Education Code (TEC) §39.106 stipulate that a campus intervention team (CIT) shall be assigned to a campus when it is rated IR in the state accountability system.  A campus identified as IR shall:

• identify members of the campus intervention team (CIT), which is composed of the:
  • professional service provider(PSP) and
  • district coordinator of school improvement(DCSI), and
• identify members of the campus leadership team(CLT).
• The PSP and DCSI’s profiles need to be created or updatedin the contacts tab of ISAM by September 15, 2017:
  • Submit the DCSI’s qualifications to TEA through ISAM by September 15th.
  • These updates and submissions are best completed after 2017 state accountability ratings are uploaded into ISAM which is projected to occur by the first week of September, and TEA will communicate via the School Improvement (SI) listserv and with PSPs and ESCs when this upload is complete.
• View IR webinars and complete required trainings and interventions as outlined in the Intervention Calendars posted on the Division of School Improvement

Districts that are rated IR in 2017 must determine who will serve as the DCSI, and who will serve on the district leadership team (DLT).  Districts and charter schools should carefully review the job descriptions found at each link above before identifying the DCSI and establishing the DLT.  Districts need to submit the name and qualification of the DCSI to TEA by creating or updating the DCSI’s profile in the contacts tab of ISAM by October 6, 2017.

Districts, campuses, and charter schools rated Met Standard or Met Alternative Standard that failed to meet one or more system safeguard measures are required to utilize the DLT/CLT to engage in the TAIS continuous improvement process to address the system safeguard(s) missed.  Districts and campuses should include intervention activities that are designed to address the missed system safeguard(s) in their TEC §11 improvement plans.  Although no submissions or progress reporting are specified at this time, TEA may request the submission of the district or campus TEC §11 plan that contains these intervention activities. 

Cybersecurity Tips and Tools Webinar Series

TEA's Chief Information Security Officer in collaboration with the Data Security Advisory Committee (DSAC) to provide insight into the Cybersecurity Tips and Tools in webinars on

September 13, 2017, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM, Cybersecurity Tips and Tools – Incident Response, Being Prepared

October 11, 2017, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM, Cybersecurity Tips and Tools – Training, What is Available at no Cost

November 8, 2017, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM, Cybersecurity Tips and Tools – Guidelines for Cybersecurity Documentation

The DSAC has reviewed and recommended the Tips and Tools which have been shared on the https://www.texasgateway.org/ portal.

GASB Statement 77 and Chapter 313 Projects

Action Required: If your district has granted tax abatement(s), Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) Statement 77 requires disclosure of certain information about the abatement in its annual financial and compliance report (AFR). It also requires that a school district disclose tax abatement information if a city, county, or other taxing authority entered into a tax abatement that impacted (i.e. decreased) the school district’s local tax revenue. Chapter 313 Projects of the Tax Code meet the GASB definition of a tax abatement. GASB 77 only requires a disclosure in the financial statement notes for information related to the tax abatement agreements. Please refer to GASB 77 for complete disclosure requirements at http://gasb.org/cs/ContentServer?c=Document_C&pagename=GASB%2FDocument_C%2FGASBDocumentPage&cid=1176166283745.

Below is an example of the note disclosure:

District entered into an agreement with company on date.  (https://comptroller.texas.gov/economy/local/ch313/agreement-docs.php).  The agreement was for company to invest capital of $ on a long-term basis for a valuation limitation of $.  For fiscal year 2017, which is year # of the agreement, with the M&O tax rate A per $100, with property valued at $ without considering the limit and $ with the limit.  When calculated, the district forgoes collecting $ in tax revenue – however, that will be offset by the increase in state funding through the FSP funding formula. In addition to the tax abatement, the company has committed to (disclosure of any other commitments. For example, the PILOT program, discounts on merchandise, or equipment).

Official Notification of Preliminary 2016-2017 Charter FIRST Ratings

Action Required: Your charter school’s preliminary 2016–2017 Charter Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST) rating is now available in the online. If your charter school wants to appeal an adverse issue it identifies in the preliminary rating, your charter school may submit a written appeal with supporting evidence to the Financial Accountability Section. For the appeal to be considered, TEA must receive it by September 8, 2017.

Official Notification of Preliminary 2016-2017 School FIRST Ratings

Action Required: Your school district’s preliminary 2016–2017 School Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST) rating is now available online. If your district wants to appeal an adverse issue it identifies in the preliminary rating, your district may submit a written appeal with supporting evidence to the Financial Accountability Section. For the appeal to be considered, TEA must receive it by September 8, 2017.

Purchase of School Buses with Three-Point Seat Belts

Action Required: Requires purchase, lease or contract of school buses or school activity buses with three-point seat belts for each passenger that are model year 2018 or newer, in accordance with Senate Bill 693. The school board must make a determination in a public meeting, if budget constraints limit them to purchase of model year 2018 or later school buses without three-point seat belts.

Substitute System of Federal Time-and-Effort Reporting for School Year 2017–2018

Action Required: The US Department of Education requires you to submit a management certification form to TEA before your employees may participate in the substitute system. The management certification form is posted on the Substitute System page of the agency website.

You may submit the management certification throughout the year. The time of submission will determine when you may use the substitute system for the 2017–2018 school year.

The substitute system makes time-and-effort reporting easier for employees who meet the following conditions:

• Work on more than one federal grant award (that is, the employees are supported by more than one cost objective)
• Work on a set schedule
• Work on only one activity at a time

Competitive Grant Opportunity Published on the TEA Grant Opportunities Page

Action Required: TEA is announcing the availability of grant funds for the 2017–2018 Perkins Reserve Grant program. Request for Application (RFA) #701-17-103 is authorized by Title I, Part A, Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006, Public Law 109-270, Section 112(a)(1) (the Act). Applications must be received by the Texas Education Agency in the Document Control Center by 5:00 p.m. (Central Time), September 26, 2017, to be considered for funding.

The purpose of this grant program is to provide assistance to LEAs in

1. the preparation of students who enroll in CTE courses for high-skill, high-wage, or high-demand occupations in current or emerging fields;
2. strengthening linkages between secondary and postsecondary CTE programs of study as well as establishing or strengthening partnerships with business and industry;
3. establishing or strengthening partnerships with business and industry to include work-based learning opportunities;
4. fostering innovation of CTE programs, practices, and strategies, which may include practices and strategies that prepare individuals for nontraditional fields; or
5. promoting the development, implementation, and adoption of programs of study or career pathways aligned with Texas-identified in-demand occupations or industries.

2017 List of Approved Tests for Assessment of English Language Learners

Action Required: School districts and open-enrollment charter schools are to amend, as needed, local policies, procedures and programs to ensure they are using the 2017 list of approved tests for assessment of English language learners during school year 2017-18. The approved assessments apply to the identification of English language learners as well as exit from bilingual education and English as a second language (ESL) programs, in accordance with 19 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §89.1225(d) relating to Testing and Classification of Students.

Compliance issues related to use of approved assessments could result in ineligible attendance for state aid funding purposes and refunds of unearned state aid amounts received.

Travel and Mileage Reimbursement

Action Required: The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts published the travel and mileage reimbursement rates to be effective January 1, 2017, through August 31, 2017. School districts and open-enrollment charter schools are to ensure grant-related reimbursement claims do not exceed allowed travel and reimbursement rates.

The rates are summarized below:

• The automobile mileage reimbursement rate is 53.5 cents per mile.
• The meal reimbursement rate for overnight travel is listed by city on the federal per diem rate map. If the city you are traveling to is not listed, use the daily rate for the county. If the county to which you are traveling is not listed, use the current maximum daily reimbursement rate of $51.
• The meal reimbursement rate for non-overnight travel is up to $36.
• Lodging reimbursement rates for in-state and out-of-state travel are listed on the federal per diem rate map.If the city you are traveling to is not listed, use the daily rate for the county. If the county to which you are traveling is not listed, use the applicable maximum daily reimbursement rate:
  • Up to $85 for in-state lodging
  • Up to $91 for out-of-state lodging

The mileage, lodging, and meal rules and reimbursement rates published by the comptroller apply to all grants that TEA administers for individuals on travel status.

See the attached guidelines for summarized travel information. For detailed travel rules and reimbursement rate information, visit the Texas State Comptroller’s website.

Instructional Materials Allotment for Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019 (School years 2017‒18 and 2018‒19)

The 2018‒2019 instructional materials allotment (IMA) allocations for each district and open-enrollment charter school are available at http://tea.texas.gov/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=51539615735. Actual IMA funds will not be available until after September 1, 2017. Until that time, districts and open enrollment charter schools may use unexpended funds (carry-over funds) for IMA expenditures including newly adopted instructional materials, continuing contracts, technological equipment, and/or technology services.  

House Bill 1474 (84th Texas Legislature, 2015) changed the IMA from an annual allocation to a biennial allocation and required the Texas Education Agency to make the full amount available to districts at the beginning of each biennium. The amounts in EMAT must serve districts for two full school years. District personnel responsible for making instructional materials and educational technology purchasing decisions will want to carefully plan the two years’ spending to ensure that funds are available when they are needed.

Deadline Extended for the 2017–2018 school year New Instructional Facility Allotment (NIFA); Online Application for Funding

The deadline to submit an application for the 2017–2018 school year New Instructional Facility Allotment (NIFA), available to public school districts and charter schools, has been extended from July 17, 2017, to December 29, 2017.

The New Instructional Facility Allotment (NIFA) is available to public school districts and charter schools. Guidelines provided in the NIFA program overview include:

• The NIFA is a reimbursement program for start-up costs, such as outfitting classrooms with furniture and equipment, for new campuses.
• The NIFA program provides up to $1,000 per student in average daily attendance (ADA) in an eligible new campus in the first year of operation and up to $1,000 per each additional ADA in the second year of operation to help with any start-up costs associated with opening a new campus. The program provides for a statewide total of $23.75 million in the 2017-2018 school year, and the amount provided per student depends upon the total amount of requests made.
• Initial(first-year) applications must be submitted during the summer before the expected opening of the new building. Follow-up (second-year) applications must be submitted during the summer after the first year of occupation. Special One-Year applications are available for facilities that were occupied for the first time in 2016-2017 but did not receive NIFA funds because of the district’s failure to apply for funding before opening the campus. Any such eligible campus will receive funds for one year of operation only.
• The NIFAand the IFA (Instructional Facilities Allotment) are not the same, but are two different programs with different eligibility requirements, application processes, and application deadlines.

TEA will be providing additional guidelines related to the extended deadline to file applications for NIFA.

2016-2017 Bus Accident Reporting Survey

Action Required: The Texas Education Agency’s Bus Accident Reporting System (BARS) uses an annual survey to collect information on accidents involving school buses operated or contracted for use by school districts and charter schools, as required by statute and rule.  If no accidents meeting the reporting requirements occurred during the school year, your school district or charter school must submit a report showing zero as the number of bus accidents. Every school district and open-enrollment charter school must use the survey to submit its own individual report by the August 31, 2017 deadline.

Minutes of Operation-Updates to House Bill (HB) 2442

Action Required: School districts and open-enrollment charter schools are to amend, as needed, local policies, procedures and programs to ensure they are able to implement eligible changes to minutes of operation beginning with the 2017-18 school year, in accordance with House Bill 2442, enacted by 85th Legislature, Regular Session.

To receive full funding, school districts and charter schools are required to provide 75,600 minutes of operation. The exceptions to this requirement under HB 2442 for eligible districts are:

1. Prekindergarten programs will receive the allotted funding as long as they comply with the two-hour instruction rule (120 minutes).
    
2. A dropout recovery campus, a day treatment facility, a residential treatment facility, a psychiatric hospital, a school program offered at a correctional facility, an alternative education program (AEP), a disciplinary alternative education program (DAEP), and a school operating under Texas Education Code (TEC), §29.259, will receive the allotted funding as long as they comply with the four-hour instruction rule (240 minutes). 
    
3. Charter schools operating before January 1, 2015, will receive full funding if they report 180 days of attendance and comply with the four-hour instruction rule (240 minutes). The charter school must continue to meet the instructional requirements in its contract for charter.

Waivers are automatically granted for the three exceptions listed above. School districts and charter schools do not need to apply for these automatic waivers.

The Texas Education Agency “To The Administrator Addressed” letter for school year 2017-18 that was released recently provided additional information on implementation of eligible exceptions under HB 2442. School officials should also carefully read updates to the Student Attendance Accounting Handbook for school year 2017-18 for more information on eligible changes for programs related to the 75,600 minutes of operation requirement for full Foundation School Program funding.

Request for Prior Approval, Disclosure, and Justification Forms

In accordance with the requirements of the new Education Department General Administrative Requirements (EDGAR), grantees must either justify or request prior approval for certain uses of grant funds.

TEA has developed forms for grantees to use in order to comply with the new EDGAR.

The Request for Prior Approval, Disclosure, and Justification Forms page of the TEA website is now updated with links to forms for the 2017–2018 grant year.

Refer to each form for instructions on whether to submit to TEA or whether the form is to be maintained locally and made available to auditors and monitors upon request.

ESSA Private School Equitable Services

Action Required: In accordance with the requirements of ESSA, districts and eligible private nonprofit school (PNPs) must collaborate to ensure provision of equitable services to eligible students in private nonprofit schools and submit a completed Affirmation of Consultation form to TEA by the September 1, 2017 deadline.

Affirmation of Consultation with PNP Officials

Additional Action Required: School officials also need to complete and locally file the forms below, in accordance with 2 CFR 200.456 related to activities that require prior approval. These two approvals are retroactive to the beginning date of the grant period as noted on the subrecipient’s Notice of Grant Award (NOGA) for programs in which the activity is required/allowable. There is no need to submit individual requests for approval of these activities.

• Equitable services to private nonprofit schools
• Parental involvement activities

Prekindergarten Program Funding and High-Quality Requirements

Action Required: The General Appropriations Act, Article III, Rider 78 was passed by the 85th Texas Legislature, 2017, and signed by Governor Abbott on June 12, 2017. Rider 78 ensures that state-funded prekindergarten programs implement high-quality prekindergarten consistent with the High-Quality Prekindergarten program requirements in Texas Education Code (TEC) §29.167 – 29.171 and consistent with the provisions of TEC Chapters 41 and 42. School districts and open-enrollment charter schools are to amend, as needed, local policies, procedures and programs beginning with school year 2017-18 to ensure use of a curriculum aligned with the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines, increased prekindergarten teacher training and/or qualifications, implementation of student progress monitoring, program evaluation and development of a family engagement plan, in accordance with Rider 78. 

Rider 78 ensures that school districts expend 15% of the districts’ prekindergarten foundation school program (FSP) funding on High-Quality Prekindergarten programs over the period of the biennium. As an example, the TEA State Funding Division has calculated the 15% minimum to be allocated for High Quality Prekindergarten programs in the 2018-19 biennium based on the four-year-old prekindergarten half-day average daily attendance (ADA). TEA will implement monitoring as necessary to ensure that FSP funds are used as described. Please see attached calculation for your school district or charter school. Compliance issues related to lack of evidence of compliance with high-quality prekindergarten program requirements in the district could result in ineligible attendance for state aid funding purposes and refunds of unearned state aid amounts received.

LEAs with Schools Identified as Priority and/or Focus for school year 2017–2018

Action Required: Districts with identified priority and focus schools are eligible to receive supplemental funds through the Title I, Section 1003 School Improvement Priority/Focus grant on behalf of their priority and focus schools. Funding allocations per district will be calculated based on the number of eligible priority and focus schools within the district and include the number of students enrolled on the campus (SY2016-2017). The 2017–2018 Texas Title I, Section 1003 School Improvement Priority/Focus school grant will be available to eligible districts via the eGrants system in September 2017. 

2017-2021 Commissioner’s List of Approved Prekindergarten and Kindergarten Assessment Instruments

Action Required: School districts and open-enrollment charter schools are to amend, as needed, local policies, procedures and programs to ensure they use the Commissioner Approved Prekindergarten and Kindergarten Assessment Instruments (or other appropriate assessment instruments) during the 2017-2021 school years in accordance with Texas Education Code (TEC), §29.169 and §28.006.

Compliance issues related to lack of evidence that assessment instruments were administered to help ensure high-quality prekindergarten and kindergarten programs in the district could result in ineligible attendance for state aid funding purposes and refunds of unearned state aid amounts received.

2017 Tax Information Survey

Action Required: The 2017 Tax Information Survey (TIS) will be open for data submission June 1, 2017, and will close at midnight on August 31, 2017. If your district does not submit the survey by the deadline, your district’s state funding could be adversely affected. This does not apply to charter schools. School districts must submit their tax collection data by the August 31, 2017 deadline.

Completing the survey is important because it allows the agency to use the most accurate tax collections data possible when calculating 2016–2017 near-final Summary of Finances (SOF) estimates in September 2017.

2017-2018 Every Student Succeeds Act Consolidated Grant Application

Action Required: The 2017-2018 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Consolidated Grant Application is now available in eGrants.  Allocations for eligible applicants are available and can be viewed on the Entitlements, Grants Administration Division page.  Eligible applicants must apply through the eGrants system by 5:00 p.m. Central Time, September 1, 2017, if your district has not submitted its ESSA application. 

As a reminder, the PR6000 – Gun Free Schools District Report must be submitted to TEA before a Notice of Grant Award is awarded for the ESSA Consolidated Federal Grant Application and once the ADC is submitted, the grant application will be available in eGrants.

If your school district has received a NOGA and your Title I, Part A entitlement has been revised, the per pupil amounts in the SC5000 do not need to be updated.   

Tuition Limits under the TEC, §25.0031

Action Required: School districts and open-enrollment charter schools are to amend, as needed, local policies and procedures to ensure the district’s tuition rates charged for school year 2017-18 to students required to pay tuition as a result of holding a visa do not exceed amount permitted by the Commissioner of Education.

Your district should use a Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) ADA eligibility code of 0 for these students since students charged tuition under this section may not be counted in average daily attendance (ADA) for state funding purposes.

2017-2018 Optional Flexible School Day Program (OFSDP)

The OFSDP is a program that your district may offer to provide flexible hours and days of attendance for students in any grade who meet one of the following criteria:

• The student has dropped out of school or is at risk of dropping out.
• The student participates in an approved early college high school plan.
• The student attends a campus implementing an innovative redesign under a plan approved by the commissioner of education.
• The student will be denied credit for one or more classes in which the student has been enrolled as a result of attendance requirements under the Texas Education Code, §25.092.

 Action Required: Submit an annual application notifying the Texas Education Agency (TEA) that your district plans to participate. The application requires the following information: 1) implementation plan description, 2) staff plans, 3) schedules, and 4) student attendance accounting security procedures and documentation. The TEA will notify each applicant of its approval status to operate an OFSDP. The application may be submitted at any time, though your district must receive approval from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) before initiating the program.

2017-2018 Title I, Part C Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act Grant Application

Action Required: The 2017-2018 Title I, Part C Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act Grant Application is now available in eGrants. Allocations for eligible applicants are available and can be viewed on the Entitlements, Grants Administration Division page. Eligible applicants must apply through the eGrants system by 5:00 p.m. Central Time,August, 31, 2017.

2017-2018 Optional Flexible Year Program (OFYP)

Your school district or charter school may modify its instructional calendar for up to 4,200 minutes to provide a flexible year program to meet the educational needs of its students, including providing intensive instructional services. A flexible year program is for students who did not, or are likely not to, perform successfully on an assessment instrument administered under the Texas Education Code (TEC), §39.023, or who would not otherwise be promoted to the next grade level.

Action Required: To apply to participate in the OFYP, your district or charter school must submit a number of items to the Texas Education Agency. These items are: 1) a completed 2017–2018 application form, 2) a modified 2017–2018 instructional calendar, and 3) a letter describing the proposed modifications to the instructional calendar that includes a description of the OFYP that will be provided under the TEC, §29.0821. The letter must indicate the date on which the board of trustees approved the modified instructional calendar.

Private Nonprofit (PNP)

Federal law requires private schools to be contacted annually by the LEA to determine if PNPs would like to participate with federal programs. It is the responsibility of the Local Education Agency (LEA) to ensure consultation with the private schools is timely and meaningful. Consultation must occur during the design and development of the programs and before the LEA makes any decisions affecting the opportunities of eligible private school children, teachers, and other educational personnel to participate in the programs. LEAs are required to document that timely and meaningful consultation with PNP officials has occurred.

Action Required: Completed 2017-2018 Affirmations for PNPs participating with Title I, Part A; Title I, Part C Migrant; Title II Part A; Title III, Part A English Learner; Title III, Part A Immigrant; or Title IV, Part A services may be electronically signed if the LEA and PNP has Adobe Acrobat (not Adobe Reader) software or simply scanned with written signatures. The signed Affirmation must be uploaded through the GFFC Reports and Data Collections application accessible through TEA Secure Environment (TEASE) or TEAL no later than September 1, 2017. The LEA only needs to submit an Affirmation if PNPs are participating in any of the programs: Title I, Part A; Title I, Part C Migrant; Title II, Part A; Title III, Part A English Learner; Title III, Part A Immigrant; or Title IV, Part A.