#INspirEDgrants
February 2022
COVID-19 Relief School Spending Dashboard
The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) recently launched a statewide COVID-19 relief school spending dashboard. The dashboard reflects COVID-19 federal relief grant allocations and reimbursements as part of local educational agencies' (LEAs) locally-developed spending plans from the three rounds of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding, as well as competitive grants that were awarded to schools from the federal Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funding.
Visit the dashboard to review ESSER spending at your LEA and across Indiana.
Title Con
Spring Desktop and On-site Monitoring Visits
Each year, IDOE is required to conduct monitoring visits to ensure federal Title grant funds are being expended within each fund's allowable limits and programs are being implemented with fidelity. These monitoring visits are conducted in the spring and fall of each grant cycle.
IDOE conducts an annual risk assessment to determine which LEAs will receive a desktop or on-site monitoring visit. The risk assessment is consolidated for all of the Title grants and weighs criteria such as the LEA’s total federal award amount, application quality and timeliness of submission, allocation to direct student services, distribution of funds, and previous monitoring and findings history.
Due to ongoing COVID-19 safety protocols, all visits will be conducted virtually. Please watch for a notification memo if your LEA has been selected for a spring monitoring visit.
If you have any questions, please contact your assigned federal grants specialist.
ESSER I Reminder
LEAs are reminded, if not already doing so, to begin seeking reimbursement for expended ESSER I (CARES) funds. The deadline to encumber funds is Friday, September 30, with a liquidation date of Thursday, December 15. The amendment deadline for ESSER I (CARES) will be Monday, May 30.
If you have any questions, please contact your assigned federal grants specialist.
ESSER Data Collection
The U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) has set a deadline of May 2022 to submit ESSER spending data. Once IDOE receives the data collection tool, LEAs will receive instructions on what data is to be collected, as well as the deadline for LEA submission to IDOE. Please mark your calendars so that you may begin preparing for this next round of data collection.
If you have any questions, please contact Frank Chiki.
Maintenance of Equity
The USDOE will be collecting Maintenance of Equity data related to ESSER III funds. Please visit IDOE's Maintenance of Equity webpage for current information. The Title grants and support office will distribute a memo with further instructions soon to all ESSER III program administrators, superintendents, and treasurers.
Upcoming Opportunities
Brustein & Manasevit, PLLC Spring Forum: Brustein & Manasevit, PLLC is offering a virtual Spring Forum, "Planning for Uninterrupted Crises," from Monday, May 2 - Thursday, May 5. The forum will commence on Monday, May 2 with two EDGAR pre-sessions, followed by general and breakout sessions catered to the most pressing matters in federal grants management. General and breakout sessions will be offered Tuesday through Thursday, from noon to 4 p.m. ET. More information can be found here.
Head Start Program Survey
As all LEAs must provide consultation with their local Head Start programs for Title funding, the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) is seeking your help! The Indiana Head Start State Collaboration Office would like input on your knowledge of and relationships with local Head Start programs. Below is a link to a 10-minute survey that will help FSSA as they continue to build stronger relationships that support Hoosier families and children.
Thank you in advance for your time and insights, and feel free to reach out to Tonia Carriger, Indiana Head Start State Collaboration Director, directly if you have questions or concerns.
Title Grants and Support Employment Opportunities
If you would like to join a dynamic, collaborative team, please click on the links below to discover the duties and responsibilities of these positions.
Bilingual Translator and Support Specialist
There will also be two federal grant specialist positions posted soon.