(Posted 1/2/04)
GENERAL
How does the Title IID competitive funding program differ from the Title IID funding available through the consolidated application? Do the competitive program funds replace the Title IID funds from the consolidated application, or are they supplementary?
Title IID provides funding opportunities to LEAs in two ways: a formula allocation, which LEAs apply for in the consolidated application, and through a competitive process, available through this application. The competitive funds supplement funds allocated by formula.
INSUFFICIENT TITLE II PART D FORMULA FUNDS
How did SED determine which LEAs are receiving insufficient Title IID funds?
LEAs that were allocated insufficient amounts of Title IID formula funds for 2003-04 must be given priority during the awarding of Title IID competitive grant funds.
For the purpose of this grant program, an "insufficient amount" is defined as less than $15,000.
LEAs allocated insufficient amounts of Title IID formula funds are designated in
How could a district not get sufficient formula funds under Title IID if the allocations are by formula?
The amount of Title IID formula funds allocated to a LEA is based on the amount of Title IA funds allocated to that LEA. Title IA allocations, in turn, are based on the number of children ages 5-17 from families with incomes below the poverty line. This number could be relatively small in a small school district or charter school.
BOCES INVOLVEMENT
How can a BOCES participate in this grant program?
After consulting with the United States Department of Education, SED has determined that BOCES are local educational agencies for the purposes of Title IID. However, they do not qualify as "high need local educational agencies" and cannot apply on their own for Title IID competitive funds. A BOCES may serve as a fiscal agent of an eligible local partnership.
If a BOCES serves as the fiscal agent of an eligible local partnership, is there a requirement to consult with all nonpublic schools within the area of the component districts served by the BOCES?
No. Only the nonpublic schools within the area of the high need LEA(s) in the partnership must be consulted.
ALLOWABLE ACTIVITIES: BUDGET
Can the salary of the supervisor of technology be paid as administrative costs through this grant?
Yes, but the Title IID funds may only supplement, not supplant, existing arrangements within the district. (See page 3, Priority for Funding, in the RFP.)
Can Title IID competitive funds be used to pay salaries of technology specialists who will, to quote the RFP, "prepare one or more teachers as technology leaders"?
Yes. This is an acceptable expense. (See page 3, Examples of Other Allowable Activities, in the RFP.)
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Does the 25% professional development requirement include development of online professional development?
No. The requirement to use at least 25% of a grant award on professional development is for actual implementation of professional development to teachers. (See page 4, Program Requirements in the RFP.)
Does the use of the funds for teacher professional development need to be spread evenly across the 3½ years of the grant award period?
To ensure compliance with the federal legislation, a minimum of 25% professional development should be documented for each year.
Does the waiver request for professional development need to be approved prior to submitting the proposal or is the presence of a waiver adequate?
No. A reference to a waiver in progress should be documented in the proposal. (See the footnote on page 4 of the RFP.)
NONPUBLIC SCHOOL PARTICIPATION
What is the purpose of "engaging in timely and meaningful consultation with appropriate nonpublic schools"?
The intent of consultation is to determine whether the private school(s) within the areas served by the high need LEA or eligible local partnership wishes to participate in the competitive grant proposal. Documentation of consultation is required to ensure that applicants are prepared to make expenditures with Title IID funds for educational services and benefits for students, teachers and other educational personnel in participating nonpublic schools that are equal, taking into account the number and educational needs of the children to be served, to the expenditures for those in the public schools. (See page 2, Non-public School Students and Teacher Participation, of the RFP.)
How can we find out the nonpublic schools that exist within the boundaries of our district?
The nonpublic school NCLB allocation reports available at
What should an applicant do if there are no non-public schools in the area?
The applicant are required to provide documentation of meeting the consultation requirement. If no nonpublic schools exist in the area of the high need LEA, then that must be indicated on the Documentation of Private School Consultation form, which is the third page of the application. Proposals will be considered incomplete if that documentation is not provided. (See page 2, Non-public School Students and Teacher Participation, of theRFP.)
Can non-public schools not associated with participating LEAs be included in program activities?
Yes, applicants may seek nonpublic school participation outside of their boundaries if the needs of the student population are compatible with the program being proposed.
Must nonpublic schools have students in poverty or do we automatically include all nonpublics even if they don’t serve students in poverty?
All nonpublic schools within the area served by the high need local educational agency or eligible local partnership must be consulted as part of the application development process. (See page 2, Nonpublic School Students and Teachers Participation, of the RFP.)
Can nonpublic students in poverty within an LEA be added toward to the number list for that LEA in Appendix A for the purposes of increasing the possible grant award?
No. The numbers of children ages 5-17 from families with incomes below the poverty line, listed in Appendix A, are from Census 2000. The numbers include children attending nonpublic schools within the boundaries of an LEA.
Does consultation with all nonpublic schools in a district actually mean ALL? What if the nonpublic schools do not wish to participate in the proposed program?
Meaningful consultation must be with all nonpublic schools within the area of the high need LEA.
Participation by non-publics is voluntary. If a nonpublic school opts not to participate, then an official or representative of the nonpublic school must indicate that that is the case on the Documentation of Private School Consultation form.
PRIORITY FOR FUNDING
Can programs be proposed for any grade or grades within PreK-12?
Consistent with the Board of Regents' priorities, the priorities for this competitive funding program are PreK-12 mathematics and PreK-12 English language arts, with a particular focus of the latter on early literacy PreK – 3. The academic area(s) of focus should be based on the high need school’s priority instructional needs. (See page 3, Priority for Funding, of the RFP.)
Do proposals need to focus on both ELA AND math? Can they focus on one area, if that is a priority high need of the LEA?
The academic area(s) of focus can be both ELA and mathematics or just ELA or mathematics, whichever is appropriate in regard to the high need school’s priority instructional needs.
What are some technology funding items you envision for the 75% non-professional component?
Please review the Priority for Funding section of the RFP for a listing of possible activities. (See Title II Part D RFP: Priority for Funding: pg. 3)
Is the intent of the legislation to create a research study or relate research to proposed activities?
The intent is to relate research to proposed solutions. Evidence-based research models or promising practices should inform proposed activities.
SIZE OF GRANTS
How do we document the number of children in poverty? Is there an accepted U.S. Department of Education document or other appropriate source?
The number of students in poverty for each LEA is listed in Appendix A of the RFP. Other data, such as the number of students eligible for free/reduced price meals, may not be used to support a request for funding. The poverty number should be incorporated into the Program Description section of the project narrative. (See page 6, Project Narrative, of the RFP.)
Is the amount indicated in Appendix A based on the 2000 census, estimates or fixed? For example, if your school’s number of children has increased or decreased, will the funds adjust accordingly?
The Appendix A data is based on Census 2000, as provided by the U.S. Department of Education, and will be used to determine funding levels for funded proposals.
To determine the maximum funding available for an eligible local partnership, can the number of students in poverty come from more than one LEA in the partnership? Or just the primary LEA?
If applying in a partnership with other high need LEAs, a total of all children in poverty in the high need LEA’s (in Appendix A) should be used to determine the maximum amount of available funding for the partnership. (See page 5, Grant Award Period and Size of Grants, in the RFP.)
PROJECT EVALUATION
Does evaluation need to be completed by a third party?
No. Evaluation need only evaluate the extent to which the funded activities are effective and be sufficient to collect all necessary data for local, State and federal needs. (See page 5 of the RFP.)
Will there be a statewide evaluation of the Title IID program, as there was under Title III – Technology Literacy Challenge Fund?
Yes, SED currently plans to conduct a statewide evaluation of Title IID initiatives.
ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIPS
How do you want us to handle letters or evidence of support from participating schools?
Use the second page of the application, Participating Entities/Project Proposal Committee, and the third and fourth pages, Documentation of Private School Consultation/Required Commitments- Participating Nonpublic School.
REVIEW AND RATING OF APPLICATIONS
Can entities partnering on grant applications fall into more than one geographical grouping?
Yes.
What does the term "rest of state rural" mean?
"Rest of State Rural" represents districts identified as rural by SED's State Aid Unit. This separate category ensures that sufficient funds are available to rural schools, as required by the Title IID legislation.