READING FIRST LEA BUDGET DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES

August 2007

These guidelines are to be used by eligible LEAs to develop the Reading First FS-10 Budget and Narrative for the July 1, 2007 – June 30, 2008 budget period. The Reading First FS-10 and all subsequent FS-10-As must be developed and reviewed with the Regional School Support Center prior to submission to the NYS Education Department. Please note that any proposed expenditures in the submitted FS10 that are not allowable or aligned with Reading First will be removed from the budget.

The Reading First FS-10 Budget may only include expenditures that:

Directly and solely support the Reading First K-3 instructional program in reading
Are supported by Scientifically Based Reading Research (SBRR)
Are reasonable and appropriate in scope.

The Reading First Budget Narrative must explain all proposed budget expenditures that are not already detailed on the FS-10 document including:

Job responsibilities of professional and support staff
Agenda of proposed publisher trainings
Description and itemization of all costs, including computer program licensing fees, software programs, all other supplies and materials
LEA plans to sustain scientifically based reading instruction in the Reading First school beyond the three-year grant period.

GUIDELINES

Reading First Personnel (Salaried Professional, Administrative or Support Staff)

All proposed expenditures must directly support Reading First professional development and instructional practice. This includes the instructional practice within ninety-minute (minimum) reading block, supplemental, intervention or intensive instruction to strengthen student reading skills, the administration and analysis of assessment data, etc.

LEA district-level expenditures for Reading First implementation are limited to a total of 13.5% of the total Reading First grant amount. Of that amount, up to 3.5% may be allocated to administrative costs, and 10% may be allocated to support district-wide personnel dedicated to implementation of scientifically based reading instruction.

The position of Building Coach – Full Time Equivalent (FTE) is required to support K-3 teachers in professional development and classroom implementation of Reading First. At minimum, each Reading First school is required to have one full-time Building Coach. A general guideline for Building Coach: teacher ratios is that 1 FTE Coach can support 15-20 teachers.

Reading First funds are subject to a "Supplement, not Supplant" requirement in federal law. Therefore, grant funds can be used "only to supplement the level of non-federal funds that, in the absence of funds under this subpart, would be expended for activities authorized under this subpart, and not to supplant those non-Federal funds." (Section 1202, Sec.305(g))

The salaries of Reading Teachers, Teacher Assistants, and Intervention Specialists are only allowable as dedicated to support K-3 teachers in classroom instruction in reading. The FTE should reflect actual time spent in providing instruction or participating in professional development on scientifically based reading instruction (SBRI). The LEA should carefully evaluate proposed Reading First grant expenditures for personnel against the anticipated LEA future capacity to sustain research-based reading instructional practice, after the grant period comes to an end. This should be specifically addressed in the budget narrative.

Personnel costs for professional and/or support staff activities that are not part of instruction in K-3 reading will not be approved in the FS-10.

Grant funds may be used for stipends for additional responsibilities that relate to the implementation of Reading First, such as participation in professional development. Stipends for teachers or administrators must be made in accordance with LEA policy and contractual agreements.

Publisher/Vendor Consultants

Proposed expenditures for services provided by publisher or vendor consultants may not exceed 3% of the total budget and must:

Be directly connected to the Reading First plan and implementation
Not duplicate professional development and technical assistance

services provided by the RSSC and by SED

Be reasonable and appropriate in cost.

If expenditures are proposed for publisher or vendor consultant services, the budget narrative must include clear justification and supporting information (content outline of services to be provided).

Instructional Programs and Materials

Proposed expenditures for instructional programs and materials must be justified as appropriate, aligned, and cohesive with the Reading First instructional program.

Materials for Classroom Libraries and School Literacy Centers

Materials purchased should strengthen and extend the Reading First program by promoting K-3 student access to a wide variety of engaging reading materials, which include expository, informational and narrative text. Such print resources could include books, magazines and newspapers.

Materials must be of high quality and representative of a variety of children’s literature.

Allowable purchases include examples of informational and imaginative text at various levels for student use; authentic literature in books, magazines and newspapers; and technology and software to engage students in locating and creating, comprehending and interpreting text.

Technology Hardware and Software

Proposed expenditures must directly support:

Teacher participation in on-line professional development (New York State Reading Academy)
Classroom implementation of technology-based SBRR instructional programs or materials that are approved by SED as part of the district Reading First program
Assessment protocols and practices.

Systems for Data Collection and Management

Expenditures will be approved that are reasonable and appropriate.

The budget narrative should address the sustainability of vendor-purchased assessment management systems at the conclusion of the three-year grant period.

Professional Development

Proposed expenditures must be aligned with the annual district professional development plan and meet the criteria stated in the NYSED Reading First LEA Professional Development Guidelines.

Reading First professional development costs must support required participation in the NYS Reading Academy:

o Participation by all K-3 classroom teachers, special education teachers and ESL/Bilingual teachers in the NYS Reading Academy (approximately 60 hours on-line coursework, coach-facilitated discussion and classroom application)

o Participation by Reading First Building Principals in the NYS Reading Academy Principals Course (approximately 10 hours on-line coursework).

All Reading First professional development must address classroom implementation of core, supplemental and intervention reading instruction that is based on SBRR.

Proposed expenditures for professional development must not duplicate the services provided by the RSSC.

Stipends and cost of substitute personnel to support teacher participation in Reading First professional development and technical assistance are allowable expenses and must be in compliance with all board policies and contractual requirements.

Reading First grant expenditures for conference participation are limited to USDE and NYSED sponsored professional development events.

Travel

The LEA should allocate sufficient resources to support full participation for instructional staff and leadership in RSSC sponsored professional development and other Reading First regional events.

Travel and related costs to support participation in the National Reading First Conference, the NYSED Reading First Institute, and other state-level professional development should be included.

After-School and Summer Programs

Programs outside of normal school hours may be Reading First grant funded if they clearly augment and strengthen the instructional Reading First program that is delivered during the school day/year. All components of Reading First must be fully implemented for all K-3 students within the school day/year prior to the approval of an after-school or summer program.

Summer school programs must meet the criteria stated in the NYSED Reading First Summer School Guidelines.

Additional Guidelines

All proposed expenditures related to purchases of classroom or office furnishings, equipment and materials should be limited and will be closely reviewed for alignment with the Reading First program.

Reading First 07-08: LEA Grant Amount Information: Budget Development Guidelines 07-08 Cohort B-C