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Each year, the Department revises preliminary allocations to LEAs for the Title I program. The final set of 2007-08 Title I allocations
is now available, and LEAs are encouraged to review their allocation
and carryover reports to determine if changes to their Title I programs
and/or budget amendments are required.
Beginning in 2007-08, the Department implemented new application review procedures for NCLB allocation programs. These FAQs provide information about the process.
Reminders
May 2008 - Time and Effort Records: Regular payroll records are not sufficient time and effort documentation for an employee who is funded by a federal grant program. If an employee works 100 percent of the time on a federal grant, the employee or a direct supervisor must complete time distribution certification at least once every six months. The certification will include the employee’s name and position, the period of employment, and the name of the federal program. If an employee works on more than one federal grant program, on a federal grant and a State grant, or on a federal grant’s direct cost and indirect cost activities, then personnel activity reports (PARs) must be completed monthly to document the distribution of time worked on the federal programs. PARs have to be completed after the work is done and be signed and dated by the employee. Maintain time distribution certifications and PARs with the regular payroll records.
April 2008 - Budget Amendments: Budget amendments (Form FS-10-As) are used by agencies to request
prior approval of substantial changes to planned grant expenditures. Failure to receive prior approval places agencies at risk of having expenditures disallowed. We suggest that agencies with NCLB and IDEA allocational grants ending on August 31 review their budgets, activities and the availability of
prior year carryover funds now, determine if budget amendments are necessary, and submit any amendments as soon as possible. In all cases, amendments must be submitted to SED program offices before final expenditure reports are prepared and before the grant period ends. Questions regarding the information presented in our reports, such as prior year carryover, may be directed to
grantsweb@mail.nysed.gov.
March 2008 - Requests for Additional Funds: Upon approval of a grant application and budget, a first payment is made automatically. Use an FS-25 to request additional funds until the project is closed or payments of 90 percent of the budget amount have been made. For budgets of $100,000 or more, agencies should request funds each month; otherwise, requests should be made quarterly.
4/21/08
