IDEA Part B

1
IDEA Part B

• Grants 101

Bonnie Douglas Penny Kelly
2
IDEA Programs

• Flow-Through provides supplemental funds to
  ensure that all children ages 3-21 with
  disabilities receive a free appropriate public
  education
• Preschool provides supplemental funds for a
  comprehensive special education program for
  children ages 3-5 with disabilities
  
• Discretionary leadership grants for improving
  special education services in Illinois

3
Purpose

• To supplement state, local and other federal
  funds not to supplant those funds
  
• To pay excess costs of special education

4
Important terms

• Supplanting is presumed to occur when the Local
  Education Agency (LEA) use funds to
  
• provide services required under other federal,
  state or local law
  
• provide services that it provided with non
  federal funds in the immediate prior years
  
• to provide services for eligible children that it
  provides to other children with non-federal
  funds.
  

5
Another

• Excess cost requirement prevents an LEA from
  using Part B funds to pay all of the cost
  directly attributable to the education of a child
  with a disability

6
And another

• Maintenance of Effort (MOE) The LEA must ensure
  that the amount of local funds budgeted for the
  education of children with disabilities in the
  current year is at least the same, either in
  total or per capita, as the amount spent in the
  previous year.

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Grant Cycle

• February/March projected allocations
• April/May grant applications available
• May 1 - suggested due date
• July 1 through June 30 - Fiscal year
• July 1 grant applications must be submitted for
  a July 1 start date

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Grant Cycle

• May to August applications reviewed in the
  order received
  
• Fall Allocations are finalized and carryover
  funds are released
  
• Oct., Jan., Apr., June - Quarterly reports are
  due
  
• Amendments as needed, but no later than 30 days
  before the end of the grant period

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Grant Requirements

• IDEA Part B Grant Program Information booklet
• IDEA Grant information on ISBE Website
  http//www.isbe.net/spec-ed/html/idea_part-b.htm
  
• State Grant Information http//www.isbe.net/fundi
  ng/html/general_grant_info.htm
  
• Federal Grant Information (EDGAR)
  http//www.ed.gov/policy/fund/reg/edgarReg/edlite-
  table.html

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Grant troubles (that became audit findings)

• Inadequate financial records
• No internal controls to support financial
  reports
  
• No inventory of equipment
• Inadequate monitoring of subgrants
• Salaries are not properly tracked
• Grant funds are not segregated and restricted
• No supervisory review of expenditure reports

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Division of Special Education Services
217-782-5589 Bonnie Douglas bdouglas_at_isbe.net
Penny Kelly gkelly_at_isbe.net
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Help Desk

• ISBE Call Center is the first point of contact
• [phone] or helpdesk_at_isbe.net
• Call Center staff will
• Perform password resets for IWAS (Self-help
  preferred)
  
• Observe webpage performance (Consulting Status)
• Bypassing pop-up blocker (to view the Checklist
  hold down Ctrl key and click Review Checklist
  button)
  
• Forward Program or Fiscal questions to
  appropriate division
  

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HELP!

• ISBE HELP DESK (IWAS eGrants Questions)
• 217/558-3600 or helpdesk_at_isbe.net
• Special Education Services (IDEA Questions)
• Bonnie Douglas/Penny Kelly
• 217/782-5589
• Funding Disbursement Services (FRIS/Allocation
  Questions)
  
• Kim Lewis/Sharon Conrath
• 217/782-5256