CIFR invites state staff with shared interests in IDEA Part B fiscal issues to attend a new round of Communities of Practice (CoPs) focusing on:

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Facilitated by CIFR TA staff, CoPs are specially designed to meet the learning and networking needs of state staff to help improve the quality of states’ collecting, reporting, analysis, and use of IDEA Part B fiscal data. State staff will have opportunities to expand their knowledge and solve problems of practice through discussion and sharing of expertise. CoPs will meet 1 to 2 hours per month for at least 8 sessions from January to November 2023.

Interested staff should discuss with their colleagues which CoPs will meet the needs of their state. Joining more than one CoP is encouraged depending on your ability to commit the time. Please review each description before registering and plan to attend the introductory kickoff session in January.

Differentiated Monitoring and Support (DMS) CoP

  • First Meeting: January 18, 2023, 2:00–3:00 p.m. ET
  • Meets the second Wednesday of the month for 90 minutes at 2:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. CT/12:30 p.m. MT/11:30 a.m. PT/10:30 am AK/9:30 a.m. HI

In federal fiscal year (FFY) 2021, OSEP launched DMS 2.0 which established a five-year monitoring cycle focused on both SEA compliance and improved results to monitor each SEA’s general supervision system. Co-led by CIFR and the NCSI Fiscal Support Team (FST), the DMS CoP will help SEA staff:

  • understand the Fiscal Management and Integrated Monitoring components of OSEP’s DMS 2.0 Framework;
  • navigate the critical fiscal requirements monitored by OSEP;
  • be prepared to participate in DMS fiscal activities;
  • develop compliant policies, procedures, and practices; and
  • increase understanding of IDEA fiscal requirements.

Discussion topics will include local educational agency (LEA) allocations, subrecipient monitoring, coordinated early intervening systems (CEIS), comprehensive CEIS (CCEIS), significant disproportionality, LEA maintenance of effort (MOE), and equitable services/proportionate share. Each online session will include an overview of the fiscal requirements, a preview of each DMS fiscal protocol, a review of historical findings and issues, and time for state sharing.

  • After registering, you will receive a confirming email, and a CoP facilitator will contact you before the end of December to coordinate your participation. Priority will be given to state staff in DMS cohorts 2 and 3. Other registrants will be notified of their acceptance before the first meeting.
  • This CoP’s schedule includes at least one onsite meeting for SEA staff to develop and revise selected fiscal procedures (TBD).

Register at https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/889b6d4b53b94d918698c6ab2869ff38

IDEA Fiscal Timelines CoP

  • First Meeting: January 4, 2023, 2:00–3:00 p.m. ET
  • Meets the first Wednesday of the month for 60 minutes at 2:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. CT/12:00 p.m. MT/11:00 a.m. PT/10:00 a.m. AK/9:00 a.m. HI

Co-led by TA staff from CIFR and NCSI, this CoP will follow the IDEA Part B Fiscal Timeline Tool through an entire calendar year of Part B fiscal activities and provide timely information on CIFR and NCSI’s topical areas. At each meeting, CIFR and NCSI TA providers will review both federally required and recommended timelines of upcoming fiscal activities and additional resources. Participants will be invited to discuss their current activities, challenges, and successes and give each other feedback.

  • After registering, you will receive a confirming email, and a CoP facilitator will contact you before the end of December to coordinate your participation.

Register at https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/889b6d4b53b94d918698c6ab2869ff38

New IDEA State Fiscal Staff CoP

  • First Meeting: January 18, 2023, 3:00–4:30 p.m. ET
  • Meets on the third Wednesday of the month for 90 minutes at 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT/1 p.m. MT/12 p.m. PT/11 a.m. AK/10 a.m. HI

Meet with colleagues across the country who, like you, are new to their state educational agency (SEA) role with IDEA fiscal responsibilities. Open only to staff who began their IDEA fiscal role on or after August 1, 2021, the goal of the New IDEA State-Fiscal Staff CoP is to increase participants’ knowledge of Part B fiscal requirements and foster strong connections between IDEA fiscal staff in other states. We will hear from content experts from CIFR, the National Center for Systemic Improvement (NCSI), and veteran staff from other states on a range of topics. The focus of this CoP is on idea sharing and relationship building. Ask questions, share challenges, and discuss solutions collaboratively in a safe and informal setting. Explore a new topic each month, such as finding your way around the CIFR website and using CIFR tools and guidance resources, understanding basic IDEA fiscal processes, navigating within your SEA to meet the fiscal requirements, and other topics generated from your feedback. Because this is a closed group, attendance will be taken at each meeting.

  • The schedule includes one in-person meeting in March. Details to come.
  • After registering, you will receive a confirming email, and a CoP facilitator will contact you before the end of December to coordinate your participation.

Register at https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/c5c55cb4849b45d083d93d50933fa3ce

Part B State Set-Aside CoP

  • First Meeting: January 19, 2023, 3:00–4:00 p.m. ET
  • Meets on the third Thursday of the month for 90 minutes at 3:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. CT/1:00 p.m. MT/12:00 p.m. PT/11:00 a.m. AK/10:00 a.m. HI

To support SEAs with IDEA Part B state set-aside, this CoP is tailored for state directors, IDEA program staff, and IDEA fiscal staff responsible for tracking, reporting, and making decisions about these funds. Meetings will feature presentations by CIFR TA liaisons and state staff, reviews of CIFR products, discussion and Q&A, and practice with the interactive spreadsheet.

Proposed content includes:

  • understanding state set-aside calculations and required and permissive uses;
  • planning and prioritizing the use of funds, and using the interactive spreadsheet;
  • tracking expenditures and potential budget adjustments, including the 10% variance for OSEP approval;
  • other aspects such as high cost funds, commingling, and implications of reallocating LEA subgrants; and
  • similarities and differences between Section 611 and Section 619.
  • After registering, you will receive a confirming email, and a CoP facilitator will contact you before the end of December to coordinate your participation.

Register at https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/889b6d4b53b94d918698c6ab2869ff38

Questions? Please email your state TA liaison or CIFR’s Lizann Salazar at [email protected].