Strong state general supervision systems centered on improving outcomes for children with disabilities include enforcement actions to monitor compliance with IDEA requirements. At this webinar, staff from CIFR and the National Center for Systemic Improvement (NCSI) Fiscal Support Team (FST) led a discussion on state enforcement actions, and state staff from Utah shared their experiences using these mechanisms to address identified needs and improve local special education and fiscal practices. State participants shared their own experiences.
CIFR 2023 Fiscal Webinars: Introduction to IDEA Part C Fiscal Requirements (Part 1 and Part 2)
Part 1: An overview of Part C fiscal regulations, including requirements under OMB Uniform Guidance, EDGAR, and IDEA.
Part 2: A review of the fiscal requirements in Sections III and IV of the grant application, how to manage a grant post-award, and Part C maintenance of effort.
CIFR 2023 Open Door Session: Unpacking the Fiscal Elements of OSEP’s New General Supervision Guidance
Strong state general supervision systems can enhance compliance with IDEA Part B programmatic and fiscal requirements and improve outcomes for children with disabilities. At this webinar, IDEA state fiscal staff joined CIFR and the National Center for Systemic Improvement (NCSI) Fiscal Support Team (FST) to review the fiscal implications of the updated general supervision guidance released by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) in July 2023. Participants engaged with colleagues in other states about its impact on current fiscal oversight and management systems. CIFR and NCSI FST TA providers also collected questions from states to share with OSEP to inform future guidance.
Cross-Center 2023 Fiscal Webinar: Timely, Purposeful Expenditure of IDEA Funds
Spending IDEA Part B and Part C funds in a timely manner helps states maximize efforts to improve outcomes for infants, toddlers, students, and youth with disabilities and their families. With IDEA funds for the federal fiscal year (FFY) 2021 expiring this September, it is important to act now to obligate funding, as well as plan for the timely expenditure of future funds.
CIFR, the National Center for Systemic Improvement (NCSI), the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA), and the Center for Early Childhood Data Systems (DaSy) hosted a cross-center webinar on the obligation and liquidation requirements and timelines, the grant funding cycle, and oversight responsibilities. Participants learned about strategies and resources to deepen their understanding and learned how these TA centers can support them.
Workshop on Writing IDEA Part B Fiscal Procedures
CIFR in collaboration with the National Center for Systemic Improvement (NCSI) invited states to send Part B state teams to an in-person workshop to develop written procedures in one of two focus areas:
- IDEA Part B Subgrant Allocations
- IDEA Subrecipient Monitoring
The workshop was held in Washington, DC, on October 4–5, 2023. CIFR and NCSI TA providers guided state teams through all aspects of developing written state-level procedures. The workshop included training in relevant resources, working sessions for team planning, sharing and feedback between states, and networking opportunities. Participants departed with well-developed drafts of procedures that comply with IDEA and address their state’s unique systems and priorities, as well as a plan for finalizing, approving, disseminating, and updating them.
CIFR 2023 Fiscal Webinar: Allocating IDEA Part B LEA Subgrants
To prepare for the upcoming allocation of FFY 2023 Part B subgrants, CIFR TA staff reviewed the IDEA requirements and a state presenter shared one SEA’s current practices, including common challenges and suggestions. Attendees learned about the CIFR resources that can help them ensure that their state’s allocation procedures and processes are aligned with IDEA Part B requirements.
CIFR 2023 Fiscal Webinar: The Annual Part B State Application
CIFR TA staff reviewed the annual IDEA Part B state grant application, focusing on the key fiscal requirements of reporting maintenance of state financial support (MFS), budgeting state set-aside funds, and obtaining input from LEAs and the public. Participants were encouraged to discuss their state’s procedures and submit questions.
Introducing the Updated and Expanded MFS DCRT 2.0
CIFR TA liaisons demonstrated the newly enhanced Maintenance of State Financial Support (MFS) Data Collection and Reporting Tool (DCRT) 2.0, now expanded to track up to 12 years of data, and reviewed resources in CIFR’s MFS Toolkit. Staff who are new to the DCRT learned how to standardize their state’s MFS processes to support the submission of high-quality fiscal data. Veteran users of the tool received a refresher and learned about user-experience improvements.
CIFR 2022 Open Door Session: Understanding IDEA Part B State Set-Aside Funds
At this follow-up to an OSEP national TA call on state set-aside in November 2022, CIFR reviewed the basics of IDEA Part B state set-aside funds, and states shared current practices using state set-aside dollars.
CIFR 2022 Fiscal Webinar: IDEA Part C Annual Grant Budget Calculator Training
Documenting and tracking your Part C budget enables your state LA to make informed budgeting decisions and changes when necessary. At this webinar, Part C coordinators learned how to use CIFR’s new IDEA Part C Annual Grant Budget Calculator to develop the annual grant budget, track expenditures throughout the life cycle of the grant, and ensure Part C funds are obligated and expended appropriately.
