Title 1 Basics A State Perspective Bonnie P. Granger Young Law - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Title 1 Basics A State Perspective Bonnie P. Granger Young Law - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Title 1 Basics A State Perspective Bonnie P. Granger Young Law Group, PLLC 1 What Does State Law and Regulations Have To Do With Federal Programs? How are the state laws and regulations intermingled with the federal programs


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Title 1 Basics – A State Perspective

Bonnie P. Granger Young Law Group, PLLC

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What Does State Law and Regulations Have To Do With Federal Programs?

How are the state laws and regulations intermingled with the federal programs requirements? Allowable Cost/ Cost Principles Supplement-not supplant Procurement Issues

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First 1 of 14 Federal Compliance Requirements

  • 1. Activities allowed and unallowed: Provides guidance on

activities that can or cannot be funded under a specific program.

  • This compliance requirement is the reason that monitors and

auditors always want to see a copy of the approved project application and amendments. If the expenditure is not allowed by the program application, it is not in compliance with this requirement.

  • Accounting codes used for function and object codes (as well

as the narrative) are critical in determining whether an item was budgeted and approved in the project application.

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First 2 of 14 Federal Compliance Requirements (Continued)

  • 2. Allowable costs/cost principles: describes the cost

accounting requirements associated with federal awards.

These include the following:

  • OMB Circular A-21, “Cost Principles in Education

Institutions,”

  • Circular A-87, “Cost Principles for State, Local and Indian

Tribal Governments” and others that do not apply to non-profit organizations and hospitals. Circular A- 87 has been incorporated in to the OMNI Circular that has just been released.

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“Big Circle/Little Circle”

Activities Allowed or Unallowed Applicable Cost/Cost Principles In order to meet the “activities allowed or unallowed” requirement, the expenditure must first meet the “applicable cost/cost principles”

  • requirement. This means that no expenditure can be approved,

even if it is in the project application, if it is prohibited by Circulars A-21 or A-87.

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Examples

  • Teacher appreciation gifts from Title 1 or Teacher

Appreciation Banquets out of GEAR-Up. Even if it was approved in the project application – MS Constitution prohibits purchasing gifts for employees with public funds.

  • Under the Basic Guidelines in A-87, an

expenditure must be authorized or not prohibited under State and local laws or regulations to be allowable under Federal Programs.

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Examples:

  • Remember, years ago, teachers could

not be reimbursed for tuition by a school district.

  • Initially, state law was changed so that

they could be reimbursed with “No Child Left Behind” funding so that they could be reimbursed out of Title 2 under certain circumstances.

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Examples:

  • Currently, Section 37-7-301 (mm) was further changed to

state: To expend federal No Child Left Behind Act funds, or any

  • ther available funds that are expressly designated and

authorized for that use, to pay training, educational expenses, salary incentives and salary supplements to employees of local school districts; except that incentives shall not be considered part of the local supplement as defined in Section 37-151-5(o), nor shall incentives be considered part of the local supplement paid to an individual teacher for the purposes of Section 37-19-7(1). Mississippi Adequate Education Program funds or any other state funds may not be used for salary incentives or salary supplements as provided in this paragraph (mm);

  • Therefore, State law is evolving to allow certain expenditures

to comply with requirements of the federal government.

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OMB Circular A-87

  • Federal Requirements – Basic Major

Principles (page 291 (Red Book), page 227 (Blue

Book)):

  • 1. Be necessary and reasonable …
  • 2. Be allocable to Federal awards …
  • 3. Be authorized and not prohibited

under State or local laws or regulations.

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A-87 Federal Requirements – Basic Major Principles (Page 291 (Red Book), Page 227 (Blue Book)):

  • 4. Conform to any limitations or exclusions set forth in these

principles, Federal laws, etc.

  • 5. Be consistent with policies, regulations, and procedures

that apply uniformly to both federal awards and other activities of the Governmental unit. (Leave policies, travel policies, etc., would be the same whether using local or federal dollars.)

  • 6. Be accorded consistent treatment as far as direct and

indirect costs.

  • (You must follow your district salary scales for salaries paid out
  • f federal dollars.)

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A- 87 Federal Requirements – Basic Major Principles (Page 291 (Red Book), Page 227 (Blue Book)):

  • 7. With some exceptions, be determined in accordance with

generally accepted accounting principles. (When is the cost expended?- Once item is received or service is performed.)

  • 8. Not be included as a cost or used to meet a cost sharing
  • r matching requirement of any other Federal award in

either or current or prior period.

  • 9. Be the net of all applicable credits. (Some of the

electronic payment accounts payable systems may be a problem because of rebates going to federal programs.)

  • 10. Be adequately documented.

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State Laws Affecting Federal Projects

  • §37-7-301, Miss. Code Ann. Board Powers and Duties

specifies that the school board has the following duties:

  • (w) To employ all non-instructional and non-certificated

employees and fix the duties and compensation of such personnel deemed necessary pursuant to the recommendation of the superintendent of schools;

  • How does this affect non-licensed employees who work for

afterschool programs or summer programs? Does this have to be board approved? Yes, based on the statute above.

  • What if one hourly amount is approved in the federal project

application and the board approves a lesser amount? Which

  • ne is authorized? Only the board can set compensation!

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§ 37-9-23. Form and execution of contracts with superintendents, principals, licensed employees, and

  • thers anticipating graduation from approved

programs; conditional contracts

  • The superintendent shall enter into a contract

with each assistant superintendent, principal, licensed employee and person anticipating graduation from an approved teacher education program or the issuance of a proper license before October 15 or February 15, as the case may be, who is elected and approved for employment by the school board.

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Salary Supplements Paid to Employees

  • Do the above laws say that a Federal Program Director can add

a supplement for extra duties for employees to a project application and require the district to pay that supplement to the employees?

  • Does the School Board have to approve supplements to be

paid to each employee?

  • What if an additional supplement is written into a Title 1

Project? Does the employee get to claim the supplement also?

  • First, the Board would have to approve the additional

compensation for the employee and second, it could be considered a donation by the Board if additional work is not documented.

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§37-7-301 - Miss. Code Ann. Board Powers and Duties specifies that the school board has the following duties:

  • (mm) To expend federal No Child Left Behind Act funds, or any
  • ther available funds that are expressly designated and

authorized for that use, to pay training, educational expenses, salary incentives and salary supplements to employees of local school districts; except that incentives shall not be considered part of the local supplement as defined in Section 37-151-5(o), nor shall incentives be considered part of the local supplement paid to an individual teacher for the purposes of Section 37-19-7(1). Mississippi Adequate Education Program funds or any other state funds may not be used for salary incentives or salary supplements as provided in this paragraph (mm);

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Other Constitutional Prohibitions – Retroactive Pay

Can the school board approve an employee to perform additional duties such as an afterschool program and pay them for time they have already worked in that program?

  • Section 37-9-14 (z) Allows Superintendent to temporarily employ licensed

and nonlicensed employees to fill vacancies which may occur from time to time without prior approval of the board of trustees, provided that the board of trustees is notified of such employment and the action is ratified by the board at the next regular meeting of the board. A school district may pay a licensed employee based on the same salary schedule as other contracted licensed employees in the district until school board action, at which time a licensed employee approved by the school board enters a

  • contract. If the board, within thirty (30) days of the date of employment of

such employee under this subsection, takes action to disapprove of the employment by the superintendent, then the employment shall be immediately terminated without further compensation, notice or other employment rights with the district. The terminated employee shall be paid such salary and fringe benefits that such employee would otherwise be entitled to from the date of employment to the date of termination for days actually worked.

  • If not this circumstance, Miss. Constitution prohibits retroactive pay!

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Retroactive Pay Example

  • Attorney General’s Opinion – 2002-0617
  • Your facts state the secretary was hired by the school district on August 4,

1998, and was hired at a pay package commensurate with one year of experience in the private sector. Recently, the secretary has pointed out that, at the time she was hired, she had three years of experience in the private sector. Based on the salary schedule in effect in the district at that time, her salary could have been higher had the district given her credit for three years of experience instead of only one.

  • Based on the facts presented in your question, it appears that the employee

was hired by the district at a specific salary level and was paid accordingly for the work [*3] performed. Even if it was an error in crediting experience, the district and the employee agreed upon an amount for salary and the employee was paid that salary and is not due any back pay under these

  • circumstances. The district may adjust her level of experience prospectively,

but this office finds no authority that would allow the district to award retroactive pay for work that has already been performed and for which an agreed upon compensation has already been provided. 17

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Can Federal Funds be Used to Pay Salary Incentives?

  • In order to offer incentives, the board must adopt a policy that

establishes the objective factors that must be met. For example, if the incentive is based on test scores, the policy must be adopted by the school board and distributed to the teachers before they teach the students for the upcoming test

  • year. If the policy is not distributed to the teachers, there is

no “bargained for exchange.” This means they are not working harder in exchange for the extra pay. If there is no “bargained for exchange,” the extra pay would be considered a gift – which is prohibited as a donation under the Mississippi Constitution.

  • At the same time, the project application must be approved

that includes the incentive program.

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Constitutional Prohibitions

  • Article 4, Section 96 of Mississippi Constitution prohibits

municipalities from paying extra compensation to employees after employment contract has been made. Hicks, Jan. 20, 1993, A.G. Op. #92-1006.

  • No additional compensation in the form of grant fees may be

paid to municipal employees unless there was an order authorizing such payment spread upon the municipal minutes and in effect when the extra grant work was done. Brown- Toussaint, July 10, 2002, A.G. Op. #02-0363.

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State Law Prohibitions and Regulations

Food Opinion to Bryant Opinion No. 1999-0380

  • 2. At seminars, workshops, staff meetings, or similar events,

would breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner meals be permissible to avoid interruption of the school day or to not be disruptive of the meeting agenda?

  • In response to your second question, it is our opinion that
  • ur previous opinion to Ray Mabus dated March 4, 1985,

stating that the purchase of coffee and soft drinks to be consumed by participants in meetings, seminars, workshops,

  • r similar events would be permissible under certain facts,

may also extend to the provision of food or meals, provided the board determines, consistent with facts, that same is reasonably related to the goals or functions of the District.

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State Law Prohibitions and Regulations

  • Food Opinion to Bryant Opinion No. 1999-0380
  • 3. At athletic and other student or teacher recognition banquets,

would meals be permissible for students, parents, and employees

  • f the district?
  • With regard to athletic or student recognition banquets, it is our
  • pinion that such expenditures would be permissible under Section

37-7-301(s) which allows for the expenditure of "activity funds". According to this statute, activity funds may be expended for necessary expenses or travel costs incurred by students and their chaperons in attending any in-state or out-of-state "school-related programs, conventions or seminars and/or any commodities, equipment, travel expenses, purchased services or school supplies which the local school governing board, in its discretion, shall be beneficial to the official or extra curricular programs of the district. . . ." We can find no authority to expend public funds for teacher recognition banquets.

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State Law Prohibitions and Regulations

  • Food Opinion to Bryant Opinion No. 1999-0380
  • 4. Would refreshments that are permissible under the

circumstances cited in your opinion of March 4, 1985, to a previous State Auditor include eatable items and other non-alcoholic beverages beyond those noted in that opinion?

  • In the March 4, 1985, opinion to Ray Mabus we stated that state

agencies and school districts, in an effort to achieve a particular goal

  • r perform a particular function which has been imposed upon them

by legislative enactment, may lawfully purchase coffee, coffee supplies, and soft drinks to be consumed by the participants in a meeting, seminar, workshop, or similar event provided the proper responsible officer or governing entity makes the determination, consistent with the facts, that the activity in question is reasonably related and incident to said goal or function. It is our opinion that this statement need not be limited to coffee, coffee supplies and soft drinks and may, depending on the facts, extend to include eatable items and other non-alcoholic beverages.

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Travel-Related Questions

  • Section 37-7-301 specifically requires school districts to follow

Section 25-3-41 Traveling expenses of state officers and employees; travel services by commercial travel agency.

  • (2) When any officer or employee of any county or municipality, or
  • f any agency, board or commission thereof, after first being duly

authorized, is required to travel in the performance of his official duties, the officer or employee shall receive as expenses Twenty Cents (20 cent(s) ) for each mile actually and necessarily traveled, when the travel is done by a privately-owned motor vehicle; provided, however, that the governing authorities of a county or municipality may, in their discretion, authorize an increase in the mileage reimbursement of officers and employees of the county or municipality, or of any agency, board or commission thereof, in an amount not to exceed the mileage reimbursement rate authorized for officers and employees of the State of Mississippi in subsection (1) of this section.

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Travel Policy of DFA

  • Section 25-3-41 further states: The Department of Finance

and Administration shall promulgate and adopt reasonable rules and regulations which it deems necessary and requisite to effectuate economies for all expenses authorized and paid pursuant to this section.

  • www.dfa.state.ms.us/Purchasing/Travel/TravelManual.pdf is

the link to get to the Travel Manual of DFA.

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Department of Finance and Administration

  • STATE TRAVEL POLICY RULES & REGULATIONS (Page 18)
  • B. Frequent Flyer Program Awards

Any bonus or promotional gratuity received as a result of official state travel shall be used to offset or reduce the cost of subsequent official state travel. Under no circumstances can the traveler keep a bonus or

  • ther promotional gratuity so earned for his own personal use. As

sufficient mileage, earned as a result of state-paid travel, is accumulated, free ticket coupons will be applied for and used to offset

  • fficial state travel costs. Follow airline procedures to exchange the

miles for a ticket. This DFA manual is silent regarding hotels; however, some hotels are allowing employees to pay higher rates for more points. These would be a problem with “net of applicable credits” as well as necessary and reasonable.

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Dues, Registration Expenses

  • 1. Can the City pay a registration fee for an appointed board or

commission member to attend a seminar, conference or workshop which provides information pertinent to the board or commission on which they serve?

  • As we have recently opined to Alderman "Red" Bailey, a

municipality may pay professional association dues for elected and appointed individuals, if certain criteria are met. Those criteria are as follows:

  • a. The public entity must determine that the professional

association dues or licensing fees are reasonable and necessary to the performance of the employee's or officer's duties; and

  • b. The membership must accrue to the benefit of the municipality,

and any benefit to the individual must be merely incidental.

  • AG Opinion: No. 2003-0078

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Subscriptions of Organizations

  • Can the City pay for subscriptions to publications for an

appointed board or commission member to obtain information pertinent to the board or commission on which they serve?

  • We are of the opinion that if the expense of a particular

publication or periodical is found to be reasonable and necessary to the performance of that officer's duties, and that the benefits of the publication will inure to the benefit of the municipality with any personal benefit being incidental, the municipality may make such expenditure.

  • AG Opinion No. 2003-0078

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Supplement, Not Supplant State Issues

  • Title 1 funds must be used for supplemental, not

supplanting purposes. This means each school

  • perating a targeted assistance or schoolwide

program must receive all the State and local funds it would otherwise receive to operate its educational program in the absence of Title I, Part A or other Federal education funds.

  • Each school must meet minimum accreditation

standards using state and local funds before it uses Title 1 funds to supplement its programs.

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Accreditation Standard 34. (Elementary)

  • Student teacher ratios do not exceed the following: {MS Code

37-151-77}

  • 34.1 Student teacher ratios do not exceed 22 to 1 in

kindergarten, except in instances in which a full-time assistant teacher is in the classroom. If a full-time assistant teacher is employed, 27 may be enrolled. {MS Code 37-151-77} (See Mississippi Kindergarten Guidelines.) (SB Policy 2100)

  • 34.2 Student teacher ratios do not exceed 27 to 1 in

classrooms serving grades 1 through 4 unless approved by the State Board of Education. (Schools Meeting the Highest Levels

  • f Performance are exempted.) {MS Code 37-151-77} (SB

Policy 2100)

  • 34.3 Student teacher ratios do not exceed 30 to 1 in self-

contained classes serving grades 5-8. {MS Code 37-151-77}

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Accreditation Standards – How to ensure supplemental?

  • Make sure that pupil –teacher ratios do not exceed the state

maximum – otherwise, you are supplanting.

  • There is no requirement to have teacher assistants in grades

K-3 unless exceed 22 to 1 in Kindergarten. Therefore, teacher assistants may can fill this role if they were not previously paid from local funds. This presumption can be rebutted if they are terminated because of budget cuts and “BUT FOR” Title 1 funds they could be rehired. (Be careful to document this series of events in the minutes of the board and allow adequate time before they are rehired.)

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Accreditation Standard 34. (Secondary)

  • 34.4 Student teacher ratios do not exceed 33 to 1 in

departmentalized academic core classes serving grades 5-12. {MS Code 37-151-77}

  • 34.5 The total number of students taught by an

individual teacher in academic core subjects at any time during the school year shall not exceed 150. (Schools Meeting the Highest Levels of Performance are exempted.)

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Accreditation Standard 4.

  • The school district employs an appropriately

licensed full-time principal at each school. {MS Code 37-9-7, 37-9-15, and 37-151-5(g)}

  • Note: The principal may not have any other job

duties assigned in areas that require a specific work area code. This standard does not apply to assistant principals.

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Accreditation Standard 5.

  • The school district employs in each school a

licensed librarian or media specialist who devotes no more than one-fourth of the workday to library/media administrative activities. {MS Code 37-17-6(3)(a-e)}

  • 5.1 If the student enrollment is 499 or less, a

half-time licensed librarian or media specialist is required.

  • 5.2 If the student enrollment is 500 or more, a

full-time licensed librarian or media specialist is required.

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Accreditation Standard 6.

  • Student support services (appraisal, academic, and/or

personal advisement, and educational and/or career planning and referral) are provided in each school by qualified student support personnel. {MS Code 37-9-79}

  • Note: Student support personnel may only provide those

services and activities in the area(s) that each individual is specifically qualified to provide. All student support personnel will use appropriate job titles that reflect their area of training, expertise, and license. For example, a Social Worker will be referred to as the School Social Worker and may not use the title of or be referred to as the School Guidance Counselor.

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Accreditation Standard 11.

  • The local school board budgets and expends funds as follows:
  • 11.1 The local school board of education budgets and expends from

the District Maintenance Fund (Fund #1120) a minimum of $20.00 per student for instructional/library supplies, materials, and equipment.

  • 11.2 Funds available for classroom supplies, materials, and

equipment from the Education Enhancement Fund (Fund #2440) are allotted and expended in compliance with Section 37-61-33, Mississippi Code of 1972, as amended, and SB Policy 3400.

  • 11.3 The local school board budgets and expends funds under the

Public School Health Insurance Plan as required by state law and State Board policy. Failure to remit premiums, interest penalties and/or late charges in a timely manner may result in withholding a school district’s adequate education program funds. {MS Code 37- 151-95} (SB Policy 4904)

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Questions?

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Disclaimer

This presentation is intended solely to provide general information and does not constitute legal

  • advice. Attendance at the presentation or later

review of these printed materials does not create an attorney-client relationship with Young Law Group, PLLC. You should not take any action based upon any information in this presentation without first consulting legal counsel familiar with your particular circumstances.

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