May Business Office Calendar

An indispensable member resource, to help you keep up on upcoming state deadlines

SPECIFIC TASKS TO ADDRESS DURING MAY 2023

  • May 1 – Statement of Economic Interests must be filed with the county clerk by board members and school employees required to complete the Statement (5 ILCS 420/4A-105).
  • May 8 – Fourth transmission of Special Education Personnel Employed Approval is electronically filed with the Illinois State Board of Education (105 ILCS 5/14-13.01).
  • May 6 – Fourth transmission of Special Education Funding and Child Tracking (FACTS) is electronically filed with the Illinois State Board Education (105 ILCS 5/14-7.02, 5/14-7.02b, and 5/14-7.03).
  • May 6  Special Education Orphanage Student Eligibility Verification is filed with the Illinois State Board of Education using ISBE Form 34-75 (105 ILCS 5/14-7.03).

 

    OTHER TASKS THAT COULD BE ADDRESSED DURING THE MONTH OF MAY 2023

    • Bid preparation and solicitation.
    • Continue to prepare budget and financial projections.
    • Schedule independent audit.
    • Review Energy bills for budget to explain to board why your budget is shy of needed funding.  Talk to others and gather data.
    • If you are negotiating… tip of the month… AVERAGE the CPI with two years so ONE raise is not as noticeable to the public!

    COMING UP IN JUNE 2023

    • Preparation for the Student Transportation Claim
    • Investigation and Ascertainment of Prevailing Rate of Wages (820 ILSC 130/9)
    • Prepare for Year-End Closing
    • General State Aid Entitlement (ISBE 54-33)
    • Proposed School Calendar for next school year (file on IWAS)

    · 5/01/2023: ISTAR and Special Education - Survey window for SPP 14 is open. - 

    Survey window for SPP 14 is open.

      (School Year 2023)

    ·  5/01/2023: ISTAR and Special Education - Verification of correction of SPP 11 and SPP 12 open findings - 

    Review data in I-Star and SIS to verify correction of noncompliance

      (School Year 2023)

    ·  5/01/2023: ISTAR and Special Education - Self-assessments out to districts for SPP 9 and 10. - 

    Self-assessments out to districts for SPP 9 and 10.

      (School Year 2023)

    ·  5/08/2023: Student Information System (SIS) - First Day of ACCESS Preliminary Data Review -

    Last day for districts to Review and Match Scores. Scores are sent to the vendor to be merged / corrected.

      (School Year 2023)

    ·  5/10/2023: Student Information System (SIS) - Last Day of DLM-AA (Dynamic Learning Maps-Alternate Assessment) Testing - 

    Students are finishing testing for DLM-AA

      (School Year 2023)

    ·  5/15/2023: Bilingual Education Program Delivery Report (PDR) Collection - Open Collection - 

    Bilingual Ed. program implementation for Title III-IWAS Opens

      (School Year 2023)

    ·  5/15/2023: Student Health - Dental - Open Collection - 

    Student Health Dental- IWAS Collection Opens

      (School Year 2023)

    ·  5/15/2023: Year End Collection (YEC) - Open Collection - 

    End of Year data collection-IWAS Collection Opens

      (School Year 2023)

    ·  5/15/2023: ISTAR and Special Education - Orphanage Approvals (Fund Codes D, E and F) due in I-Star for any student records with a begin date of 3/1/23 or prior. - 

    Orphanage Approvals (Fund Codes D, E and F) due in I-Star for any student records with a begin date of 3/1/23 or prior.

      (School Year 2023)

    ·  5/15/2023: ISTAR and Special Education - SPP 8 survey response rate update and director questionnaire sent to districts - 

    Questionnaire sent to Districts to gather feedback regarding survey

      (School Year 2023)

    ·  5/15/2023: ISTAR and Special Education - Self-assessments for SPP 4 returned to ISBE for review. - 

    Self-assessments for SPP 4 returned to ISBE for review.

      (School Year 2023)

    ·  5/15/2023: Student Information System (SIS) - First Day of DLM-AA Correction Window (No Test Results) -

    Corrections can be made on DLM-AA Student Correction data, but Scores have not been received.

      (School Year 2023)

    ·  5/15/2023: Student Information System (SIS) - First Day of IAR Correction Window (No Test Results) -

    Corrections can be made on IAR Student Correction data, but Scores have not been received.

      (School Year 2023)

    ·  5/15/2023: Student Information System (SIS) - First Day of SAT (with Essay)/PSAT Correction Window (No Test Results) -

    Corrections can be made on SAT (with Essay)/PSAT Student Correction data, but Scores have not been received.

      (School Year 2023)

    ·  5/26/2023: Student Information System (SIS) - Last Day of ACCESS Preliminary Data Review - 

    Last day for districts to Review and Match Scores. Scores are sent to the vendor to be merged /corrected.

      (School Year 2023)

    ·  5/31/2023: ISTAR and Special Education - Deadline for completing Timely and Meaningful Consultations with nonpublic representatives. - 

    Deadline for completing Timely and Meaningful Consultations with nonpublic representatives.

      (School Year 2023)

    ·  5/31/2023: ISTAR and Special Education - Last day to submit request for end date extension to Aug. 31. - 

    Last day to submit request for end date extension to Aug. 31.

      (School Year 2023)

    ·  5/31/2023: ISTAR and Special Education - Corrective Action Plan progress reports DUE for LEAs with open findings and LEAs under Tier 2/3 support. - 

    Corrective Action Plan progress reports DUE for LEAs with open findings and LEAs under Tier 3 support.

      (School Year 2023)

    ·  5/31/2023: ISTAR and Special Education - Last day to submit an amendment to the IDEA grants. - 

    Grant amendments must be submitted 30 days before the end of the grant period.

      (School Year 2023)

     


    The Illinois State Board of Education hosted three hearings to gather input on the state budget for public education in fiscal year 2024. Each year, ISBE welcomes educators, parents, students, and community organizations to submit testimony that informs our advocacy for equitable funding for all Illinois students.

     

    Audit and Monitoring Resources

    ​​The checklists that the FSM Department provides are to assist Local Education​​ Agencies (LEAs) in preparing for our visit. Click on the links below to view and download a PDF version of the list of items ISBE may require from each program. These checklists are not exhaustive, and in certain cases, the FSM department may require an LEA to provide additional information.

    Programs that are not listed, should refer to the Financial Audit and Monitoring Review Preliminary Survey Checklist for a list of required documentation. Requests for technical assistance pertaining to program-specific issues should be directed to the program area for that grant.

    FINANCIAL AND COMPLIANCE CHECKLISTS

    INTERNAL CONTROLS

    ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

    QUICK LINKS

    News and Updates

    EVIDENCE-BASED FUNDING SPENDING PLAN

    The Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) for Student Success Act requires each Organizational Unit (school districts, laboratory schools, Regional Offices of Education, and Intermediate Service Centers) to complete an annual spending plan. A primary goal of the EBF Spending Plan is to make resource allocation decisions, especially those in service of identified student groups, more readily accessible to schools and stakeholders.

    Please direct questions to ebfspendingplan@isbe.net.​​​​​​

    News and Updates

    ·       In consultation with an advisory group, ISBE has redesigned the EBF Spending Plan. It will appear as a new tab in the annual district budget form beginning in FY 2024. Organizational Units that do not submit a budget form to ISBE will complete the spending plan via a standalone template like the one provided below. ISBE is making the template available now so that Organizational Units can get familiar with the new format. It is for review only and is not meant to be submitted to ISBE. Final templates will be distributed in May.

    Many questions in the revised plan are consistent with prior spending plans. The primary change is the addition of the "Cost Factor Table" in Part II of the spending plan. This table will allow Organizational Units to communicate planned investments with Tier Funding. (Optionally, they may also indicate total planned spending from all revenue sources.)  Additional resources, including a webinar, guidance document, and updated website content, will be available this spring.

    Instructions and context are provided throughout the spending plan. There is also a table at the bottom of the template that allows users to determine if all required questions have been completed. Additionally, leaders can learn more about the advisory group's work to redesign the plan by reading the article linked below from IASBO's Spring 2023 UPDATE Magazine. Questions can be directed to ebfspendingplan@isbe.net.

    ·       EBF Spending Plan Outline
    105 ILCS 5/18-8.15 contains three requirements for the spending plan. Within the plan, Organizational Units must describe 1) how they will achieve student growth and make progress toward state education goals, 2) their intended use of state dollars, and 3) the intended use of state funding attributable to special education costs and students who are English learners or low-income. Accordingly, the EBF Spending Plan is organized in three parts that address these statutory requirements.

      • Part I contains two questions. Organizational Units are asked to provide a summary of strategic goals for student success and to indicate strategies for achieving them.
      • Part II provides a summary of key EBF statistics for the Organizational Unit. The figures are intended to inform spending plan responses for the current year. (Distributions for the current year are not known at the time the budget form is released.) The questions in Part II allow Organizational Units to indicate the data they reviewed and the stakeholders with whom they consulted as they developed their plans. They must also select priority investments made with Base Funding Minimum dollars. Finally, districts that receive at least $5,000 in Tier Funding must indicate how they intend to allocate these new dollars. Instructions are provided within the template, and additional instructions will be provided in a guidance document later this spring.
      • Part III addresses the statutory requirement to describe planned investments for funds that are specifically allocated within EBF to meet the needs of students from low-income backgrounds, English learners, and students with disabilities. Organizational Units select or describe planned investments for each student group and have the option to include dollar amounts and additional narrative context.

    ·       The EBF Cost Factors – A Framework for Describing Investments
    The EBF Spending Plan contains several questions that ask Organizational Units to indicate planned investments with state funds. Rather than providing a list of general investment categories, the FY 2024 EBF Spending Plan uses the funding formula’s 34 cost factors as a framework for describing planned investments. These investment categories represent common drivers of district spending, such as costs related to staffing, substitutes, central office services, special education programming, etc. The inclusion of the cost factors as a framework for describing investments is meant to increase awareness of how the funding formula determines adequacy and inform productive local dialogue about resource allocation.

    The 34 cost factors represent possible -- but not required -- investment categories. EBF is an unrestricted funding source except for the funds provided for English learners, special education, or low-income students. Additionally, the cost factors do not account for all district expenditures. Certain high-cost items, such as food service or transportation expenditures, are not represented by any cost factor. In cases where the cost factors do not align with planned expenditures, users may indicate “Other” and provide brief narrative context. See below for the statutory definitions for each cost factor. Additional guidance on this topic will be provided later this spring.

    Single Audit

    RESOURCES

    ·       American Institute of Certified Public Accountants

    ·       Federal Audit Clearinghouse

    ·       Grant Accountability and Transparency Act

    ·       Internal Control Handbook

    ·       Part 200 - Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards

    ·       2020 Compliance Supplement

    ·       2020 Compliance Supplement Addendum

    SINGLE AUDIT

    A Single Audit (formerly known as OMB Circular A-133) is an organization-wide audit that includes both the entity’s financial statements and schedule of expenditures of federal awards. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued comprehensive grant reform rules called Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance) in December 2013. These rules were effective for new federal awards and changes to funding increments issued after December 26, 2014, and beginning with the fiscal year end, December 31, 2015. A non-federal entity that expends $750,000 or more during their fiscal year in federal awards must have a Single Audit conducted.

    NEWS AND INFORMATION

    STATE FUNDING & FORECASTING

    The State Funding and Forecasting (SFF) Department is charged with four primary functions. SFF staff performs calculations to determine the primary state contribution to K-12 public education through the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) Distribution Calculation as per 105 ILCS 5/8-8.15. SFF seeks to prepare and provide information for school administrators and policy makers to assist in informed decision-making. As part of this, SFF staff perform calculations and build tools to forecast education costs to assist with budget-setting and to inform the State Board, lawmakers, the Governor, and school administrators of predicted costs to consider when drafting annual budget bills or operating budgets. SFF staff also perform the annual Property Tax Relief Grant (PTRG) calculations as part of EBF. Finally, SFF staff is charged with assisting the Professional Review Panel formed under 105 ILCS 5/8-8.15 to determine any further refinements to the distribution system.​​

    EDUCATION PURCHASING PROGRAM

    The Education Purchasing Program (EPP) has made available the following state master contract for school- and office-related supplies, equipment, and furniture. An order form and a copy of the master contract are available  below.

    Please visit Logsdon Office Supply for more information on this contract and to see an online product catalog.

    As required by Article 28A of the School Code, the Illinois State Board of Education created the EPP. The state superintendent of education, in partnership with the Chief Procurement Office, has acted to form and designate statewide education master contracts for key categories identified and defined by the State Board.

    The EPP does the following:

    • Provides master contract information and pricing to school districts.
    • Affords school districts a simplified process to contract with vendors who have already been evaluated through a fair and competitive process for a variety of products and services.

    School districts can utilize these contracts to secure discounted pricing and greater value from the supply base all while saving time and taxpayer dollars.

    Participation in the EPP contracts shall be at the sole option of school districts, and the districts shall be solely responsible for any obligations incurred as a result of their participation. State master contracts authorized under Article 28A of the Illinois School Code are included as an exemption in the Contracts Provision of the School Code, 105 ILCS 5/10-20.21(xv); however, school districts should consult with legal counsel before utilizing the EPP contracts.

    Any questions can be directed to Jason Perry at jperry@isbe.net.

    Personal Protective Equipment & Cleaning Supplies

    ​​NEXT STEPS FOR PURCHASING

    1. Review the contracts and vendor information sheets provided below.
    2. Decide which vendor best fits your district's PPE needs.
    3. Follow the ordering instructions on the information sheet or reach out to the contact provided to order.
    4. Direct any questions to the vendor. 

    VENDOR CONTRACTS & INFORMATION SHEETS

    ·       Logsdon Office Supply *

    o   Logsdon Office SupplyVendor Contract

    o   Logsdon Office SupplyAccount Setup Form

    ·       Trane

    o   TraneVendor Contract

    o   TraneInformation Sheet​​

     

    This information is posted for your benefit only and may be subject to change without notice. Illinois ASBO does not guarantee this calendar’s accuracy and will not be responsible for damages caused by reliance on it. It is not intended to be all inclusive and is not a substitute for legal advice. Although job responsibilities and procedures vary among districts, this timetable highlights the major tasks performed by school district officials relative to business office operations. Dates listed indicate the last day to submit the report or complete the task unless otherwise noted.

    For accurate information visit the websites listed below to verify dates and items listed.

    State Superintendent’s Weekly Messages

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    ISBE
    Calendar

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    IASB School
    Board Calendar

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