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Grants and Other Financial Assistance Programs: FY2010

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Saving and Creating Jobs and Reforming Education (ARRA) - IDEA
Fund Code: 760

ARRA Purpose: The overall purposes of the ARRA federal grant programs are to fund activities that will advance ARRA's short-term economic goals by investing quickly to save and create jobs and to fund activities that support ARRA's long-term economic goals by: investing wisely; funding activities designed to strengthen education; drive reforms; and improve results for students.

ARRA Reporting Requirements: To ensure transparency and accountability, school districts will be expected to report on how the ARRA funds are being spent and the results of the expenditures. Districts must maintain accurate, complete, and reliable documentation on all of the ARRA expenditures and be prepared to submit required quarterly reports to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department).

Economies of Scale: The Department encourages districts to coordinate decisions regarding the use of ARRA funds across ARRA funding streams, including Title I, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and State Fiscal Stabilization Funds (SFSF). In addition, the Department encourages districts to consider using their ARRA grants to support and strengthen regional and collaborative approaches in order to achieve efficiencies and economies of scale that will last beyond the life of ARRA funding. This could include partnering with other districts, educational collaboratives, non-profit organizations, colleges and universities, and professional associations in making strategic investments.

ARRA-IDEA Purpose: Activities funded through the ARRA-IDEA grant must be designed to help ensure that students with disabilities have access to a free and appropriate education (FAPE) to meet each student's unique needs and to prepare each student for further education, employment, and independent living.
Priorities:

Recovery (up to 50% of total two-year allocation)

Funds used to sustain and support existing special education programming.

Investment (at least 50% of total two-year allocation)

  • Educator Quality and Effectiveness - Activities resulting in increased educator effectiveness and in the equitable distribution of qualified teachers, administrators, para-educators, and other personnel working with students with disabilities and their families.

  • Supporting Schools, Districts, and Students - Activities resulting in enhanced systems and programming for students with disabilities and their families.

  • Assessment and Data Systems - Activities that will result in increased and/or improved implementation of high-quality assessment and data systems to determine eligibility, track progress, and foster continuous improvement for students with disabilities.

  • College and Career Readiness - Activities that will result in greater numbers of students with disabilities prepared effectively for post-secondary options.

Eligibility: Funds are awarded to public school districts with approved program plans for special education based on a formula, taking into account total school enrollment in both public and private elementary and secondary schools and the number of low income students in those same groups.
Funding:

Allocations for the first installment of funds are posted on the Grants Management website. The allocations for the second installment will be posted when they become available.

http://finance1.doe.mass.edu/chapter70/chapter_10_ARRAfund.html

Fund Use:

Federal special education funds are provided to school districts to assist them in providing appropriate special education services for eligible students and to address the priorities listed above. School districts are reminded of their responsibility to use federal special education funds to supplement and not supplant local or state funds and to calculate proportionate share obligations for parentally-placed private school students and to designate federal funds to meet proportionate share obligations. See Special Education Advisory SPED 2007-2. Please note that the Department reserves the right to require that these funds be used to correct areas of identified noncompliance.

Districts are encouraged to coordinate the use of these funds with other federal, state, and local funds.

Project Duration:

July 1, 2009 - June 30, 2010 *

*(All Department grants are awarded for one fiscal year at a time. The ARRA grants have been awarded to the state as part of the FY2010 budget appropriation. As with other federal entitlement grants, they are subject to the Federal Tydings Amendment, which allows any funds not expended in the year of appropriation to be carried over for obligation during an additional 15 month period. This makes the effective end date for use of these funds September 30, 2011. The Department is working currently on specific carryover procedures for these funds and that information will be provided as soon as it is available.)

Program Unit: Special Education Planning and Policy Development Office
Contact: arra-idea@doe.mass.edu
Phone Number: (781) 338-3375
Date Due:

The recommended date due is June 1, 2009 for a July 1 start.

Required Forms:

All required forms and submission instructions are posted at: www.doe.mass.edu/nclb/grant/.

  1. Download PDF Document Download MS WORD Document   Instructions for completing the ARRA-IDEA Excel Workbook

  2. Download MS EXCEL File     ARRA-IDEA Excel Workbook

    1. Download PDF Document Download MS WORD Document   Recovery

    2. Investment

    • Download PDF Document Download MS WORD Document   Educator Quality and Effectiveness

    • Download PDF Document Download MS WORD Document   Supporting Schools, Districts, and Students

    • Download PDF Document Download MS WORD Document   Assessment and Data Systems

    • Download PDF Document Download MS WORD Document   College and Career Readiness

  3. Assurance Documents for ARRA-IDEA: Requirements for the use of Funds for Equipment or Construction/Alterations of Facilities

    1. Download PDF Document Download MS WORD Document   Assurance Document: ARRA-IDEA Equipment

    2. Download PDF Document Download MS WORD Document   Assurance Documents for ARRA-IDEA: Use of Funds for Construction/Alterations of Facilities

Additional Information:

  1. Budget Detail - Description of Line Item Information

  2. Applicants can legally claim expenses to the grant only from the date of final Department approval.

Submission
Instructions for
the Cover Page
(Part I):

Submit two (2) copies of the Part I - General - Program Unit Signature Page - (Standard Contract Form and Application for Program Grants) each with an original signature of the Superintendent/Executive Director.

Mail to:

Grace Willis
Special Education Planning and Policy Development
Massachusetts Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education
75 Pleasant Street
Malden, MA 02148-4906



last updated: May 1, 2009
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