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A Microsoft Word version of this letter is available for download
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February 1, 2010 SUBJECT: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) Section 1512 Quarterly Reporting Guidance Update TO THE ADMINISTRATOR ADDRESSED: On December 18, 2009, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released new guidance changing the methodology for calculating job creation estimates related to ARRA funding. The new guidance requires jobs created to be calculated as full-time equivalents (FTE) on a quarterly, rather than cumulatively, basis and specifies that recipients shall report jobs funded by ARRA dollars, rather than attempting to determine what jobs were created or retained due to the availability of ARRA funding. OMB encouraged local education agencies (LEA) to use the new methodology if possible when reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2009, but recognized the challenges inherent in doing so based on short timelines and annual holiday scheduling. To address possible inaccuracies in reporting, OMB stated that, effective February 2, 2010, corrections may be made to data submitted for the quarter ending December 31, 2009. Under the new OMB guidance, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) has determined that salary increases (including those due to HB 3646) paid with ARRA funds should be counted when calculating jobs created or retained. LEAs who need to correct data submitted for the quarter ending December 31, 2009 should follow the procedures detailed below to make the necessary corrections. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) will re-open the ARRA Reporting area in the Expenditure Reporting (ER) system on February 2, 2010 to allow LEAs to make corrections only to data submitted for the quarter ending December 31, 2009. All corrections are due from LEAs to TEA by 5:00PM Central Standard Time on February 28, 2010. The correction procedures apply to all LEAs receiving ARRA funds distributed by TEA through the following grant programs:
Corrections Procedure Confirm that the FTEs reported were calculated using the new guidance (available at http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/edex/docs/1512QuarterlyReportingv3.pdf). Review the number of FTEs recorded in the ER system for the October 1 – December 31, 2009. Correct the number of FTEs reported if necessary (using the procedures previously provided for changing ARRA Section 1512 quarterly reporting data available at http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/edex/docs/EREntryRev.pdf under the heading “Making Corrections/Changes After Certification”) Certifying and submit the corrections before the closing of the correction period (as listed above). Information and Assistance Instructions on how to enter the required data elements in the ER system is available at: http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/edex/docs/EREntryRev.pdf. TEA will also be conducting webinars to provide technical assistance on the ARRA Section 1512 quarterly reporting correction process for all ARRA grants administered by TEA. The webinars will take place on:
LEAs and SSA fiscal agents may register for webinars and find additional grant information at: www.tea.state.tx.us/arrastimulus. For additional assistance, please contact NCLB ARRA (including Title II Part D ARRA Formula funding) reporting questions at (512) 463-9374 or nclb@tea.state.tx.us . Title II Part D ARRA Competitive funding reporting questions at (512) 463-9400 or T3@tea.state.tx.us . IDEA ARRA reporting questions at (512) 463-9414 or sped@tea.state.tx.us . SFSF for reporting questions at (512) 936-3647 or arrastimulus@tea.state.tx.us . Jerel Booker  |
