March 24, 2011
TO THE ADMINISTRATOR ADDRESSED:
SUBJECTS:
1) American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) Section 1512 Quarterly Reports
–Due April 5, 2011
2) Central Contractor Registration–Annual Renewal
3) ARRA Section 1511 Infrastructure Investment Reports
4) Enforcement Actions Related to ARRA Requirements
1) ARRA Section 1512 Quarterly Reports–Due April 5, 2011
ARRA Section 1512 Quarterly Reports for the January 1 through March 31, 2011, reporting period are due from local educational agencies (LEAs) to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) by 5:00 p.m. Central Time, April 5, 2011.In order to assist LEAs in meeting the reporting deadline, TEA will open the Expenditure Reporting (ER) system for ARRA Section 1512 Quarterly Reports on March 28, 2011.
This reporting requirement applies to all ARRA funds distributed by TEA through the following grant programs:
- ARRA Title I, Part A
- ARRA Title I, Part D, Subpart 2
- ARRA Title I, School Improvement Program (SIP)
- ARRA Title I, School Improvement Grant (SIG) (Texas Title I Priority Schools)
- ARRA Title II, Part D, Education Technology (formula and discretionary)
- ARRA IDEA-B Formula
- ARRA IDEA-B Preschool
- ARRA 2009-2010 State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (2009-2010 SFSF)
- ARRA 2010-2011 State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (2010-2011 SFSF)
- ARRA McKinney-Vento Homeless
ARRA Section 1512 Reporting Requirements
All LEAs with an ARRA Notice of Grant Award (NOGA) with an approval date before April 1, 2011, must meet the April 5, 2011, quarterly reporting deadline for each NOGA for each program identified above. An ARRA Section 1512 Quarterly Report must be submitted even if any of the following is true: 1) all of the grant funds have been drawn down; 2) a final expenditure report has been submitted; 3) no grant funds have been expended; or 4) there has been no grant activity during the quarter.
ER Opening March 28, 2011
In order to assist LEAs in meeting the April 5, 2011, reporting deadline, the ER system will open for ARRA Section 1512 quarterly reporting on March 28, 2011. LEAs may certify and submit their ARRA Section 1512 Quarterly Reports between March 28, 2011, and April 5, 2011, in ER.
If an LEA chooses to certify and submit an ARRA Section 1512 Quarterly Report between March 28 and 31, 2011, ER will prevent the submission of a reimbursement request for that NOGA until April 1, 2011, to assure data quality.
If an LEA submits an ARRA Section 1512 Quarterly Report prior to April 1, 2011, and needs to submit an additional expenditure reimbursement report in March 2011, the LEA must take the following steps:
- Un-certify the report.
- Enter the expenditure reimbursement in ER.
- Wait for the expenditure reimbursement to reach “Paid/Processed” status in ER, which may take two to three business days.
- Re-certify and submit the quarterly report before 5:00 p.m., April 5, 2011.
ARRA Section 1512 Resource
TEA guidance on ARRA Quarterly Reporting is available on TEA’s website at: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=7860&menu_id=934&menu_id2=941.
2) Central Contractor Registration (CCR) – Annual Renewal
The ARRA Section 1512 Quarterly Reports include a field for the CCR expiration date. LEAs that are ARRA grantees are required to register with CCR and receive a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code.
ARRA grantees register with CCR only once, but they must renew and revalidate their registration at least every 12 months from the date they first registered to ensure that CCR is up to date and in sync with changes that may have been made to Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) information.
If an LEA does not renew its CCR registration, the registration will expire. Failure to renew an expired CCR registration may impair an LEA’s ability to draw down ARRA grant funds in ER. Therefore, TEA strongly suggests that LEAs renew their CCR registration prior to the expiration date. Upon receiving the new date from the CCR system, please remember to enter the information into the ARRA Section 1512 Quarterly Reports through TEA’s ER system, as these two systems are not connected. LEAs are reminded that they may only update their CCR information in ER when ER is open following a reporting quarter or during the continuous corrections period following a reporting quarter. Information on CCR, including renewals, is available online at: https://www.bpn.gov.ccr/.
TEA will continue to monitor ARRA grantees’ CCR expiration dates through the ARRA Section 1512 Quarterly Reports. If an LEA has renewed its CCR registration through the CCR system and has updated the new number through TEA’s ER system prior to receiving TEA’s notification requesting CCR renewal, TEA requests that the LEA please disregard the notice.
3) ARRA Section 1511 Infrastructure Investment Reports
Grantees are permitted to use funds for infrastructure investments under three grant programs: ARRA IDEA-B Formula, ARRA IDEA-B Preschool, and ARRA SFSF. All LEAs with a NOGA for any of these ARRA grant programs, including both 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 SFSF, must complete an ARRA Section 1511 Report in ER, even if the LEA has chosen not to use funds for infrastructure investments.
ARRA Section 1511 Reports can be submitted in ER at any time, but they should be submitted when the LEA is issued a NOGA and must be submitted prior to drawing down funds for infrastructure investment projects. When completing the ARRA Section 1512 Quarterly Reports for these three grant programs, ensure that the ARRA Section 1511 Report for each NOGA has been completed, certified, and submitted. Additionally, confirm that the information in the ARRA Section 1511 Report is aligned with the information provided on infrastructure expenditures in the related ARRA Section 1512 Quarterly Report for each NOGA.
4) Enforcement Actions Related to ARRA Requirements
TEA will continue to monitor ARRA grantees’ compliance with ARRA Section 1511 certification requirements, ARRA Section 1512 quarterly reporting requirements, and annual renewal of CCR registration.
Pursuant to the provisions of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 34, §80.43 and §74.62, if a grantee materially fails to comply with any term of an award, whether stated in a federal statute or regulation, an assurance in a grant application, or elsewhere, TEA may take one or more of the following enforcement actions as appropriate in the circumstances:
- Temporarily withhold cash payments pending correction of the deficiency, or more severe enforcement action
- Disallow all or part of the cost of an activity or action not in compliance
- Wholly or partly suspend or terminate the current award
- Withhold further awards for the program
- Take other remedies that may be legally available
Information and Assistance
For additional assistance with ARRA Section 1512 quarterly reporting requirements or individual ARRA grants, please contact the following:
ARRA Section 1512 reporting information is announced on TEA’s website at Recent News and Announcements (http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=4570&menu_id=934&menu_id2=941) and through the ARRA Stimulus listserv. (Join the ARRA Stimulus listserv, http://miller.tea.state.tx.us/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED2=name&A=1&L=ARRA-stimulus&b.x=36&b.y=13)
Sincerely,
Nora Ibáñez Hancock, EdD
Associate Commissioner
Office for Planning, Grants and Evaluation |
