WestEd, a NASBA-certified continuing professional education (CPE) sponsor, continues its interactive Fiscal Compliance Training for School and District Leaders in 2023.
The highly rated training series focuses on internal controls and practices that ensure school and districts comply with complex federal requirements, including but not limited to:
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
- Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
- Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR)
- Uniform Grant Guidance (UGG)
March 2023 Sessions
The March sessions will increase school business officer and program director knowledge of the UGG documentation standards for:
- Salaries and benefits charged to federal funds (time & effort)
- Federal requirements for the acquisition of goods and services (procurement)
- Excess Costs requirements under IDEA
- Coordination and consolidation of federal funds for improved efficiency and program outcomes
Learning Outcomes
WestEd’s Finance Training Series enhances the capacity of school and district federal program administrators and finance leaders to:
- Understand federal education fiscal requirements
- Proactively resolve any potential audit findings of non-compliance
- Increase the effectiveness of internal controls and procedures for meeting federal grant requirements and remove unnecessary barriers around innovations for improving student outcomes
Who Will Benefit
- Business Officers and Managers
- Special Education Directors/Administrators
- Federal Program Directors/Administrators
- Superintendents and School Administrators
Dates & Times
WestEd will host four interactive training sessions in March 2023.
DAY ONE
Session 1: Documenting Time and Effort: Uniform Grant Guidance Requirements for all Federal Education Programs (ESSA, IDEA, Perkins, etc.)
Date: Tuesday, March 7, 2023
Time: 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. (PT) / 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (ET)
Districts and schools’ greatest investments are their personnel. Accurate documentation of salaries and benefits charged to federal funds is critical to ensure the allowability of personnel costs to federal funds.
What processes should be in place to mitigate the risk of unallowable use of federal funds for salaries and benefits? A clear understanding of federal requirements allows LEAs to establish and maintain effective time and effort procedures and good internal controls. This session will review the time and effort requirements in the Uniform Grant Guidance, discuss common audit findings around time and effort, and provide useful resources to improve internal controls
Session 2: Federal Procurement Standards: Do Your Procedures and Records Pass the Test?
Date: Tuesday, March 7, 2023
Time: 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (PT) / 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. (ET)
All other non-federal entities, and recipients of federal funds, are required to follow the Uniform Grant Guidance procurement requirements. These standards have been established to prevent fraud and abuse when awarding contracts with federal funds for the acquisition of goods and services.
How do you know that your current procurement practices comply with federal requirements? A clear understanding of the interaction between federal regulations, state codes, and policies can make a difference in determining whether your organization’s procurement procedures are compliant. This session will provide an overview of federal procurement standards and explain auditors’ and state monitors’ expectations to avoid common audit findings related to procurement.
DAY TWO
Session 3: Blending and Braiding of Federal Funds: How to Compliantly Coordinate or Consolidate IDEA & ESSA Federal Funds?
Date: Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Time: 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. (PT) / 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (ET)
Strategic fiscal resource management is a critical component to ensure equitable outcomes for all students. Despite all the restrictions, federal funds have a lot of flexibility that is often under-utilized.
How can you take advantage of the existing flexibility while ensuring compliance with fiscal requirements? LEAs should explore all allowable flexibility designed to benefit students. This session will review the flexibility of IDEA and ESSA funds to coordinate the provision of services while complying with fiscal requirements to avoid unintended audit findings.
Session 4: Excess Costs Requirements Under IDEA
Date: Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Time: 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (PT) / 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. (ET)
IDEA Part B federal funds must be used for the excess costs of providing special education and related services to children with disabilities. The excess cost provision requires specific documentation from LEAs and states.
What is the excess cost requirement under IDEA and how does it differ from the allowability of costs criteria? Understanding the nuance of these fiscal provisions is critical to the implementation and administration of IDEA Part B federal funds. This session will describe the excess cost requirement while emphasizing the difference in the allowability of cost criteria under IDEA and explain how LEA can demonstrate compliance with excess cost requirements.
Pricing
- One Session: $100
- Two Sessions: $200
- Three Sessions: $300
- Four Sessions: $400
This fee includes admission for one person to the selected session(s), all training materials from the live webinar, and access to the recorded training session for up to 90 days.
Additional Information
- WestEd is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor for CPE on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have ultimate authority on accepting individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org.
- Participants can receive up to eight (8) CPE credit hours upon completion of the training which is included in the above cost.
- LOCATION: Zoom (a link will be sent to you upon registration and payment)
- Space is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
- CANCELLATION/REFUND POLICY: We offer cancelations with full refunds up to 2 days prior to each training.
For more information, contact us at [email protected].
Your Facilitators
Anthony Mukuna is a Senior Program Associate – Special Education and School Finance at WestEd. He leads school finance and fiscal accountability engagements with states and supports cross-area projects within WestEd. Mukuna has a strong background in accounting with several years of work experience with local and state governments, in which he managed diverse federal and state funding programs. Previously, Mukuna worked for the Idaho Supreme Court Finance Office and the Idaho State Department of Education, creating a strong fiscal accountability structure. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) licensed in Idaho and earned his master’s degree in Business Administration at Idaho State University.
Sara Doutre is a recognized expert in special education policy and finance. Leveraging her federal, state, and classroom experience, Doutre leads accountability and finance work as a Senior Project Director on WestEd’s Special Education Policy & Practice team. Her contribution to state guidelines for braided and blended funding strategies to address significant disproportionality in special education empowered administrators to focus on innovative, inclusive practices. Doutre previously monitored state programs and developed policy guidance at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs and has an MA from George Washington University in education policy.