Making Sound Use of Funds Decisions

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Making Sound Use of Funds Decisions for Title I,
Part D Nicholas Read and Simon Gonsoulin,
NDTACJeff Breshears, California Department of
Education
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Objectives

• Participants will
• Explore a detailed decision making process for
  deciding the allowableness and appropriateness of
  fund use proposals.
• Consider ways to act as a technical assistance
  (TA) provider to subgrantees in their use of
  funds.
• Discuss prioritizing funding based on program
  needs and outcomesduring times of funding excess
  and scarcity.
• Examine ways of using Part D funds
  collaboratively with other Federal, State, and
  local funds.

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Times for Making Use of Funds Decisions

• During application review
• Consider adding guidance/requirements within the
  application itself
• Lay out expectations, priorities, and dos and
  donts.
• Be prescriptive up front for easier review and
  decision making later.
• Ongoing, after funds are allocated
• Decisions may depend on current circumstances,
  outcomes to date, and other factors.

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Making Sound Use of Fund Decisions

• Deciding allowable and appropriate
• Use clearly defined decision making processes or
  rules.
• Start with the musts and work through to the
  shoulds, using
• Federal requirements and priorities
• Part D statute and nonregulatory guidance as well
  as other Federal regulations
• State Plan goals and objectives
• Subgrantee application requirements and expressed
  needs
• State and local laws, regulations, and guidelines
• Elements that facilitate program planning and
  improvement
• Always keep outcomes and needs in mind!

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Using Data for Increased Assurance

• To feel more confident in deciding
  appropriateness
• Facility, program, and student data hold valuable
  information on
• Outcomes teacher retention, facility
  environment, academic progress, credits/degrees
  earned, successful transitions
• Needs professional development, technology,
  increased literacy, family/community involvement
• Outcome- and needs-based decisions will hold more
  weight with USED.
• Such decisions demonstrate to stakeholders that
  funds are being allocated effectively and
  efficiently.

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The Role of the SEA, SA, and LEA Coordinators

• The SEA is not just a pass through for funds
• Coordinators have funding discretion, they
• Should feel comfortable with the decisions and
  confident in the decision making process
• May want to consider the possibility of creating
  State regulations/guidance
• TA at all levels leads to better uses of funds
  and implementation of programs
• SAs and LEAs should not act as pass throughs
  either.
• The relationship between funder and funded should
  exist at all levels.

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Creative Uses Times of Feast

• Example American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
  (ARRA)
• Filling immediate needs vs. sustainable
  programming
• What to consider
• Begin a new pilot program and evaluate impact.
• Expand pilot programs to statewide programming.
• Conduct external evaluation of existing programs.
• Use evaluation data and expand effective/promising
  programming.
• Increase partnerships that will improve
  collaboration.
• Increase face-to-face staff development
  activities.
• Further improve continuous quality improvement
  efforts.
• Sponsor activities that promote the engagement of
  parents and the community.
• Braid or blend funding.

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Creative Uses Times of Famine

• Example Current economic downturn
• Doing more with less leads to increased
  emphasis on meeting needs and addressing
  outcomes.
• What to consider
• Contract with a proven grant writer to secure
  grant dollars.
• Partner with foundations and other private
  funders.
• Employ existing technology for staff development.
• Maintain regional pilot programs and collect
  longitudinal evaluation data.
• Cut programs with poor outcomes and expand
  programs that suggest or have shown a cost
  benefit.
• Fund evidence-based programs or those
  professionals feel are effective.
• Maintain effective programs that reach the
  majority of the youth you must serve.
• Braid or blend funding (e.g., run Institutionwide
  projects).

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Collaborative Funding

• Blended funding
• Example Institution-wide Projects
• Braided funding
• Example Read 180 Lab

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Activity You Be the Judge

• Read the real-life use of funds proposals.
• Using your own decision rules and any additional
  information/data available, decide allowableness
  and appropriateness.
• Describe your decision to the group, explaining
  how and why you decided what you did.
• Also explain whether there are any proactive
  steps you could have taken to make this decision
  even easier for you to make.