No. 23

Senate Bill 1564 established the School Site Block Grant Program for 2000/2001 that will provide every school site with a minimum of $10,000 or an estimated $27 per the 1999/2000 average daily attendance (ADA).

School Sites/School Site Council/Advisory Committee have complete discretion on the allocation of these funds. They may be used for additional personnel including Instructional Aides. However, this grant is guaranteed for one year only. The state budget process will determine if a new grant will be available in future years.

This program will be similar to the 1998/1999 School Site Block Grant Program (Fund XA), but will be kept separate and budgeted in a new fund: 4X. Once again, the legislation requires that plans be developed by the School Site Council or similar group (see definitions below), and be approved by the Board of Education.

School sites will be authorized an advance allocation of either 75% of the district estimated grant figure or $10,000, whichever is greater. Your hard-copy preliminary budget grid allocation package will be sent to you by September 8, 2000. Once the preliminary budget allocation grid and plan are received from the school site and the School Site Council/Advisory Committee, and the plan is approved by the board, this level of the grant can be spent immediately. The balance of the grant will be available when the state releases the exact figures for the School Site Block Grants to the district (anticipated sometime in March 2001). Also, all budget transfers will require both signatures.

Any school with the intent to spend the preliminary allocation MUST return its plan and School Site Council/Advisory Committee Membership Form as soon as possible (preferably in September). Sites will be notified by their budget analyst when they can begin spending from Fund 4X.

Schools that choose to wait until the final allocation is known before developing a plan will follow the timeline below:

1. March 2001: Finance Division to receive notification from state on final amounts of each school’s block grant.

2. March 2001: Budget Department to distribute final allocation packages to school sites including:

• Final Allocation Amount

• Allocation Grid

• School Site Council/Advisory Committee Membership Form

3. March 30, 2001: School sites return the completed and signed final allocation grid and committee membership form to the Budget Department.

4. April 2001: Board of Education approves final school site plans.

5. After Board Approval: School sites begin expenditure of funds according to approved plans.

6. May 1, 2001: Deadline by which school site plans must be approved or funds are returned to state. School sites not submitting a budget plan by May 1, 2001, will not receive any block grant funding.

Membership shall be composed as follows:

Elementary Level:

Comprised of two groups:

1. 50%: Principal, classroom teachers and other school personnel, with classroom teachers comprising the majority.
2. 50%: Parents or other community members selected by parents.

Secondary Level:

Comprised of two groups:

1. 50%: Principal, classroom teachers and other school personnel, with classroom teachers comprising the majority.
2. 50%: Equal numbers of pupils and parents or other community members selected by parents.

We will provide the specific dates for the March activities once the final allocations by school are received from the state. However, due to the compressed timelines, it will be advantageous to convene your committee in advance of receiving your final allocation to complete preliminary planning using an estimated amount. Final allocation of funds can then be completed in early March upon receipt of the allocation package.

Please keep in mind: (1) Plans must be approved by the Board of Education prior to May 1, 2001, and prior to expenditure of funds. (2) Unexpended funds will be carried over into the 2001-2002 school year.