Special Education Consolidated (Federal) Grant Application 

Special Education Consolidated (Federal) Grant Application 

July 10, 2024 | Grants Management

Meeting the needs of special education students can be expensive for schools. Fortunately, the federal grant known as IDEA B is available to public schools to help meet those needs. The Special Education Consolidated (Federal) Grant application is available now in eGrants and is due no later than 5:00 p.m. September 3, 2024 (along with the ESSA consolidated for Title funds). How is your grant writing going? CSS is here to provide you with more information about the IDEA B and IDEA B PK consolidated grant.

At CSS, we are working with our partner schools to identify SPED student needs and develop plans for their charter’s IDEA-B program.

IDEA funds provide supplemental resources to help LEAs ensure that eligible students (ages 3-21) with disabilities are provided with a free appropriate public education as required by federal statute. The IDEA B PK grant is for students with disabilities age 3-5, so if you do not have a PK, you can still use it for 5 year olds in kinder. Regular IDEA and IDEA PK are combined in one consolidated application; however, they have separate fund codes.

How to get started 

The Special Education Consolidated (Federal) Grant application begins with completing the Applicant Designation and Certification (ADC) form. Remember that allocation amounts are not visible in the ADC form but are available on the TEA Grant Entitlements page. Click here for a list of the available entitlements. The ADC form lets TEA know if you intend to apply for each part of IDEA on your own, as part of a shared service arrangement, or not apply at all. The actual grant application will not open until the ADC is complete.

Helpful tips 

  • TEAL Access is required in order to access, complete, and submit the grant. If you need access, follow the instructions here.
  • Google Chrome is the only web browser appropriate for access to eGrants and completion of all federal formula grants.
  • Information in the grant application is based on your AskTED profile. Be sure it is up to date. Contact the Charter Division at TEA if you need assistance with AskTED. Allow 2 weeks for changes to be visible.

Steps to Complete the Grant

  • There is a specific order to be followed in applying for and completing the Special Education Consolidated (Federal) Grant application.
  • The SC5003 applies to all three grant programs, SPED, ESSA, and Perkins, and must be completed by your charter district first.
  • The ADC form must also be completed.  Caution– once your choices are made for the grants you wish to receive, those choices are frozen and cannot be undone.
  • Once inside the grant application, the GS2100 (LEA contact info) must be completed first.  This will allow you access to the other schedules.
  • All charters must complete the PS3502 and select the first option indicating your LEA is an open-enrollment charter school.
  • Next, complete the BS6001. Once this schedule is complete, the budget support schedules will need to be completed according to where you budgeted funds (payroll, contracted services, etc.)
  • The last schedule to be completed is the BS6016 which serves as a compliance document.
  • Be sure to click Save frequently as eGrants can kick you out and it times out if you walk away for 15 minutes.

Random Validations of the BS6016 – Financial Compliance Requirements 

Every year, TEA reminds all LEAs that random validations of the data submitted in the BS6016 will occur. Documentation requested typically includes general ledgers and budget reports that support the amounts reported in the IDEA-B LEA MOE for the Eligibility section of the BS6016:

  1. Amount of state special education expenditures for the most recent prior year in which complete expenditure data are available and the LEA was in MOE compliance . To do this, go to your most recent IDEA-B LEA MOE FINALCompliance Review in GFFC in TEAL.  Go to page 2 for the most recent year and make note of the amount listed in Test 1 (199 – Local funds).
  2. List the budget for special education for 2024-25 using the same fund source as in Test 1 (199 -local funds). The budget should be equal to/or greater than the amount listed in line 1.
  3. Select the radial button at the bottom indicating local funds only were used (not a combination of State and local).

Note:  It is unlikely for charters to have funds related to special education (PIC 23) in fund 199. Entering zero is acceptable.

Participants will be selected randomly after the submission of the grant application.  Superintendents and special education directors of selected LEAs will receive an e-mail from compliance@tea.texas.gov with instructions to attach documentation within two business days (TEA will use e-mails listed in the Texas Education Directory, AskTED). Be sure to retain the MOE report and the general ledger showing 2024-25 SPED budget as backup.

Application Due Date 

The Special Education Consolidated (Federal) Grant application must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. Central Time September 3, 2024.  CSS strongly recommends that you NOT wait until the last day to submit your application since your submission date becomes the effective date of your grant.

Guidance for completion of the grant application 

For step-by-step guidance in completing the application, check out the TEA training video:

Special Education Consolidated Grant Application – Federal Training Video

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