Funding Available

September 3, 2008

TO THE ADMINISTRATOR ADDRESSED:

SUBJECT: 2008–2009 NCLB Title I School Improvement Grant Application

The Applicant Designation and Certification (ADC) form for the 2008–2009 NCLB Title I School Improvement Grant Application will open in eGrants on Thursday, September 4, 2008.

Eligible Applicants

Title I campuses that have not met Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for the same indicator (reading, mathematics, attendance rate, or graduation rate) for two consecutive years are identified for Title I School Improvement. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) will release Preliminary AYP results in October 2008.

Allocations

To view allocations for the NCLB Title I School Improvement Program and Title I SIP Academy Grant, go online to the TEA Grant Opportunities website (http://burleson.tea.state.tx.us/GrantOpportunities/forms/). Open the “Formula Funding Toolbox,” then select “Entitlements by Program.”

Deadline to Apply

Eligible applicants must apply through the eGrants system by Wednesday, November 12, 2008, at 5:00 p.m. Central Time. Applicants who may exit school improvement when TEA releases the 2008 Preliminary AYP results must apply by Wednesday, October 8, 2008, at 5:00 p.m. Central Time.

How to Apply

Eligible applicants must apply through the eGrants system. In order to apply, applicants must have appropriate Texas Education Agency Secure Environment (TEA SE) access. Applicants who do not have TEA SE access for eGrants should visit the TEA SE webpage at: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/opge/egrant/index.html. An overview of the TEA SE online request process can be found online at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/opge/egrant/eGrantsOverview.pdf. If further assistance is needed, please call the eGrants Help Desk at (512) 463-7025 or email .

Reporting Deadlines

Reporting deadlines for the 2008-2009 NCLB Title I School Improvement Program and Title I SIP Academy Grant are listed in the following table. Local education agency (LEA) campuses that are awarded grants are responsible for meeting all required deadlines. Failure to meet deadlines may result in loss of funds and could cause the LEA to be identified as “high risk.”

Grant Program / Grant Period / Final Expenditure Report / Revised Final Expenditure Report / Compliance Report Due Date
Title I School Improvement Program / 9/4/2008–6/30/2009 / 8/15/2009 / 9/15/2009 / TBD
Title I SIP Academy Grant / 9/4/2008–6/30/2009 / 8/15/2009 / 9/15/2009 / TBD

Information and Assistance

For program information, please contact the School Improvement Unit in the Division of NCLB Program Coordination at (512) 463-9374, Option 3, or visit the program website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/nclb/.

For funding information, please contact the Division of Formula Funding at (512) 463-8525, or visit the TEA Grant Opportunities website at http://burleson.tea.state.tx.us/GrantOpportunities/forms/.

Sincerely,

Ellsworth Schave,

Senior Director, Division of Formula Funding