COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
P.O. BOX 2120
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 23218-2120
SUPTS. MEMO NO. 69
November 22, 2002
ADMINISTRATIVE
|
TO: |
Division
Superintendents |
|
FROM: |
Jo Lynne
DeMary Superintendent
of Public Instruction |
|
SUBJECT: |
Certifications for Certain State Funds in Fiscal Year 2003 Due: December 20, 2002 |
Special
note: posting of this memorandum was
delayed pending the implementation of monthly spending limits for the current
year by the Department of Planning and Budget.
The monthly spending limit process is now in place so the department is
proceeding with the certification process for the incentive-based accounts
addressed in this memorandum. Based on
this process for monthly spending limits, a revised schedule of payments for
Direct Aid accounts for fiscal year 2003 will be transmitted in a separate
memorandum.
Chapter
899 (2002-2004 appropriation act) requires school divisions to submit
certifications for certain incentive-based accounts before the Department of
Education can release funding. The
purpose of this memorandum is to provide you with the certification forms for
several of these accounts. For fiscal
year 2003, an Excel template will be used to facilitate the collection of the
required certifications. The Excel
template can be downloaded from the department’s Web site at the following
address:
http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Finance/Budget/cdc/index.html
Attachment
A to this memorandum provides instructions for accessing the Excel file from
the department’s Web site.
This
memorandum addresses the certification requirements for the following accounts:
1.
School
Construction Grants Program Funds – Fiscal year 2002 funds carried over at the
local level and fiscal year 2003 funds may be used for school construction,
additions, renovations, infrastructure, site acquisition, technology, other
expenditures related to modernizing classroom equipment, school safety
equipment or school safety renovations, and payments to escrow accounts
pursuant to Chapter 391, 1999 Acts of Assembly (§ 22.1-175.5, Code of
Virginia). School construction
funds may also be used for debt service on projects completed within the
previous 10 years (since fiscal year 1993 inclusive). This 10-year limit, back to fiscal year 1993, applies to all
sources of state school construction funds expended in fiscal year 2003,
including those funds spent from the School Construction Escrow Fund, regardless
of the fiscal year the funds were originally provided by the state.
The School Construction Grants Program certification sheet requests information on actual expenditures for fiscal year 2002 and estimated expenditures for fiscal year 2003. The certification sheet also requests information regarding the treatment of School Construction Grants Program funds by the local governing body.
2.
Lottery Funds
- After this certification has been signed and returned to the Department of
Education, payments will be transmitted on a semi-monthly basis. Signing this form certifies that the
division will maintain a certain level of total local operating expenditures
and that state lottery funds will be appropriated for certain permitted uses,
as specified in the appropriation act.
In addition, a local match based upon the composite index of local
ability-to-pay is required to receive state funds.
3.
At-Risk –
Signing this form certifies that the state and local shares of the At-Risk
payment for fiscal year 2003 will be used to support approved programs for
students who are educationally at-risk.
A local match based upon the composite index of local ability-to-pay is
required to receive state funds.
4.
Standards of
Learning (SOL) Remediation – Signing this form certifies that a remediation
program will be offered to students who need remediation based on
their performance on the SOL assessments or who need remediation in order to
pass the SOL assessments. Signing this
certification is required to receive state incentive funds under the SOL
Remediation program in fiscal year 2003.
A local match
based upon the composite index of local ability-to-pay is required to receive
state funds.
5.
Standards of
Learning Algebra Readiness – Signing this form certifies that an intervention
program will be offered to students who are identified through the
state-provided Algebra Readiness Diagnostic Test (ARDT) as needing additional
instruction and that students who receive intervention services will be
assessed again at the end of the school year as a condition of receiving state
funds under this program in fiscal year 2003.
You will also certify on this form that unspent state funds you received
for this program in fiscal year 2002 were carried over to fiscal year 2003 and
that they will only be used for the SOL Algebra Readiness program in fiscal
year 2003. A local match based upon the
composite index of local ability-to-pay is required to receive state funds.
If you plan to use a locally developed
or selected test instead of using the state-provided test, you must complete
this certification and check the box indicating that you plan to use a locally
developed or selected test. You must
also submit a second certification form to obtain approval from the department
to use a different test. This certification
form can be obtained from the following web address under the Instruction
heading:
http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Forms/
6.
Technology Support (Technology Resource Assistants)
– Signing this form certifies that on-site support for the Standards of
Learning Web-based Technology Initiative will be available at each high school
receiving state funds. This support may
be provided by directly employing technology resource assistants or by
contracting for on-site technology support services. A local match
based upon the composite index of local ability-to-pay is required to receive
state funds.
Please
note that forms for all other accounts requiring certification will be
communicated through separate superintendent’s memoranda. These include:
·
K-3 Primary
Class Size Reduction – This certification was sent to school divisions as part
of the 2002 Fall Membership Data Collection.
·
Early Reading
Intervention – Informational Superintendents Memorandum No. 54, dated April 5,
2002, included instructions for participating in this program. This certification was due to the department
by May 3, 2002.
·
At-Risk
Four-Year-Olds (Virginia Preschool Initiative) – Informational Superintendents
Memorandum No. 53, dated April 5, 2002, included the application package and
required certifications for fiscal year 2003.
The application was due to the department by May 15, 2002.
The
certifications contained in the Excel template must be signed by the division
superintendent and returned to the budget office by December 20, 2002, if you
wish to participate in these optional programs. Please mail the signed certifications to:
Virginia Department of Education
Attn: Budget Office
P.O. Box 2120
Richmond, Virginia 23218-2120
Please also e-mail
the completed Excel template to K12Budget@mail.vak12ed.edu. If you have any questions concerning this
certification process, please contact budget office staff at (804) 225-2025.
JLD/kcd
Attachment