ESF Monitoring Documents | PDF 
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To: Superintendents of School Districts
From: Charles Szuberla, Jr.
Date: March 16, 2010
Subject: Monitoring for State Fiscal Stabilization Funds – Education
The New York State Education Department’s Office of Educational Management Services is implementing monitoring procedures for State Fiscal Stabilization Funds for Education provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The monitoring activities will assess compliance with appropriate laws, regulations, and the provisions of contracts or grant agreements. Monitoring will document the funding of jobs retained and created and the implementation of programs to advance educational reform.
The Department’s monitoring plan calls for desk reviews of all school districts through the application and quarterly reporting of ARRA ESF funds. The Department will conduct on-site monitoring visits of selected school districts. If you are not selected for an on-site visit at this time, these materials can serve to prepare you for a possible monitoring visit or to help you prepare for a possible future monitoring visit from the United States Department of Education or other Federal agency. The State Education Department will give school districts advance notice to prepare for any monitoring visit that is planned.
The monitoring consists of two parts. The first part is composed of written supporting documentation including: district records regarding ESF programs, schedule worksheets, and a questionnaire that requests verifiable compliance with major program requirements. The supporting documentation must be returned to SED by April 6, 2010.
The second part of the monitoring process will be a site visit to examine the implementation of the program. The site visit will be scheduled following receipt of the supporting documentation. You will be contacted by the State Education Department staff, to arrange the site visit. The visit will include interviews with district staff and the review of relevant materials. We do not anticipate that visits to individual school buildings will be necessary.
Following the monitoring visit, we will share with you the results of our findings allowing 30 days for you to provide a response. Any required actions must be responded to in the next quarterly reporting or application period.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Office of Educational Management Services at (518) 474-6541.