Ppr Int 47Dc664D1Fe44Af7 English Transcript 1954F39A07

Summary

This is the English transcript of an August 23, 2023 Department of Education webinar in the Grantee Learning Series for COVID-19 relief programs, on Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) and annual performance reporting, introduced by Melissa Schroeder of the Office of State and Grantee Relations. Presenters review reporting requirements under ESSER, GEER and related programs and common problems grantees face. They explain that sub-awards of $30,000 or more must be reported, including awards that cross that threshold through a later modification, that action dates must match the grant award notice, and that adjusted sub-awards are corrected by reopening the original report. They warn that duplicate or mistyped entries raise no system error, so grantees must check totals before submitting.

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Date: August 23, 2023
Title: 082323-848096-DeptofEducation-Grantee-EnglishTranscript

SpeakerO 00:00:00 Welcome to today's session, grantee learning series for covid 19 Relief programs.
Please note that all audio connections are muted until the Q&A portion of the call, and I'll give you
instructions on how to ask a question at that time. Please ensure you have opened the chat panel by
using the associated icon located at the bottom of your screen. You may enter chat questions throughout
the presentation, and they'll be addressed at the end of the session. If you need any technical assistance,
please send a chat to the event producer. And with that, I'll hand the call over to Melissa Schroeder,
program officer and technical assistance lead for the Office of State and Grantee relations. Please go
ahead.

Speaker 1 00:00:44 Great, thank you and good afternoon everyone, and thanks for setting aside time
to join us today for the Grantee Learning Series, federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, or
FFATA and Annual Performance Reporting Webinar. I'm Melissa Schroeder and I'm a program officer and
the technical assistant lead in the Office of State and Grantee relations. The Grantee Learning series is
comprised of five webinars held each week, beginning July 26th, and ending with today's presentation.
This, these webinars are designed to provide a forum for the department to share important information
and resources with our grantees to support your implementation of the ESSER, GEER and S programs
with a focus on orienting grantee staff that may be new to these programs, while also refreshing the
knowledge of grantee staff who've been working on these programs over the last few years. Note that
these webinars are recorded and will be posted to our website along with the PowerPoint slides this
afternoon, we're joined by my colleagues Britt Jung, who's a group leader in the Office of State and
grantee relations, along with Morgan Fagioli, who was a program officer in leading our offices’ work
related to FFATA, but has since moved to another role.

Speaker 1 00:01:51 We have Jenny SCE now with us, who is our new FFATA lead in our office, and also
joining us today to take questions, is Christopher Birch from the Office of the Chief Data Officer. So, we
prepared a presentation to provide an overview of the FFATA and annual performance reporting
requirements for the ESSER, GEER and E'S programs. If you have questions during the presentation,
please feel free to submit them using the chat feature. We'll also have time at the end of the
presentation to take questions in the chat, and we'll invite you to come off mute to ask any questions
that you may have without further delay. We'll get started. Thank

Speaker 2. 00:02:27 You for joining us today for the Grantee Learning Series. and today's focus will be
on FFATA and APR reporting. The purpose of today’s presentation is to ensure that all grantees are aware
of the reporting requirements under ESSER, GEER and E Ns, and also to highlight solutions to known
FFATA and APR reporting challenges. The ad for, today's meeting, we will be reviewing the reporting
requirements for both FFATA, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, and also the
annual performance reporting or APR, for the ESSER, GEER and e€ s programs. We'll also be reviewing key
resources available to help grantees successfully complete FFATA and APR reporting requirements for the
GEER, ESSER and E'S programs.

Speaker 2 00:03:28 Alright, so this is just an outline of what we will be covering today. We will start
with the FFATA portion of the presentation, right, and next slide. Okay. So, we've included a table of
contents, just to share, when you're going back to this presentation as a re resource, you can jump to the
slide, that would be most applicable to you. but for now, we will move on to the next slide. Right. So first
off, we wanted to share the acronyms and also just quick links to the most used resources when it comes
Date: August 23, 2023
Title: 082323-848096-DeptofEducation-Grantee-EnglishTranscript

to FFATA reporting. so first, the FFATA stands for Federal Funding and Trans, accountability and
Transparency Act. The FSRS, which you'll hear mentioned quite a bit, is the FFATA Sub-Award reporting
system. also, U SS A spending, which is where the FFATA sub-award data is displayed. and we've included
links to all of these. You'll hear mention of ESF, the Education Stabilization Fund and also the ESF
Transparency Portal, which is also where the sub-award data is displayed on a monthly basis. and Britt
will be discussing more about the ESF transparency portal later in the presentation. We’ve also just
included some of the other acronyms for your reference. Go to the next slide, please.

Speaker 2 00:05:17 All right, so, | want to point your attention to two C F R part one 70, which is the
reporting sub-award and executive compensation information. in summary, the FTA reporting
requirements are for first tier sub-award information and first tier sub-award executive comp
compensation, to be reported by the prime awardee in FSRS or the F FFATA sub-award reporting system
ona monthly basis. the FFATA sub-award reports are to be submitted by the end of the month following
when the sub-award was made. and it's only applicable to sub-awards of $30,000 or more. The
requirement is for both mandatory and discretionary grants, and it is as of October 1st, 2010. The timing
here is, is one point that is, often a challenge for grantees. So good to remember that the reports are due
by the end of the month following the month when they were made. So, if you are awarding a sub-
award in May of 2023, that sub-award would be reported in your June, 2023 FFATA report. Next slide,
please.

Speaker 2 00:06:43 All righty, continuing with the FFATA reporting requirements, a couple nuances
when it comes to the initial award itself. If the initial sub-award is below $30,000, but a subsequent
grant, modification results in that award being bumped to $30,000 or more, that sub-award is required
to be reported as of the date that it ex, hits that $30,000 threshold. So, I've included an example here.
for example, if an entity receives $20,000 sub-award in May 2022, that $20,000 sub-award would not be,
required to be reported for the purposes of FFATA. However, if in August 2022, that same entity receives
a supplemental sub-award, that would then bump it over the $30,000 threshold, it would need to be
reported as of the date that it was bumped, to that $30,000 threshold. So, in this example, the sub-
award reached the, the threshold in August of 2022.

Speaker 2. 00:07:54 So it would then be included in the September 2022 FFATA report. the other
example that's listed on this slide is if the initial award, was above $30,000 to begin with, but later on,
it's determined that the sub-award should be de obligated, and it drops that total sub-award amount to
the entity below the $30,000 threshold. So, for the purposes of FFATA, if the total sub-award falls below
that $30,000 threshold, that award continues to be subject to the reporting requirements. So, you
would, in this example, an entity receives a sub-award on 20 December, 2022 of $35,000. A couple
months later, it was determined that the entity should have only received $25,000. The prime awardee
will need to go back and edit the January 2023 report that included that December 2022 sub-award and
change the sub-award amount to $25,000. when you're uploading the FFATA reports, there is a
description category, and in the description category, you could, include a note to describe that, you
know, the entity received the $35,000 sub-award on this amount on this time, and then it was,
subsequently de obligated, on this date. And that note could help to document the change for your
auditors. next slide please.

Speaker 2 00:09:44 So on this slide, we've included a few key terms, as well as the link to the code of
federal regulations part 200, subpart A. please refer to the, the link on this slide for the full list of all of
Date: August 23, 2023
Title: 082323-848096-DeptofEducation-Grantee-EnglishTranscript

the, the definitions. But | do want to draw your attention to the definition of a sub-award. and for the
purposes of FFATA, this is the definition that, that we use. and one note that often | think is, is confused
is sub-award versus sub-grant. and for the purposes of FFATA reporting, grantees are reporting sub-
awards. The prime grantee is responsible for reporting sub-awards. and so, a sub-award may be provided
through any form of legal agreement, including an agreement that the pass-through entity considers to
be a contract. I've added a link here to the, two C F R 200.331, which is the sub-recipient and contractor
determinations, and we will be discussing this a little bit later, as one of the, the common questions that
we receive on the SS G R team. Next slide please.

Speaker 2 00:11:08 Alrighty. So, jumping into some common reporting challenges and also solutions.
So again, this is related to the, the timing of the reports. but when should sub-awards be reported? So,
sub-awards are to be reported by the end of the month following when the was made. and this date,
the, is called the action date when you're uploading your FTA reports into the FSRS system, and this
action date should match the date that's listed on the sub-recipient scan. the timing of the reports, |
know that the description is, is, a little confusing by the end of the month following when the month the
sub award was made. but it, once you get in the habit of thinking, okay, a sub-award was made in May of
2022, I'm going to include it in my June 2022, FFATA report, it will become more of a habit.

Speaker 2 00:12:11 and just remember that the action dates have to match the date that's listed on
the GAN. | think that a common confusion is, is listing a date that the sub-award was liquidated by. and
for the purposes of FFATA, we are not tracking the date liquidated, but it's the date that the award was
made, to the subrecipient. Right. The second question, which we frequently get is, how should adjusted
sub-awards be reported? And the correct process is to reopen the original submitted report that
contained the, the sub award that you want to change. and you would go and find the edit and reopen
button, to make the change. You can also submit an overwrite, batch upload, and it would replace all of
the previous data submitted. So, I've included a link to the Federal SER service desk, the FSRS FAQs, for
additional information on this. And note that you are able to reopen a report and edit it manually, or you
can do that batch upload override. Okay. Next slide please.

Speaker 2 00:13:34 Right. So how is a sub-recipient, relationship determined? This is related to what |
mentioned on the key terms slide. and so again, I've listed the link to the sub-recipient and contractor
determinations, but the pass-through entity, or the SEA must make a case-by-case determination
whether each agreement it makes for the disbursement of federal programs cast the party receiving the
funds in the role of a subrecipient or a contractor. | think that this comes up as a, an area of confusion
most often for the GEER and E SS funds. but, it really is up to the prime grantee to make the call,
whether they determine this to be a sub-award or a contract. So please review this link, to help
determine, the, the case-by-case determinations for each of your agreements.

Speaker 2 00:14:42 Right. Another common challenge, faced by grantees are, when you're about to
submit your report and you get some zip plus four errors that pop up, the zip plus four is the, the five-
digit zip code, and then there's a four-digit code, attached. And what we've learned is that many,
primarily rural districts, may not have a plus four. So, when an entity does not have a plus four at the end
of their zip code, it's required to have a two-digit congressional district code added on, to their five-digit
zip code. Currently the FSRS batch upload template does not have a field for the Congressional district
code. So, when you are uploading a batch upload of sub-award data, because the congressional district
codes are not available, it kicks back all of the entities that do not have the plus four.
Date: August 23, 2023
Title: 082323-848096-DeptofEducation-Grantee-EnglishTranscript

Speaker 2. 00:15:47 And so you'll get a bunch of errors. If you have errors, your report will not be
submitted until the errors are resolved. So, our recommendation is to remove the entities that do not
have a plus four from your batch upload, and then continue to upload, all of your sub-recipients that do
have a, a zip plus four so that those are all uploaded in the batch. Then you would reopen the report and
manually submit it to the entities that do not have a plus four using their congressional district code. If
you have any challenges with this, please let your program officer know. | know that many states have,
upwards of a hundred or more entities that are rural and may not have a plus four. So, if you are in, in
this category, please communicate with your program officer.

Speaker 2 00:16:49 Next slide, please. Okay. We received many questions about the FSRS Batch
upload function. and so, I've included a link here to the FSRS Grants batch upload user guide, also on
April 28th, GSA co-hosted a training with the SS G R team, to provide a demonstration of the batch
upload function. and this training recording can be found on our website, which will be linked at the end
of this presentation. | do want to note, in regard to the batch upload, that FSRS does not have any
system validations in place. So, when you're uploading your reports, if duplicates are present, or if there
is a, what we call a FFATA finger mistake, that you accidentally add a digit to one of your numbers, and it
bumps your total award over your, or your total reported sub awards over your total allocated award
amount, you will not receive an error or a system flag for this. So, it is really crucial that you ensure that
there are not over or duplicative reporting in your reports prior to submission.

Speaker 2 00:18:15 Another frequently asked question is, how can | access FFATA reports that are
submitted or that were submitted by a former staff member? so if you have, a staff member who is
designing the designated FFATA reporter, it is likely that they are the only ones who have access to FSRS.
The way that the system is currently set up is that there is one contact, one email, that is linked to the
award, for reporting purposes. Some grantees have started to create a generic email account that is
specific for FFATA purposes, and when grantee staffing shifts, there is a connection with that, that shared
email account. in other situations, it is one individual who is responsible for reporting, and if that
individual leaves the agency, once the replacement staff person is in that role, they, the new person will
not have access to the reports submitted by the former staff member, in order to gain access to those
past reports and be able to edit them if there were any mistakes or if, anything needs to be corrected,
the new staff member will need to submit a federal service desk ticket and request that the past reports
be migrated to their account.

Speaker 2 00:19:51 I've included a link here for the FSRS FAQs for additional information. If, for some
reason you submit a, a federal Service desk ticket and you're having access, challenges that the, the
reports are not being migrated, correctly, or, or you're still unable to access the system, please let your
program officer know. And next slide, please.

Speaker 2. 00:20:21 All righty. So, we've also heard from grantees, that when they make changes in
the FSRS system, sometimes they're not visible on the USAspending side. So, we wanted to include, a
question focused on this area. So, when additional sub-award data is reported in FSRS, for instance, a, a,
a, a, a, a, a, a, a New Sub-award report, that is just adding, adding sub-awards, USAspending is
automatically refreshed. so that this data is updated on a weekly basis to reflect newly reported data and
FSRS, the difference is that if FSRS reports are deleted from the system, or if FFATA reports are deleted
from FSRS, it can take between 30 to 60 days for deletions to reflect in USAspending. and this is because
the deletions require the FSRS support team to include the specific deleted FFATA reports in a manual,
Date: August 23, 2023
Title: 082323-848096-DeptofEducation-Grantee-EnglishTranscript

deletions report that the FSRS, team or the, the Federal Service Desk sends to the USAspending technical
team, so that USAspending can make the change on their end.

Speaker 2. 00:21:46 So this is a manual process on the federal Service desk side, and so it can take
more time. if you still do not see the changes reflected in U SS A spending after 30 to 60 days, please
submit a federal service desk ticket to confirm that your previously deleted reports were in fact included
in FSS S'S deletions report, and sent to USAspending. We have had some grantees, reach out to U ss a
spending's help desk directly, just to confirm that they one received the deletions report, and two, that
their reports were included in the deletions report. the U ss a spending help desk has been, pretty
responsive to grantees from, from my understanding. So, we do recommend that you work with both the
Federal Service Desk and the USAspending technical team to ensure that the data on USAspending is
accurate. USAspending is where SS G R goes to monitor, FFATA sub-award data. So, it is really important
that USAspending stays accurate and up to date. Next slide, please.

Speaker 2 00:23:04 Alrighty. So, these are two common questions that are, are more program
specific. The first is related to GEER and when governor's offices award funds through an inter-agency
agreement. good thing to remember here is that if there is an M O U or an inter-agency agreement in
place between the governor's office and another state agency that delegates the authority to the state
agency to administer the program, the awards made by that state agency will then be treated as sub-
awards. then, the good thing to remember here though is that the governor is still the prime grantee for
the GEER program. So, it is still the governor governor's office's responsibility to report the sub-awards in
FSRS.

Speaker 2 00:24:02 alternatively, if the governor sub awarded the funds to a state agency and there is
no MoU or agreement, delegating authority to the state agency, the governor would then treat the
state agency as the sub-recipient and would be required to report the sub-awards made to the state
agency. They would not report any further awards., the first-tier sub-award in this case would be the
sub-award to the state agency. so, we've included the link here to this, it would be question one of this,
FAQ. So please refer to that for any clarification on how to report, inter-agency agreements or sub-
awards to state agencies using GEER funds. Another common question we receive is what should be
reported for FFATA for EANS programs. and for this, | refer you to c g one and G two of the final EANS
FAQs that were published in September of 2021.

Speaker 2 00:25:15 the big thing to remember with EANS is to go back to the, the Subrecipient
determinations, because the, the contracts that are awarded using e SS funds, it would be up to the
grantee to determine if that, contract cast the entity receiving the funds in a subrecipient role or that of
a contractor. in most cases that I've seen that it has ended up being a contractor and would not need to
be reported. But it is important to remind the grantee to make that case-by-case determination. One
note, particularly for the S program, because EANS is, is very technical, even though the leftover EANS
funds are reverting to the governor for allowable uses under GEER reverted EANS funds remain EAMS
funds. And as such, if any sub-awards are made of $30,000 or more, with those reverted funds, they
need to be reported into FSRS, under the E NS federal award identification number or fame. they should
not be reported using the GEER thing. If they are, what we notice on, on the SG R side is that GEER will
appear over allocated. So, it is really important to be sure to use the s FE or as S G R team frequently
calls it the PR award number. Next slide, please.
Date: August 23, 2023
Title: 082323-848096-DeptofEducation-Grantee-EnglishTranscript

Speaker 2. 00:27:01 Alrighty. So, we discussed a lot of the common challenges. Now | wanted to
include some notes for what you should do, should you experience a reporting issue. And the first thing
you should do is alert your program officer. program officers have seen all kinds of issues, <laugh> come
up and, are most likely able to provide you with a solution. and if they are not able to provide you with a
solution, we can figure out where to go to get one. For FSRS system issues. specifically, please contact
the federal service desk. I've included a link here. And if you are provided with an incident ticket number,
please share this ticket number with your program officer via your state mailbox. We want to remind
grantees to document your challenges and your efforts to comply with the FFATA requirements, and to
verify that your sub-award information displayed in USAspending is accurate.

Speaker 2 00:28:08 Again, this is where, S G R and your program officers are regularly monitoring
FFATA sub-award data. and we are aware that USAspending can take some time to update, for additions
approximately seven days, and for deletions 30 to 60 days. However, this is the data that we are referring
to, when we monitor FFATA data. Also, we want to remind grantees to continue to work to resolve any
issues you're experiencing. And if you are, you know, diligently working to resolve your issues and, and
you're afraid that when you submit a report, it will be late, please submit it anyway. The, the FFATA, sub-
award reporting system FSRS allows you to upload reports and then you can date them by, when the
report should have been uploaded by, it will tell, we will be able to see, or, especially your, your state
auditors will be able to see when you actually submitted it, but it is really crucial to ensure that your
timing is correct. So, again, if, if you, sub-award in, example June 2023, your sub-awards will be included
in your July 2023 report. And if you’re a few months behind due to technical issues, please ensure that
you're dating the reports by when the sub-awards were made, so that those, those timings of the report
month date and the sub-award obligation date, align. All righty, next slide please.

Speaker 2 00:30:04 Here are some helpful reminders. we've received some questions about, where
to find your program officer's contact information. and this is, just good to know in general for, for all of
your ED grants that your program officers contact information can be found in section three of your
grant award notification or your GAN. Another reminder that each month's FFATA report should only
contain sub-awards made within the month prior, as we mentioned. and a reminder too, that the FFATA
report should not be cumulative. So again, if you are a few months behind, please do not upload one
report that includes the past eight months’ worth of sub-awards. That is not the correct reporting
process. The report should not be cumulative in that sense. Technically, if, if you were, making sub-
awards every month of the year, at the end of the year, you would have 12 FFATA reports uploaded into
the system.

Speaker 2 00:31:09 | know that's not really how the, our ESSER and GINES programs work necessarily,
but that's kind of the, the, the mentality to think about that. It's a monthly reporting requirement
already. Also, a reminder for deli sub-awards that please do not report negative sub-award amounts. |
believe in the FSRS FAQs, it says the system will not allow you to report negatives. The system will allow
you to report negatives, however, it is still not the correct way to demonstrate a de obligation. Instead, if
a sub award decreased, you would go back to the original report where you submitted the sub-award
and subtract the deed amount from that original report. Please do not report negative sub-awards.
Another helpful tip is when reporting a zip plus four, do not use hyphens. This can cause all types of
system issues, and end up bouncing back some error messages on the grantees side.
Date: August 23, 2023
Title: 082323-848096-DeptofEducation-Grantee-EnglishTranscript

Speaker 2. 00:32:23 areminder that the sub-award data display displayed in USAspending is also
displayed on the ESF transparency portal. And the portal is refreshed on a monthly basis. So, at times,
the data in FSRS that you, that the grantee uploads the data in USAspending and the data in ESF, the
transparency portal may not match. every, every system has a little bit of a delay. but for the most
UpToDate information sub-award data program officers are going to USAspending. because in, in
general, that is a weekly refresh. And if you have any questions specific to USAspending, I've included the
email address for the USAspending help desk. If you email them, please copy your program officer or
your state mailbox just so that your program officer is aware of your efforts in trying to resolve your
issues.

Speaker 2 00:33:28 Next slide, please. Okay, and finally, I've included a slide of FFATA specific
resources, both on the FSRS provided resources, that are managed by GSA, and also on the SSGR side.
We have the ESSER reporting, GEER reporting, and EAMS reporting web pages, which is where you can
find recordings to our past webinars, from February 1st and also April 28th. also, just to highlight, that
the FFATA reporting requirements are also noted in your grant award notification attachment nine. So, if
you have any other questions, please refer to these resources. and of course, feel free to contact your S
G R program officer. Thank you. And | will hand it off to Britt.

Speaker 3. 00:34:34 Thank you so much, Morgan. for those of you who don't know, Morgan, Morgan
has, really dedicated herself to this effort to make sure that the data we publish is accurate and, useful to
the public. So, |, | can't thank Morgan enough for all her efforts. So, my name is Britt Jung, and I'm going
to talk about annual performance reporting. Morgan gave you lots of great information about the FFATA
or the monthly sub-award reporting requirements, excuse me. And now I'm going to provide a high-level
overview of the AM annual performance reporting requirements for the ESSER, GEER and S programs.

Speaker 3. 00:35:16 So the annual data collection and reporting requirements under the Covid Relief
programs provide the public with an understanding of how states, including state educational agencies,
local educational agencies, or otherwise known as school districts. Institutions of higher education and
other education related entities are spending and planning, planning to spend historic levels of
emergency funding. Our office, S G R or the Office of State and Grantee Relations. But you'll hear, hear
me, refer to us as SS g r administers, ESSER, GEER, and EAMS, and we monitor grantees to ensure that
they comply with the reporting requirements. So, I'm going to talk a bit about the kind of data we collect
for these three programs, and I'll start with ESSER. So, for ESSER reporting, the SEA or State Educational
Agency is responsible for reporting on the activities and expenditures, both the actual and planned
expenditures at the state level or SEA level, as well as the activities and expenditures at the district level.

Speaker 3. 00:36:25 The school districts or LEAs don't submit data directly to us, the department, |
want to make sure that's clear. SCAs report on behalf of their LEAs, we're collecting data on state level
funds, or the SEA Reserve, as well as the mandatory LEA level subgrants, which includes specific
questions about the 20% LEA level mandatory set-aside under our SSAR that addresses learning loss very
generally. and | will walk you through in a few minutes how you can access the form. but very generally,
the data provide information on four categories of fund use, meeting students’ academic needs,
ensuring operational continuity, supporting mental health services, and addressing physical safety.
Within these four categories, the reports will detail the numbers of students served, total spending, and
over time how these investments support individuals, such student groups, including those most
impacted by the pandemic. And again, in a couple minutes, I'll touch on how you can find all the
Date: August 23, 2023
Title: 082323-848096-DeptofEducation-Grantee-EnglishTranscript

resources you need to report accurately, and | strongly encourage you to spend some time with those
resources.

Speaker 3 00:37:43 so let's talk about GEER reporting. So, the governor's offices, as Morgan already
noted, the governor's office is the grantee, and therefore the responsible party for reporting for the
GEER program. In some cases, the governor's office might delegate those duties to the SEA, but just want
to make clear that you can't delegate the responsibility to sub-grantees or other agencies. It's got to be
the, the prime grantee or the entity that has been delegated with the administrative responsibilities of
the program. For the program in general, we collect data on expenditures as well as planned
expenditures. the recipients of geared funding. So, we want to know, were they school districts, |Gs or
other education related entities, or some combination and information about how you determine these
entities were most impacted by the pandemic, and thus most in need of support. And again, the grantee
help page has a section for GEER as well as for SR and EANS. So, | can't say enough, how much, we
encourage you to take advantage of those resources.

Speaker 3 00:39:08 Okay. And let's talk about EANS. So, the emergency assistance to non-public
schools program or E NS as the grantee. Again, the governor's office is responsible for this collection, but
the SEA, as the administrator of the grant, would typically be responsible also for the data reporting
activities. at general, in general, we collect data on the non-public schools that received, services or, or
assistance, as well as the types of services or assistance provided to those schools. We also collect data
on contracts. So, if the SEA contracted with an entity, entity to provide services or assistance to the
schools, we collect data on that, on those contracts, contractors as well. And finally, and this is
important, as Morgan said, once E'S funds always E'S funds. So, it's through the E'S APR that you will
report on funds that revert to the governor's office for allowable uses under GEER. So once, as you know,
once the, once the SEA has, has provided all necessary services and assistance to non-public schools that
were eligible for them, then any remaining funds revert to the governor for allowable uses under GEER.
You report that information, through this data collection, the EAMS data collection.

Speaker 3 00:40:39 Let's talk about the timeline. So, the data collection will cover six years of
reporting, not including any liquidation extensions. We are generally collecting data in the spring and
data will be available in the fall or more likely winter for activities and expenditures that took place
during the previous fiscal year. So, data are due in the spring or early summer. The summer is used for
data quality checks and the reopening periods, or that's what we call, the time that it's to correct data
errors that the department identified. And | also want to point out that starting with the second-year
collection, the year two collection, we told grantees that they could use their state fiscal year. So, in the
first-year collection, you'll see that grantees were reporting on the federal fiscal year. but subsequently,
the most states use their state fiscal year.

Speaker 3 00:41:47 Okay, here's a more detailed look at the timeline and what we collect or have
collected. And when, as you can see in the table, there's a two-year span between when activities
happen in schools and classrooms, and when the data become available. So, for example, states for this
year, for year three, collection states reported on activities that happened during the 2122 school year in
the spring of 23, and the resulting reports will be published in the fall or winter of 23. Also, | want to
point out that beginning with year four of the programs, so the reporting period of f y or fiscal year 23
school year 22, 23, data collection will support more detailed information such as disaggregated student
Date: August 23, 2023
Title: 082323-848096-DeptofEducation-Grantee-EnglishTranscript

participation in ESSER funded programs, and also data on staff that were supported by ESSER funded
programs.

Speaker 3 00:42:49 for more information about that, the more detailed information that we're
collecting, you would go to the ESSER, help page, grantee help page. And on the data collection form,
you'll find that information in the appendix. | want to talk a little bit about the process now. So, SG R,
again, our office, we coordinate with the office of the chief data officer, also referred to as OCDO, as well
as contracted staff to support data collection activities. That includes the development of all the
resources on the grantee help page, help desk support during the collection periods of the review of the
data collected and ad hoc TA as needed. So, | think it's important to note that we work very closely
together, and this is a, a joint, department effort. you may have heard the term editor and submitter, so
we advise each grantee to have at least one editor and one submitter.

Speaker 3 00:44:03 The submitter also has the ability to edit, so that's good to know. submitters,
excuse me, submitters may designate editors in the system, so you don't need to help, reach out to the
help desk to add editors. The submitter has the capability to do that. But again, we really strongly
recommend that you have at least one editor and one submitter. And the submitter is ultimately the
person who will be charged with, you know, confirming yes, these are our data and they're correct to the
best of our abilities. We talked about timing already, but | want to point out that the collection periods
are generally staggered. So, for example, for the most recent collection, which was the third annual
report, the Esso collection closed before GEER and S opened, and the GEER and s collections closed a
week apart. So, we know that sometimes the same resources are dedicated to reporting for the different
collections.

Speaker 3 00:45:14 And so that's why we stagger the reporting periods. In addition, we offer a
correction or reopen period for isolated data quality issues. So, in the end, grantees end up having three
opportunities to get their reporting and their data correct. The first, the first opportunity is during the
initial collection period. The second opportunity is in the same year after the date have been reviewed,
and then there's the third time in the following year, if any errors, are identified in the subsequent years
reporting, we feel strongly that, the data we present to the public be as, as accurate and, reliable. So, we
do offer these opportunities for corrections of previous year data. And then finally, | just want to make
sure you're aware that communications around reporting will start in advance of the collection period,
and they will come from the ESSER GEER help desk. and | want you to know that we s g R, we work
closely with the APR team to review these communications to develop them. And, so, you know, we
don't want you to feel like there’s any disconnect because there isn't.

Speaker 3 00:46:44 Okay, let's go now and talk about the resources. So, Melissa, if you have, well
before we, before we, go to the portal, on this page, you can see that there are links to the help pages.
and here's just a list of some of the items that you might find on this help desk page, on the help page.
So, there's instructions on how to obtain an account. There are recorded webinars from pastors
collections, there's a fact sheet on Uls, which is important, FAQs or frequently asked questions on
reporting the actual data collection forms for each of the programs, and then the reporting templates
that you, you'll use.

Speaker 3 00:47:46 So, Melissa, if you don't mind navigating to the transparency portal. as you can
see, this is, hopefully everybody has seen this portal. Morgan referred to it earlier. This is, where the
public goes to get information about our grantees spending the sub-awards, show up here under your
Date: August 23, 2023
Title: 082323-848096-DeptofEducation-Grantee-EnglishTranscript

state. And it's where the, in your performance report data, are, are displayed as well under each state.
So, if you scroll down to the bottom, you can see that there's a link to, where it says grantee help. And if
you click on that link, you'll see up at the top. Well first on the page, there's information about the
schedule and, then there's some information about user accounts. So how do you get your account?
There's a fact sheet on Uls that | referenced. and if you go to the top where it says ESSER, there's buttons
for ESSER, GEER, and Eames.

Speaker 3 00:48:57 those first three buttons are the three that you'll be most interested in. So, if you
click on the ESSER link, you'll see that we have resources from years one, two, and three. And if you click
on the year three resources, which is the most recent year of reporting, that's where you will find, on the
far left, you'll see a button for definitions and FAQs, that, that first P D F is the data collection form. We
also summarized, changes from the 2221 to 22 reporting, what the expectations are that that was a
letter that was sent out to all grantees, the templates, there's a data dictionary and, | won't read through
all of them. There's also an annotated form. So, the annotated form includes comments that, hopefully,
are helpful in providing your assistance in navigating and also the checklist. | do want to point out, make
that aware, make you aware of the checklist. That’s a really good resource to ensure that you're
prepared. So, we won't go through each program, individually, but | strongly, strongly encourage you to
do that yourselves for the each of the ESSER, for each of the programs, ESSER, GEER needs. Thank you,
Melissa.

Speaker 3 00:50:35 So if we go back to the slides now, | just wanted to point out a few tips or
suggested suggestions that we want to encourage you to consider, so that you are successful. So first,
please, please review the data collection forms well in advance of the reporting windows. and, you know,
backing it up well in advance, of your window for collecting from your grantees, I'm sorry, your sub-
grantees please plan to attend the webinars I'm reporting. So, we hold them every year. But if you can't
attend, then we, we share the reporting and we, really suggest that you review those recordings. Start
early with collecting data from sub-grantees so that you have the opportunity to check for validity and
ensure that the data are logical and consistent. We have received data that aren't consistent from year
to year, where the number of F TE, for example, changed dramatically.

Speaker 3 00:51:48 and so in, in, in ways that aren't logical. So again, please, please, check the data
that you're receiving from your sub-grantee before you submit it to the department. And then lastly, at
least on this slide, make sure that all the grad subs have UEls, and that's how we can track data from
year to year. Also use the template upload tool, completed retort reporting templates can be checked for
compliance with the business rules. Review reporting resources that are available for each program, |
can't say that enough. Review the prior year data to make sure it's accurate. And remember that the
current year reporting will include questions on expenditure that took place during the prior year
reporting previously reported data are available for review once you have logged into the system. And
then finally, there is a help desk. So, the ER's help desk is an avail, excuse me, is available to you. So,
reach out if you have questions and copy or state mailbox if you're not sure if it's a help desk question or
a program officer question.

Speaker 3 00:53:09 So, with that, | just want to sincerely thank you for your time and attention to the
reporting requirements under the ASGI and S programs. We take this requirement very seriously. There
is, as I'm sure you're well aware, a lot of interest in these programs from Congress, from the public, from
the press. And so, we work very hard to ensure that the data we provide is accurate and reliable. So, at
Date: August 23, 2023
Title: 082323-848096-DeptofEducation-Grantee-EnglishTranscript

this point, we will now take any questions that you have regarding either the FFATA or the A U P R in your
performance report requirements.

SpeakerO 00:53:54 If you'd like to ask a question, you can go ahead and use the raise hand icon, and |
will unmute your line and you can also continue to ask your questions in the chat. This time | didn't, I'd
see one hand raised your line's unmuted. You can go ahead and ask your question. | think they lowered
their hand.

Speaker5 00:54:23 | have a question in the chat, that was asked earlier and is | think being asked
again. and we needed, clarification on what was meant by a sub-award is reported in one month, but
then the award is reversed and reentered with the same amount under a different sub-award in the
following month. If you could clarify, do you mean that it was accidentally reported in the first month or
that you deli delivered the sub-award, then we can hopefully give you an answer to that question.

SpeakerO 00:55:23 Once again, if you need to ask a question or make a comment, you can press the
raise hand icon at the bottom of the screen. | will unmute your line.

Speaker 1 00:55:34 Do you have a question in the chat, that says, are we able to include
administrative costs in the APR report?

Speaker5 00:55:48 Just

Speaker 3 00:55:48 Answered that in the chat. The in your performance reports include data
elements or questions. | would encourage you,

Speaker5 00:56:03
SpeakerO 00:56:12 Brett, were use losing your audio.

Speaker5 00:56:16 Sorry, alll believe, Britt answered that question about administrative costs in the
chat, and | believe she was saying that the administrative costs are collected in the APR. The question
about whether the recording would be available afterwards, will the questions and answers provided in
the chat be provided to us in a follow-up email or reference? The recording will be available, and the
PowerPoint will be posted on our website.

SpeakerO 00:58:06 | doseeahand raise, so let me go ahead and unmute. You can go ahead and ask
your question.

Speaker 6 00:58:11 My question was, | saw in the chat that you said that the year four, reporting for
ESSER stuff would be, put out as soon as possible. | was just wondering if you had kind of a, a more
direct answer to that. Like, is it going to be before the end of the year or is it going to be closer to spring
when it's due?

Speaker5 00:59:11 we don't have aan exact date for you at this time, but we will share the
templates as soon as possible.

SpeakerO 01:00:01 Once again, click the raise hand icon if you'd like to ask a question. You may also
type your question into the chat call your line's unmuted. Please go ahead and make sure your phone is
not muted. Okay, we couldn't hear that caller. You can go ahead and type your question.
Date: August 23, 2023
Title: 082323-848096-DeptofEducation-Grantee-EnglishTranscript

Speaker 3 01:01:12 somebody asked if we were some, excuse me, there's a question in the chat. Did
we expect anything new? With regard to, in addition to what's in the appendix of the collection form, |
would just say we actually anticipate sending out some additional guidance. a few grantees have asked
us questions about, some of those new questions that will be turned on next year. So, we anticipate
sending out additional guidance very soon, on those questions. And, and again, if you have any specific
questions, please reach out to the help desk. See one more question in the chat. So, the question is, as
our sub-recipients are allowed to cover expenses dating back

Speaker 1 01:02:18 To the start of the pandemic, we suspect we will have changes to make to year
one and year two or year, year one and two, and data in year four, how do we best go about making
these corrections?

Speaker 7 01:02:55 Allright, thanks for that question. At this time, we don't have any plans to have
additional year one and year two correction periods next year. If you know that there were issues with
the year one or year two report, like expenditures that have been cost us or have changed, you should
just make your most current report, as accurate as possible, with those changes in mind. But we do not
plan to have additional year one and year two reopens next year.

Speaker 1 01:03:29 And we have one final question we'll take before we wrap, and that is, should the
year two report reflect what will be entered into the year three report, we have updates to make in both
reports.

Speaker 7 01:03:42 Thanks for that question, Caden. that really depends on your specific, report and,
what, exactly, you're, you're speaking about. | would definitely just recommend that you reach out to the
APR reporting help desk with that question and with the specifications of your question. And they'll be
able to, they'll be able to answer it, for you. They'll be able to pull up the data that has been entered and
guide you through, completing the year three corrections.

Speaker 1 01:04:20 Great, thank you for that Christopher. And with that, we're going to go ahead and
close out today's webinar on FFATA and annual performance reporting. We'd like to thank you for joining
us today and just a reminder that we will be posting this webinar along with the PowerPoint slides to our
website in the coming weeks. So, keep your eyes posted for that. And as always, if you need any
additional information or assistance, please feel free to reach out to your program officers. So, thanks to
all of you for your attention and your attendance today, and we'll see you next time.

SpeakerO 01:04:57 Thank you for joining today's call. And thank you for using event services. Your
call has ended, and you may disconnect.


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