October 29, 2007
Dear County Superintendents of Schools, Auditors, and Treasurers:
REVISED NOTICE OF THE SECOND APPORTIONMENT FOR
THE ARTS AND MUSIC BLOCK GRANT
FISCAL YEAR 2006-07
This apportionment, in the amount of $21,040,573, supersedes the apportionment dated October 5, 2007, in the amount of $21,037,712 in support of the Arts and Music Block Grant. This apportionment reflects minor, technical revisions to eliminate negative allocations to a small number of local educational agencies (LEAs). This revised apportionment is made from funds provided in Item 6110-265-0001 of the Budget Act of 2006 (Chapters 47 and 48, Statutes of 2006).
Final entitlements for each local educational agency (LEA) are based on a rate of $16.00 per pupil enrolled in kindergarten and grades one through twelve as reported in the October 2006 enrollment collection, with minimum funding of $2,500 for school sites with 20 or fewer students and $4,000 for school sites with more than 20 students.
The amount paid in this apportionment reflects 95 percent of each LEA’s final entitlement less funds previously paid. To view the schedule of apportionment showing, by county, the payment to each county office, school district, and direct-funded charter school, as well as other data used in the apportionment calculations, please visit the California Department of Education’s Categorical Programs Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/ca. LEAs should expect to receive the remaining 5 percent balance of their entitlements in December 2007.
Funds are allocated to LEAs to be used as provided in budget act language to support standards aligned instruction in arts and music (i.e. visual and performing arts); and specifically for: (1) hiring of additional staff; (2) purchase of new materials, books, supplies, and equipment; and (3) implementing or increasing staff development opportunities. These funds are ongoing and are to supplement, not supplant, existing resources for visual and performing arts.
The budget act language does not prescribe the manner in which LEAs are to allocate the funds within the LEA. Additionally, there is no deadline on the expenditure of these funds and therefore funds may be carried over to a future fiscal year. LEAs may bring together teachers, school site administrators, district level administrators, parents and students to collaborate on assessing needs and developing a local plan that will support high quality instruction in the visual and performing arts.
Charter schools are eligible for these funds. The schedule of apportionment identifies the amount for direct-funded charter schools separate from the district or county amount. Funding associated with all other charter schools is included in the district or county amount. Charter schools that are new in the 2006-07 fiscal received 95 percent of their entitlement in this apportionment.
Warrants will be mailed to county treasurers approximately four weeks from the date of this Notice. For standardized account code structure coding, use Resource Code 6760, Arts and Music Block Grant, and Revenue Object Code 8590, All Other State Revenue. County superintendents of schools are requested to inform LEAs immediately of this apportionment.
If you have any questions concerning the program or expenditure of funds, please contact Nancy Carr, Visual and Performing Arts Consultant, Curriculum Leadership Unit, at (916) 445-5669 or by e-mail at ncarr@cde.ca.gov. If you have any questions regarding this apportionment, please contact Elizabeth Dearstyne, Fiscal Consultant, Categorical Programs Unit, at (916) 322-0494 or by e-mail at edearstyne@cde.ca.gov.
Sincerely,
Susan Lange, Deputy Superintendent
Finance, Technology, and Administration Branch
1430 N Street
Sacramento, CA 95814