October 12, 2010
Dear County and District Superintendents and Direct-Funded Charter School Administrators:
AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT OF 2009, TITLE I, PART A
2009 APPLICATION FOR FUNDING
This letter provides information related to the completion of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 Title I, Part A Application for supplemental funds. ARRA Title I, Part A funds provide assistance to local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools that have high concentrations of students from families that live in poverty in order to help improve teaching and learning for students most at risk of failing to meet state standards.
The California Department of Education (CDE) is required by federal law to collect information on the intent of each LEA to participate in the ARRA Title I, Part A program. The purpose of the LEA Application for ARRA Title I, Part A funds is for the LEA to submit to the state educational agency information about the LEA’s use of the ARRA Title I, Part A reservations, and to report distribution of ARRA Title I, Part A funds to Title I schools in the LEA.
You can find information about the ARRA Title I, Part A Application, legal assurances, and instructions for electronic completion and submission, on the CDE Title I, Part A Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/sw/t1/titleparta.asp. The electronic ARRA Title I, Part A Application is due by November 12, 2010.
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Title I, Part A Application–Electronic Access and Submission
The ARRA Title I, Part A Application is accessible electronically by creating a California Accountability and Improvement System (CAIS) account on the WestEd CAIS Web page at http://64.147.175.16/tracker/Security/Acceptinvitation.aspx
[Note, the preceding link is no longer valid.], and
entering invitation code . Information on how to log into the CAIS system is provided in Enclosure 1. Once logged into CAIS, instructions for completing and submitting the ARRA Title I, Part A Application are provided in the ARRA Application instrument. The ARRA Title I, Part A Application is provided in Microsoft Office Excel 2003 format. 
The user account created with a unique password certifies that the LEA has read and agrees to the conditions set forth in the legal assurances and that all required signatures have been obtained, are on file in the LEA office, and will be available to the CDE upon request.
If you have questions related to the ARRA Title I, Part A Application, please contact the Regional Coordination and Support Office by phone at 916-319-0833 or by e-mail at RCSO@cde.ca.gov.
All ARRA Title I, Part A Applications must be submitted electronically through the CAIS. Paper copies of the ARRA Title I, Part A Application will not be accepted. Any subsequent revisions to the ARRA Title I, Part A Application must also be submitted
electronically through the CAIS. However, LEAs are required to retain this document with original signatures required on Page 1 to certify compliance with all laws and regulations related to the ARRA Title I, Part A program. These original documents must be kept on file at the LEA and be available during a compliance review, complaint investigation, or an audit. It is not necessary to mail or fax this page to the CDE unless requested. The electronic ARRA Title I, Part A Application is due by November 12, 2010.
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Title I, Part A Participation
Page 1 of the Application declares that the LEA, authorized by the local governing board, has accepted Title I, Part A funds as indicated in the 2009–10 Consolidated Application, Part I. In order to receive ARRA Title I, Part A funding, the LEA must select “Yes” in the box indicating the LEA chooses to accept ARRA Title I, Part A funding.
Legal Assurances
You can find the legal assurances for ARRA Title I, Part A programs on the CDE Request for Applications (RFA) Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/fo/r5/ca09rfa.asp. [Note, the preceding link is no longer valid.] These are the same assurances as for the regular Title I, Part A programs that are agreed to when submitting the Consolidated Application.
Local Educational Agency Plan
As a condition of receiving ARRA Title I, Part A funds, each LEA and direct-funded charter school must have an LEA Plan approved by the State Board of Education. The ARRA Title I, Part A Application is one of the fiscal companions to the LEA Plan. Each LEA is required to periodically review and, as necessary, revise its LEA Plan (Elementary and Secondary Education Act [ESEA] Section 1112[d][3]). In California, “periodically review” is interpreted as annually. The use of ARRA funds must be explicitly described in the revised LEA Plan. Any revisions should be approved by the local school
board and kept on file with the original LEA Plan. LEA Plans are subject to review at any time by the CDE. You can find information about LEA Plans on the CDE LEA Plan Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/nclb/sr/le/. If you have any questions regarding LEA Plans, please contact Cheryl Tiner, Education Research and Evaluation Assistant, District and School Improvement Division, by phone at 916-319-0414 or by e-mail at ctiner@cde.ca.gov.
If you have any questions regarding this subject, please contact Richard Graham, Education Programs Consultant, Regional Coordination and Support Office, by phone at 916-319-0303 or by e-mail at rgraham@cde.ca.gov.
Sincerely,
JACK O’CONNELL
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Enclosure - http://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/el/le/documents/yr10ltr1012enc.doc
1430 N Street
Sacramento, CA 95814