Title I, Part A Closeout

The General Education Provisions Act Section 421(b)(1) and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as reauthorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Section 1127(a), state any Title I funds received, which are not obligated and expended by the local educational agency (LEA) within the current fiscal year (FY), shall remain available for obligation and expenditure for one additional FY. All remaining funds not expended or obligated by September 30 of the succeeding FY shall be returned to the California Department of Education (CDE).

The federal requirements found in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance cited within Title 2, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 200.16. Closeout is the process by which the CDE determines that all applicable administrative actions and all required work of the Federal award have been completed for the allocation year.

Closeout Report and Invoicing

The LEA will complete the Title I, Part A Closeout Report in the Consolidated Application and Reporting System (CARS/ConApp) during the winter release each year.

FY 2023–24 Title I, Part A LEA Closeout Report

The LEA that reported carryover during FY 2023–24 must report expenditures and obligations related to that carryover to confirm that all FY 2022–23 Title I, Part A funds (including funds for nonprofit private school equitable services proportional share, parent and family engagement, local neglected and/or delinquent institutions, and direct and indirect services to homeless students) were expended by September 30, 2025.

Obligated funds must be liquidated within the 90-day period following September 30.

Invoicing for Unspent Funds

After the close of the 2025–26 CARS Winter Release, the CDE will invoice LEAs with remaining FY 2023–24 carryover funds reported as unspent, as of September 30, 2025, in the 2023–24 Title I, Part A LEA Closeout Report.

Resources

CARS
Instructions for completing forms in the CARS/ConApp are available under the sub-section titled “Training and User Documents” on the web page.

Title I, Part A Carryover and Waiver
Information includes the period of availability of Title I, Part A funds, the carryover limitation (15 percent), waiver of the carryover limitation, eligibility, and timeline, allocating carryover funds, and how LEAs apply for a carryover waiver.

CFR
National Archives website guidance on CFR.

ESSA
U.S. Department of Education (ED) guidance on ESSA.

LEA Identification and Selection of School Attendance Areas and Schools and Allocation of Title I Funds to Those Areas and Schools (DOC)
ED non-regulatory guidance outlining how LEAs identify eligible Title I school attendance areas and schools and allocate funds to those attendance areas and schools.

Title I Fiscal Issues: Maintenance of Effort Comparability Supplement, not Supplant Carryover Consolidating Funds in Schoolwide Programs Grantback Requirements (PDF)
ED non-regulatory guidance updating section E of the Title I fiscal issues guidance released in May 2006 addressing consolidating funds in schoolwide programs.

Fiscal Changes and Equitable Services Requirements Under the ESSA (PDF)
ED non-regulatory guidance changes made by the ESSA to the State formula-grant programs.