FY 2018–19 GMART CSI LEA Reporting Instructions

Fiscal Reporting Tips

• Expenditure fields require data entry and cannot be left blank. Enter “0” as the amount where there are no actual expenditures. If “0” is not entered in the appropriate field, an error message will appear. Error messages must be addressed before a report can be successfully submitted in the GMART.
  
  
• The dollar amounts on all pages can be entered numerically with a decimal point denoting cents, as well as with symbols such as dollar signs ($) and commas (,) when entered in the correct position.
  
  
• Negative amounts are not allowed.
  
  
• The following are acceptable formats for an amount:
  
  
  • $123456.78
    
    
  • $123,456.78
    
    
  • 123456.78
    
    
  • 123,456.78

• The GMART is designed to use the latest available Indirect Cost Rate (ICR).

The GMART Pages

Logon

User names and passwords are emailed to LEA Superintendents. Passwords are case-sensitive and cannot be reset or changed by the LEA. If more than three attempts to log on have been made within one hour, the user will be locked out of the system and an automated email notification will be sent to the School Improvement and Support Office (SISO) mailbox for support. Once the account is unlocked, the LEA’s three contacts, listed under the LEA Contact Information tab, will receive two emails containing the LEA’s logon credentials.

Contact the SISO by phone at 916-319-0833 or by email at SISO@cde.ca.gov for assistance.

CSI LEA Fiscal Information Web Page (Select Funding Year)

The CSI LEA Fiscal Information web page displays the different years of funding for the ESSA CSI LEA grant. Future years will be added to this page once school eligibility has been determined. Grant years will be labeled “Fiscal Year 2018–19,” “Fiscal Year 2019–20,” and so forth.

Funding Application

The LEA has access to submit and view its funding application. However, once its funding application has been approved, the LEA can no longer edit its application. Approved funding applications can only be viewed as reference documents.

California Department of Education (CDE) Contact Information

This page displays contact information for the SISO office. When calling, reference the ESSA CSI LEA grant in order to be directed to CDE staff for assistance.

LEA Contact Information

This page displays grant coordinator information reported by the LEA and must be updated by the LEA in the GMART. This information will be used to send updates and notifications pertaining to the ESSA CSI LEA grant. The LEA Contact Information page requires the following information for the Primary Grant Coordinator, Secondary Grant Coordinator, and Fiscal Coordinator:

• Name
• Title
• Phone Number
• Extension (optional)
• Email Address
• Fax (optional)

Grant Management Reports

This page is used to revise Funding Plans and submit expenditure data at the end of each performance period.

Allocations

Displayed at the top of the Reports page is the LEA’s allocation amount. Depending on the grant performance period timeline, this amount could include the Preliminary Allocation, Revised Allocation, Final Allocation, or it may have just one of the named allocations displayed. The current allocation amount appears at the far right of the table. The current allocation amount matches the column labeled as “Active” in the funding plan.

Funding Plan

The Funding Plan table lists the LEA and school name(s) in each row and includes columns listing the allocation amounts. There can be up to three funding columns labeled the Preliminary Funding Amount, Revised Funding Amount, and Final Funding Amount. Each column will be designated either “Closed” or “Active.” All allocation amounts that are no longer the current allocation are labeled as “Closed. The LEA can only revise the “Active” column, and the “Active” column total must match the corresponding current allocation column of the LEA Allocation table.

• For example, if the “Revised LEA Allocation” Funding Plan column is labeled as “Active,” then the total distribution must match the Revised Allocation in the allocations table.
  
  
• If the LEA changes its Funding Plan, the LEA must provide a justification for all Funding Plan changes in the justification text box below the Funding Plan table.
  
  
  • Justification Example: School A’s allocation was reduced by $25,000 due to contract savings for capacity-focused leadership coaching. School B was increased by $25,000 to include contracted services for coaching, modeling, observations, and feedback cycles designed to build the coaching capacity of site-based coaches.

CSI Plan Approval/Adoption Information

The CSI Plan Approval/Adoption Information table display is required for Report 2. This table displays the school name(s) for each row and includes columns displaying the Type of CSI Plan, CSI Plan Approval/Adoption or Scheduled Approval/Adoption Date by “School” and “LEA”, and CSI Plan Justification by “School” and “LEA”. To add or edit an entry to the table, the LEA must select and enter the following from the CSI Plan Approval/Adoption Data Entry:

• Select the school eligible for CSI from the drop down list.
  
  
• For the school selected, select the type of CSI Plan that was developed for the fiscal year. The options include the SPSA or the LCAP (for single school districts and charter schools, as applicable).
  
  
• Select the Approval/Adoption Date or Scheduled Approval/Adoption Date.
  
  
• Enter the date the CSI Plan was or will be approved/adopted by the School:
  
  
  • If the Scheduled Approval/Adoption Date was selected, the LEA must provide a justification in the justification text box indicating why the CSI plan has not yet been approved/adopted.
    
    
• Enter the date the CSI Plan was or will be approved/adopted by the LEA:
  
  
  • If the Scheduled Approval/Adoption Date was selected, the LEA must provide a justification in the justification text box indicating why the CSI plan has not yet been approved/adopted.
    
    
• Select the “Save” button to populate the school CSI Plan Requirements data to the table.
  
  

The CSI Plan Approval/Adoption Information table will display an error message if the GMART determines that there are inconsistencies with the proposed submissions. The report cannot be submitted until the errors have been resolved and all school CSI Plan Requirements data have been entered.

Expenditure Reports

The Expenditure Report table displays all reporting periods: Reports 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and the Final Report. However, the LEA will only be able to edit the current reporting period; prior and future reports will not be accessible. The LEA must report expenditures by major object code for all sites combined at the end of each performance period.

• Beginning with Report 6, LEAs may claim part or all of the maximum allowed indirect costs, based on reported expenditures to date (including from past reports). Previously, LEAs could only claim indirect costs based on reported expenditures for that specific reporting period.
  
  
• The Expenditure Description column is used to describe the actual expenditures for each major object code. Expenditure Descriptions must include the required detail as indicated on the CDE Guidance for Writing Expenditure Descriptions web page.
  
  
• The Expenditure Report table will display error messages if the GMART determines there are inconsistencies with the proposed submission. The fiscal report cannot be submitted until the errors have been resolved.
  
  
• The Remarks text box below the Expenditure Report table is optional and can be used to provide additional information or answer clarifying questions about the expenditure data from the CDE.
  
  
• Once all expenditures and expenditure descriptions have been entered, select the “Submit Report” button to notify the CDE that the report has been submitted. The LEA will receive an automated message that the report has been submitted.
  
  
• The CDE will review the report and provide notification by email if the report is approved or requires revisions. If a report requires revisions, select the “Show Report Submission and Review History” button to determine why the report requires revisions and the actions the LEA must take in order to correct and resubmit the report. A report that requires revisions will be accessible in the GMART for revisions and resubmissions.
  
  
• The “Show Report Submission and Review History” button displays the history of all submissions, feedback, and CDE approvals.
  
  
• The "Export Report to Excel" button downloads the data into a Microsoft Excel file format. The file can be opened to view or saved for future reference. The file name is "ESSALEAReportDataExport.xls.

Federal Reports

The LEA is required to report fiscal data under the Federal Reports tab in the GMART in accordance with ESSA, Section 1003(i) for the school improvement funds it received under ESSA, Section 1003(a). Reporting of the required federal data will be based on the Federal Reporting Timelines.

For each assigned grant period, the LEA will be required to provide the following information:

• The amount of funds each CSI-eligible school received, and
• The types of strategies implemented in each school with such funds.

To add or edit an entry into the table, the LEA must enter the school-level amounts received and the types of strategies implemented with ESSA CSI funds.

The following are some examples of strategies from the United States Department of Education that may be implemented in schools eligible for CSI:

• Increasing access to effective teachers or adopting incentives to recruit and retain effective teachers
  
  
• Increasing or redesigning instructional time implementing interventions based on data from early warning indicator systems
  
  
• Reorganizing the school to implement a new instructional model
  
  
• Implementing strategies designed to increase diversity by attracting and retaining students from varying socioeconomic backgrounds
  
  
• Replacing school leadership with leaders who are trained for or have a record of success in low-performing schools
  
  
• In the case of an elementary school, increasing access to high-quality preschool
  
  
• Changing school governance
  
  

The “Show Report Submission and Review History” button displays the history of all submissions, feedback, and CDE approvals. Once all prompts have been completed, select the “Submit Report” button to notify the CDE that the report has been submitted. The LEA will receive an automated message that the report has been submitted.

Report History

The Report History tab provides a running record of the LEA’s report submission history, the Budget Summary Narrative, the CDE’s review and approval history, the Justification for Funding Plan changes, and any remarks from the LEA or CDE. LEAs may use the drop-down menu to view a specific Grant Management Report Submission.

GMART Requests

LEAs may use this tab to revise a previously submitted and approved grant management report or ask a question. LEAs will be prompted to select one of these two options from a drop-down menu.

Revise a Previously Submitted Report

The LEA will be able to select the report that needs to be revised from the drop-down menu. Only past reports that have been submitted and approved by the CDE will be selectable as options.

The LEA will be further prompted to select one of three reasons for revision:

1. Funding plan adjustment,
2. Revise expenditures and/or indirect costs, or
3. Revision due to Federal Program Monitoring (FPM) findings

The LEA will also need to include a detailed justification in the text box provided as well as the first and last name of the person submitting the request. The LEA will then be able to revise the requested report as needed and resubmit it for approval.

Note: The CDE does not have authority to allocate funds past the subgrant end date; therefore, requests to increase reported expenditures after the subgrant ends will not be approved. Revising past reports may result in the CDE initiating the billing process to recover overpaid funds.

Ask a Question

LEAs will be required to select one of the following topics from the drop-down menu:

• Use of Funds
• Reporting Timeline
• Reporting Requirements/Subgrant Closeout
• Budgeting
• CSI Plan/CSI Prompts
• Billing Information/Returning CSI Funds
• GMART
• FPM Findings
• Federal Reporting

Specific details related to the inquiry should be placed in the provided textbox. LEAs may also indicate whether it would prefer a phone call or emailed correspondence in response.

Request History

LEAs may use this feature to view a table of all submitted and approved requests.