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The following are items of interest for NMASBO members from the School Budget and Finance Analysis Bureau (SBFAB):
Everyone should be finalizing submittal of a BAR related to the solvency reductions from the special session to the FY17 categorical appropriations (instructional materials and transportation) PED. Notification of impacts to the FY17 SEG was sent via email on January 4th. The SEG reduction will be made equally to remaining monthly SEG payments.
Elements of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, or the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act) require the state and local education agencies to report per-pupil expenditures of federal, state and local funds, by LEA and school. Though our current system and chart of accounts allows compliance with many of the new requirements, our current financial reports do not require LEA’s to track or produce actual expenditures by school site. Over the remaining months of FY17, SBFAB, in concert with the Title I Bureau, will be exploring implementation options, soliciting input from stakeholders and issuing guidance in order to comply with the new requirements for year-end expenditures by school site. The end output will be a uniform statewide procedure for calculating per-pupil expenditures that conforms to federal law.
SBFAB is considering changes to the FY18 Operating Budget submittal process to comply with state law and provide better information for the users of Operating Budget data. Among the items to be considered are: uniform job coding of charter school head administrator FTE’s; a narrative regarding how your school district or charter school is prioritizing resources of public schools rated D or F toward proven programs and methods that are linked to improved student achievement; and a revision to the technical budget review process to include a questionnaire. We want you to be aware of some of these changes prior to Operating Budget development.
Thank you for all you do for our public schools. As always, if you have any questions, comments or concerns please contact your PED budget analyst.
Some staff will be attending the 2017 Winter Conference so please contact your budget analyst to see if you are both attending so you can arrange to meet.