State apportionment and Federal grant revenues are passed through by the SELPA to our partners throughout the year. The tabs below provide access to cash flow, budgeting, forecasting and federal grant reporting details.
The SELPA monitors special education funding data throughout the year and issues budget advice for state and federal revenue based on tracking and analyzing this data. Projected cash flow is determined based on this budget advice, and is updated at each certification or expenditure reporting period. Current budget advice appears below. Click on the links to the right for the most current cash flow schedules.
Current Budget Advice (rates are shown prior to admin fee/set aside).
Sound charter school budgeting and fiscal management are more critical than they have ever been. The special education budget is a dynamic component of a charter school’s overall school budget, given the variability in expenditures the program can introduce from year to year and associated fiscal compliance requirements. The resources here will assist your program/business team establish reliable budgeting and financial management practices.
Unlike state special education revenue apportionments, the cash flow from which is based on a predetermined schedule, federal revenues require expenditure reporting, The SELPA calls for federal expenditure reports three times during the year in order to facilitate regular federal cash flow. Expenditure reports are submitted using the online Fiscal Portal.
The governance body in a SELPA establishes the SELPA’s allocation plan. The El Dorado Charter SELPA’s allocation plan represents over a decade of CEO Council decisions about how best to distribute to partners Special Education funds received by the SELPA.
The resources below summarize guidance published by the federal Office of Special Education (OSEP) regarding allowable expenditures for IDEA funds, and coordinated early intervening services (CEIS). Although, California has not published similar guidance, any expenditure that can be related back to a student’s IEP is generally considered an allowable use of state special education funding.
The online Fiscal Portal is your one-stop shop for all SELPA fiscal reporting and related data submissions.
Electronic receipt of funds offers safety and more timely receipt of payments vs. paper checks. We strongly encourage joining our direct deposit program. Follow the link below to the Fiscal Portal for ACH registration.
Details on the Special Education revenue payments sent to SELPA partners are available here.
While a detailed list of all SELPA fiscal due dates and activities is available at the bottom of this web page in our dynamic calendar, this at-a-glance yearly calendar is a handy desk reference.
Following is a graphical overview of the yearly fiscal cycle as well as detailed graphics for specific fiscal reports.
Each month (beginning in June 2017), a newsletter-style Fiscal Update e-mail is published. You may read the most recent editions by following the links below. If you would like to be placed on the mailing list, click the subscription link and let us know.
Now more than ever, meeting your students’ mental health needs is critical. California’s K-12 budget provides state and federal mental health revenue to fund these supports. The 2020-21 state budget afforded greater flexibility for using state mental health dollars. Previously restricted to direct mental health services for students with IEPs, mental health services, including behavioral services, to all students are now authorized expenditures for state mental health revenue. Eligible expenditures for federal mental health revenue were unaffected by this budget provision and are still restricted to identified students with disabilities.
All LEAs in the state are now directly funded for both state and Federal ERMHS revenue. In previous years, this revenue stream passed through the SELPA
The SELPA operates a reimbursement pool to help defray the cost of more intensive student placements. The pool reimburses a percentage of eligible expenditures for approved non-public school and residential placements and approved site-based therapeutic programs. The pool is funded with an annual per-ADA contribution from all partners withheld from state base funding. This contribution also funds CPI behavior training and certification for partners and daily mental health program support.
Each year, Out of Home Care funding provides a flat dollar amount per foster youth in the SELPA. This funding is directed to the NPS/RTS/SBT Reimbursement Pool in order to reduce the required per-ADA contribution from partners.
All ERMHS-related uploads and reports may be completed through the fiscal portal.
For access to Level 3 ERMHS funding, a master contract for each service provider must be filed with the SELPA, and an individual services contract (ISA) for each student receiving services must also be filed.
Detail on the Mental Health (ERMHS) revenue payments distributed is contained in the payment data below.
Below are resources designed to support your mental health program.
In addition to state & federal base special education funding and ERMHS funding, Low Incidence funding is available on a reimbursement basis. New partners may access the cash advance program if cash flow is an issue. From time to time, other funding is made available and details will be posted here.
As a result of the state apportionment process, new Charter SELPA partners will not generate state special education funding until February of their first fiscal year with the SELPA. Although CDE delays funding, a charter school operating as an independent LEA for Special Education is still responsible for providing special education services to students. To mitigate this delay in funding, El Dorado Charter SELPA has available a low-interest cash advance to charters new to the SELPA.
Partners may apply for low incidence reimbursement to help cover the costs associated with providing material and/or services to students identified with low incidence disabilities.
This one-time special education revenue approved in the 2021-22 state budget is to fund learning recovery support to pupils associated with impacts to learning due to school disruptions stemming from the pandemic, defined as the period from March 13, 2020, to September 1, 2021, inclusive. Consult the resources at right for further information.
This one-time special education funding stream approved in the 2021-22 state budget is to fund dispute prevention and voluntary alternative dispute resolution activities aimed at preventing and resolving special education disputes resulting from school disruptions stemming from the pandemic, defined as the period from March 13, 2020, to September 1, 2021, inclusive. Consult the resources at right for further information.
LEAs arrange for a provider if a student needs mental health services or substance abuse counseling. If a student’s family has no health coverage, they receive information about coverage under Medi-Cal. Medi-Cal’s SMAA Program reimburses for these activities, which are likely happening in your charter school already. By participating in the SMAA Program, your school could benefit from the reimbursement for these activities. The Charter SELPA has partnered with the Sutter COE to facilitate access to these reimbursements for member LEAs. See the flyer below for more information.
The close of each school year brings a flurry of activity at a time when attention spans are short but the need for focus and accuracy is acute.
The year end planning resources offered at right should help partners prepare and execute the required end of year processes.
One of the federal grant requirements is that federal revenue may supplement, but not supplant, revenue from state and local sources. In general, federal Maintenance of Effort (MOE) compliance requires an LEA receiving federal funds to spend the same amount from state and local sources each year prior to spending federal special education revenue. The Charter SELPA offers ongoing training and resource guides to assist Charters in meeting MOE testing. The required expenditure information to conduct this testing is submitted via the Fiscal Portal.
Another element of the “supplement but not supplant” requirement for receipt of federal revenue is the Excess Cost calculation. Federal revenue may only pay for the excess costs of providing special Education and related services. Excess costs for special Education are those costs for the education of a student identified with a disability that are in excess of the average spent to educate a general education student. The Business Services Team performs the Excess Cost calculation on behalf of each member LEA to ensure compliance with this requirement.
For Organization Partners in the SELPA, income reallocation from one LEA member to another can assist with passing MOE compliance testing, managing unspent funds among the LEA network, and equalizing local contributions.
The definitions and instructions for both the MOE pre-test and the year-end MOE are identical. You may access them here.
This handy guide will help you navigate the year end process.
The resources below summarize guidance published by the federal Office of Special Education (OSEP) regarding allowable expenditures for IDEA funds, and coordinated early intervening services (CEIS).
The close of each school year brings a flurry of activity at a time when attention spans are short but the need for focus and accuracy is acute.
The business side of special education in California is unique. These virtual, half-day workshops are designed to prepare special education program/business teams for the new school year. For convenience, two SpEd Business 101 workshops are held during the summer. The two sessions cover the same content. The agenda:
This workshop is an excellent educational opportunity for first-year SELPA partners, new members of your internal and/or outsourced school program/business team, as well as any program or business contributor wanting to build an understanding of SELPA fiscal processes. The presentation materials are posted on our website following the final workshop.
Building special education program capacity requires teamwork between a school’s business and program staff. Program informs business; business enables program. The Charter SELPA’s Program/Business Buzz Sessions allow your school’s team to sign up for 30-minute, one-on-one conversations via the web with the Charter SELPA’s program and fiscal directors. Input on your idea for taking the next step in building special education capacity? A review of SELPA procedures related to a particular program or fiscal area? Feedback about your school’s special education program or fiscal practices? The agenda is defined by you.
Please contact us at charterselpabusiness@edcoe.org to schedule your time slot.
This online workshop presented in the spring is structured to review final revenue numbers for the current year, provide an overview of fiscal considerations and compliance requirements for year-end, and deliver initial budget advice for the following year. Attendance by your special education and fiscal leads is strongly encouraged.
The Charter SELPA CEO Council meets twice each year (fall and spring). Fiscal Committee meetings are an opportunity for all Charter SELPA business staff to receive updates from the CEO Council Meetings. These 45-60 minute online meetings are scheduled shortly after each CEO Council Meeting. The meetings provide a quick update on any CEO Council actions that impact the business office, as well as updates related to state, federal, and educationally related mental health funding. All materials are subsequently posted on our website.
Past Fiscal Workshop material can be found here.
We distribute a monthly e-newsletter outlining upcoming reporting dates, scheduled events, and general special education business news.
The Fiscal Update e-newsletter is published the first of each month with the goal of keeping the field informed of funding updates, upcoming reporting dates, and helpful resources. To subscribe, let us know!
