At its April 22, 2009 meeting in Lansing, the MASA Council had an opportunity to chat with Jann Jencka of the Michigan Economic Recovery Office. Jencka, a retired ISD superintendent, will serve as a liaison between educators and the Governor’s office as they implement the education provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

Jann shared the latest news regarding rollout of ARRA funding and answered questions by Council Members. We encourage you to:

• Read some key highlights from  Jann’s discussion (below)
• Attend region meetings and/or contact your Council representative and ask what they learned.
• View Jann’s PowerPoint from the 4.22.09 meeting. (link)
• Visit MASA’s ARRA Resource Center for additional resources and to submit questions.

Key messages from Jann Jencka

Restore and Reform—This seems to be the general theme emerging for the direction spending should take when using ARRA funds. While leaders are sensitive to the need to restore staff and programming that economic downturns have forced, there is also the need—mandated in the Act and required for continued funding—for districts to leverage these resources to reform practice and improve results for students. The MDE has called ARRA “a short-term investment for long-term gains in student achievement through innovation and accountability.”

ARRA funds will come with restrictions on use and significant reporting requirements—for both states and local districts. Michigan is one of 16 states selected for oversight by the Government Accountability Office, which is likely to make this reporting burden even greater. Districts should take into consideration the staff hours and other resources needed to track and report ARRA spending when budgeting.

What LEAs can do now
PLAN early—
prepare a comprehensive needs assessment and begin to form school and district plans
PLAN deep—
identify your greatest challenge; look for research-based solutions; imagine substantial reform; begin to build capacity.
PLAN for accountability and transparency—
budget for staff time and resources needed for reporting; be ready to encumber funds within short timelines; keep separate accounting ledgers of the ARRA funds; expect to be monitored.

Current Timeline:

Applications for the first phase of the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund for Education are now available to states. To receive its initial SFSF allocation, a State must:

• Show commitment to Four Core Reform Assurances:
  • Achieving Equity in Teacher Distribution: Increase teacher effectiveness and address inequities in the distribution of highly qualified teachers;
  • Improving Collection and Use of Data: Establish and use a pre-K-through-college-and-career data system to track progress and foster continuous improvement;
  • Improving Standards: Make progress towards rigorous college- and career-ready standards and high-quality assessments that are valid and reliable for all students, including limited English proficient students and students with disabilities; and
  • Supporting Struggling Schools: Provide targeted, intensive support and effective interventions to turn around schools identified for corrective action and restructuring.
• Include baseline data that demonstrates the State's current status in each of the four core reform areas; and
• Describe how the State intends to use its stabilization allocation. 

Within two weeks of receipt of an approvable SFSF application, the Department will provide a State with 67 percent of its SFSF allocation. The remaining funds are scheduled to become available in July 2009, pending approval based on progress toward the goals above.

Applications for districts to draw down this money should be available:
     Mid-April for most programs (see PowerPoint)
      Mid-June for Ed Tech Competitive
      September for Title I-School Improvement