To assist campuses in meeting the regulatory requirements for Title I, Part A spending, Birdville ISD has designed forms to be completed and approved prior to Title I purchases:

 

  • Request to Send Staff to Outside PD or Bring Outside Presenters In
  • Instructional Resource Request Form
  • Technology Service Catalog
  • EDGAR Form

 

The appropriate use of each form is outlined in the applicable section(s) below. Additional Purchasing forms are required for some expenditures. Click HERE for directions on how to enter forms in Eduphoria.

 

Salaries 

Use of Title I funds to pay for salaries must be approved by the Director of Federal and State Programs, as well as Human Resources. Before any new Title I position can be created, the campus principal needs to complete the “Position Approval Form (Dr. Clark)” under Documents > Human Resources > New Position Request Form in Eduphoria Formspace. Indicate Fund 211 (Title I) and email the completed form to Jennifer Miller, Director of Federal and State Programs for funding approval. Certain positions provided for by Title I funds, such as interventionists, carry additional application and interview requirements. 

 

Estimated Title I salaries for each coming school year are provided in the spring with your Title I budget worksheet and are based on current year costs plus estimated taxes and benefits. In the fall, the annual salary costs are deducted from your Title I budget based on actual salary costs plus actual taxes and elected benefits.
 

Tutorials 

Title I tutoring may be provided by current campus staff or outside tutors. The following guidelines apply:

  • Title I tutors must adhere to the guidance outlined in the Title I tutor handbook. The handbook includes hourly pay rates based on tutors’ education and certification.
  • Title I tutoring must utilize research-based methods and prove effective.
  • Like all purchases, Title I tutoring must be aligned to the intent and purpose of Title I, Part A.
  • For current staff to be compensated through Title I, tutoring must occur outside of 

contract hours.

 

Title I tutors are compensated based on education and certification according to the following schedule:

  • $22 per hour – Texas Teacher certificate
  • $17 per hour – Bachelor’s Degree; not certified as teacher; EA II certificate
  • $12 per hour – Minimum of 48 college hours; no degree, EA II certificate

For Title I budget planning it is important to note that there is an additional charge for district costs attached to Title I tutoring. For non-teacher tutors, this averages about 2% of the hourly rate. For Birdville teachers who tutor, the charge depends on benefits taken - averaging approximately 25% of the hourly rate. Therefore, a certified Birdville teacher tutor costs about $27.50 an hour with the additional charge.

 

Travel/Transportation 

Using Title I funds for staff travel expenses and field trips is not allowed. Title I funds may be used for student transportation for tutoring or non-field trip enrichment activities. In certain cases, Title I funds may also be budgeted for transporting parents and families to participate in campus family engagement activities. 

 

Birdville ISD Transportation bills campuses on a semi-annual basis for busing. Campuses are advised to exercise caution before paying to ensure that the transportation bill is correctly coded to Title I funding.
 

Professional Development

You may use Title I funds to pay registration fees for relevant, high-quality professional development if the training is aligned to the intent and purpose of Title I, Part A and addresses a need identified in the Campus Needs Assessment/Campus Improvement Plan. Any travel costs will need to be provided for by other funding sources (see “Specifically Disallowed Costs”). 

 

Examples of allowable professional development include trainings that enhance educators’ and administrators’ ability to:

  • Provide rigorous, TEKS-aligned instruction to meet challenging state standards
  • Understand and implement effective instructional and behavior strategies
  • Recruit, train, and support high quality, effective teachers
  • Use technology to improve teaching and learning
  • Provide appropriate and impactful educational opportunities and support to meet students’ individual needs, including LEP students and students with disabilities
  • Utilize data and assessment to inform and direct instructional practice
  • Increase parent engagement in schools

 

If you are sending staff to outside professional development:

 

  1. Complete the Request to Send Staff to Outside PD or Bring Outside Presenters In in Eduphoria for professional learning registration costs, which must be approved by the Director of Teaching and Learning as well as the Director of Federal and State Programs. 
  2. Once approved, you will register your employees for the training. 
  3. In support of this purchase, submit the following to the Federal and State Programs department:
  • Completed Purchase Order/Check Request Form- Indicate that you are requesting a purchase order and complete “Deliver To” information, as well as Vendor # and Vendor Name. Please include the principal’s signature acknowledging the purchase. Allow a minimum of four weeks for a registration to process.
  • Completed Travel Request and Expense Reimbursement for out-of-district training more than 90 miles away from Birdville ISD (although Title I will only pay registration costs) with e-signatures from the employee and principal


Contracted Services

If you are bringing in a presenter or entering into a contract for other services (not sending staff to outside professional development):

 

1. Complete the Request to Send Staff to Outside PD or Bring Outside Presenters In in Eduphoria for the costs associated with the contracted service, which must be approved by the Director of Teaching and Learning as well as the Director of Federal and State Programs. You will also submit the New Contract Approval Form in the Birdville Helpdesk Service Catalog to initiate the contract.

 

2. Submit the following to Federal and State Programs in support of this purchase:

  • Completed Purchase Order/Check Request Form- Indicate that you are requesting a purchase order and complete “Deliver To” information, as well as Vendor # and Vendor Name. Please include the principal’s signature acknowledging the purchase.
  • Completed  EDGAR Form with 3 comparable quotes (including your chosen vendor in Line 1)
  • Completed EDGAR Matrix, if chosen vendor is not least expensive

 

3. Once quotes are secured and the contract is completed and signed, submit to Kelley Boone in Federal and State Programs. Do not utilize any professional development or contract service without notification of an approved purchase order. 

 

Quotes and Purchase Orders must be in place before a contract is secured. Contracts may only be entered into during the grant period (July 1, 2020 -June 30, 2021), must be on file in the Federal and State Programs Department, and attached to the invoice submitted for payment. The Purchasing Department has the consultant contract. 

 

Substitutes 

Title I funds must be utilized to provide substitutes when employees paid with Title I funds, including teachers, interventionists, and educational assistants, are absent or away from campus and a substitute is provided. In addition, Title I funds allocated for substitutes may be used to provide coverage for teachers out for professional development, including planning/PLC days on campus. Contact Federal and State Programs to obtain the appropriate budget code for an allowable use of Title I substitute funds.

 

To utilize Title I funds, substitutes must be covering for a Birdville ISD teacher who is out for an allowable activity. Substitutes cannot be used for open positions. Also, substitutes for state or diagnostic testing and remediation are not allowable (see “Specifically Disallowed Costs,” p. 20).
 

Instructional Materials 

In addition to the general guidelines for allowable uses of funds, your purchases for instructional materials and supplies must be aligned to/coordinate with Birdville ISD curriculum and initiatives. Many purchase options are recommended for use in the curriculum documents, and others have been vetted by content coordinator to ensure that they align with Birdville’s instructional philosophy.

 

1. Complete the Instructional Resource Request Form in Eduphoria for instructional resource purchases, which must be approved by the Director of Teaching and Learning as well as the Director of Federal and State Programs. 

 

2. Once approved, please submit the following to the Federal and State Programs department:

  • EDGAR Form with 3 comparable quotes (including your chosen vendor in Line 1)
  • Completed EDGAR Matrix, if chosen vendor is not least expensive
  • Completed Purchase Order/Check Request Form  - Indicate whether you are requesting a purchase order or would like to have a check cut. Complete “Deliver To” or “Return Check To” sections (as applicable), as well as Vendor # and Vendor Name. Please include the principal’s signature acknowledging the purchase.

3. When the purchase is approved, you will receive a copy of the purchase order. This will also go to Purchasing to proceed with the acquisition of instructional materials. Allow a minimum of four weeks for a purchase to process.

 

Summer Instructional Materials 

Please note that the deadline for campuses to spend their allocations for Instructional Materials and Technology is January 15, 2021 to maximize the positive impact of Title I purchases on student learning. However, your campus may need to earmark a portion of your Instructional Materials allocation for allowable summer expenses such as take-home books for students to promote literacy or a summer book study for staff. 

 

In order to reserve Instructional Materials funding for allowable summer expenses, email the Director of Federal and State Programs for approval prior to the end of the first semester. Please include a description of the instructional materials to be purchased, the intended purpose of the purchase, and an estimated cost (based on prior purchase or new quote). 

 

Prior to the district deadline set by Purchasing, you will need to complete all steps outlined under “Instructional Materials” above.

 

Subscriptions 

Subscriptions may only be purchased for the grant period (July 1, 2020-June 30, 2021) through Title I. Subscriptions that begin before July 1, 2020 or end after June 30, 2021 must be split-funded with Title I and campus site-based funds.

 

Technology 

In addition to the general guidelines for allowable uses of funds, your purchases of technology resources must be aligned to/coordinate with the Birdville ISD technology plan. Many technology hardware purchase options are recommended by the Executive Director of Technology and/or the Digital Learning team. These items can be found in the Birdville ISD Help Desk Service Catalog. Software purchases are also initiated through the Service Catalog. If you are purchasing minor items that are not found in the Help Desk Service Catalog - for instance, inexpensive headphones for student use - you will follow the process for Instructional Materials (see pg. 25). 

 

Complete the Technology Acquisition Form for Hardware or Software, as applicable. Fill out the form completely, indicating your reason for purchase and explaining how the purchase will enhance student achievement and how it aligns with your campus improvement plan. Click “Place Request” to send the purchase request to the Executive Director of Technology and the Director of Federal and State Programs for approval. The Technology department will obtain needed quotes and complete the purchase order request and EDGAR form for hardware purchases only. 

 

For software, you will need to submit the following documentation to the Federal and State Programs department:

  • EDGAR Form with 3 comparable quotes (including your chosen vendor in Line 1)
  • Completed EDGAR Matrix, if chosen vendor is not least expensive
  • Completed Purchase Order/Check Request Form  - Indicate whether you are requesting a purchase order or would like to have a check cut. Complete “Deliver To” or “Return Check To” sections (as applicable), as well as Vendor # and Vendor Name. Please include the principal’s signature acknowledging the purchase.