The Fiscal Year 2003-04 (FY04) Special Education Consolidated Application will be available on-line beginning September 29, 2003. School districts and state operated programs will access all necessary Consolidated Application data and forms through a password-secure portal on the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE), Special Education website, http://arksped.k12.ar.us.
Financial information needed for special education budget preparation will have been uploaded to the website from APSCN immediately following the close of Cycle 1. Beginning September 29, 2003, and continuing through the October 31, 2003, submission deadline, district and state users will access and modify prior year annual financial reports and FY04 special education budgets on-line to reflect district or state program special education spending. After approval by the superintendent or state operated program director, special education financial information will be submitted electronically through the secure website portal.
Certain budget forms requiring original signatures will be downloaded from the Special Education website, printed locally and signed, and submitted via hardcopy to the ADE Special Education Unit. Other materials necessary for completing the Consolidated Application will be available on the website and can be viewed on-line and/or printed locally.
School districts and state operated programs that have not submitted a password request to the Special Education Unit must do so prior to log-in to the secure website portal.
FY04 special education budgets must be submitted and approved prior to allotment of federal Title VI-B pass-through funds. However, any district requiring special consideration of an earlier allotment for cash flow purposes should communicate prior to September 10, 2003 to:
Ms. Janice L. Hood
Special Education Finance Manager
Grants and Data Management
Arkansas Department of Education
1401 W. Capitol, Suite 450
Little Rock, AR 72201-2936
IN-SERVICE TRAINING:
The attachment lists a schedule of dates and locations for in-service training for district and state personnel on the FY04 web-based Special Education Consolidated Application.
Each session will also include an overview of Special Education website content and resources and an orientation to other Special Education on-line applications such as the Special Education School Self-Assessment, Sliver grant quarterly reporting, and the Program Effectiveness Evaluation Profile (PEEP).
Attendees may be anyone with an interest in the Special Education website and its content, but should particularly include school district bookkeepers, LEA Special Education Supervisors, and lead school personnel responsible for the Arkansas Comprehensive School Improvement Process (ACSIP).