May Newsletter

5/11/2021

Economically Disadvantaged Survey

The Economically Disadvantaged Survey, within the Department’s Compliance System, opened May 7, 2021, and will close July 31. Districts must enter the initiatives completed during state Fiscal Year 2021 within the FY22 Economically Disadvantaged Survey. As a reminder, the Department is required to report the information collected to the General Assembly. 

Ohio Revised Code section 3317.25 (C): At the end of the fiscal year, each city, local, exempted village or joint vocational school district, community school, and STEM school must submit a report to the Ohio Department of Education describing the one or more initiatives on which the district or school spent its Economically Disadvantaged funds during that fiscal year.

Send questions to schoolfinance@education.ohio.gov.

Have you checked your DUNS lately?

Each local education agency (LEA) is required to have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and active System for Award Management (SAM) registration to receive federal funding. With the new fiscal year approaching, it is a good time to ensure each LEA’s SAM account is active and the DUNS number is valid. An LEA’s DUNS number and SAM registration must remain valid at all times. The Department could limit a district’s grant-related business if it does not have a current SAM account and/or DUNS number. It is important to note there is no fee to renew the SAM registration. 

Additionally, the federal government plans to move away from using DUNS numbers and begin using a Unique Entity Identifiers (UEI) by April 2022. The UEI will become the new “official identifier.” Districts do not need to take any action. A UEI automatically will be assigned to all SAM registrations (active and inactive), and legacy DUNS numbers will be phased out. To learn more about the rollout of the UEI, please visit gsa.gov/entityid.

A list of grantees with expired registrations is available on the Grants Administration webpage. The list will be updated monthly.

Submit Your Indirect Cost Rate Proposal

The Fiscal Year 2022 Indirect Cost Rate Proposal (ICRP) is available for completion. Access the proposal workbook and instructions here. The Department will review proposals on a first-in, first-out basis. Proposals were due March 31, but the Department sill will work with districts to get proposals submitted.

Those not using an indirect cost rate are encourage to watch the “Should I Utilize an Indirect Cost Rate” video to learn how using a rate frees up money in the general fund. 

Budget Revisions and End-of-year Expenses

As the end of the fiscal year gets closer, it’s important to remember a fiscal year’s funds should be obligated only to meet a bona fide need arising in the fiscal year for which the award was made. Therefore, ordering and receiving goods and services at the end of the grant period may result in an expense being unallowable if it is determined the expense belongs in the next fiscal year. The Department recommends incurring obligations in sufficient time for goods and services to be received and provide a benefit during the award’s period of performance. Review the guidance “Factors Affecting Allowability of Costs” for additional information.

End of Fiscal Year Notice 

The state’s accounting system will stop processing payments in mid-June for its annual Fiscal Year-end closing procedures. Therefore, the Ohio Department of Education must adjust its timetable for approving project cash requests. To ensure timely payment, submit project cash requests to the Office of Grants Management by noon on Tuesday, June 15, 2021. 

Funds can be requested to cover allowable expenses already incurred, as well as advance funds to cover expenses that will be paid June 1 through July 16, 2021. If a request contains an advance amount, please outline how the funds will be expended and the expected liquidation date in the Justification of Need section of the cash request. To receive approval consideration, the justification entered for advance funds must provide sufficient details, and funds must be for immediate needs within the period specified above. Payment cash requests for an advance amount must reflect a June or July advance period that corresponds with the liquidation date indicated on the request. If these guidelines are not met, the Office of Grants Management will delay or return the request unapproved and it may not be paid until after July 1. Cash management guidelines that normally require liquidation within five business days of receipt are temporarily relaxed during this time frame. However, please note that all funds must be liquidated in accordance with the dates designated on the request. Having unspent funds after the time frame indicated on the cash request constitutes a violation of cash management guidelines and may result in an audit finding.    

The Office of Grants Management will review project cash requests as quickly as possible and in the order received. To expedite the process, please attach supporting documentation if the total reimbursement amount is greater than 10 percent of the allocation. 

If the Office of Grants Management does not receive a cash request by the deadline, it cannot guarantee payment before the system closes for the current Fiscal Year. This means the payment will be issued when the state accounting system is back online. In addition, the large volume of requests received during this time period may result in delays for some payments due to a shortage in state appropriation (spending authority). The Office of Grants Management will process payments that do not meet the deadline or cannot be issued due to lack of appropriation after July 1.