Questions and Answers

On clarifications to the RFA for the Texas Support for Homeless Education Program (TEXSHEP)

The following questions have been listed in the order in which they were received. They are not organized by topic or particular part of the RFA, but are listed by the date the response was published to the web.

October 25, 2008

Q1. We just discovered that the numbers of homeless students collected by our homeless liaison during the 2007-2008 school year does not match the number of homeless students submitted to TEA through eGrants. Can we adjust the figures our district submitted to TEA?

A1. Yes, you may adjust the numbers your district submitted to TEA through eGrants. To do this, call the NCLB Division at TEA at 512-463-9374 and let staff know that you need to negotiate the eGrants report your district submitted. TEA keeps the reports open at all times so that districts may make corrections to data they submitted. Be sure to involve the appropriate district staff in any attempt to adjust numbers on the eGrant report. All districts have policies and procedures that must be followed when making changes to official documents. Also, the numbers that districts submit to TEA are auditable. Districts must have adequate documentation to substantiate any numbers submitted to TEA. Region 10 will compare the numbers submitted to TEA to those included in the applicant’s TEXSHEP proposal; the numbers should match. Should there be discrepancies on any applicant that receives an award, the official TEA numbers will form the basis for determining the award.

Q2. The percentage of homeless students in our district is 3.91%. May we round up to 4% in order to qualify for the $10,000 concentration supplement?

A2. No, the district may not round up to the next whole number. Even if the percentage is 3.99999…..%, the applicant is NOT eligible for the concentration supplement. If the average is 4% or above, then the applicant IS eligible for the concentration supplement. For example, if the average is 4.00001%, then the applicant is eligible for the concentration supplement.

Q3. We would appreciate some clarification/guidance related to the TEXSHEP application Schedule 6A - Capacity to Implement the Project.

The instructions on page I-30 require us to "Include the names and positions of all other LEA and/or ESC staff who devote time to the TEXSHEP program, even if they are not funded through TEXSHEP." What level of specificity do you require for this response? Only those staff who are directly providing services to students, parents, liaisons, etc.? Or do we include everyone - including business office personnel, data/records personnel, etc. - the folks necessary for the grant to work, but not providing TEXSHEP services directly?

Also, can we assume that "staff" means employees paid by an ESC or LEA - rather than volunteers?

A3. Include only those staff members paid by the ESC or LEA; do not include volunteers. Include only those staff members who provide direct services to students, parents, caregivers, service providers, etc., beyond what is done for all students. For example, if the school nurse (paid from local funds) is assigned to regularly visit shelters to speak with parents about children’s health, and it is not part of her regular duties to make home visits, then that would be considered time devoted to the TEXSHEP program. Another example might be the provision of counseling services, in addition to those provided to all students, offered by a counselor (paid from Title I funds) who is assigned to spend 50% of her time working with students in homeless situations. A final example might be the provision of social work services by a social worker who is assigned to work with the TEXSHEP program 100% of the time and who is funded 50% through Title I and 50% through another grant source.

October 29, 2008

Q4. I am confused about what Region 10 ESC will accept as verification of the date the application was received. I want to use the U.S. Postal Service to send the application, but on p. v of the RFA, it says that Region 10 WILL NOT accept a U.S. Postal Service postmark and/or round validation stamp. May I send my application through the U.S. Postal service? If I do, will the postmark serve as verification that Region 10 ESC received it by the due date?

A4. Applicants may use the delivery method of their choice to send an application packet to Region 10 ESC—any delivery method except Facsimile (FAX) or email transmissions. Applicants may use the U.S. Postal Service, a commercial carrier (such as UPS, Federal Express, etc.), hand delivery, or any other mechanism except FAX or email to get the application packet to Region 10 ESC.

Regardless of the method of delivery, however, the only verification that establishes the time and date of receipt at Region 10 ESC is the time/date stamp of Region 10 Education Service Center.

This means that regardless of any other information related to the delivery of the package, the only proof that will be accepted that the application was received at Region 10 ESC by the due date is the time/date stamp of Region 10 Education Service Center.

It is important to send the application with sufficient lead time to guarantee that the application will arrive by the deadline. No overnight delivery service can absolutely guarantee that all packages will arrive at their intended destination on the next day; postmarks indicate when the postal service processed a package but not when the package was actually delivered; and shipping labels or receipts do not establish that a package was actually delivered. It is prudent to allow time for late deliveries, lost packages, or any other unexpected event that might prevent an application package from arriving at Region 10 ESC by the due date.

Applicants may wish to check with Region 10 to ensure that their application did arrive on time. Call Carey Foster at 972-348-1118 for information about delivery of applications.

Q5. When I print out the RFA, the page numbers of my hard copy do not always correspond to the page number references that are provided throughout the RFA. Why don’t my pages numbers correspond with the ones given in the RFA?

A5. Unfortunately, several different variables can affect the pagination of a document—different printers, different font sizes, different program settings. It is impossible to account for all of these variables—there will be slight differences in pagination. However, the page number references in the RFA are approximately correct—if they do not match exactly, they should only be off by a page or two. Also, it is always possible to perform a text search within either MSWord or a PDF reader in order to locate any specific text within an electronic document file.

Q6. Who will review the applications?

A6. Each application will be reviewed by a team of outside reviewers. No application will be scored by staff from either THEO or Region 10 ESC. The outside reviewers are professionals drawn from diverse sources. Typically, the reviewers are employed in fields related to education or the provision of services to the homeless. However, the reviewers do not all share the same set of background knowledge—while some might be very familiar with K-12 education, some might be much more familiar with higher education. Some reviewers might be very knowledgeable about shelter operations, but not have much experience with K-12 education. Do not assume that the reviewers will know about K-12 public education, homeless education, or the inner workings of a school district. You have to assume that the target audience for which you are writing has no knowledge of your community, LEA, K-12 education, or homeless education.

Q7. Where do I send my RFA once it is completed?

A7. Applications must be submitted to Region 10. Different delivery systems have different address requirements. Both the street address and the P.O. Box address for Region 10 are provided below.

The street address for Region 10:

McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Project
Business Office - Region 10 Education Service Center
400 East Spring Valley Road
Richardson, TX 75081-5101

The P.O. Box address for Region 10:

McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Project
Business Office - Region 10 Education Service Center
P.O. Box 831300
Richardson, TX 75083-1300

November 10, 2008

Q8. Recognizing that applications that place strong emphasis on increasing academic success of homeless students “are likely to receive more favorable scores from reviewers” (RFA pg. I-7), many educators may need additional research-based instructional strategies for the highest impact on student academic achievement. Can the program design consist of professional development to teachers and instructional resources to implement the quality instruction necessary to accelerate student academic progress?

A8. Applicants may certainly propose to use a portion (or even all) of their McKinney-Vento funds to provide professional development activities for teachers, administrators, support staff, and others. However, an applicant that proposes to use funds solely for professional development activities would have to present a compelling argument that such a strategy is indeed the best course of action for meeting the needs and challenges identified and prioritized by district and community representatives at the McKinney-Vento planning meeting(s). Applicants that propose to use all the funds for one purpose must be thorough, detailed, and specific, and must complete all parts of the application.

November 20, 2008

Q9. On Schedule #2, Index to Application, the Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (Schedule #10) is listed as a schedule that must be included with every application. On page I-82 of the instructions it states that Schedule #10 should be completed and submitted only if the applicant has lobbying activities to disclose. Must we include this schedule in the application if no lobbying activities are being disclosed?

A9. Yes, Schedule #10 must be submitted with every application. If an applicant has no lobbying activities to disclose, the schedule shoud be marked as "N/A", but still submitted, regardless.

December 3, 2008

Q10. General Instruction #8 (pg. I-25) states: "Staple each copy of the application in the top left corner." We expect that our application will far exceed 400 pages.  We do not have the capacity to staple a document of this size.  Can we submit the document with binding of a different method?  Perhaps using brads or wire in holes punched at the top or sides?  Or stapled or clipped in sections?  Or boxed neatly? Please advise.  We currently don't know how we can comply with both the binding qualification and the required documentation submission guidelines.

A10. Certainly in your case there will be an exception to the binding requirement.  Please divide the document into 5-8 smaller sections, label those sections, use binder clips at the top of each section to keep that section together, then use a large rubber band or two to hold the entire bundle together.  The sections do not have to contain the same number of pages but rather should break at logical points.  Be sure to use a page numbering system that is easy for reviewers to follow should pages become mixed up during review.

Q11. I was getting ready to send Schedule #8--Certification for Shared Services Arrangements to my superintendent when I read the fine print more closely.  It says:

“I, as one of the undersigned, certify that to the best of my knowledge, the information contained in this application is correct and complete, that the local education agency (LEA) that I represent has authorized me to file this application, and that such authorization action is recorded in the minutes of the agency's board meeting.”

My superintendent is certainly authorized by the board to file this application -- no problem there.  The question is about the next phrase:  does it mean that the board's approval of the superintendent as a representative in general has been recorded in the minutes, or that the board's authorization of "this" application has been approved and recorded in the minutes?

A11. THEO contacted the Texas Education Agency regarding this question; Dr. Earin Martin and her staff provided the following response:

The way boards authorize superintendents differs from district to district. In some districts, superintendents have blanket authority to apply for grants. In others, the board has to authorize each application. If this superintendent has blanket authorization, which the questioner implies he has, that is the kind of authorization that would have to have been recorded in the minutes of some board meeting, at some point. On the other hand, if the district rules require board approval for each grant application, the minutes would have to reflect that the superintendent had specific authorization.

Based on TEA’s response, it sounds as if your superintendent does have the authority to apply for grants.  That authority had to be granted by the Board at some time, so the minutes of that Board meeting should reflect that he was given that authority.  Those minutes should be available to Region 10, THEO, or TEA should any questions arise about your district’s eligibility to apply for TEXSHEP funds.