Special Education and Title Funds – HQ Staff Verification L ICENSURE AND VARIANCE CHECK.

LICENSURE AND VARIANCE CHECK

MDE INFORMATION

Source: Memos from Tom Melcher and Jessie Montano, MDE, dated July 19, 2010 and September 30, 2010

Districts, Cooperatives and Charter schools are required to provide the MDE with data to determine that reimbursements for salaries drawn on State Education Record View and Submission (SERVS) in FY2010 were for highly qualified staff.

BACKGROUND

Federal and state law requires that expenditures for salaries paid with Special Education and Title funds reflect highly qualified staff.

Total expenditures for all staff salaries submitted to MDE should reconcile by Finance Code and Object Code to the amounts drawn on SERVS.

Prior to FY2010 licensure and variance checks were done through the MDE using EDRS data submissions

In FY2010 licensure validation wasn’t built into EGMS or SERVS financial

LICENSURE & VARIANCE CHECKS

Checks will be performed on submitted data.

Salaries claimed for staff not appropriately licensed for their assignment will be considered an overpayment.

MDE will notify the district of any overpayments.

Variances are valid from the date of issue.

New license are valid from the date of issue.

Expenditures drawn prior to date of issuance will be considered overpayments.

LICENSURE & VARIANCE CHECKS

FTE (full-time equivalency) tests will be performed for special education staff

Override requests for Title programs will be considered when appropriate

State = EDRS

Federal = SERVS

Title = SERVS

Vocational = Vocational Levy System

MDE LONG TERM GOAL

Collect all staff information using SERVS new Staff System

It will be 3 years or longer before many of the data elements are ready

Districts, Cooperatives and Charter Schools will continue to be required to send this file into MDE until the SERVS Financial system is updated to automate the process

SERVS LICENSURE AND VARIANCE REPORTING

INFORMATION

Reporting deadline is November 22, 2010

Total expenditures for all staff salaries submitted to MDE should reconcile by Finance Code and Object Code to the amounts drawn on SERVS.

The LEA (Local Education Agency) that drew the funds on SERVS is required to report the licensure information.

This means if you use the SW/WC Service Cooperative for Special Education reporting, they will submit the SPED portion of this file, not your district.

Your district is still responsible for submitting the federal grant Title portion of this file!


INFORMATION

This reporting requirement for the Licensure and Variance Reporting Check file only affects Federal programs.

State Special Education licensed staffing expenditures, Finance 740, will continue to be handled through EDRS.


INFORMATION

Districts and cooperatives must reconcile the draws on SERVS Financial with Object Codes requiring MDE Board of Teaching and/or Board of Administration licensures

Only staff licensed by the Board of Teaching are reported

Paraprofessionals and other support staff are not included in the file

Do not report certified/licensed staff by other MN Departments


INFORMATION

Total expenditures submitted to MDE must reconcile with the amounts drawn on SERVS

Salaries claimed for staff not appropriately licensed for their assignment will be considered an overpayment and will be recovered by MDE.

Object Code 301 and 302 for individualized Educational Program-Medical Assistance (IEP-MA) staff will only have to be reported under Object Code 301.

Object Code 303 and 304 should only be reported under Object Code 303. This may be done for both Title I and Special Education.


INFORMATION

Source: Memo from Tom Melcher dated November 1, 2010.

MDE is in the process of creating a web based interface. This interface will allow the reporting entity access to manually enter their information online using the MDE website.

Contact MDE directly with questions on using their interface program.

UPLOADING FILES TO MDE

Any user with an MDE account and login and upload files at the following web address: https://education.state.mn.us/mdefileupload/?key+Ve8f9rifs69g

Data will be uploaded to MDE grouped in one or more batches.

Two different employees cannot update and save the same batch number at the same time. Two different employees can update and save at the same time if using two different batch numbers.

UPLOADING FILES TO MDE

MDE validation allows only ONE row for a specific staff ID, Finance and Object code combination. This would include the Program code for Special Education.

Each file you submit overlays the last file submitted.

FFN STAR licensure SERVS Expenditures

HELPFUL REPORTS

SERVS Report

Use the SERVS UFARS Comparison Report found on the MDE website to verify the expenditure amount reported in SERVS.

This report shows the SERVS and UFARS amounts reported by your district.

This report does not display by teacher. This report is a summary of what has been reported.

The file your district creates using the SERVS Licensure Check window for the licensure and variance check must match the SERVS amount.

This report is current as of the day you run it.

OBJECT CODE SERIES PULLED FOR THE FILE

Object code 100 series is pulled from your payroll general ledger files. Differences noted may occur because:

Finance created a manual journal entry that is not in payroll

Your auditors posted an audit entry that is not in payroll

Finance gave payroll a generic UFARS code and later changed it without communicating the change

A general ledger file was not created in payroll that should have been (e.g. adjustment payroll or account code transfer)

Finance vouchers for Object code 300 series or greater are pulled from finance to look for consultants.

SERVS FINANCIAL REPORT

http://education.state.mn.us/mde/index.html

Accountability Programs | Program Finance | Minnesota Funding Reports (MFR) System

Follow instructions found on page 5 of the SMART Systems Licensure and Variance Check FY 2010 documentation.

DETERMINING WHO TO REPORT, PAGE 7

Run this report by the federal code(s) you are working with to determine which employee ids to include in the following reports for selection criteria.

Payroll Module | MN General Ledger | MN GL Entries by Debit Acct Summary

Suggested retrievals are:

Debit Account: Type eleven underscores (underline) then 4% and checkmark the Wildcards box

Begin Acct Date: 07/01/2009

End Acct Date: 06/30/2010

Labor Flag: P (to pull Pay only)

CALCULATING HOURS WORKED, PAGES 7-8

There are several reports in payroll you can use to lookup the actual hours worked for employees.

Payroll Module | MN Additional Reports | Employee Pay Detail Report

Payroll | MN Additional Reports | Distribution Worklist – By Emp Name

Payroll Module | MN Additional Reports | Timecard Archive Detail

MDE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SPECIAL ED

FILE

Special Education File Folder

Finance Code

Object Code

Program Code

SubAward information (if it applies) Member District Number

Member District Type

MDE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE TITLE FILE

Title Programs

File Folder

Finance Code

Object Code

SubAward information (if it applies) Member District Number

Member District Type

DATA REPORTED IN BOTH FILES FOR UFARS FINANCE

CODE

Finance Code. This is the SERVS finance code that the expenditures were made under. Valid finance codes are:

401, 406, 414, 417, 424, 433, 470, 471

419, 420, 421, 422, 431, 432, 435, 437, 440, 441, 480, 483, 484, 486, 487

DATA REPORTED IN BOTH FILES FOR UFARS OBJECT

CODE

Object Code. This is the SERVS object code that the expenditures were made under. The valid object codes are:

110, 140, 143, 145, 152, 154, 156, 157, 165, 167, 174, 301, 302, 303, 304, 343, 345, 347, 348, 373, 375, 377, 378.

Restrictions on Use of Object Codes 301 - 304: If your district reports SERVS on its own only codes

303 and 304 are valid

If your district use a Cooperatives/Fiscal Hosts codes 301-304 are valid

DATA REPORTED IN BOTH FILES FOR UFARS PROGRAM

CODE

This is a required field for Special Education.

This is the UFARS program / disability code for the staff member.

Valid codes are 401-420 (for special education only) Object code 140 is restricted to program codes 402-416.

Object codes 152, 343, 373 are restricted to program codes 401-416.

REMINDER……

Even if your district uses a SPED Cooperative you are still required to report the Title federal grant information.

SMART SYSTEMS ‘SERVS LICENSURE

CHECK WINDOW’

Smart Systems has developed a “SERVS Licensure Check” window in Smart HR to address this new reporting requirement.

The window creates the file in XML format per MDE specifications.

Data retrieved in this window will require verification and some manual editing.

This will be done using the SMART Systems window.

SMART SYSTEMS ‘SERVS LICENSURE

CHECK WINDOW’

This window is found in the SMART HR Payroll Module

It serves three functions:

Creating a new batch

Retrieving an existing batch

Creating the XML file needed to submit to the MDE

SERVS LICENSURE CHECK WINDOW PAGES

9-16

COLUMNS INCLUDED IN WINDOW, ALL CAN BE

MANUALLY UPDATED Batch Number. Use to retrieve a batch you have been

working on.

Add a New Batch. Click to create a new batch.

Fiscal Year. Displays 2010.

Description. Enter a description for the batch.

Do Not Report. Excludes a row from the file.

Ref Number. Assigned by SMART Systems.

Actual Hours Worked. Required field.

Expenditure Amount. Can be manually changed to match the SERVS draw.

ICONS IN SMART HR, PAGE 14

Copy Row

Insert Row

Save All

Retrieve

WINDOW FEATURES, PAGE 15

Sort. The sort button allows the user to re-sort the data. Click on the Sort button to open the sort box.

Click and drag ‘Source Data’ into the ‘Columns’ area.

Ascending. If the box is check marked the data will be sorted in ascending order. If it is unchecked the data will be sorted in descending order.

If you want to view new entries you added to the window, sort by Record Nbr. Each record is assigned a record number so your entries will display on the bottom of the report if you sort by record number.

WINDOW FEATURES, PAGE 15

Print. There is not a print button available on the SERVS Licensure Check window. If you want to print a hard copy you will need to use the Save As File feature.

Save Data to a File. The button allows the user to save the file to Excel (or other types as selected).

Create XML for MDE. Click the button when the data is ready to be uploaded to the MDE.

CREATE XML FILE FOR MDE

PAGE 16

Click the XML for MDE button when the data is ready to be uploaded to the MDE.

When the button is clicked, the data will be validated and saved before the XML file is created.

Message boxes are displayed to notify you of the location of the file that is created.

v:\smarthr\client\MDE folder

OTHER HELPFUL HINTSPAGE 17

If a user accidentally clicks twice on any button for “Add SERVS Data For” (Title or Sp Ed) the same data rows will be duplicated in the window.

Exit out of the window without saving.

If you already saved the window, retrieve the batch then click on the “Do Not Report” on the duplicate rows.

If a batch was mistakenly uploaded to MDE, it can be deleted at MDE by uploading the same batch number without any rows of data for licensed staff.

Retrieve the batch number in the window, check the ‘Do Not Report’ checkbox in all rows, click the ‘Save All’ icon to save the changes, click the button to create a new XML file for the batch, and upload it to MDE to replace the existing, unwanted batch at MDE.

EDITS,PAGE 17

When the ‘Save All’ icon is clicked or when the button is clicked, the data is validated with the MDE rules.

If any errors are identified, a popup window will appear.

Most error messages refer to a “Row Number” (second column on the rows of data) which is intended to help in locating the row(s) that need to be corrected.

SUBMITTING THE FILE TO MDE

After the file has been created as an XML file it is ready to be submitted to the MDE.

Any user with an MDE Account logon will be allowed to upload files.

If you don’t have an MDE Account you will have to create one by following the instructions on the logon screen.

Log in to upload your files at: https://education.state.mn.us/mdefileupload/?key+Ve8f9rifs69g

MDE LOGIN SCREEN

BROWSE TO FIND THE XML FILE

CHOOSE THE FILE TO UPLOAD

WHEN THE FILE IS UPLOADED YOU WILL SEE THIS SCREEN

TURN AROUND REPORTS FROM MDE,

PAGE 22

MDE is working on programming reports of submitted data that districts can print a hard copy of after submission. They have two reports that are in discussion phase right now.

1. License verification to check the file folder number and licensure reported

2. SERVS draw report

QUESTIONS

Special Education and Title Funds – HQ Staff Verification L ICENSURE AND VARIANCE CHECK.

Documents

Transcript of Special Education and Title Funds – HQ Staff Verification L ICENSURE AND VARIANCE CHECK.