Oklahoma CareerTech Carl Perkins

Please Do Not Wait!

2012-02-09T10:17:00.001-06:00

Below is a list of the schools systems that have active budgets but have yet to file a claim within Impact for Fiscal year 2012.

The longer your school waits to file for reimbursement, the longer it will take to process these payments, as the end of the year is normally flooded with requests.

School System:

Altus School System

Bixby School System

Bokoshe School System

Bristow School System

Broken Arrow School System

Broken Bow School System

Calera School System

Catoosa School System

Choctaw School System

Claremore School System

Coweta School System

Coyle School System

Drummond School System

Duncan School System

El Reno School System

Enid School System

Frederick School System

Glenpool School System

Harrah School System

Hartshorne School System

Haskell School System

Heavener School System

Henryetta School System

Jay School System

Jenks School System

Keota School System

Ketchum School System

Lexington School System

Locust Grove School System

Lone Grove School System

Madill School System

Marlow School System

Meeker School System

Miami School System

Morrison School System

Muskogee School System

Mustang School System

Noble School System

Owasso School System

Ponca City School System

Porter Consolidated School System

Pryor School System

Rock Creek School System

Roland School System

Salina School System

Sallisaw School System

Sand Springs School System

Shawnee School System

Stigler School System

Sulphur School System

Tecumseh School System

Thackerville School System

Valliant School System

Wilburton School System

Wynnewood School System

Yukon School System

Weatherford School System

Wewoka School System

In addition we would like to remind everyone that all non-salary expenditures need to be complete by March 15, 2012.

As always if there is anything we can do to assist you please do not hesitate to contact us.

--cp

Gateway to Technology Supplemental Grant Due Date!

2011-12-14T09:30:00.003-06:00

What new technology does is create new opportunities to do a job that customers want done.

-- Tim O'Reilly

GATEWAY TO TECHNOLOGY SUPPLEMENTAL GRANT APPLICATIONS ARE DUE JAN. 15, 2012

Below you will find a link to information pertaining to the application process and requirements.

http://www.okcareertech.org/about/state-agency/divisions/federal-legislation-assistance/carl-perkins/supplemental-grant-document-s

If you are interested and would like more information please contact the Technology Education department at ODCTE.

As always if there is anything we can do to assist please let us know!

--cp

The Evolving Status of Federal Carl Perkins Funds

2011-12-05T07:52:00.002-06:00

The following is some information we want to share regarding Perkins funding in this FY12 school year.

In the current federal budget, a number of funded projects are operating under the extended continuing resolution. At the national level, the Association for Career and Technical Education is alerting states that Perkins funding could be cut as much as 1.5% in THIS CURRENT SPENDING YEAR (July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012).

What does this mean for Oklahoma's Perkins recipients? At this time we're asking you to withhold the spending of approximately 1.5% of your total Perkins budget(s) - secondary, postsecondary, and supplemental - grants in the event the current year funds are actually cut. Decisions should be made at your own local level as to how the loss of those funds, if any, will be handled.

(Note to Technology Centers and Colleges: Tech Prep is not affected by this cut as the final FY12 projects are supported by Tech Prep carry-over funds.)

For FY12 Requests for Reimbursement, the FLA staff will reimburse up to 98.5% of the fiscal agent's total budget until the federal budget issues concerning Perkins are resolved.

If the federal cuts to Perkins are enacted, the ODCTE will work with Perkins fiscal agents to adjust all budgets in the Impact system.

If the cuts are not enacted, then all fiscal agents can proceed with expending funds up to the full budget amount.

We will keep you posted regarding the status of our FY12 funds. As always, please contact us if you have questions or concerns.

--cp

Contract for Career and Technology Education Programs

2011-10-05T08:39:00.002-05:00

The fiscal year 2012 contracts for Career and Technology Education programs are now online for each comprehensive school.

To download the contract please follow the link provided below:

http://www.okcareertech.org/fla/contract.htm

Once you have downloaded and signed the required documents please mail them to:

ODCTE - Federal Legislation Assistance Division
1500 W. Seventh Ave.
Stillwater OK, 74074

As always if there is anything we can do to assist please let us know.

--cp

Closing One to Open a Second!

2011-10-03T10:34:00.002-05:00

As of September 30, 2011 Carl has one claim left to pay within the Impact system and we anticipate that FY11 claim processing will be complete by October 3, 2011. Once Carl has reimbursed all that has been claimed Janet and Josh can immediately start to look at local applications for Carl Perkins funding for fiscal year 2012.

The FLA office is now reviewing applications for FY12 Perkins funding. We will contact eligible recipients who have incomplete applications by email. Required corrections will require a timely response, and pre-approval on purchases listed below is suspended until the application is complete.

The following is a pre-approved NON-PROGRAM / COURSE SPECIFIC list for regular FY12 Perkins funding. Items on this list ARE ALLOWED FOR PURCHASE NOW, prior to the official approval letter.

Laptop and desktop computers and related equipment (printers, scanners, etc.)
Digital camera and video items, and related accessories
Classroom performance systems
iPads (classroom sets only)
Smartboards
Equipment and modules for Gateway To Technology programs
Software related to pre-approved equipment purchases
Software related to guidance, career awareness, and CareerTech courses

Purchases that are SPECIFIC to programs / courses (i.e., cannot be used in any other program / course) must wait for the full application review and approval.

As always if there is anything we can do to assist please let us know.

--cp

Information Highway!

2011-09-08T09:26:00.001-05:00

The information at the link below is in regard to the upcoming federal 2012 education budget appropriations actions this Friday (FY13 Perkins).

http://www.acteonline.org/legalert_090711.aspx#more

As always if you need any assistance please let us know.

--cp

We Whistle While We Work

2011-08-25T15:10:00.001-05:00

As we start yet another school year, the FLA staff is working behind the scenes to close out the FY11 funding year.

Yes, it's true, there are still some recipients who have not yet filed or completed claims for reimbursement in the Impact system.

REMINDER: The more time we spend on closing out FY11, the longer it will take for us to start working on the FY12 Perkins application approvals.

Please take a just a quick moment to log in to the IMPACT system and check the status of your Perkins funded projects and requests for reimbursement.

Some common issues holding up payments and processing are...

The admin / superintendent needs to log in, open the budget, open the claim, scroll to the bottom of the claim and click on the APPROVE button (be sure to also click the CONTINUE button).

The admin / superintendent needs to log in, open the budget, open the claim, scroll to the bottom of the claim and click on the REJECT button (be sure to include a note as well as click on the CONTINUE button).

The finance contact needs to click the APPROVE button AND the CONTINUE button. After that the admin / superintendent needs to log in and approve the claim.

Secondary schools and technology centers: keep in mind that all requests for reimbursement IMPACT budget codes MUST match the coding in your accounting system report.

If you ever have a rejected claim, or a question about a claim or payment status, please contact our office for assistance.

Remember...FY12 application reviews will begin as soon as FY11 payments are complete.

As always if there is anything we can do to help please feel free to call!

--cp

FY12 Carl Perkins Application Section 6 Update

2011-06-23T09:26:00.003-05:00

Good Morning:

We have uploaded the majority of allocations into the impact system, and have activated the link for section six within the application.

If you are a new stand-alone school or a new LEA of a consortium you will need to contact the FLA office to get set up with usernames and passwords for the impact claims system. In addition if you are a consortium and not all of your participating schools have returned their Allocation and Options notices you will have a zero balance in impact and will not be able to set up your budget until the notices have been received to the FLA office. If you do have a zero balance please contact the FLA office for more information.

The FLA contact information is located at the link below!

CONTACT US!

As always if you need any assistance please feel free to call.

--cp

Local Application for Secondary Programs Reminder

2011-06-09T09:42:00.003-05:00

(click picture for larger image)

Above is a list of schools who have yet to return the Local Application for Secondary Programs, the assurances were due May 17th 2011.

Below you will find a link to the Federal Legislation Assistance website that hosts individual links to each school's Local Application. If your school is on the list above please follow the link print, sign, and return the assurances to ODCTE by June 30, 2011.

http://www.okcareertech.org/fla/localapp.html

As always if you need any assistance please feel free to call

--cp

Perkins Allocations are Posted!

2011-06-08T15:44:00.003-05:00

Fiscal Year 2012 allocations for secondary schools and technology centers are now posted on our website.

To find these amounts just follow the link below and click on the thumbnail pictures corresponding to your school's name.

http://www.okcareertech.org/fla/perkinsindex.htm

We have also sent all allocation and options notifications by mail to the superintendent of each district. These allocation notifications are due to the ODCTE Federal Legislation office by no later than June 20, 2011.

As always if you need anything please feel free to call.

--cp

Oh the Troubles with Technology!

2011-06-02T08:56:00.002-05:00

Just to double check with all the schools I have compiled the list of districts that have applied for one or more supplemental grants.

IF YOUR DISTRICT/INSTITUTION DOES NOT APPEAR ON THIS LIST BUT YOU HAVE APPLIED FOR SUPPLEMENTAL GRANT FUNDING YOU MUST CONTACT US BY 3:30 pm TODAY JUNE 2, 2011.

Choctaw Public Schools
Claremore Public Schools
Edmond Public Schools
Francis Tuttle Technology Center
Kiamichi Technology Center
Lawton Public Schools
MetroTech
Moore-Norman Technology Center
Murray State University
Muskogee Public Schools
Ponca City Public Schools
Tulsa Public Schools
Western Heights Public Schools

The reason for this extended deadline is a failure of the upload system early in the grant process, this is now the second notification of this technology failure AND WILL BE THE LAST CHANCE to make sure your grant has been received.

You may contact us by using the contact information located in the link below.

FLA CONTACT INFORMATION

As always if there is anything we can do to help please feel free to call.

--cp

And they're Off......Perkins App is Open!

2011-05-27T14:18:00.002-05:00

We are happy to announce that after much delay from the budgeting process the 2012 Carl D. Perkins Application is up and running!

You will need your Carl Perkins PIN which you used last year to access this application. If you have somehow forgotten your PIN (unfathomable!) you may call or email the Federal Legislation Assistance Division and we will be happy to reacquaint you with your long lost friend. To find all our contact information CLICK HERE.

To access the application please click on the link below:

LINK TO CARL D. PERKINS 2012 APPLICATION

We have allowed for the same amount of time to complete this year's application and it will now be due July 5, 2011 by 5:00pm.

The IMPACT portion of the budget will open at a later date, and we will send a blog with that announcement.

The Allocations and Options Notifications, which will be mailed to all superintendents late next week, will be due June 20, 2011.

As always if you need anything please feel free to call!

--cp

The Funding Notice Has arrived!

2011-05-20T14:39:00.003-05:00

It is Finally Here!

The USDE released the FY12 Perkins appropriations late Monday afternoon, and the good news is no cut to Oklahoma’s regular Perkins funding.

As always, eligible recipients will see increases or decreases based on the data used in the funding formula (census data for secondary, Pell/BIA data for postsecondary).

Our office is now working on preparing the formula allocations to local secondary and postsecondary recipients as well as putting the final touches on the FY12 Perkins online application.

We anticipate making the online application and the allocation amounts available sometime during the week of May 23 with a due date of either June 24 or June 30, 2011.

We will place an announcement via this blog when the funding notices are mailed to superintendents and the application is open.

Until that time, please begin work locally on your application narrative information and budget plans.

Something to keep in mind – the past few years have seen a decrease in quality information in many of the narrative and budget sections, sometimes as little as only one sentence (or less). Although these funds are an allocation and not a competitive grant, recipients still need to provide a quality application that fully addresses all the requirements. Limited or missing information will cause delays in the approval process.

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL SUPPLEMENTAL GRANT APPLYING SCHOOLS

If you have uploaded your grant via the online application, located on the Federal Legislation Assistance website, it is my unfortunate task to ask that you please re-upload those applications.

Due to technical difficulties the applications did not save to the server, this is the case for all supplemental grant initiatives. To ensure that this does not happen again I ask that you please send an email requesting confirmation of receipt to jmill@okcareertech.org after you have uploaded your grant.

There is a link provided on the confirmation screen to the above email address. If you do not see a confirmation screen YOU GRANT UPLOAD WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL.

I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your patience in this matter.

As always if there is anything we can do to help please don't hesitate to call.

--cp

Time to round Up the Troops

2011-05-09T15:25:00.003-05:00

ATTENTION TO ALL SECONDARY AND POST-SECONDARY CONSORTIUM/COOPERATIVE LEA:

The time is getting closer to the opening of the FY2012 Carl Perkins Basic Grant Application.

In preparation for opening the online grant application we have developed a survey for all CONSORTIUM/COOPERATIVE Fiscal Agents to fill out listing the participants in your consortium for the coming year.

As was stated in a previous blog posting you need to talk with your partnering schools to make sure that each individual district still wishes to participate in the specific consortium/cooperative. Once you have done this, you will follow the link below and insert the information you have gathered into our online database.

http://www.okcareertech.org/fla/Consortiums/Consortium_Enter.asp

You will use the PIN associated with the FY2011 Carl Perkins Basic Grant Application and should contact us if you need a reminder on that PIN.

As always if you need anything we are happy to help!

--cp

In the end there is an Impact

2011-05-04T08:49:00.003-05:00

If you think you're to small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito.

--Anita Roddick

FY 11 PERKINS BUDGETS, CLAIMS, AND REVISIONS

There are quite a few FY11 transactions in the IMPACT system still waiting for the local finance or administrator approval. We need your help!

If you are the local coordinator for your Perkins application, please log in to IMPACT, click on VIEW ALL GRANTS, then click on CONTINUE. In the GRANTS box, check the status.

Please note the status if it is something other than “Active.” Click on the icon to enter the budget. Scroll down to the “Change Requests” and “Requests for Payment” areas and check the status.

Before our office can approve, please remember -

Budgets require local coordinator AND finance AND admin approval

Claims require local finance AND admin approval

Change Requests (revisions) require local coordinator AND finance approval

The last date to submit claims for reimbursement is August 1, 2011.

The end of school seems like a long ways off, but it will be here before you know it. The FLA office wants provide everyone with the best technical support possible when closing out the current year…you will be much more satisfied with the service if you DO NOT wait to complete these tasks.

As always if you need any assistance we are happy to help

--cp

Imagine the Possiblilites

2011-05-04T08:27:00.003-05:00

Imagination grows by exercise, and contrary to common belief, is more powerful in the mature than in the young.

-- W. Somerset Maugham

FOR YOUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION – FY12 PERKINS

Changes in our Finance department’s budget processes now require us to identify all fiscal agents and their consortium / coop participants several weeks before the applications are actually due.

If you are the fiscal agent of a secondary or postsecondary consortium, or a technology center coop, please contact your partner schools immediately to determine their continuation in the consortium or coop for FY12.

IMPORTANT: On Monday, May 9, 2011 we’ll send a notice through the Perkins Blog with directions for providing the district names of the fiscal agent and partner schools. The process will only be open for a few days, so your timeliness is very much appreciated.

FY12 Perkins allocations

we’re still waiting on our state’s funding notice. We’ll mail individual letters to the superintendent of each district receiving Perkins funds as soon as the local funding calculations are complete. We’ll also send a copy in the Perkins Blog (http://okcarlperkins.blogspot.com) as well as post the letter on the Perkins Web site (www.okcareertech.org/fla).

FY12 PERKINS APPLICATION PROCESSES

We’re finishing the updates to the online application process and may be able to make it available sometime before posting the allocation amounts. PLEASE BEGIN WORKING NOW with your staff (and partner schools, where applicable) to prioritize and determine how to best meet the goals of your application. Estimated due date for the FY12 Perkins application is June 17, 2011.

As always if you need any assistance we are happy to help.

-cp

2011-04-08T10:46:00.002-05:00

Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It is already tomorrow in Australia.
~Charles Schulz

Over the past few weeks we’re fielding a number of questions regarding revisions and due dates.

Q: What revisions are allowed after the March 15th deadline?
A: Moving funds from one or more approved areas to cover expenditures in one or more other approved areas.

Q: What revisions are NOT allowed after the March 15th deadline?
A: Tangible purchases (those other than salary, professional development, training, etc) that were not on the original budget and/or will likely not be placed in the classroom in time for adequate use before the end of school. Requests for equipment revisions after this date may be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Q: Do we have to SPEND the funds by April 1st deadline, or just have them encumbered by issuing a purchase order but not actually placing the order yet?
A: The expectation is that funds will actually be spent by or shortly after April 1st and in place in the classroom so that students benefit from those purchases.

Q: What are other reasons for having these deadlines?
A: Programs at the federal level are reviewed to see that funds are used in a timely manner during the school year. When states have large unclaimed balances at mid-year and beyond, the message to federal budgeting entities is that these funds are not needed.

IMPACT Forwards & Backwards: Any rejection to the processes below requires actions in the reverse order of the list.

REMINDER: Each person in the work flow needs to use their own login and password to complete their required step in the process.

How the work flows for…

….a budget
Local Perkins Coordinator
Local Finance
Local Admin
State CareerTech FLA office

…a revision
Local Perkins Coordinator
Local Finance
State CareerTech FLA office

…a claim (request for payment)
Local Finance
Local Admin
State CareerTech FLA office

As always if there is anything that we can do to help please feel free to call.

--cp

A reminder for all dealing with Claims

2011-04-06T16:53:00.003-05:00

--Much may be done in those little shreds and patches of time which every day produces, and which most men throw away.
Charles Caleb Colton

VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!

All Perkins local coordinator(s), finance staff, and Administration should log in to IMPACT immediately and review the status of budgets, revisions, and claims for their district!

There are a number of activities, including revisions and claims for reimbursement, that are currently waiting on ADMINISTRATOR approval, and some that are waiting on both FINANCE AND ADMIN approval.

Anyone who is able to log in to IMPACT should also receive an email notice from IMPACT-FLA when their attention is required.

Please take a few moments to remind your administrator of their role in the IMPACT system.

Thanks!

--The FLA and IMPACT teams

Its Supplemental Grant Application Time

2011-03-15T16:55:00.003-05:00

That is right, the Carl Perkins Supplemental Grant funding sources are open for applications. The categories include:

High Growth and Emerging Technologies
Summer Bridge
Career Guidance
Tech Now
Post Secondary Transitions

The link below will take you to the Federal Legislation Assistance website where the grant guidelines are available for download. This year we will not be accepting paper copies into the state office, instead you will upload your file to our server via the supplemental grant application.

CLICKING HERE TAKES YOU TO THE SUPPLEMENTAL GRANT APPLICATION

As always if you need anything please let us know.

--cp

2011-01-20T11:09:00.001-06:00

It's a job that's never started that takes the longest to finish.

--J. R. R. Tolkien (1892 - 1973)

All Perkins Recipients Please Read:

As of this week, our Finance office reports that only 6.5% of Perkins secondary, postsecondary, and supplemental funds are claimed for reimbursement, and only 5% of Tech Centers That Work and 4% of High Schools That Work are claimed. These figures are down by more than half from where we were at this time last year. The preference is for us to be closer to 25-30% of the funds reimbursed at this half-way point in the school year.

On January 7, 2011, several Perkins contact persons received an email from me with detailed information about setting up the Perkins budgets and claims through the IMPACT system. Those 84 emails resulted in only 10 budgets added to the system.

After doing a little calculating on our side, here is where we stand with respect to budgets NOT entered yet into the IMPACT system:

Secondary (High Schools) – 43%

Secondary (Tech Centers) – 15%

Postsecondary – 23%

Tech Prep – 14%

Supplemental Grants: Tech Centers That Work – 26%

Supplemental Grants: High Schools That Work – 80%

Supplemental Grants: Other – 54%

Additional information to keep in mind: each recipient’s approval letter included due dates for revisions and purchases on the ALL RECIPIENTS PLEASE NOTE page:

ALL Funding – final budget revisions for non-salary purchases – March 15, 2011.
Supplemental Grants – expend funds by March 15, 2011
Secondary and Postsecondary – expend ALL non-salary funds by April 1, 2011.
Final claims for reimbursement are due no later than August 1, 2011.

We appreciate your help with getting expenditures completed and in place, and with getting budgets into the IMPACT system and claims processed.

If you have any questions or need more information, please contact Josh Miller at jmill@okcareertech.org or (405) 743-5401, or Janet Cooper at jcoop@okcareertech.org or (405) 743-5130.

A Reminder to all Busy Bees

2010-12-02T10:28:00.002-06:00

Can you believe it’s December already?!

To all users, our IT staff recommends using Mozilla Firefox as the browser instead of Internet Explorer, especially if you need to enter information in the “Note” section of the budgets, change requests, and claims.

The link to this FREE browser is http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/upgrade.html

To funding recipients who have not yet set up their project budgets (regular Perkins, supplemental Perkins, Tech Prep, HSTW, and TCTW) in the new online IMPACT system, the FLA staff is sending another reminder to please take the time and enter those budgets into Impact.

• To log in, go to http://ctis.okcareertech.org/impact/

All contact persons (project, finance, and administration) who were listed in the FY11 applications were provided with a login and password for the IMPACT system via email during the first week of October 2010.

• After logging in, we recommend viewing the demonstration video before setting up your budget.

Getting your budget set up in the IMPACT system doesn’t guarantee that Cyber-Monday shopping orders will arrive on time.

However, it does guarantee LESS STRESS when it comes time for your finance staff to file those claims for reimbursement, and marking things off the to-do list is a great way to go into the holidays!

Remember….no claims can be paid until an approved budget has been input into the IMPACT system.

As always if you need anything we are only a phone call away...

--cp

Details, Details, Details....

2010-11-10T09:14:00.006-06:00

Below you will find a short explanation on a change to the way we would like you all to define the period covered in claims for reimbursement through the IMPACT system. If you have any questions please feel free to give us a call.

Adding Period Covered in IMPACT:

1. Once your grant is active and you are ready to file a claim click on the add button that will reside in the Request for Payment Section toward the bottom of the page.

2. After clicking the above button you will see a screen like the one below, please enter the period covered of the claim you are submitting in the local reference number box.

Thank you for your patience as we all work towards comfort with this new system

--cp

Oh the approval we seek!

2010-11-03T16:49:00.002-05:00

As you begin the FY11 set-up process for IMPACT, remember that there are three steps that must be completed LOCALLY prior to submitting claims for reimbursement.

1. The local Perkins contact person must enter the budget narrative and amounts

a. Log in to IMPACT and click on ADD A NEW GRANT, add your budget line items, and APPROVE.

2. The local Perkins finance person must approve (or reject for corrections) the budget narrative and amounts

a. Log in to IMPACT and click on VIEW PENDING GRANTS and APPROVE.

3. The local superintendent / collegiate president must approve (or reject for corrections) the budget narrative and amount

a. Log in to IMPACT and click on VIEW PENDING GRANTS and APPROVE.

Once the state FLA staff approves (or rejects for corrections) the budget narrative and amounts, log in to IMPACT and click on VIEW ALL GRANTS to access your grant.

NOTE: The local Perkins claim for reimbursement is submitted by the local Perkins finance person.

At this point this is the biggest hurdle that we have experienced with the launch of Impact, as always you all rock. Be patient with us as we diligently work to make this transition as smooth as possible.

--cp

It is not spam I swear!

2010-10-25T14:44:00.002-05:00

But your school's email filters may disagree.

If you have not yet received your user name and password allowing you access to Impact please check your spam email folder and see if it was placed there.

If not located in your spam folder contact your technology guru's and ask them to make sure the email was not blocked entirely.

Finally if still no sign of the email please contact us so that we can get you access.

As always if we can do anything to help please let us know,

--cp

The Time for Change is Upon us....

2010-10-20T16:09:00.006-05:00

Below you will find the long awaited IMPACT online claims application training video.

Please view at your leisure, you should be receiving a user name and password through email in the coming days. If you have any questions please give us a call.

In the case that this video fails to load we have placed one on the front page of our main site..

www.okcareertech.org/fla

As always if you need any assistance we are here to help

--c.p