July 11, 2023

Dear Categorical Program Directors, Categorical Program Cooperative Directors, and Consolidated Application Contacts:

2023–24 Consolidated Application for Funding
Categorical Aid Programs, Spring Release

This letter provides information related to the completion of the 2023–24 Consolidated Application (ConApp) for Funding Categorical Aid Programs in the ConApp and its categorical programs.

The data collections in the 2023 Spring Release are as follows:

2021–22 Data Collections

Title I, Part D, Subpart 2 Expenditure, Carryover Report (24 Months)
Title II, Part A Fiscal Year Expenditure Report, 24 Months
Title III English Learner Year-To-Date (YTD) Expenditure Report, 24 Months
Title III Immigrant YTD Expenditure Report, 24 Months

2022–23 Data Collections

Title I, Part A Nonprofit Private School Students Served
Title I, Part D, Subpart 2 Facilities Report
Title I, Part D, Subpart 2 Students Served
Title I, Part D, Subpart 2 Outcomes
Title I, Part D, Subpart 2 Academic Performance
Title I, Part D, Subpart 2 Expenditure, Carryover Report (12 Months)
Title II, Part A Fiscal Year Expenditure Report, 12 Months
Title III English Learner Nonprofit Private School Reimbursement
Title III English Learner YTD Expenditure Report, 12 Months
Title III Immigrant Nonprofit Private School Students Served
Title III Immigrant YTD Expenditure Report, 12 Months
Homeless Education Policy, Requirements, and Implementation

2023–24 Data Collections

Certification of Assurances
Protected Prayer Certification
Local Control and Accountability (LCAP) Federal Addendum Certification
Application for Funding
Nonprofit Private School Consultation
Title III English Learner Student Program Subgrant Budget
Title III Immigrant Student Program Subgrant Budget
Substitute System for Time Accounting

Records Retention

Each recipient of federal funds under any applicable program through any grant, subgrant, cooperative agreement, loan, or other arrangement shall keep records which fully disclose the amount and disposition by the recipient of those funds, the total cost of the activity for which the funds are used, the share of that cost provided from other sources, and such other records as will facilitate an effective financial or programmatic audit. The recipient shall maintain such records for three years after the completion of the activity for which the funds are used. (United States Code (USC) Title 20, Chapter 31, Subchapter III, Part 4, Section 1232f[a])

The Secretary and the Comptroller General of the United States, or any of their duly authorized representatives, shall have access, for the purpose of audit examination, to any records maintained by a recipient that may be related, or pertinent to, grants, subgrants, cooperative agreements, loans, or other arrangements to which reference is made in subsection (a) of this section, or which may relate to the compliance of the recipient with any requirement of an applicable program. (USC Title 20, Chapter 31, Subchapter III, Part 4, Section 1232f[b])

Additional information is available on the Office of the Law Revision Counsel USC web page.

Consolidated Application and Reporting System - Online Submission of the ConApp

The Consolidated Application and Reporting System (CARS) is the online version of the ConApp. In order to obtain access to CARS, you must use the unique user name and password you created through the Centralized Authentication System (CAS) system. A link to CAS can be found on the California Department of Education (CDE) CARS web page. Once the user name has been created, have the person designated as the local educational agency (LEA) CARS User Administrator assign your CAS user name the rights to access an LEA’s data. If you do not know who is the CARS User Administrator or the LEA does not have a CARS User Administrator, contact the ConApp Support Desk by email at conappsupport@cde.ca.gov or by phone at 916-319-0297 for assistance.

All ConApps must be submitted through CARS. No paper copies of the ConApp will be accepted. Any subsequent revisions to the ConApp must also be submitted through CARS. LEAs are required to obtain original signatures on the Certification of Assurances and Protected Prayer Certification to certify compliance with all laws and regulations related to the ConApp programs. These original signatures must be kept on file at the LEA and be available during a compliance review, complaint investigation, or an audit. It is not necessary to mail or fax this page to the CDE, unless requested.

There are two times a year where CARS is open and data collections are required to be submitted. The data collections that display for LEAs may not include all of the data collections listed at the beginning of this letter, because only the data collections for which the LEA applied and received funds for will display. The first submission period is the Spring Release, which typically opens sometime between mid-May to the beginning of July, with the deadline date approximately six weeks later. The second submission period is the Winter Release, which is typically open from mid-January to February 28.

Funding Opportunities

The LEAs, including direct-funded charter schools, may review a funding profile for each program on the CDE ConApp Programs web page. Each funding profile contains a brief description of the program, eligibility criteria, funding information, and the CDE contacts for additional program or fiscal information.

Legal Assurances

Legal assurances for programs funded through the ConApp are located on the CDE Consolidated Application web page under the What’s New heading section. In the event an LEA cannot agree to specific assurances as a condition for receiving funds and operating programs, the issues must be identified and resolved prior to the submission of the ConApp.

Title I, Part A and Title I, Part D Participation

The Application for Funding declares that the LEA, authorized by the local governing board, is applying for specified categorical aid funds. In order to receive Title I apportionments for 2023–24, the LEA must:

• Select “Yes” for Title I, Part A and/or Title I, Part D participation and certify the 2023–24 Application for Funding data collection no later than March 31, 2024;
• Submit a Cash Management Data Collection (CMDC) cash balance report during the reporting window.
• Submit their LCAP Federal Addendum.

For questions regarding CMDC or Title I, Part A and Title I, Part D fiscal matters, Waqas Sher, Education Fiscal Services Assistant, School Fiscal Services Division, by phone at 916-319-0454 or by email at federalcashmanagement@cde.ca.gov or wsher@cde.ca.gov.

Title II, Part A Participation

The Application for Funding declares that the LEA, authorized by the local governing board, is applying for specified categorical aid funds. In order to receive Title II, Part A apportionments for 2023–24, the LEA must:

• Select “Yes” for Title II, Part A participation certify the 2023–24 Application for Funding data collection no later than March 31, 2024;
• Submit a CMDC cash balance report during the reporting window.
• Submit their LCAP Federal Addendum.

For questions regarding CMDC or Title II, Part A fiscal matters, contact Sheng Her, Associate Governmental Program Analyst, School Fiscal Services Division, by phone at 916-324-4533 or by email at federalcashmanagement@cde.ca.gov or sher@cde.ca.gov.

Title III Participation

The Application for Funding declares that the LEA, authorized by the local governing board, is applying for specified categorical aid funds. In order to receive Title III English Learner and/or Immigrant apportionments for 2023–24, the LEA must:

• Select “Yes” for Title III participation and certify the 2023–24 Application for Funding data collection no later than March 31, 2024;
• Submit a CMDC cash balance report during the reporting window.
• Submit their LCAP Federal Addendum.

For questions regarding CMDC or Title III fiscal matters, contact Derrick Andrade, Education Fiscal Services Consultant, School Fiscal Services Division, by phone at
916-327-5922 or by email at federalcashmanagement@cde.ca.gov or dandrade@cde.ca.gov.

Title IV, Part A Participation

The Application for Funding declares that the LEA, authorized by the local governing board, is applying for specified categorical aid funds. In order to receive Title IV, Part A apportionments for 2023–24, the LEA must:

• Select “Yes” for Title IV, Part A participation and certify the 2023–24 Application for Funding data collection no later than March 31, 2024;
• Submit a CMDC cash balance report during the reporting window.
• Submit their LCAP Federal Addendum.

For questions regarding CMDC or Title IV, Part A fiscal matters, contact Sheng Her, Associate Governmental Program Analyst, School Fiscal Services Division, by phone at 916-324-4533 or by email at federalcashmanagement@cde.ca.gov or sher@cde.ca.gov.

Local Control Accountability Plan

Within California, LEAs that apply for applicable Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) funds are required to complete the LCAP, the LCAP Federal Addendum Template (Addendum), and the ConApp. The LCAP, in conjunction with the Addendum and the ConApp, serve as the ESSA LEA Plan.

In order to apply for funds, the LEA must certify that the completed Addendum will be approved by the local governing board or governing body of the LEA and submitted to the CDE, and that the LEA will work with the CDE to ensure that the Addendum addresses all required provisions of the ESSA programs for which they are applying for federal education funds.

Consultation with Private Schools

There are four ConApp data collections pertaining to the federal mandate requiring LEAs to consult with nonprofit private schools and provide equitable services to benefit their students and educational personnel. The first form is open during the CARS Spring Release, and the other three forms are open during the CARS Winter Release.

The first data collection, open during the Spring Release, is the 2023–24 Nonprofit Private School Consultation data collection. The Consultation form lists the nonprofit private schools eligible for private school consultation and equitable services under the federal mandate. The CARS data entry instructions for the data collection provide additional information on how a school can be added and the acceptable circumstances for adding schools.

The other three data collections, open during the CARS Winter Release, are the 2023–24 Title I, Part A Nonprofit Private School Low-Income Student Count; 2023–24 Title II, Part A / Title III Nonprofit Private School Participation; and 2023–24 Title IV, Part A Nonprofit Private School Participation data collections. These data collections will only be visible for LEAs that apply for and receive Title I, Part A; Title II, Part A; Title III; and/or Title IV, Part A funds. Eligible nonprofits are included based on information provided on the LEAs Spring 2023–24 Nonprofit Private School Consultation form. The CARS instructions detail how to add non-attendance area schools on the 2023–24 Nonprofit Private School Consultation form.

Documents Available on the CDE ConApp Request for Applications Web Page

The following documents can be found on the CDE 2023–24 Consolidated Application Spring Release Request for Applications web page:

• CARS web page (which contains the link to the login screen to the system, the user guide and other CARS-related information)
• 2023–24 ConApp Cover Letter
• 2023–24 ConApp Program Guidance
• 2023–24 ConApp Legal Assurances

CARS User Guide

The CARS User Guide should answer your questions on how to access, complete, and submit your ConApp, and is available on the CDE CARS web page. If, after reviewing the guide, you require additional assistance related to the CARS, please contact:

ConApp Support Desk
conappsupport@cde.ca.gov
916-319-0297

Please visit the CDE ConApp web page for more information and updates regarding the ConApp. We encourage you to subscribe to the ConApp email list by sending a blank email message to join-consolidated-application@mlist.cde.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

Jerry Winkler, Director
Educational Data Management Division

JW:hd