Tennessee issues FY26 McKinney‑Vento subgrant guidance, sets budget, reporting and monitoring deadlines

Vanessa, the state McKinney‑Vento liaison (Tennessee Department of Education), told returning and new subgrantees during a virtual webinar that the McKinney‑Vento subgrant is intended “to facilitate the enrollment, attendance, and success in schools of homeless children and youth,” and reviewed allowable uses, required documentation and a calendar of deadlines for FY26 funding.

The guidance matters because subgrantee budgets, staffing and program decisions for services to students experiencing homelessness must conform to federal allowability and state monitoring requirements to receive and retain funds. Vanessa emphasized the need for detailed budget narratives and for LEAs to remove barriers to enrollment, and she outlined when reports and reviews must be submitted in ePlan.

Vanessa told participants that subgrantees must submit an initial FY26 budget and narrative in ePlan by Aug. 30, and that final expenditures for FY25 (the FER) must be completed in ePlan by Oct. 1, 2025 to allow any FY25 carryover into FY26. The FER should record expenditures incurred between the date funds were awarded and June 30, 2025. Midyear performance reviews will open Nov. 21 and are due in January, and the closeout report for FY26 will open June 1 and is due June 30; tentative award notifications for FY26 are planned for July 18 pending U.S. Department of Education award notices.

On budgeting and allowability, Vanessa said narratives must show items are allowable, reasonable, necessary and allocable to the McKinney‑Vento program. Examples she gave include: - Tutoring and academic…