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Board reviews federal monitoring report, orders Title I language changes to 'engagement'
Summary
Staff presented a federal programs monitoring report showing compliance with most requirements, noted a Title III consortium purchasing change and instructed schools to update Title I parent 'involvement' language to 'engagement' with documentation due by June 30.
Hardy County Schools staff presented the district's federal programs monitoring report to the board and outlined required compliance updates, including changes to Title III purchasing procedures and revisions to Title I parent policies.
The presenter distributed the monitoring packet and summarized results: most items were marked either "compliance" or "not applicable." The presenter identified a Title III technical requirement: if a county receives less than $10,000 in Title III funds it must participate in a consortium; the fiscal agent must procure and ship eligible purchases rather than allowing member counties to buy and be reimbursed. The presenter said the district will adjust internal procedures to comply.
The board also discussed Title I parent policy language. Staff said district policy and school-level documents used the older federal phrasing "involvement" rather than the updated term "engagement." "It is now been updated to say engagement as appropriate in the policy," the presenter said, and staff signaled a first reading of the updated family engagement policy. Schools will be required to submit advisory council agendas, sign-in sheets and meeting notes to show compliance; staff aims to submit the corrected documentation by June 30.
Other monitoring items noted included corrections to time-and-effort forms (adding employee and supervisor signatures and dates) to meet federal requirements and a management-letter comment from the audit on segregation of duties at school offices; staff described steps to mitigate that risk, including monthly random checks and centralized bank reconciliations.
Why it matters: The monitoring findings affect how federal funds are administered and how schools document parent outreach and compliance steps for the U.S. Department of Education. The board approved first readings of updated policies and accepted the monitoring report as presented.
What happens next: Schools will update Title I materials and submit required documentation, the district will change Title III purchasing procedures to act as fiscal agent for consortium members, and staff will continue to work on internal controls and time-and-effort forms.
