Responsibilities
of
SSA Member
Districts
LEAs should consider the needs of the migratory children and the supplemental services to provide when deciding whether to accept the Title I, Part C funds and implement an MEP. LEAs may decide to accept Title I, Part C funds independently or as a member of an SSA through an ESC. Regardless of the number of eligible students identified, if the district elects to accept this funding the responsibilities remain the same.
LEAs that choose not to accept the funds and have at least one migratory student identified in their districts must operate an MEP as a Non-Project District.
This section addresses the responsibilities of districts who accept funds as a member of an SSA.
The Collaborative Partnership
Coordinating efforts between SSA Member Districts and their Fiscal Agents
Partnership
Options
Collaborative Partnership
When an LEA elects to receive their Title I, Part C funds as an SSA Member District and an ESC designates they will be a fiscal agent, both are agreeing to fully and appropriately implement the Title I, Part C MEP. They are partners, and program implementation becomes a coordinated effort. Neither partner can assume the other is implementing program requirements. Both are responsible for ensuring a successful migrant program and that migratory students receive the support they need.
In order for the SSA to work effectively, both the SSA Member District and the ESC must communicate, collaborate, and assume equal responsibility for their migratory students and families. This is a partnership and requires both the SSA Member District and the ESC to share a singular focus. The SSA combines the strengths and resources of all members for greater support and success than they would have achieved independently.
Details about creating an SSA can be found in the SSA Member Districts section of the ESSA topic page.
SSA Agreement Options
An SSA member district agreement (or regional contract) between the SSA Member District and the ESC outlines which entity is responsible for each of the various programmatic and fiscal duties. There are three options for the organization of a MEP SSA.
Option 1: The ESC provides all services and MEP-funded staff, and implements all program requirements.
Option 2: The SSA Member Districts fully implement the MEP themselves, with the ESC reimbursing each SSA Member District for all expenditures through a process known as flow-through.
Option 3: The ESC and the SSA Member Districts share the responsibilities (i.e., services, staff, and activities) necessary to operate the MEP.
Regardless of which option is selected, the SSA Member District must identify a district MEP contact who will communicate with and respond to the designated ESC MEP contact.
The agreement/contract should address who is responsible for all application, compliance, and programmatic portions of the MEP. The agreement/contract is signed by representatives from both the SSA Member District and the ESC.
SSA Agreements
The fiscal agent (ESC) is responsible for creating an SSA member district agreement that defines the composite entity and describes the responsibilities of its fiscal agent and each SSA Member District. At a minimum, this agreement contains the following:
Description of legal requirements
- Organization of the SSA
- Ownership of assets
- Policies and procedures addressing disposition of assets if the SSA is terminated by any or all members
- Basis for allocation of costs
- Uncontrollable costs that affect the fiscal agent
Description of responsibilities of the designated fiscal agent
- Services to be provided to SSA Member Districts
- Employment of personnel
- Budgets and accounts
- Reports
- Private nonprofit schools
Description of responsibilities of each SSA Member District
- Employment of personnel
- Budgets and accounts
- Reports
- Private nonprofit schools
The written agreement must be maintained on file by the fiscal agent for auditing and monitoring purposes.
ESC Responsibilities
If an ESC chooses to function as a fiscal agent for an SSA, then they are performing TWO functions and have two separate responsibilities.
Under the ESSA Basic Services Initiative Grant, the ESC provides training and technical assistance for ALL Project Districts (Independent and SSA) as well as Non-Project Districts.
Under the ESSA Consolidated Federal Grant, the ESC serves as the fiscal agent for the migrant SSA. The ESC collaborates with the SSA Member Districts to implement a fully developed MEP that serves the SSA Member Districts and their migratory students.
An ESC that acts as a fiscal agent for an SSA must also perform all the responsibilities addressed in the Project and Non-Project District sections. Functioning as a fiscal agent does not absolve an ESC from performing the duties under the ESC Basic Services grant.
For more information about ESC Responsibilities, visit that page.
All districts that accept Title I, Part C funds have many responsibilities to effectively operate an MEP, whether as an Independent Project District or an SSA Member District. To learn more about any of these important responsibilities, you can Explore by Topic.
When viewing the topic pages, if additional information or clarification is provided for SSA Member Districts, you can find it near the bottom of each page where you see this icon:
