Just in case you missed it, here is the link to today’s 5:00 pm Zoom call on “Cool Careers in Energy.”
Meeting ID: 834 5067 5091
Passcode: 055045 +
1 312 626 6799 US
Please make sure your students have the link. Have them sign in with their first name and team number.
MDE GRANT
The MDE posted the list of 99h state grant recipients late last week. The list includes only the totals each team will receive. We took the MDE list and separated out the stipends and team support awards so it would be easier for your districts to know what to pay the coach(es) and what to pay the teams. You can find our spreadsheet here:
Note the additional tabs.
CALCULATION OF YOUR AWARD
All awards were reduced by a percentage that would allow the MDE to pay ALL applicants that applied properly. Public schools received 80.8% of the max award specified in the RFP, and non-public schools received 92.9%. Public and non-public school awards are paid out of different buckets of state money, hence the difference between the two awards. If your district requested less than the maximum RFP award amount, the reduction was applied to the amount that was requested.
There are a few things to keep in mind when viewing our spreadsheet:
1. Our list includes only the FIRST awards. Use this link to the techplan.org recipient list to find awards for programs other than FIRST.
2. At the end of the season, the MDE requires FIM to submit a list of teams that did not participate in the required number of events so they can defund them. FRC teams are required to participate in two official events. FTC and FLL teams are required to compete in one official FIM event.
WHERE TO WATCH FOR THE PAYMENT
Payment from the state does not come by check. A single payment for the entire award is included in the direct deposit the district receives from the state each month for their School Aid. The grant funds paid will be noted on line “99h” of the statement that accompanies the direct deposit. Please tell your administration to check there. Then work with them on a plan for how you can access the funds.
TIMING
We expect non-public school districts to receive their awards this month, and public school districts next month.
Please make sure to pass the link along to your students and have them sign in with their first name and team number.
STIPEND
Remind the district that your stipend must include the 25% match on top of the amount awarded. If they choose not to pay the stipend award to the coach(es) for any reason, the stipend award must be returned to the MDE.
TEAM SUPPORT AWARD
The support award can be spent on anything related to the team. You are not limited to the items or amounts you put on the budget in your NexSys application. Acceptable items include such things as registration fees (advancement included), T-shirts, robot parts, food, transportation, hand and machine tools, banners, team giveaways, 3D printers, etc. Literally, ANYTHING for the team is an acceptable expense.
SOLE USE OF THE MONEY
The money is for the sole use of your team. The district cannot keep the funds and divert them for any other purpose.
This email will be posted to the FRC blog under resources on the FIM FRC website should you need to refer back to it.
