BRUSTEIN & MANASEVIT, PLLC

SPRING FORUM 2018

The Yin and Yang of Federal Grants Management:

How to Handle   More (Responsibilities) with Less (Dollars) 

When the Federal Government adopted the new Uniform Grant Guidance (UGG) back in 2015, state, local and postsecondary grant administrators were promised a dramatically simplified, consistent, and transparent set of rules to manage federal grant resources. So how has that worked out for you?

OMB has been providing more time and higher procurement thresholds, but only to postsecondary institutions. The long promised guidance from the U.S. Education Department (ED) on “new flexibilities” for time and effort certifications has not been forthcoming. We are still witnessing confusion by the pass-through state agency on the development of indirect cost rates under ESEA, IDEA, Perkins and AEFLA, and how administrative staff should be charged under these indirect rates. The Office of the Inspector General at ED has recently pointed out that a large segment of the single audits are substandard, and the pass through agencies are falling short on audit follow-up, as well as corrective action plans under the new UGG monitoring protocols. And how are you implementing all of the new requirements under ESSA? Congress is now poised to fast track the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, which will be followed in the spring with the new Perkins CTE bill.

With all these changes and new administrative burdens impacting federal grants, the only certainties here in Washington are less federal personnel to provide guidance, and less funding available at the state, local and postsecondary levels to carry out these grant responsibilities. To help you meet these challenges, Brustein & Manasevit, PLLC will be hosting our annual Spring Forum at the Washington Hilton on May 9 - 11, 2018 “The Yin and Yang of Federal Grants Management: How to Handle More (Responsibilities) with Less (Dollars)”. You’ll hear from a host of federal officials from OMB, the Justice Department, the Office of the Secretary at ED, as well as updates on the new initiatives and action plans from OIG. The Firm’s attorneys will update you on legislative, regulatory and funding issues, as well as the myriad of programmatic issues on IDEA, ESSA, Perkins, AEFLA and the new Higher Education Act. There will be pre-sessions on how recent audit resolution has impacted EDGAR and the UGG, and a separate pre-session on updates to ESSA. We will have a panel of SEA, LEA and postsecondary officials discuss their policies and procedures on audit/monitoring resolution and corrective action plans.  As our attendees have stated over and over for the past 25 years, if you can attend only one professional development conference this year, then this is the one not to miss. It is the opportunity to get your questions answered, and network with your colleagues from all 50 states.

Agenda

Please click here to view the Draft Agenda. As always, please remember that the forum agenda and speakers are subject to change. We urge you to register as soon as possible and reserve your room at the hotel.

 Registration Information

To register for the forum, please continue to scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Register Now button. Please remember that registration and payment are separate processes.  

Wednesday, May 9, 2018 (1:00 pm) to Friday, May 11, 2018 (12:00 pm)

Wednesday, May 9, 2018 (8:30 am – 11:00 am)

(Credit Cards Accepted)

Cancellation Policy & Refunds

Attendees are responsible for providing Brustein & Manasevit, PLLC with written notice of cancellation either via email, fax, or letter no later than April 2, 2018. Please note that attendees who cancel after the cancellation date may incur a fine for any expenses. If you are cancelling your Forum attendance, you must also cancel your hotel reservation.

Hotel Accommodations

To be guaranteed a spot in the hotel you MUST book early because the hotel has limited space capacity. The conference rate for our Spring Forum is $319 per night. Each guest room includes complimentary internet access. To make your reservation, please call The Washington Hilton Hotel at 202-483-3000 or click here. It is important to note that the Washington Hilton Hotel requires one night's deposit when making your reservation. Cancellations made within 72 hours of arrival will forfeit one night's room and tax.

PowerPoint Presentations

All attendees will have access to electronic versions of all the PowerPoint presentations, appendices and resources through a secure website prior to and during the Forum.  If you want to obtain a booklet including paper copies of all the presentations you MUST select that option when registering. All attendees will have three weeks prior to the forum to request a hard copy of the materials. We will NOT provide hard copies of the booklets unless it is specifically requested on the registration form.

Continuing Professional Education Credits

Brustein & Manasevit, PLLC is an approved Continuing Professional Education (CPE) sponsor by the National Association of State Board of Accountancy (NASBA).  All professionals wishing to obtain CPE credit can obtain up to fifteen (15) Specialized Knowledge-Technical CPE credits for attending our Group-Live 2018 Spring Forum.  All attendees who attend either of the optional pre-sessions will have an opportunity to receive up to three (3) additional Specialized Knowledge-Technical CPE credits. 

There is no additional charge to receive CPE credits, however, all attendees must complete all of the requirements that are listed on the NASBA letter which will be available upon registration check-in.

This Forum is for those of all levels and experience within your organization; therefore, the Program Level is 'Overview.'  There are no pre-requisites or advanced preparation required to attend and the material presented is provided on-site.

Learning Objectives:

• Become familiar with federal requirements/grants management systems (procurement, inventory, and financial management.
• Understand federal education program rules as well as programmatic fiscal issues including maintenance of effort, supplement not supplant, and comparability.
• Understand the potential consequences of audit findings and federal education program reviews.
• Understand the internal controls that are required for federal grant eligibility.

  Brustein & Manasevit is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education (CPE) on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE   Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org