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BOCES State Aid Explained: Questions and Answers
Questions: (Click on the question to go to the answer):
Answers:
Q: What is the DEA?
A: The DEA stands for Data Entry Assistant. It is the State Aid database for collecting expenditure, revenue, enrollment and attendance data for the purpose of calculating State Aid to School Districts and BOCES component districts.
Q: How is the data collected on the DEA?
A: The BOCES download a copy of the DEA from the State Aid WEB page and install it on their computer. The BOCES then enter data about the BOCES and about the component districts on DEA forms. There are a series of menus for navigation to the forms, as well as a help file to answer questions about the DEA and data entry. A toolbar at the bottom of the screen provides such functions as print forms, calculate forms, help and return to the menu.
Once the data is entered, the BOCES send the DEA data to State Aid via the WEB.
Q: Is data entered and calculated for the BOCES as a whole or for the component districts?
A: The BOCES enter data for the BOCES and then allocate and enter data for each individual component district. There are edit reports to indicate when the total of the components does not equal the BOCES data for specific items.
Q: Is aid paid to the BOCES or the components?
A: Aid is calculated for each component, but is paid on behalf of the components directly to the BOCES. The BOCES then either (1)adjusts the billings to the component districts to reflect net costs allocated to each district after deducting the State Aid received or (2) refunds the amount of State Aid received to each district.
Q: Where is BOCES Aid actually calculated?
A: Aid is calculated on the following forms:
BOCES:
- BOC-OUT, BOCES Output Form: This report is generated by the DEA from data entered on the BOCES input schedules and provides a detailed summary of computed BOCES revenue and expenditure data by major activity area to be used in determining allocations of approved expenditures and deductions to the component school districts on the CMP-IN, "Component School District Allocations Input Report." Actual BOCES Aid is not directly calculated on this form but the data reported on the form is the basis for aid calculations on the component output form described below.
COMPONENTS:
- CMP-OUT, Component Output Form: Actual calculations of BOCES Aids payable on behalf of the component school districts are displayed on this output report. Aids are calculated and displayed as follows: Aid for BOCES Administrative Services, Aid for Career Education, Aid for Itinerant Teacher Services for Academic Intervention Services, Aid for All Other Itinerant Teacher Services, Aid for Summer School- General Instruction, Aid for All Other General Instruction, Aid for Instructional Support Technology, Aid for Instructional Support Staff Development, Aid for All Other Instructional Support Services, Aid for All Other Services and Aid for BOCES Facilities Costs.
- SA 114, Aids Summary Report: This report lists total Administration, Services, Facilities and Due Save Harmless Aids payable for each component of the BOCES.
Q: What aid ratios are used to calculate the components aid?
A: For Administration and Services, the components may use the higher of the following three ratios:
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A ratio based on the district tax levy in excess of 8 mills.
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The RWADA Aid Ratio of the district
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A minimum aid ratio of .360.
B. For facilities, the aid ratio is the RWADA ratio with no minimum.
Q: There are so many forms, where is the data entered?
A: The data entry forms are explained below. To view a copy of the BOCES DEA menu, click here.
BOCES DATA:
- Miscellaneous Input Schedules 1-6: These forms provide detail on non-aidable revenues and expenditures that are to be deducted from approved expenditures in computing BOCES Aid.
- Miscellaneous Input Schedules E and X: These forms provide detailed information on annualized salary expenditures for the base year for any BOCES employee whose annualized salary exceeds $30,000. The amount of such excess is a non-aidable expense for the purpose of computing BOCES Aid. Schedule E lists such salary data for employees of the reporting BOCES providing services to the reporting BOCES' component school districts. Schedule X lists such salary data for employees of the reporting BOCES providing services to non-component districts or to other BOCES under cross contracts.
- Miscellaneous Input Schedule 7: This form provides projected excess salary information for the current school year similar to Schedules E and X but in an abbreviated format. The projected excess salary data is used in projecting aids payable in the next school year under present law and under proposals that may be advanced by the Governor or the Legislature.
- Miscellaneous Input Schedule 8: This form provides detailed fiscal information related to items to be reported on the "BOCES Report Card." Most entries on this form are automatically filled in from data entered on other forms of the DEA. However, item 2, "Supplemental Retirement and Other Post Retirement Benefits," and item 3, "Total Capital Expenses" should be entered by the BOCES.
- BOC-IN, Schedules 001, 002, 100 – 700: These forms report specific items of revenue and expenditure data to be used in computing and projecting BOCES Aid. A separate schedule is provided for each major area of BOCES activity as follows: Schedule 001 - BOCES Administration; Schedule 002 - BOCES Facilities; Schedule 100 - Career Education; Schedule 200 - Special Education; Schedule 300A - Itinerant Teacher Services for Academic Intervention; Schedule 300B - All Other Itinerant Teacher Services; Schedule 400A - Summer School General Instruction; Schedule 400B - All Other General Instruction; Schedule 500A - Instructional Support for Technology; Schedule 500B - Instructional Support through Staff Development; Schedule 500C - All Other Instructional Support; Schedule 600 - Other BOCES Services and Schedule 700 - Operation and Maintenance and Other BOCES Internal Services. Some of the entries on these forms are transferred automatically by the DEA from data entered on Miscellaneous Input Schedules 1 through 6, E and X.
COMPONENT DATA:
- CMP-IN, Component School District Allocations Input Report: This form reports that portion of specific revenue and expenditure data reported on the BOCES-wide output forms that are allocated to each individual component school district. The BOCES-wide output form is described above. In most cases the sum of the data entered for individual items on this form across all component school districts should equal the comparable value reported in comparable data items of the BOCES-wide output form. Some of the entries on this form are transferred automatically by the DEA from data entered on Miscellaneous Input Schedules 1 through 6, E and X.
Q: How can I find out more about the DEA and the specific forms?
A: "HELP" is available on the BOCES WEB page. You can access "HELP" from the BOCES DEA (function key F1) or the State Aid WEB Page. Also available on the BOCES WEB page is "BOCES DEA Overview: Slides Presented at the BOCES Basic Workshop (3/22/02)".
Q: What is an edit?
A: After the data is entered, checks of the data are made by comparing BOCES to Component totals and by comparing data from year to year. These comparisons are done with prior year data, claim data and projection data.
BOCES to Component totals comparisons
- Claim Items (Edit A)
- Projection Items (Edit F)
Year to Year Comparisons
BOCES DATA
- Claim to Projection Items (Edit B)
COMPONENT DATA
- Prior Year to Claim Totals (Edit E - Only available from SED)
- Claim to Projection Items (Edit F)
- Individual component exceptions and explanations (Edit C)
- Summary of all component exceptions (Edit D)
Q: What is the BOCES responsibility regarding edits?
A: Before sending the data to SED, the BOCES should run all edits and either revise the data to eliminate edit exceptions or explain the exceptions where space is provided in the DEA. Your explanation should indicate the reasons the data falls outside expected parameters. Such an explanation might indicate how services or enrollment changed. Explanations such as, "the data is OK" is not considered an explanation of an edit exception.
When the data is received by SED the Component Prior Year to Claim Comparison Edit will be sent to the BOCES for explanation of the Edit Exceptions or revision of the data. All edit exceptions must be explained in October, and agina in December for re-filed DEA data.
Q: Why is it important to review and comment on the edit exceptions?
A: On November 1, the data from the DEA is used to create a data file that will be used by the Governor's staff to develop the Executive Budget Proposals to be sent to the Legislature in January. If the data is inaccurate, the Executive Budget and all related public releases of aid projections will under-estimate or over-estimate the BOCES Aid payable to the component school districts.
Q: What does the State Aid's desk review of BOCES Aid claims entail?
A: The State Aid Unit reviews the claim for internal consistency of all forms and reports and for any unusual or unanticipated variations in data reported across claim years. Based on the desk review, the BOCES may be requested to provide additional documentation of the claim or to revise the claim.
Q: What is the annual schedule for BOCES aid?
A: Below is a schedule of important BOCES aid dates.
August |
Paper forms sent to BOCES.
DEA software available on WEB for BOCES to download. |
October 1 |
DEA data and paper forms due at SED from BOCES.
Data editing commences.
Desk review commences. |
November 1 |
Data editing complete.
DEA data frozen for Budget Projection. |
November |
Re-Filing Notification to BOCES:
Edited data and software available on WEB for BOCES to download. |
December 1 |
SA116A: BOCES Building Payment WorksheetDue. |
December 30 |
Re-Filing Due: Revised DEA due at SED from BOCES.
Editing of Re-Filed data commences.
Desk review continues. |
January |
DEA data frozen for February Payment. |
February 1 |
Payment.
Data editing complete.
DEA data frozen for Budget Projection. |
March 1 |
SA109: BOCES Building Payment Worksheet Due. |
May 1 |
DEA data frozen for Budget Projection.
DEA data frozen for June Payment. |
June 1 |
Payment. |
August |
DEA data frozen for September Payment. |
September 1 |
Payment. |
As needed |
Prior Year Revision |
Q: When there are differences between the BOCES DEA submission and the BOCES Aid Output Report on the State Aid WEB site (http://stateaid.nysed.gov), how can the BOCES identify the reason for the differences?
A: The BOCES can compare their copy of the DEA to the forms on the State Aid WEB site.
There are two forms that are useful for this comparison: the BOC-OUT: BOCES Output Form and the CMP-OUT: Component Output Form. Once you have found the difference on the output form, follow the calculation backward to identify the specific reason for the change
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