Many schools have been asking why the NPSE Year 11 and 12 allocations and application period have still not been released despite being promised late last fall. There has been a legislative complication that has necessitated internal work between State agencies, including NYSED and the Department of Budget, before the funds will be released. We are hopeful that this work is close to complete and that we’ll see these needed funds soon.
With the NPSE program delays, we wanted to share some recent information that we received from the NYSE Office of Religious and Independent School Support (ORISS) office about the processing of NPSE Year 10 applications. Feedback that we’ve been receiving from ORISS has centered on the need to improve the quality of the applications and to pay greater attention to detail with supporting documentation. Most of the applications are requiring “requests for information” from ORISS staff, which can dramatically slow down the process. While some of the issues may seem minor of nitpicky, their office is under greater scrutiny as money in reimbursable programs continues to grow at high rates. Please reach out to our office if you have any questions or need assistance with your NPSE applications. We continue to hope for a release of NPSE Year 11/12 combined as we were promised by the ORISS office and we’ll keep you updated as we get more information.
Grant Work Documentation Mistakes to Avoid
Common Invoice Mistakes
- Submitting proposals, estimates, or work orders instead of official invoices.
- Uploading documents that are illegible or poorly scanned.
- Invoices issued to entities not listed in SEDREF (e.g., church name instead of school/payee).
- Delivery or work address on the invoice does not match the SEDREF listing.
- Invoices lack sufficient detail to determine eligibility.
- Including sales tax on invoices (sales tax is not reimbursable).
Common Payment Documentation Mistakes
- Submitting illegible copies of checks.
- Omitting the back side of checks.
- Failing to include the first page of bank or credit card statements.
- Payee name does not match SEDREF.
- Address on checks or bank statements do not match SEDREF.
- Check amount differs from the invoice without accompanying documentation explaining the discrepancy.
Common Security Guard Documentation Mistakes
- Missing detailed PAR reports showing security guard hours and days worked.
- School calendar does not clearly indicate daily hours of operation.
- Claiming hours outside the eligible window (only 30 minutes before and after on school academic days are eligible).
NPSE Submission Best Practices
To avoid delays and ensure a smooth review process:
- Annually review all resources and guidance documents available on the NPSE website before submitting your NPSE claim.
- Ensure that the information listed on the SEDREF is current and accurate.
- Consolidate invoices when possible:
- For vendors submitting multiple invoices, request a single detailed invoice.
- Include consolidation instructions if needed.
- Less invoices submitted speed up the review process significantly so combining 5 invoices into one consolidated invoice makes a big difference.
- Before submitting, carefully review your documentation using the NPSE RFI Template. Key items to verify include:
- Ensure school name and address on all invoices and checks match SEDREF.
- Do not include proposals or estimates – only final invoices, should be submitted.
- Include all pages of checks and bank/credit card statements as proof of payment.
- Have a second reviewer:
- Have a fresh set of eyes catch errors before submission.