FY 2017 E-rate “Admin Window” to Open Soon

February 1, 2017

~ Form 471 Window Dates Not Yet Set ~

In the next few days, USAC will be announcing the opening of a special “Administrative Window” during which time schools –  not libraries or consortia – can update their schools’ enrollment and NSLP in EPC.  This special Admin Window is required order to avoid having two separate Form 471 filing windows for FY 2017.  The Admin Window is expected to be open for 3-4 weeks, and after that, the school data will be “locked down” and the Form 471 window will open.  After the Admin Window closes, it will not be possible to update this data in the EPC profiles because that data will be linked to active library and consortia applications.

I am working on updating the PDE Enrollment/NSLP Data file (and merging it with the CEP data file) and will send this to the listserve as soon as the Admin Window is announced.  Please review your schools’ data carefully to ensure that it is accurate and if it is not, contact PDE’s Bureau of Food and Nutrition immediately and let me know as well (each year a handful of schools notice glaring clerical errors that were made when their food service official updated their information in the PDE database).  I’ll also prepare a special Guide to Updating EPC Profiles and send with the NSLP data.

As we discussed in the fall trainings, USAC is expected to allow applicants to use the enrollment/NSLP data that is currently in EPC from FY 2016 – OR – use the updated data that will be in the PDE NSLP Valid file (you’ll have to use the full dataset from one year or the other – you can’t pick and choose which schools use which years’ data).  Therefore it is important that you carefully review last year’s enrollment/NSLP data to see which is more advantageous to your district.  Although unlikely, your discount may have decreased from last year.  Another major reason to not update your data is if the enrollment has declined this year and thus your Category 2 budgets will be less.

Reminder: You should NOT update your FY 2017 enrollment/NSLP data in EPC now – you must want for the Admin Window to open.

Also, at some point before your Form 471 is filed, you’ll want to review the Connectivity Data in your EPC Profile to ensure it’s still accurate.  If nothing has changed, you don’t have to do anything.  If something has changed, you’ll want to update it before the Form 471 is filed.  I’ll send a separate message with a spreadsheet showing the data you submitted in your EPC profile last year so you’ll know if you need to update this module.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at jtschell@comcast.net!

– Julie

Julie Tritt Schell
PA E-rate Coordinator
717-730-7133 – o
717-730-9060 – f
jtschell@comcast.net
www.e-ratepa.org

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