Update Enrollment/NSLP Data in EPC Now

December 11, 2019

Attached: Entering Enrollment-NSLP in EPC FY 2020

Attached: Unofficial PDE Enrollment-NSLP Data Oct 2019

~ E-rate FY 2020 “Admin Window” is Open ~

~ Draft Enrollment/NSLP/CEP Data Attached ~

~ Helpful Guide to Quickly Updating Data Attached ~

The Funding Year 2020 E-rate ”Admin Window” is now open!  That means it’s time that schools must update the enrollment/NSLP data in each of their schools’ EPC profiles and add any new schools/admin buildings (libraries do not enter NSLP data, but should update any changes to square footage of their buildings).  After the Admin Window closes, the data will be “locked down” and 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.  The Admin Window deadline has not yet been announced, but I expect it to be the second week in January.  As soon as the Admin Window closes, the Form 471 Filing Window for FY 2020 will open.  *Try to update your school data in EPC before leaving for holiday break*

IMPORTANT:  The official PDE NSLP Data File will not be available until after the Admin Window has closed; but, the PDE Bureau of Food and Nutrition has again provided us with the unofficial data that was submitted by each LEA on their October 2019 NSLP Claim Form (which is the month that is used by USAC to validate your discounts).  I made this request of PDE because I thought it would be easier than having every PA LEA contact their food service director to request the data that had been submitted.  Official disclaimer:  LEAs technically have until December 30, 2019 to make revisions to this data in the PDE PEARS system, and therefore there’s a chance that this data could change from the official data that is submitted to USAC.

Details about the Data: The data that you will use is on the 1st tab (named:  Oct 2019 NSLP Draft Data), which contains the Enrollment and NSLP that should be used in each school’s EPC profile.  If a school is a CEP-participating school, they will use the Enrollment and CEP Percentage shown on the spreadsheet (note, this is technically the Identified Student Percentage, but USAC calls it the CEP Percentage).

Some Missing Data:  There are 51 LEAs that have not yet submitted their October 2019 NSLP Claim Forms to PDE and I’ve listed those entities on the 2nd tab in the spreadsheet file (named: No Oct 2019 Claim Submitted).  If your LEA’s name is on this “non-filer” list, you should contact your Food Service Director and remind them to file this October 2019 claim form ASAP, and then have them provide to you the data they submitted so you can enter it in your EPC profiles.  Of those 51 LEAs that haven’t submitted their October 2018 NSLP Claim Forms to PDE, 16 of those LEAs have CEP schools.  I’ve listed their CEP Percentages on the 3rd tab (named: CEP % but No Oct 2019 Claim Form), because the October 2019 NSLP Claim Forms have not yet been submitted.

Schools that No Longer Participate in NSLP:  The attached spreadsheet only contains buildings that have students participating in the NSLP program.  If your school does not participate in the NSLP, they still must be included in your EPC Portal and have enrollment and NSLP eligibility data entered.  If you do not have the NSLP data and cannot obtain student family income levels from other sources, you can list 0 and receive the minimum 20% E-rate discount for that school.

What To Do Now

  1. Review the entities in your EPC Portal and contact USAC at 888-203-8100 to have any new entities added, such as new schools, libraries, NIFs, etc.
  2. Update the Enrollment and NSLP (or CEP) data in each school’s EPC profile.  Although I encourage everyone to use the October 2019 data, schools are permitted to use alternative data (such as surveys, more recent data, etc.).  If you use data different from the Oct 2019 data, just be prepared to validate/prove this data during PIA review.   If a school is participating in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program, “CEP” will be noted in the Free/Reduced Column (Column G) in which case that school’s EPC Profile should mark YES the Community Eligibility Provision and then enter the CEP% number from Column I in the required EPC field.
  3. Use the attached “Guide to Updating EPC Profiles” which contains screenshots of the EPC profile pages for both CEP schools and non CEP schools.  Use this Guide and you will succeed!

Where Should You Update EPC Profiles? 
You must access each school’s EPC Profile page to update this information.  There are two places to find a list of schools in EPC:  1) On the Landing Page (5/page), or 2) on the Discount Rate Page (10/page).  Personally, I recommend that you use the Discount Rate Page so you can then easily ensure that your totals are accurate, and determine the discount for FY 2020.  To access the Discount Rate Page and update each school’s data, follow these steps:

Log-In to EPC at: https://portal.usac.org/suite/ and go to your EPC Landing Page.  Passwords are only good for 60 days so if it’s been longer than that, you’ll have to reset it.  If you don’t have an EPC account, call CSB at 888-203-8100 and have them create one for you.

STEP 1 – Click on District’s Name from EPC Landing Page under the USAC logo (beside the word ‘Welcome’).  Or click on the District’s Name which is at the top of the “Entities” list in the middle of the Landing Page.

STEP 2 – Click on “DISCOUNT RATE” from the top toolbar.

STEP 3 – Click on “SHOW ENTITIES” and a list of schools will appear.

STEP 4 – Right Click on each school name and select “Open link in new tab.”   Do this consecutively for each school name on the list.  This will create a long list of tabs at the top of your browser.

STEP 5 – Click on the tab for the first school, and then click “MANAGE ORGANIZATION” to open the “editable” version of the page.

STEP 6 – Scroll down the page to the Enrollment and NSLP data fields and update with the updated enrollment and NSLP or CEP data.  Then click “Submit” at the bottom of the page, hitting your space bar when it asks for a modification nickname.  Proceed to the next tab in your browser to modify that       school’s Enrollment and NSLP data.  Do this for each tab/school.

STEP 7 – After all schools’ data has been updated, then click on the first tab which should be the District’s tab.  Click on “DISCOUNT RATE” again which will update all of the data.

STEP 8 — Review the Enrollment and NSLP data to ensure the totals are accurate.  If they do not match the totals you have, click on “SHOW ENTITIES” to determine where the inaccurate data exists.

A Few Additional Notes:

  1. Please review your schools’ data carefully to ensure that it is accurate and if it is not, have your food service director update this data in the PEARS system before December 30, 2019.
  2. Don’t forget:  Your EPC profiles must contain ALL of the buildings that are receiving E-rate discounted services, including your non-instructional facilities (NIFs), such as bus barns, administration buildings, etc.  If you have not yet added those NIF buildings into your EPC Portal, call USAC at 888-203-8100 and have them added.
  3. Each school’s profile page has fields for State School and LEA Codes and NCES codes.  You are not required to enter this data.  If you choose to enter this data, and if the system gives you an error for these fields, just erase the data and hit Submit.
  4. Consortia will NOT enter this data for their member schools/districts.  In fact, they cannot enter this data for their members (it all has to be done in the district-level EPC portals).
  5. If you’re using an E-rate consultant, please forward this message to them so they can update your EPC profiles (which they can do from their consultant EPC accounts).
  6. If you have any questions about your NSLP or CEP information, contact Jennifer Jarrett in the PDE Bureau of Food and Nutrition at 800.331.0129 (option 4) or jejarrett@pa.gov.  If you have questions about E-rate or entering this data in EPC, please e-mail me at jtschell@comcast.net.

Happy updating!
— Julie

flowchart2ndstep

Julie Tritt Schell

Pennsylvania E-rate Coordinator
717-730-7133 – o
jtschell@comcast.net
www.e-ratepa.org

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