Calculating Remaining Category 2 Budgets for FY 2020
March 4, 2020
As you know, in December the FCC extended the first Category 2 budget cycle (originally FY 2015 – FY 2019) for an additional year, making FY 2020 the 6th year of the first Category 2 budget cycle. In doing so, applicants have been given one final year to access “unspent” C2 funds, as well as a wonderful (one-time) 20% bum in the per pupil (or per square foot for libraries) multiplier to account for the extra year.
FY 2020 C2 Multipliers:
Schools: $195.63 x enrollment (by building – not by district)
Urban Libraries: $6.52 x sq ft (libraries with IMLS codes of 11, 12, 21)
Other Libraries: $3.00 x sq ft
Important Reminder: Be sure to not request more C2 funding than a school/library has available in its C2 Budget.
Resources to Assist with Calculating Remaining C2 Budgets:
To calculate the remaining C2 budget for a school or library, I recommend you use this C2 budget tracking tool at: https://www.fundsforlearning.com/FFLServices/c2budgetcalculator.php. Simply enter your district’s Billed Entity Number (usually a 6-digit number that begins 125 or 126). On the results page, the remaining pre-discount C2 budget by school or library is located in the second-to-last column (circled in red below). (The last column on the right is simply the remaining C2 budget x entity’s discount and it is NOT your remaining C2 budget.) Don’t forget, C2 budget calculations are always done in pre-discount amounts (not E-rate requested amounts).
Note: On Friday, USAC released a C2 budget tool (https://apps.usac.org/sl/tools/news-briefs/preview.aspx?id=940) that is different than the previous USAC online C2 budget tool that applicants used in prior years. Instead of an online interface, the new tool appears to be an Excel spreadsheet containing macros, and based on initial feedback, I am not recommending you use this tool. The Funds for Learning C2 Budget Tool is far easier and accurate.
So before you submit your FY 2020 Category 2 Form 471, be sure to add up the pre-discount amounts by school or library, and double check that the amounts don’t total more than what’s showing in the “Avail. Pre-Disc. Budget FY 2020” column in the FFL tool. If they do, just be sure to not include them on your Form 471. If you’re applying for a piece of shared equipment and a building doesn’t have enough C2 funding to cover it’s share, list that “deficit” amount as ineligible on the Form 471.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at jtschell@comcast.net.
– Julie
Julie Tritt Schell
Pennsylvania E-rate Coordinator
717-730-7133 – o
jtschell@comcast.net
www.e-ratepa.org