FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
     
    S
      
    TATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
     
    F. PHILIP HANDY,
    Chairman
    T. WILLARD FAIR,
    Vice Chairman
     
    Members
    DONNA G. CALLAWAY
    ROBERTO MARTÍNEZ
    PHOEBE RAULERSON
    KATHLEEN SHANAHAN
    LINDA K. TAYLOR
     
    John L. Winn
    Commissioner of Education
     
     
      
     
      
     
     
     
     
       
    INCREASING THE QUANTITY AND IMPROVING THE
    QUALITY OF EDUCATIONAL OPTIONS
     
     
     
     
    August 3, 2006
     
    M E M O R A N D U M
     
    TO:
    District Superintendents
     
    FROM:
    Lavan Dukes, Chief
    Bureau of Education Information and Accountability Services
     
    Virginia Gentles, Executive Director
    Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice
     
      
      
    SUBJECT:
    Enrollment Verification of McKay Scholarship Students – September 2006 Payment
    ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
     
    Thank you for working with us to improve the scholarship programs’ accountability measures in support
    of our mission to increase the quantity and improve the quality of educational options for Florida’s
    parents. The following verification process was introduced in April 2005 to ensure that scholarship
    payments were issued only to students participating in eligible private schools. On July 1, 2006, new
    legislation went into effect that requires the department to “cross-check the list of participating
    scholarship students with the public school enrollment lists prior to each scholarship payment to avoid
    duplication.” Therefore, this process will continue to occur for each scholarship payment in the McKay
    Scholarship Program, and your assistance is needed to make this happen.
     
    Prior to each payment period, a file is posted at the Northwest Regional Data Center (NWRDC)
    identifying the students in your district for whom scholarship payments will be issued. Each district must
    compare this file to the district’s student enrollment and attendance records and indicate whether or not
    each student is enrolled in a public school in the district.
    •
     
    If the student is currently enrolled in a public school in your district, provide the date the student
    was enrolled or re-enrolled in your school district.
    •
     
    If the student is not currently enrolled in a public school in your district but was enrolled in the
    past, provide the student’s withdrawal date from your school district.
    •
     
    If the student was never enrolled in your school district, place all nines in both the
    Enrollment/Re-enrollment Date and Withdrawal Date fields.
     
    VIRGINIA GENTLES
    Executive Director
    Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice
     
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
    325 W. GAINES STREET • SUITE 522 • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0502 • Fax (850) 245-0875
    Enrollment Verification
    Page 2
     
     
    The file for September 1 scholarship payments is currently available at NWRDC
    .
    This file must be
    completed and returned to NWRDC no later than 5:00 p.m., Friday, August 18, 2006.
       
     
    The dataset name for this prepayment verification file is
    DPSxx.GQ.F70561.Y06072
    (where xx is your
    district number) and the file format is attached. Students participating in the McKay Scholarship Program
    have a School Code of 3518.
     
    Dates should be entered as MMDDYYYY. Each student record should have either an enrollment/re-
    enrollment date or a withdrawal date unless the student was never enrolled in your school district. After
    all dates have been entered, submit the file to NWRDC under the filename
    DPSxx.GQ.F70571.Y06072
    (where xx is your district number).
     
    The attached form letter, which certifies the attendance/nonattendance information contained in
    the submitted file, must be signed by the superintendent or designee and submitted no later than
    5:00 p.m., August 18, 2006.
     
    Any students identified as being enrolled in public school will be removed from the payment file.
    The September scholarship payment period covers July 1 – September 30, 2006.
     
    If you have any questions regarding the file, please contact Harold McLeod, Education
    Information Services, at (850) 245-0400 or harold.mcleod@fldoe.org. If you have questions
    regarding scholarship payments or payment periods, please contact the information hotline at 1-
    800-447-1636.
     
    After all students are verified, the superintendent signs the attached certification letter. Thank you for
    your continued support in improving the accountability of the scholarship programs.
     
    LD/VG/ca
     
    Cc: District MIS Directors
     

    Back to top