Office of Finance & Management

The State of South Dakota Classroom Connections initiative is part of Governor Rounds' 2010 Education Initiative.  The 2010 Education Initiative is a series of specific goals and action plans intended to improve the state's education system by the year 2010.  The goal of Governor Rounds' laptop initiative called Classroom Connections is to provide incentive money for school districts to initiate one-to-one laptop programs for high school students.

Financial Forms

• Reimbursement Form - Due: Nov. 1
• Financial Report - Due: Jan. 31 and July 31
  • Year-one Schools
  • Year-two Schools

Financial Policies and Procedures

Costs Eligible for Reimbursement:

• The Department of Education (DOE) will contribute toward the cost of purchasing or leasing laptops for school districts chosen by DOE to participate in the Classroom Connections project.
• DOE will contribute a maximum of one-third of the total cost of the purchase of the basic laptop package for each eligible student, teacher and administrator.
• The total cost of each basic laptop package is $1,207; therefore, the maximum amount DOE will contribute toward the purchase or lease of each eligible laptop package is $402.
• Finance charges resulting from lease agreements will be the responsibility of the school district and DOE will not participate in those costs.

Use of Funds:

• Funds contributed by DOE may be deposited into the school district’s general fund or capital outlay fund. However, documentation must show funds contributed by DOE are utilized to reimburse the school district for purposes associated with the Classroom Connections project.

Reimbursement Procedures and Timeframes:

• DOE will make its contribution toward the purchase of laptops after the cost has been incurred by the school district.
• School districts that choose to lease will receive DOE’s contribution once per fiscal year for a maximum of three years, based on the eligible expenses incurred by the school district during each fiscal year.
• A reimbursement request form will be provided by DOE to be utilized by the school district to request reimbursement. The form should be completed and provided to the Department of Education, Office of Finance and Management, along with documentation supporting the reimbursement requested.
• School districts should receive the reimbursement within sixty days of DOE’s receipt of the request for reimbursement and the appropriate documentation.
• A school district may make up to two reimbursement requests for eligible expenses associated with the Classroom Connections project for each school year. The first reimbursement request based on the initial order of the estimated number of laptops needed for the school year, and the second request may be made for any additional laptops needed based on actual enrollment and staffing for the school year.
• All reimbursement requests must be received by DOE by November 1 of each school year.

Commitment to Project:

• By entering into the agreement to receive funds for the Classroom Connections project, the school district is expected to make a three year commitment to the project. If the school district does not continue as a participant in the Classroom Connections project for the three full school years, repayment to DOE will be required according to the following repayment schedule:
  • If school district discontinues the Classroom Connections project during year one of the project, the school district must repay to DOE 75% of all funds received from DOE for the project.
  • If school district discontinues the Classroom Connections project during year two of the project, the school district must repay to DOE 50% of all funds received from DOE for the project.
  • If school district discontinues the Classroom Connections project during year three of the project, the school district must repay to DOE 25% of all funds received from DOE for the project.

Accounting and Financial Reporting Procedures

The state’s contribution should be recorded in Revenue account 3129 - State Sources, Restricted Grants in Aid, Other.

Expenditures associated with the project, including hardware, software, training, technology coordinator, other staff costs associated with the project, infrastructure changes, or any other costs that can directly identified as being associated with the project should be recorded in a unique code assigned to this project within the operational unit field so they may easily be reported to the department at the end of each fiscal year of the project. Implementation of a basic time study may be necessary to track staff costs associated with this program.

The financial report should be completed and provided to the department on a semi-annual basis for each of the three years of the pilot project.