Student Accounting and State Reporting
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The department of Student Accounting and State Reporting collects data from public schools and nonpublic schools (including homeschooled students) within the St. Paul city boundaries. This data is reported to the state weekly throughout the year to meet state requirements. The data is used to determine state and federal aid funding for each fiscal year.
We focus on getting the maximum funding due for each school while remaining within the letter of the law. Staff meet all required reporting deadlines with punctual, accurate, and transparent data, allowing reviewers to see who made changes in case further clarification is needed. The SPPS state reporting history is so good, the department was asked to partner with the State of Minnesota to pilot its new reporting system, Ed-Fi.
Student Accounting and State Reporting has sometimes been referred to as MARSS, which stands for the Minnesota Automated Reporting Student System. MARSS protocol data collection was used for many years, but is being phased out as the state moves to Ed-Fi, which is a more standard protocol for collecting data.
Although this department has been part of other SPPS offices in the past, the Office of Business and Financial Affairs is the best fit for a department that is so closely tied to the funding of SPPS schools.
Primary Functions of Student Accounting and State Reporting
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State Reporting
This department reports student enrollment records to the State of Minnesota. We must report data for all students served by our public schools. We must collect data for all students attending nonpublic (compulsory) schools within the SPPS city boundaries. We must also track resident students attending non-public schools outside of our boundaries. Resident students attending other regular districts and charters is also monitored and residency is verified by our office.
SPPS collects student data in our student information system Infinite Campus. Each SPPS school is responsible for adding and updating its own data into the system. If the data does not exist in Infinite Campus, it doesn’t get reported. Unreported data does not draw funding. Our department monitors all reported data, helping schools by adjusting coding errors and date overlaps. This monitoring ensures accuracy while maximizing funding.
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Resident Student Enrollment
Under Minnesota law, children between the ages of seven and 16 are required to attend school. It is the district’s responsibility to follow up on all school-age children living within its boundaries who are not attending school. Student Accounting and State Reporting captures the data to confirm all SPPS district residents of school age are enrolled.
Some of the data we collect is used for nonpublic text book aid and transportation reimbursement. This is why our department tracks resident students attending an SPPS school, another district’s school, a charter school, a parochial (nonpublic) school, a care and treatment facility, or homeschool.
SPPS area students who are homeschooled must be registered with Ramsey county, and SPPS placement must be notified by the parent. Our district ensures homeschool providers have access to the data and tools necessary to meet state requirements for public education.
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Enrollment Options
This office processes state-required Enrollment Options forms for non-residents who want to attend an SPPS school. Families who live in SPPS when they enroll, but then move outside our boundaries must also fill out this form when they move. This procedure will not remove children from the school they currently attend; it just ensures we have accurate and timely data for student residency. Forms are processed to collect all state aid for serving non-resident children. This form may be turned in with your school choice preference selections to our Student Placement Center, or returned to our office if you are currently enrolled with SPPS.
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Tuition Billing
This office processes tuition agreements and tuition billing. The tuition isn’t charged to students or their families. The reporting is done to collect the per-student funding provided by the state.
When students who live outside the district boundaries attend an SPPS school, the district is able to claim the student's resident district's aid to secure state funding for services provided. Most tuition billing happens automatically through the state’s finance system, but some specific streams are still managed with a paper billing process between districts and other states. When St. Paul residents attend school in another district, SPPS funding is transferred to that serving district.
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Title I Nonpublic Textbook Aid
Title I funding includes transportation and textbook aid for nonpublic schools. The funding for the SPPS area is managed through this department.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Why did Student Accounting touch my enrollment?
Our staff update enrollments to reflect state required reporting such as changes to residency, Special Education, and Project Reach. We make adjustments to enrollments to ensure we maximize funding and to meet state statutes while reflecting enrollment and attendance accurately.
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Where can I get my state ID from school?
The student State ID (SSID) number is a highly guarded secret. This is because the State of Minnesota owns these IDs, not the district. These numbers follow students through their entire school career, therefore it’s important these numbers are guarded. Each District Assessment Coordinator or School Assessment Coordinator has access to see/use the correct SSID numbers for testing purposes. The main clerk in each building has access to run a list of SSIDs when appropriate. Please contact a member of the assessment team at the department of Research Evaluation and Assessment.
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We moved out of Saint Paul city boundaries but we want to continue enrollment in SPPS. What’s next?
Parent(s) or legal guardian(s) should fill out an- OE Form and return the form through one of these methods:
- Email to: marss@spps.org
- US Mail to Saint Paul Public Schools, 360 Colborne Street - Finance 2nd Floor, Saint Paul, MN 55102
- Fax to 651-293-5174
- Return to your child’s current SPPS school
- Returned to The Student Placement Center at 2102 University Avenue West, Saint Paul, MN 55114