Federal Funding Opportunities
The first year of stimulus funds has come to an end, but there are still two rounds of funding to be spent, and at the rate funding has been spent over the last year, as a nation $5b must be drawn down every month to meet deadlines. Most districts have around a 8% increase of their operating budget due to the stimulus funds, and it is critical that the funds be spent in an effective way.
A GEER & ESSER Recap
The Governors still have another year of funding left, and some of them failed to spend many dollars in the first round of funding. This means that Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER) II is a great fund to tap into for any needs related to COVID. A scan across the country shows that most states still have at least 50% of their funds left. There is a lot of discretion left to the Governor for these funds, and what GEER I showed was that once Governors got past the immediate needs of COVID, they weren’t sure what to do. This is a once in a lifetime funding stream for education, and districts must take advantage.
The Elementary and Secondary School Education Relief (ESSER) Fund is also still a funding stream for the 22-23 school year. ESSER II and ESSER III are still available and options to take advantage of before they abruptly end in 2024.
These are strong funding options to consider, but let’s not forget how formula funding can work together with the stimulus funds. Elementary & Secondary Education Act (Reauthorized as the Every Student Succeeds Act)
Title I: Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged
The purpose of Title I is “to provide all children a significant opportunity to receive a fair, equitable, and high-quality education, and to close educational achievement gaps.”
Part A: Grants to Local Educational Agencies
Title I-A authorizes federal aid to LEAs for the education of disadvantaged children. Title I-A grants provide supplementary educational and related services to low-achieving and other students attending elementary and secondary schools with relatively high concentrations of students from low-income families, as well as eligible students who live in the areas served by these public schools but attend private schools.
Calculation of Title I-A Grants
According to the Congressional Research Service, “Title I-A grants are calculated by ED at the LEA level. The funds are then provided to SEAs, which are required to reserve funds for school improvement activities and may reserve funds for administration and direct student services. SEAs also adjust grant amounts for LEAs for which ED is unable to determine grant amounts, such as newly created LEAs or charter schools that are their own LEAs. In calculating Title I-A grant amounts, ED determines grant amounts under four different formulas—Basic, Concentration, Targeted, and Education Finance Incentive Grants (EFIG)—although funds allocated under all of these formulas are combined and used for the same purposes by recipient LEAs. While the allocation formulas have several distinctive elements, the primary factor used in all four is the estimated number of children aged 5-17 in families in poverty.”
There are two types of programs under Title I: Schoolwide Programs and Targeted Assistance Programs (TAP). Schoolwide programs are authorized if the percentage of low-income students served by a school is 40% or higher. In schoolwide programs, Title I-A funds may be used to improve the performance of all students in a school. For example, funds might be used to provide professional development services to all of a school’s teachers, upgrade instructional technology, or implement new curricula. TAP on the other hand is reserved for the lowest achieving students.
Title I sets forth the process for standards, assessments, and accountability requirements under section 1111, provides teacher requirements for anyone hired with Title I-A funds, how they will serve schools identified for comprehensive support, and allows states to reserve up to 3% of Title I funds they receive to provide direct student services.
Title I-B authorizes the State Assessment Grant program to support the development of the state standards and assessments required under Title I-A; the administration of those assessments; and related activities, such as improving assessments for English learners.
Title I-B also sets for provisions for system audits and minimum dollar amounts for the secretary to allocate to conduct a statewide assessment system audit and provide subgrants to LEAs to conduct assessment audits at the LEA level. Title I-B also houses the Innovative Assessment and Accountability Demonstration Authority- which allows states to implement a different statewide assessment structure- or even team up as a consortium. These grants also authorizes programs to address migratory children, programs intended to improve education for students who are neglected, delinquent, or at risk of dropping out of school. It also allows for flexibility in how the secretary weights per-pupil funding.
Title II: Preparing, Training, and Recruiting High-Quality Teachers, Principals, and Other School Leaders
Title II focuses on ways to support the entire educator ecosystem. Programs focused on teachers and school leaders support activities and initiatives such as professional development, staff recruitment and retention, performance-based compensation systems, and the establishment of a statewide science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) master teacher corps, as well as a focus on American history and civic education programs.
House within Title II is a program that provides competitive grants to LEAs, SEAs or other state agencies, the Bureau of Indian Education, or a partnership of one of these entities with one or more nonprofit or for-profit entities to develop, implement, improve, or expand performance-based teacher and principal compensation systems or human capital management systems for teachers, principals, and other school leaders in high- needs schools.
Title II also authorizes Literacy Education for All, Results for the Nation to improve student academic achievement in reading and writing from early education through grade 12, American History and Civics Education programs, and authorizes several programs related to educators, school leaders, technical assistance, and evaluation (SEED grant, School Leader and Recruit program, a comprehensive support center focused on students at risk for not attaining full literacy skills due to a disability, funds for technical assistance, and the STEM master teacher corps.
Title III: Language Instruction for English Learners and Immigrant Students
Title III authorizes programs that are focused on improving the academic attainment of ELs, including immigrant students. Under the Title III-A state grants program, funds are used at the state level to support activities such as consultation to develop statewide standardized entrance and exit procedures.
This title is used by districts to implement effective language instructional programs, professional development, and supplemental activities, and has two national programs. This title helps to ensure that ELs develop a high level of academic attainment and meet the same standards set forth for their peers. Title III also houses the National Professional Development Project and the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition and Language Instruction Educational Programs
Title IV: 21st Century Schools
Title IV authorizes a block grant program, a program to support learning opportunities during non-school hours, programs to support charter schools and magnet schools, a family engagement program, an innovation and research program, programs to provide community support for student success, national activities for school safety, and programs focused on arts education, video programming for preschool and elementary school children, and gifted and talented education.
Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) are housed in Title IV. These grants have three intended purposes:
- provide all students with access to a well-rounded education,
- improve school conditions for student learning,
- and improve the use of technology in order to increase the academic achievement and digital learning of all students.
Additionally districts must use the funds to:
- support well-rounded educational opportunities,
- support safe and healthy students, and
- support the effective use of technology
Title IV also authorizes programs for community-based organizations and learning during non-school hours, the charter school program, magnet schools, family engagement centers, the Education Innovation Research competitive grant program, the Promise Neighborhoods program, National Activities for School safety, and the Assistance for Arts Education Program
Title V: Flexibility and Accountability
Title V includes both funding transferability authority and programs to support rural education.
According to the Congressional Research Services, “Funding transferability for states and LEAs is included under Title V-A to provide states and LEAs with the “flexibility to target Federal funds to the programs and activities that most effectively address” their “unique needs.”57 In general, states are able to transfer funds from three formula grants programs that focus on teachers and school leaders, provide block grants, and provide after-school programming to formula grant programs focused on special populations (i.e., disadvantaged students, migratory students, neglected and delinquent students, and ELs)”. This Title also authorizes the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) which helps rural districts that may not be large enough to compete for competitor grants.
Title VI: Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native Education
Title VI focuses on Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native children. This title allows funds to support students to meet unique cultural, language and educational needs of their communities. Authorized uses of funds include, for example, the development of curriculum materials that address the special needs of Alaska Native students, training and professional development, early childhood and parenting activities, and career preparation activities.
Title VII: Impact Aid
According to the Congressional Research Services, “Title VII compensates LEAs for the “substantial and continuing financial burden” resulting from federal activities. These activities include federal ownership of certain lands, as well as the enrollments in LEAs of children of parents who work and/or live on federal land (e.g., children of parents in the military and children living on Indian lands).
The federal government provides compensation via Impact Aid for lost tax revenue because these activities deprive LEAs of the ability to collect property or other taxes from these individuals (e.g., members of the Armed Forces living on military bases) even though the LEAs are obligated to provide free public education to their children.”
Title VIII: General Provisions
This title provides for how districts should submit consolidated plans to the federal government, provides many definitions for words used throughout the law, allows the secretary to approve waiver requests.