Two potential federal changes on Title I and Title IV Funding and a special education formula could come to fruition this summer and impact rural school districts in Minnesota. Here’s a look at the issues, what’s happening and action you can take.
Title I and Title IV Funding
NREAC estimates that Title I funding needs to increase $450 million to hold local school districts harmless with the increased allowable state set aside of Title I funds in the new ESEA. The new ESEA also increases dramatically the purposes of Title IV funding and makes it formula based, but the administration has proposed level funding on a competitive basis. While Congress moves slowly, it will move over the summer and into the fall with decisions regarding Title funding.
MREA urges members to contact their members of Congress to increase Title I funding $450 million and to increase Title IV funding and enact it as a formula program.
Read the meeting notes to learn more about Title Funding, ESEA regulation development, overtime regulations, transgender guidance, and nutrition rules. Contact your representative and Minnesota senators.
Special Education Formula
A new proposed national formula to calculate whether students of different races are disproportionately being identified for special education could have a substantial impact on IDEA funding for small, rural districts in Minnesota. The formula, known as Significant Disproportionality, particularly affects districts in states with open enrollment where parents often choose schools based on reputation for serving special needs children well.
NREAC is highly concerned by this proposed regulation and believes it will lead to the misdirection of precious federal resources. A comment period just closed and the vast majority of comments filed were by rural district leaders, and they were overwhelmingly negative. Read the letter from AASA in response to the proposal.