Mountain View Whisman School District

Agenda Item for Board Meeting of 8/23/2018

Agenda Category:  REVIEW AND ACTION

Agenda Item Title:  Designation of Criteria for and Designation of District Title 1 Schoolwide Sites (3 minutes)

Estimated Time: 

Person Responsible:  Heidi Smith, Director of Federal, State and Strategic Programs

Background: 

Local Educational Agencies target the Title I funds they receive to public schools with the highest percentages of children from low-income families. Schools in which children from low-income families make up at least 40 percent of enrollment are eligible to use Title I funds for schoolwide programs designed to upgrade their entire educational programs to improve achievement for all students, particularly the lowest-achieving students.

The District began applying for Title 1 funding beginning in the 2015-16 school year.  Title 1 funds were allocated to Mariano Castro and Theuerkauf Elementary Schools because at that time the Board of Trustees designated that the criteria for schools to qualify for Title 1 funding have enrollment that includes 65% or more Socio-Economically Disadvantaged students (SED). While Mariano Castro and Theuerkauf Elementary still have the highest percentage of SED students, Theuerkauf’s percentage has dropped below the current designation.

In order to continue to allocate Title 1 funds to Theuerkauf Elementary, the District Board of Trustees must take action to revise the percentage of students a site must have in order to qualify for Title 1 funding and then re- designate the schools in the District that meet this criteria as Title 1 schoolwide schools.

The following chart lists the approximate percentages of SED students at each school in our District (the percentages may vary slightly based on enrollment).  MVWSD has seen a decline in the number of SED students in the District since 2015-16. The percentages are based on 2017-18 data from the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS):

The District’s estimated funding allocation is $371, 000.  Based on the percentages listed above, staff recommends setting the criteria for Title 1 designation at 55% Socio-Economically Disadvantaged students enrolled at a school site.  Based on this designation, both Theuerkauf Elementary and the Castro Traditional Program would be able to continue to receive Title 1 funding.

No impact to Unrestricted General Fund.  Annual revenues from Federal Title I estimated at $371,000 with annual adjustments based on US Census Bureau Data for the number and percentage of families in poverty.  Final allocations will be available at the end of September.

That the Board of Trustees designate that the criteria for schools to qualify for Title 1 funding is enrollment that includes 55% or more Socio-Economically Disadvantaged students and that the Board of Trustees re-designates Theuerkauf Elementary School and Mariano Castro Elementary School as Title I Schoolwide Program Eligible.