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Title I funds give schools some flexibility
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Published: June 15, 2009
CABARRUS - At a time when staffing levels within the Cabarrus County and Kannapolis City school systems are somewhat unpredictable, Title I funds are providing a bit of relief. Both school systems are projecting to use these funds for staffing teachers, tutors and other positions.
Title I is a federal program that provides financial assistance to schools with high percentages of children at poverty levels.
Its purpose is to make sure all students are able to meet state academic standards.
The funds provide services and assistance for hiring teachers and teacher assistants, tutoring, computer labs, parental involvement, professional development, materials and supplies and pre-kindergarten programs, among others.
Ten Cabarrus County schools and six Kannapolis City schools receive Title I funding.
Schools in the Cabarrus County system that have at least 40 percent of its students who receive free and reduced lunches are eligible for Title I funding. For Kannapolis City Schools, those that have more than 35 percent of these students are eligible.
For the 2009-10 school year, Cabarrus County Schools is set to receive $4.9 million in Title I funds.
Kannapolis City Schools is eligible for $1.2 million and more than $754,000 in a 2-year period from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or stimulus funds.
Federal requirements do not allow the school systems to use all of the money at will. One percent of the funds must be used for parent involvement, 20 percent has to be allocated for school
improvements and a reserved amount must be used to serve homeless students.
During the 2008-09 school year, Cabarrus County Schools used its Title I funds to staff 14 teachers and six teacher assistants. The projected levels for the 2009-10 school year are staffing for 21 teachers and 16 teacher assistants.
Kannapolis City Schools will use its Title I and American Recovery Reinvestment Act funds for teaching positions.
"It's been important in Kannapolis City Schools that we have a smaller size teacher-to-student ratio, and any extra funds go toward keeping our class sizes low," said Patty Williams, director of Title I and Elementary Education for the school system. "Without the stimulus money, our class sizes would increase."
Williams said there will still be increases in class sizes, but not at a higher level, thanks to these funds.
The school system will also be able to use two new grants, worth more than $1 million, toward professional development so that most of the Title I and stimulus money can go toward staffing.
Cabarrus County Schools recently announced that the 10 schools eligible for Title I funds will continue to receive them. These schools are A. T. Allen, Beverly Hills, Coltrane-Webb, R. Brown McAllister, Rocky River, Royal Oaks, W.M. Irvin, Weddington Hills, Winecoff and Wolf Meadow elementary schools.
At this month's Cabarrus County Board of Education meeting, board member Cindy Fertenbaugh proposed using Title I funds for the middle and high schools also.
"There is less reporting of the free and reduced lunch need," Fertenbaugh said. "My belief is high school and middle school have a far greater need. I know parents have said they didn't want kids to be embarrassed."
Marion Bish, federal programs director for Cabarrus County Schools, said several requirements make Fertenbaugh's request difficult.
One of these requirements is that schools that receive Title I funds must have a staff who all are designated "highly qualified." Teachers with this designation are defined by the No Child Left Behind Act as having four-year college degrees, majors or knowledge in the subjects they are teaching and state licensure or certification requirements.
Between 98 and 99 percent of teachers and teacher assistants in Cabarrus County Schools are "highly qualified." So not all schools meet the 100-percent requirement, especially among middle and high schools, Bish said.
"That is one of the worst constraints and why many school systems are concerned about adding middle and high schools," Bish said.
Trying to include middle and high schools in the Title I funding at this point, with applications due this week, would be problematic, Bish told the board. The plan was not discussed with the board sooner because the school system did not receive accurate numbers for how much stimulus money it would receive until late April.
At this week's meeting, the board passed the Title I proposed plan for the 2009-10 year, with Fertenbaugh as the only opponent. She asked that the board receive information about Title I farther in advance and to consider including the middle and high schools in the future.
• Contact reporter Jessica Groover: 704-789-9152
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