Board hears federal entitlement grant plan: $49.5M Title I allotment; math‑1 bonus proposed under Title I plan

District staff presented the district’s recommended 2025–26 ESSA entitlement grant planning allotments and program uses at the April 22 board meeting.

Dr. Daniels and senior staff outlined the planning allotments and program focus areas: the Title I planning allotment for 2025–26 was presented as an estimated $49,500,000 to support schools with high percentages of low‑income students; Title II (supporting recruitment and teacher leadership) was estimated at $5,400,000; Title III (English language acquisition) at $3,300,000 with a separate $218,562 allotment for newcomer supports; and Title IV was shown at roughly $1,900,000 for well‑rounded education and $1,100,000 for safe and healthy students.

Staff described Title I set‑asides the district proposes (required and optional) and said roughly 81% of Title I funds are allocated close to classroom instruction, while some district initiatives and administrative costs consume the remainder. The presentation explained how the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) and identified student percentage determine school Title I status and seat allocations and noted the district will serve 103 Title I schools in 2025–26 (down from 105 last year) because some schools’ ISP fell below the 75% threshold.

Deputy Superintendent Melissa Bocknight presented a proposed Math‑1 Excellence bonus program to pay high‑performing Math‑1 teachers in Title I schools, describing eligibility criteria and a stipend structure: initial summer curriculum development stipend and performance‑based bonuses up to a $15,250 maximum. The district projected the program could cover up to 32 teachers instructing approximately 960 students, with a maximum cost of about $733,000 if all performance goals were met.

Board members asked detailed questions about district contingency plans if federal funding is cut. Administrators said districts cannot plan to replace federal funds with state or local dollars in ways that could legally be characterized as supplanting. They explained the district reserves 35% of Title I planning allocations (allocating 65% to schools) to protect positions and programs from immediate cuts and would work with the board and county if official federal reductions are confirmed.

Title III presenters reported CMS serves roughly 32,891 multilingual learners who speak 201 languages and come from 158 countries, and noted Title III is tightly restricted; staff said the district has had strong statewide gains in multilingual learner progress. The presentation closed with typical allowable Title IV uses (restorative practices, mobile crisis, Sources of Strength program and some online curriculum support).