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Middleton outlines Title I, McKinney-Vento and EL services; trustees question staffing model
Summary
District staff reported that four Title I schools employ 12 staff using Title I funds, the district uses a schoolwide Title I model rather than targeted assistance, and McKinney-Vento and migrant programs provided roughly 317 services this year.
District staff provided a multi-part update on federal programs at the meeting, describing Title I staffing, McKinney-Vento services, Title III English learner (EL) counts and Title IV uses.
Mrs. Hutchinson, a staff member presenting the report, told the board that Middleton currently operates four Title I schools and used Title I funds to employ 12 personnel districtwide. “We chose to use the model of a schoolwide model versus targeted assistance,” Hutchinson said, explaining the choice allowed the district to serve more students instead of isolating services to a small targeted group.
Trustees questioned the decision and asked for historical comparative data. One trustee asked whether the district had used targeted assistance previously and whether the district could show comparative outcomes. Hutchinson said she would attempt to find historical data but noted some state reporting is not accessible far beyond the COVID period.
On staffing, Hutchinson said the Title I-funded personnel are paraprofessionals who receive dedicated training. “Those paraprofessionals actually went through small-group instruction strategy training with me… they went through various trainings recommended by the state,” she said, and added that paraprofessionals must pass a paraprofessional assessment to serve in those positions.
On McKinney-Vento and migrant services, Hutchinson reported the district provided approximately 317 services to families under ARP funding this year (about two services per day) and identified 139 qualifying migrant students districtwide. The district runs in-person and monitored at-home summer school options and reported 35 students signed up for in-person migrant summer school for the coming summer. Hutchinson also said the district had four students accepted into the Migrant Student Leadership Institute this year.
For Title III, Hutchinson said the district currently had 20 qualifying EL students and 11 students who exited EL services. She said state EL testing had just been completed and scores were arriving for analysis.
Trustees asked for further analysis comparing the schoolwide Title I model to targeted assistance models used by other districts and offered to support a district review. Hutchinson said district leaders would compile more comparative information and examine training processes and RTI (response-to-intervention) implementation to identify gaps and trade-offs.
Staff also described other federal supports: Title IV funds were used for SRO services and family engagement supplies, and the district was preparing required CFSGA (Consolidated Federal Grant application) submissions due by June 30.
Board members expressed interest in more comparative data and asked staff to return with analyses showing whether the schoolwide model or targeted assistance better closes gaps.
