District officials report reduced federal monitoring risk, plan to move Title II and IV funds into Title I

Susquehanna Township School District staff told the board that the district’s federal-programs monitoring status has improved and that administrators plan to transfer Title II and Title IV funds into Title I to preserve dollars for teacher and specialist salaries.

Patrick Rao, the district’s federal programs and data specialist, told the board the district submitted roughly 146 pieces of documentation this year for federal monitoring and that monitors identified a single noncompliant item related to teachers on emergency certification. “We had 19 teachers on emergency certifications. That is down from 28 in the prior year,” Rao said.

Rao summarized each federal entitlement program and how the district uses the funds. He said Title I supports teacher and specialist salaries at the district’s K–8 buildings; Title II has been used for professional development; Title III funds for English learners are managed by the Capital Area Intermediate Unit; and Title IV has multiple allowable uses but carries substantial documentation requirements.

Rao and Brad Giampietro, a business-office accountant who assisted with the monitoring submission, said the paperwork burden for Title II and IV is growing. Rao told the board: “All items must have accompanying evidence-based research. Ongoing goals and data must be kept and reported to PDE for everything purchased with that money.” He said the district plans “to transfer all of our Title II and IV monies to Title I so that we can use them for teacher and specialist salaries.”

Board members asked how long the transfer plan would continue and whether shifting funds could expose Title I funding to future federal changes. Rao said the district does not control state or federal policy and noted that Title III allocations flow through the intermediate unit. Another administrator told the board that the state-level process and any related litigation remain at the state Department of Education level and have not yet reached local districts.

Rao also described parent-engagement work required by federal programs: fall Title I meetings, math and literacy nights, district- and building-level input on policies and compacts, and translated materials on the district website. He said the district received “just over a million dollars” in federal program funding last year (exclusive of Title III funds handled by the IU) and expects a similar amount in 2025–26 based on current federal guidance.

District staff said the monitoring team indicated the district should no longer be in the multi-year monitoring process once the outstanding issues are resolved, but staff stressed the district must continue to collect and retain extensive evidence for future reviews.

The board did not take a formal vote on the Title transfers during the meeting; staff presented the policy direction as an administrative plan for implementation and future budget work.