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PGCPS officials: Title I funding allocated centrally; grants team small but productive
Summary
District officials told the board that federal Title I funds are allocated to schools via state and district formulas and generally managed centrally rather than paid directly to charter schools. Staff also outlined grants staffing and a $1.7 million pass-through for the Transforming Neighborhood Schools initiative.
Prince George's County Public Schools officials told the Board of Education on Feb. 6 that Title I federal funds are allocated through state and district procedures and that the district manages program funds centrally rather than disbursing most grants directly to charter operators.
Why it matters: charter leaders and board members asked whether charter schools receive the same access to federal Title funding as traditional schools. Administrators said eligibility and use differ by program and that students in charter schools can benefit from centrally managed programs, but that most grant funds are administered by the district.
Doug Schroeder, chief of accountability, described the district's public data dashboards for absenteeism and academic metrics and explained that a separate strategic initiatives line in the budget contains $1.7 million earmarked to manage the Transforming Neighborhood Schools partnership. Schroeder said that as contracts for participating organizations expire, some services may be moved under the community schools initiative.
Director Flood (Title I office) told the board that Title I, Part A responsibilities fall to her office and that PGCPS currently has 107 Title I schools. She said the district determines participation via a ranking process that looks at direct services such as families receiving state benefits; this year one charter school is participating as a Title I school.
Chief Financial Officer Lisa Howe said the district's Grants and Financial Management Office supports grant life-cycle financial management and currently has 14 members; the grants director position is vacant and CFO responsibilities temporarily cover that oversight. The Office of Strategic Planning and Resource Management (SPRM) also houses grants specialists; staff described a grants workflow that includes subject-matter experts at program offices and two SPRM specialists who provide development and management support.
Board members asked how the district can better surface grant opportunities to schools and communities; Schroeder and others said awareness and board support for certification or support letters help with tight application timelines. The district also pointed to a tracker for grant opportunities and internal processes for routing proposals.
Ending: Officials said they will provide written follow-ups on detailed grant lists and formulas and continue discussions about how and when services managed centrally might be realigned to community-school models.
