Tiffin City Schools: Title I allocation exceeds $500,000; district uses majority for staff costs

The Tiffin City Schools Title I coordinator told the board the district received a little more than $500,000 in Title I funding and reviewed how those federal funds are spent across identified buildings.

“This year we received a little over $500,000 from the state of Ohio for Title I services,” Mrs. Stewart said during the meeting, and she told the board the largest portion of those funds is used for salaries and benefits. The coordinator said the district also used about $16,000 of Title I funds on supplies this year and set aside funds for family engagement.

Why it matters: Title I is federal funding meant to improve student achievement for eligible schools. How a district allocates those dollars affects staffing, family engagement services and instructional supports at identified schools.

Details presented

- Funding and fiscal management: The district described itself as fiscally managing some Title I dollars that flow to Calvert (a school discussed at the meeting). Mrs. Stewart said the majority of Title I funding is directed to salaries and benefits, consistent with prior fiscal strategy advised by previous district finance leadership.

- Schoolwide vs. targeted assistance: In the meeting Mrs. Stewart said Calvert operates under “targeted assistance,” meaning services must be provided to specific students identified by test scores and other criteria; by contrast, Tiffin City Schools described itself as using a schoolwide model in its identified buildings, which allows all students in those schools to receive services when a school is identified.

- Identified buildings: The coordinator named four identified buildings receiving Title I services: Washington, Crown, Noble and Tinley Middle School.

- Parent notifications and staff qualifications: Mrs. Stewart reviewed parent-facing requirements: the district provides a parent’s full contact and expectations letter annually and must notify parents when a child is assigned to a teacher who is non‑certified or otherwise not fully qualified. She reported that, during her tenure, the district has not needed to notify parents that teachers were non‑certified in the schools she referenced.

Board discussion and questions

Board members asked how Title I funds are used and whether they are drawn down from the state; Mrs. Stewart confirmed Title I is federal money administered through the state. She said the district reviews spending priorities yearly and, following prior advice from district finance leadership, emphasizes using Title I funds for personnel to “get the most bang for our buck.”

Next steps

No formal vote was recorded on the Title I overview; the presentation served as the district’s annual Title I meeting to inform parents and the board about how the funds are used and the parent safeguards tied to Title I.