CUSD federal programs staff outline services for multilingual, migrant and unhoused students; state audit finds no compliance issues
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Summary
Chandler Unified federal programs staff presented an overview of Title I, English learner services, McKinney‑Vento and related grants, saying the district received nearly $18.5 million in grant funding this school year and that the Arizona Department of Education found no audit findings.
Dr. Corey Brenner, director of federal programs for Chandler Unified School District, told the governing board on March 26 that federal and state grants support programs serving multilingual learners, migrant students, indigenous students and children experiencing homelessness.
Brenner said the district received “just under 18 and a half million dollars in grant funding” for the current school year, and that about half of that amount falls under the federal programs department. He noted Title I is the largest single grant used to fund reading and math interventionists, academic coaches and 11 Title I preschool classrooms across the district.
The presentation laid out services and staff: K–12 English language development coaches and targeted ELD specialists; a Families in Transition (McKinney‑Vento) advocate who assists unhoused and unaccompanied youth with enrollment, transportation and basic needs; an indigenous student engagement specialist funded by Johnson‑O’Malley and Title VI grants; a migrant education recruiter and advocate; and a district interpreter/translator who manages in‑person, phone and live‑interpretation tools. Val Jerry, Families in Transition advocate, described efforts to quickly enroll newly arrived students and to remove barriers such as transportation, clothing and school fees.
“We were in compliance with no findings,” Jamie Williams, one of the district ELD academic coaches, said about a January audit by the Arizona Department of Education. That finding was reiterated by Superintendent Frank Narducci later in the meeting: the ADE’s Office of English Language Acquisition Services completed monitoring for school year 2024–25 with no corrective actions required.
Staff showed trend data for the district’s English learner population, explained the AZELLA placement and reassessment process, and said parents who initially choose to withdraw children from targeted ELD instruction (parent‑withdrawn pupils) are declining as a share of newcomers. Tracy Corbin, an ELD coach, highlighted AZELLA results that district staff say show reclassification growth for many students after instruction and intervention.
Brenner also reviewed broader federal funding uncertainty under recent executive orders and federal personnel changes. He said the district is expecting “flat funding for the 2025–26 school year” but warned that longer‑term changes — such as shifting federal programs to states or other federal agencies — could change accountability and how funds are allocated.
The presentation included program counts and per‑pupil grant rates for specific programs: Johnson‑O’Malley and Title VI funding for indigenous students (reported as about $260 per student for Title VI and about $70 per student from JOM), and references to McKinney‑Vento services for unhoused students, plus migrant program activities ranging from summer learning to health supports.
The board asked about initial assessments in students’ native languages and whether the district uses pre‑program language testing beyond AZELLA. Brenner said AZELLA is administered every spring for identification and reassessment and that, per state requirements, official assessments are in English; anecdotal native‑language information is used at school sites to support families.
District staff also described translation and interpretation tools: Sylvia Santiso, district interpreter/translator, demonstrated a live‑interpretation device (ILA Pro) the district is deploying and reported the system had provided more than 800 services in over 60 languages this year, with Spanish, Vietnamese, Mandarin and Arabic most common.
Why it matters: Federal grants fund a wide portion of services for students who face language, housing and mobility barriers. The ADE audit finding of “no corrective action” removes an immediate compliance concern and gives the district more time to plan for potential funding shifts while continuing services to multilingual, migrant and unhoused students.
Looking ahead, Brenner asked the board and the community to remain vigilant about federal changes that could shift funds to states or otherwise alter accountability and data collection that staff use for local program planning.
