District's Title I budget detailed as finance director warns of enrollment declines tied to voucher growth
Summary
Federal programs staff presented a roughly $3.9 million Title I consolidated plan and a school-level breakdown, while the district finance director warned that state and local enrollment declines tied to vouchers and charters will constrain future funding.
The board received two interconnected financial briefings that have budget and program implications.
Federal programs director (speaker 21) presented the Title I consolidated plan and an itemized budget breakdown of PRC allocations: Title I-A (PRC 50) allotment plus carryover produced a total for PRC 50, and combined Title I consolidated funding came to approximately $3,907,044.78. The presentation included school-level Title I allocations (per-pupil allotment of about $401) and the positions funded by Title I at each school (examples cited: Acme Delco funding two positions including a teacher and a TA; West Columbus School funding two full-time and two half-time teaching positions plus 1 TA). The director said the federal plan had been approved by federal program consultants on Oct. 17 and walked the board through set-asides (administrative costs, parent/family engagement, homeless/youth, early childhood, neglected/delinquent, consolidated services) and per-school PRC allocations.
Separately, finance director Nolan provided a budget and audit update, noting receipt of a state allotment and on-site audit activity. Nolan emphasized a state-level drop of about 20,000 students from PR1 (principal monthly report) compared with the prior year, concentrated in K-3 grades, which will reduce future funding allocations. Locally, he said approximately 8 percent of district students have left for charter or private schools (about 500 students) and said the district is planning strategic budget discussions to reassess priorities and ensure long-term sustainability. Nolan forecast potential constraints for Title I part C, Title II and Title IV funding and said he would monitor for needed budget amendments.
Board members asked clarifying questions about student counts and the effect of vouchers; Nolan attributed the enrollment shift in part to the legislature-approved vouchers and to charter/private enrollment growth. The board thanked Nolan for clearer, consolidated reporting and discussed next steps for strategic budget planning under superintendent guidance.
The transcript contains extensive line-item numbers given by the federal programs director and finance director; article text summarizes the key allocations and the fiscal concern rather than reproducing all PRC subline amounts.
