Board questions Title I allocation choices after $571,000 kept at district level

At a Cumberland County School Board work session, district staff and board members debated the district’s Title I allocation methods after staff said the district did not use the direct certification 1.6 multiplier in the district’s consolidated funding application for fiscal year 2025. Board members said the choice reduced the per-school amounts and that about $571,000 was not spiraled to elementary schools.

A staff presenter identified in the meeting as Diane (presenting the Title I slides) described how Title I allocations are calculated by the U.S. Department of Education and noted that local allocations are derived from federal and state data sources such as census data, direct certification lists, Medicaid and temporary assistance counts, and, when allowed, household surveys. She said community eligibility (CEP) status means the district cannot use…