Anderson School District 3 details use of roughly $1.2 million in federal funds; Title I totals $866,443

Anderson School District 3 officials reviewed their spring federal program plans and described how about $1.2 million in federal funds are allocated across Title I, II, III, IV and V programs and competitive grants.

The district’s presentation said the district’s current Title I allocation is $866,443 and that the funds are used primarily to pay salaries and benefits to keep class sizes small and provide interventions at the elementary level. “Federal funds are an integral part of our financial platform,” said Dr. Nixon, opening the meeting and framing the budget discussion.

Why it matters: District leaders said maintaining staff funded by federal programs — additional classroom teachers, reading interventionists and mentor teachers — is the strongest lever for student outcomes. The district emphasized Title I’s focus on early grades and described offset strategies for recent federal supply reductions, including investing in instructional software and modest per‑pupil increases for supplies.

Details from the presentations: • Title I: The district reported an allocation of $866,443 and said funds support teacher salaries and small‑group interventions at the three elementary schools. The district noted an indirect cost allocation of 2.5% (reported in the presentation as $22,155.24), below the federal allowance. • Title II: The presentation described using Title II for teacher development and class‑size reduction. A figure relating to middle‑school class‑size reduction appears in the transcript as “111,89183”; that number was presented in the meeting slides and read aloud during the presentation and is recorded here as reported in meeting materials. • Title III: Dr. Laura Smith said last year’s Title III (English learners) allocation was $7,700; the slide and audio for the current year recorded an unclear figure (transcript reads “9,14”). Dr. Smith described spending about $1,600 on family‑engagement literacy packets, roughly $7,000 on a student data/purchase services system, travel to state meetings and instructional materials. • Title IV and V: The district described a Title IV allocation of roughly $70–71,000 planned to support audiovisual capital outlay for commons/FFA spaces, and Title V/STREAM funding (reported increasing from about $120,000 to $126,000) used to fund roughly half of a STREAM coordinator FTE, purchase services and STREAM supplies, including competitions and summer STREAM camp. • McKinney‑Vento: Officials reported 123 students coded as homeless under the McKinney‑Vento definition (most doubled‑up), with 34 students receiving direct assistance this year and $12,225 disbursed to families; much assistance is supplemented by donations and community organizations.

Voices from schools: School principals described site uses of Title I dollars — examples included adding one first‑grade teacher and one fourth‑grade teacher at AVA Elementary (Austin Powell) to move class sizes from about 21→15 and a proposed 32→21 reduction in fourth grade, and multiple principals described reading interventionists who pull students across grades.

Legal/administrative notes: Presenters repeatedly referenced the McKinney‑Vento homeless assistance requirement and state/federal program definitions posted on the district’s federal programs web page; meeting slides included links to approved plans in the state GMS system for public review.

What’s next: District staff encouraged committee members and the public to review the posted plans and survey results and to submit comments by email. The committee did not take formal votes during the meeting and adjourned following board chair remarks of appreciation.