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As we slowly thaw out from a long, pandemic-filled winter, we see the signs of spring all around us – robins looking for worms and the yellow blooms of daffodils dotting the landscape. It is a time for new beginnings and to plant seeds for the future.
Planning is an opportunity for districts to increase coordination between programs to meet the ever-changing needs of your students. We hope that spring brings you a sense of renewal and collaborative efforts.
Coordinating Title I Funds to Support Homeless Students
Each year, the Title I coordinator and the local homeless liaison should work together to determine an appropriate amount for funds to be reserved for homeless students. They should review data on homeless students in the school district to address the following questions:
- How many homeless students were enrolled in our schools during the past year?
- How many of these students attended non-Title I schools?
- What are the greatest unmet educational needs of homeless children and youth in the district?
Once these questions are answered, the coordinator and the homeless liaison should identify activities to meet the needs and determine the amount for the Title I homeless set-aside, keeping in mind that activities should supplement and not supplant those that are required by the school district. Ways to determine set-aside amounts:
- Base amounts on an annual needs assessment for homeless students
- Multiply the number of homeless students by the Title I, Part A per pupil allocation
- For districts with sub-grants, reserve an amount equal to or greater than the McKinney-Vento funding request
- Reserve a percentage based on the district’s poverty level or Title I, Part A allocation
Meetings between the Title I coordinator and the homeless liaison should occur throughout the school year so the homeless set-aside funds can be spent appropriately. The Title I coordinator and the homeless liaison should be very familiar with each other’s program. The following strategies are suggested to facilitate collaboration and coordination between Title I, Part A, and homeless education and ensure the needs of homeless students are met.
- Ensure that district homeless liaisons attend Title I conferences and professional development, and Title I coordinators attend homeless education conferences and in-service.
- Collect and share across the district concrete data on the needs of homeless children/youth.
- Involve Title I coordinators in structured coalition building with homeless education programs and organizations that serve homeless families and unaccompanied homeless youth to establish common goals.
- Initiate district efforts to make accommodations for homeless children/youth as necessary in such areas as transportation, remaining in the school of origin, records transfer, class scheduling and special services that will help them enroll, attend and succeed in school.
- Involve homeless education program staff in school improvement issues; make sure that addressing the needs of highly mobile students are included in the Comprehensive School Improvement Plans, not addressed as a separate issue.
- Emphasize the benefits of coordination and sharing of resources within the district to serve homeless children/youth to increase school achievement, lower truancy and dropout rates, and increase overall funding to the district.
- Determine the funding available to serve homeless children/youth and how it is being used. Identify needs and develop a cross-program approach to address unmet needs.
- Establish and widely disseminate information on districtwide policies, procedures and guidelines to identify and serve homeless children/youth.
- Ensure district homeless liaison representation on appropriate district planning committees.
- Include homeless parents in Title I parent and family engagement policies and create opportunities for homeless parents to be involved.
Homeless Set Aside – A Narrative Example
We received a request from a district during our last Title I webinar for an example of a narrative for the homeless set aside in GMAP. In response to that request, we are providing the selection below, which is an adaptation of Jessamine County’s narrative for the homeless set aside category in GMAP. This narrative describes some of the many purposes for welfare funds and how the district will make decisions to use those funds.
For more information, email Jessamine County’s Homeless Liaison, Shainey Marcus
Jessamine County uses a methodology for determining the homeless allocation based on a per-pupil amount (PPA) for an average of 350 homeless students. The PPA is determined through an analysis of needs assessment and consideration of other funding sources to determine if additional funds are necessary to meet the student needs, such as the McKinney-Vento grant. The Homeless PPA amount is determined to be $117.85.
Homeless services that will be provided with this allocation center around a certified district homeless liaison (0.3) FTE salary and benefits ($21,224) with a combined portion of the McKinney-Vento allocation. This position provides collaboration with the Title I coordinator and related services.
Supplemental materials and resources ($5,000) are purchased for a scripted reading and math curriculum to be used with home-based tutoring during after-school and summer extended programs and mental health awareness resources and activity materials for use by homeless students and their families (to be included in the school supply backpacks).
Funding for gasoline costs ($1,000) is allocated for car transportation provided by the district bus garage/transportation department. This allocation will provide parents of homeless students with gasoline funds for their personal vehicle to transport students to and from the school of origin. This requires approval by both the district homeless liaison and the district transportation director and is only used when bus transportation is not possible or feasible.
Additional welfare spending ($8,622) is for the use of the district homeless liaison to assist families with the removal of barriers to student learning. Within the welfare spending amount, all schools, regardless of Title I funding status, have access to this money to provide equitable services for identified homeless students. The district homeless liaison coordinates with the FRYSC, counselors, administrators and teachers of each school to determine needs of each student and approve the expenditures. These funds will address issues related to removal of barriers to regular school attendance, tutoring support and basic needs.
Beyond basic Title I services, the district homeless liaison, FRYSC coordinators and counselors may coordinate education services to students in the following ways: collaboration with local shelters to provide tutoring support and assistance with basic needs; transportation services for students to remain in their home school; assistance with medical needs for students without health care; parenting and nutrition classes; backpacks and school supplies; and support with college and career planning.
Title I Data Collection Reminders for 2020-2021
Submitted by Margalee Conlee, Division of School and Program Improvement, KDE
On July 5, KDE will extract 2020-2021 Title I data from the Infinite Campus (IC) reporting warehouse for state and federal reporting purposes. The deadline to make updates to this data is June 30.
Please see the tips below to ensure your data is complete and accurate.
- Title I Status in Infinite Campus must be updated to reflect the Title I Status submitted on the district 2021 Consolidated Application in Grant Management Application and Planning (GMAP). Reference Title I Data Standards, Section A, for guidance on how to verify and update school detail Title I Status in Infinite Campus.
- Schools designated as a Title I, Targeted Assistance School (TAS) MUST complete a record on the student Title I Services tab for each student receiving Title I services during the current school year. Reference the Title I Data Standards, Section B, for guidance on how to complete student records for Title I services received in a targeted assistance-designated facility.
The 2020-2021 Title I Status for the school will populate on the School Report Card. The data also will be used for required federal reporting to the U.S. Department of Education annually.
If you have additional questions or concerns, email Margalee Conlee.
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