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"Excellence is not a skill, it's an attitude."
― Ralph Martson
What’s your mindset during the summer months? While this season often invites a slower pace and well-deserved rest, it's also a powerful opportunity to lean into an attitude of excellence.
As leaders who shape the future of students, we are called to approach even our planning seasons with purpose and intentionality. Don’t miss the chance to work ahead, reflect deeply and prepare strategically. With foresight and focus, chart a course that ensures every child you serve receives the support they need to thrive.
Intentional Spending According to Documented Need
To be allowable under Title I, all expenditures must meet the “RAND” test: Reasonable, Allocable, Necessary and Documented. This month, we’re focusing on the final – and often most critical – element: documentation.
Title I funds must directly support the needs identified in the Needs Assessment, Comprehensive District Improvement Plan (CDIP) and Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP). Both the CDIP and CSIP include a funding source column to ensure a clear alignment between goals and the resources used to achieve them. This connection should be explicit; every dollar spent must point back to a documented need.
Strong documentation justifies why specific student groups are being served and ensures that Title I, Part A funds are used as intended: to support students most at risk of not meeting state academic standards. Coordinators should regularly evaluate budgets in GMAP with a critical eye. While copying a previous budget can serve as a helpful starting point, repeating past expenditures without reviewing current needs can undermine effectiveness and raises red flags during monitoring.
Each school’s budget should reflect its unique data. A uniform “cookie-cutter” approach to budget planning ignores the fact that no two schools face the same challenges. Title I spending should be tailored to each school’s identified gaps and student needs, based on current data and rooted in evidence-based practices.
Relying on historical spending patterns rather than strategic planning may fail to move the needle on student achievement. Instead, use data-driven decision-making to prioritize high-impact interventions that are clearly documented and defensible.
Maintaining thorough records of needs assessments, improvement plans and data such as formative and summative assessments not only ensures compliance, but also strengthens transparency and accountability with program decisions. More importantly, intentional spending helps create learning environments where resources are intentionally directed to support the students who need them most.
Skip the Swag
As fun as branded merchandise – or "swag" – may be, not all expenses are allowable when using federal funds. Items such as T-shirts, mugs, tote bags, pens, lanyards, magnets and other promotional items are typically considered unallowable costs under 2 CFR 200.421(e). Federal funds must be used in ways that are necessary, reasonable and allocable to the objectives of the federal program.
While it might seem harmless to provide parents or staff with school logo swag to build morale, these items are not necessary for program implementation and using federal funds for such purposes can trigger audit findings or even moving expenditures from Title I to another allowable funding source. Instead, funds should be directed toward evidence-based interventions and services that directly support students’ academic success and address identified needs. Ensure school staff understand your district’s allowability procedures and the RAND requirements.
If you're ever in doubt about whether a purchase is allowable, consult your district’s assigned Title I consultant. It’s better to ask questions upfront than to try to move expenditures from one funding source to another later.
Bottom line: When it comes to federal dollars, skip the swag.
Principal's Perspective: Plan your Annual Title I Meeting
Section 1116(c)(1) of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires all schools receiving Title I funds hold an annual parent meeting, to which all parents of participating students are invited, to discuss the school’s participation in the Title I, Part A program and parents’ right to participate in parent and family engagement activities. It’s recommended that this meeting take place at the beginning of the year to set the tone for the school year, and to set expectations for parent and family engagement.
Common compliance issues surrounding the annual Title I meeting observed during monitoring visits include:
- Providing parents with a handout about Title I in lieu of a meeting.
- Lack of meeting documentation, including no reference to Title I on the meeting invitation, no proof of information shared with parents (PowerPoint slides, handout, speech notes, etc.) and no verification of parent attendance.
- Title I information shared with parents was inaccurate, inconsistent or not reflective of the school’s programming, use of funding or engagement activities.
Now is a great time to start planning for the 2025-2026 Annual Meeting. These tips can maximize parent and family involvement when preparing:
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Develop an organized agenda. The purpose of the meeting is to share information about the Title I program and the rights of parents to be involved. A suggested list of topics is available on p. 19-20 of the Title I Handbook.
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Ensure high attendance. Hosting a stand-alone Title I annual meeting may not draw a large crowd. Instead, integrate your Title I presentation into another highly attended back-to-school event such as an Open House. Consider partnering with the parent-teacher organization, family resource youth services center (FRYSC) or community partners to provide food at the event. Some schools release highly anticipated information at the event, such as classroom placements or school supply lists.
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Maintain flexibility. For families that cannot attend the meeting in person, provide access to the information in various ways, such as posting a video and resources to the school’s website or even broadcasting the meeting live via the school’s social media platform(s). The annual meeting should be held at a convenient time to allow all parents to attend. The most convenient time and location for the annual meeting may vary from school to school and may change over time depending on the school’s parent population. It may be beneficial to offer a flexible number of meetings, including options for morning and night meetings, to increase family participation. If Title I annual meeting attendance is low, analyze barriers to attendance and work to address them. Don’t get stuck in the rut of doing the same thing simply because that’s how you’ve always done it.
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Offer accommodations. To the extent practicable, provide information in a language that families can understand. Don't forget to accommodate parents with disabilities. Schools can provide interpreters, translated documents and assistive communication devices as necessary.
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Keep proper documentation. Schools should maintain documentation that the annual meeting was held and that all parents were invited to participate. Documentation of the Title I information shared during the meeting also should be saved. Common pieces of annual meeting documentation include:
- Publicity for the event, such as flyers, school newsletters or take-home messages.
- Sign-in sheets with parent signatures, time and date of meeting.
- Agenda, meeting handouts and minutes.
- Audio or video recordings of the meeting, which also could appear on the school website.
Evidence of parent feedback, such as discussions and surveys, as well as analysis of that feedback.
Open Title I, Part A Projects and Associated Deadlines
Please review the table below and make note of the approaching deadlines regarding the obligation and expenditure of funds from all open Title I, Part A projects.
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Fiscal Year (FY)
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Period of Award
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85% Obligation
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All Funds Spent or Encumbered
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Final Federal Cash Request
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FY2023
(Project 310J)
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July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2025
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Sept. 30, 2023
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June 30, 2025
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Aug. 30, 2025
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FY2024
(Project 310K)
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July 1, 2023 - Sept. 30, 2025
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Sept. 30, 2024
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Sept. 30, 2025
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Nov. 14, 2025
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FY2025
(Project 310L)
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July 1, 2024 - Sept. 30, 2026
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Sept. 30, 2025
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Sept. 30, 2026
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Nov. 13, 2026
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