The Hour reports that Norwalk is scheduled to get $1,121,366 in supplemental Title 1 money, which goes to Norwalk's Title 1 schools -- Brookside, Cranbury, Fox Run, Kendall, Jefferson, Marvin, Silvermine and Wolfpit elementary schools and Side by Side Community School.
However principals at the Title 1 schools must write "budget narratives" to outline how the funds will be used before the money is disbursed.
In contrast the Connecticut Post reported on Sunday that many other school districts in the state have very specific and thought out plans.
In Bridgeport for instance:
The money will help expand Lexia, a computer-based tutoring program used now in just kindergarten. It will be offered through sixth grade. The program allows students to work on weak reading and math skills. In addition to the software,
teachers will be trained in how to use it.
The money will also expand Total Learning, a program runs in conjunction with Action for Bridgeport Community Development, the city's largest Head Start provider. Total Learning infuses art, music and dance into the curriculum, assigns an aide in the classroom, offers a longer school day and gives students and their parents extra help. It is now in more than a dozen kindergarten and first grade classes.
In Milford:
And in Stratford:Clifford Bugyi, supervisor of administrative services, said the $377,000 in new Title I money will be used to create before- and after-school math classes at West Shore and Harborside middle schools. A similar program offered in writing a few years back showed impressive results.
The Superintendent of Schools Irene Cornish said the district's new $574,000 in Title I money will go toward making both elementary and secondary teachers better at teaching reading. They plan to use a program run by Yale University.
The Hour reports that the Norwalk is also slated to receive 2.5 million in special education funds. This past Thursday the state audited the files of the nearly 200 children in Norwalk's special ed program to make sure that all issues of non-compliance have been addressed.
According to the Connecticut Post, cities in neighboring towns already have a plan on how they plan to use the stimulus funds for special education or Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Bridgeport will use its additional $6 million in IDEA money to provide more psychological services and testing to its kindergarten through second grade population as well as teacher training to all K-2 teachers, said John Di Donato, the city's assistant superintendent for youth development.
The hope, he said, is to do a better job assessing young children who may be in a crisis situation to determine if a special education referral is appropriate or some other short-term intervention
And in Derby:
The district will use its $343,000 in IDEA money to establish a new program at the elementary level for autistic children. The program will be small, for about two to three children. The money will also help offset the cost of raises for the special education staff.
So what's happening in Norwalk? Officials have known for several months that there would be stimulus funding available for certain purposes. Some may argue that the departure of Sal Corda hobbled planning. On the other hand, he was in his position until the end of July, and it is ultimately the BOE's responsibility to ensure that the district's priorities are set and met.
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What makes a school qualify as title 1?
ReplyDeleteWhy don't the middle and high schools qualify?
Here is info from the US Dept. of Education about Title 1:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/recovery/factsheet/title-i.html:
"The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) provides significant new funding for programs under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). Specifically, the ARRA provides $10 billion in additional Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 Title I, Part A funds to local education agencies (LEAs) for schools that have high concentrations of students from families that live in poverty in order to help improve teaching and learning for students most at risk of failing to meet state academic achievement standards."
According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elementary_and_Secondary_Education_Act)"
Title I ("Title One") of the Act is a set of programs set up by the United States Department of Education to distribute funding to schools and school districts with a high percentage of students from low-income families.
To qualify as a Title I school, a school typically has around 40% or more of its students that come from families that qualify under the United States Census's definitions as low-income.
Schools receiving Title I funding are regulated by federal legislation, including the No Child Left Behind Act.
Title I funds may be used for children from preschool through high school, but most of the students served (65 percent) are in grades 1 through 6; another 12 percent are in preschool and kindergarten programs.
There is a push nationally to ensure that middle and high schools deserve a bigger piece of the Title 1 pie, up to 40%. See: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/high-school-connections/2009/07/middle_and_high_schools_push_f.html
It's sickening that these public officials and bureaucrats have no clue what they are doing. My child's future is at stake and these nitwits are just doddering along.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the salaries of these central office officials should be tied to test scores. Then we would really see some action and results.
While I blame Dr. Corda for the failure of the district to have a plan for using the ARRA funds, he no longer works for Norwalk; besides, the ultimate responsibility is that of the board of education. This is yet another argument for voting off the board any incumbent who is running again.
ReplyDeleteWill the district now "scramble" to come up with a use for these funds instead of thinking through a district-wide comprehensive plan with long-term sustainability? What is the future implication for ongoing Title 1 and IDEA funding if this infusion of federal funds does not show positive outcomes in the next few years? This is a very serious matter.
ReplyDeleteYes, this is a top priority and it is being handled as such. Hold fire. Let diplomacy do its job. Its messy but, it, is getting cleaned up.
ReplyDeleteSo typical of Norwalk officials to do nothing proactive, first with having no plan about how to handle swine flu, and now this.
ReplyDeleteThis is a perfect example of why public education funding is so suspect. People don't mind paying for public education, they just don't like being treated like endless money pits. The Norwalk Board of Ed and it's late superintendent have no plan in place for $3.5 million in additional funding! My gosh, that's mind boggling. We all know they will spend the money, of course, but will it be spent well? And will it be spent for what it was intended? I think not. This is really inexcusable.
ReplyDelete