Title I is a federal program which allots money to various school districts with the intention of improving the academics of disadvantaged students.
For the government’s purposes, “disadvantaged” students are ones who come from foster or low-income homes or from families who receive temporary government assistance.
Therefore, Title I funding relies directly on the Census Poverty Count, a survey the federal government conducts annually to measure poverty within the United States.
Several Indiana schools have reduced numbers of students living in poverty, so the Indiana Department of Education advises the supplemental funds schools receive from Title I, especially charter schools, may be reduced significantly.
In Bloomington, The Project School is the only currently active charter school. School leader Catherine Diersing said her school has already suffered a loss.
“This year The Project School experienced a reduction of Title I funds of approximately 21 percent,” Diersing said. “This was unexpected.”
The Project School is different from regular schools. For one thing, classrooms aren’t grouped by grade but rather students of varying ages since curricula at the school are tailored to individual children. Additionally, the school states on its website, those who teach for the school are committed to social justice and to ending the “predictive value of race, class, gender and special needs on success in school and life.”
But with Title I funding reduced, Diersing said the school has already suffered a loss in people who share that vision.
“The loss required us to reduce staffing, which results in reduced services,” Diersing said.
Larry Demoss, a former board member of the Indiana Charter School Board, said charter schools often target certain specific student demographics.
“Many charter schools in Indianapolis were looking for students who hadn’t found success in IPS schools,” Demoss said.
Demoss said The Project School was able to target a group of students with “special challenges.”
But often, Demoss said, funding a charter school could be difficult, which is where Title I dollars come into play.
Stimulus funding prevented Title I cuts in the past, but the Indiana Department of Education is uncertain if anything will prevent cuts once more or when it will be clear what amount of funding will be left to allot for Title I.
“This loss definitely has a negative impact,” Diersing said.
