Community Eligibility Option (CEO) and Title I Suzette Cook Title I Coordinator Office of Title I West Virginia Department of Education June 2012

Objectives Provide an overview of the USDA’s Community Eligibility Option (CEO) Identify School Eligibility Requirements Develop working knowledge of CEO and Title I Questions and Answers????

CEO Background Section 104(a) of the Healthy, Hunger Free Act of 2010 amended the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to provide an alternative to household eligibility applications for free and reduced price meals in high poverty local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools. CEO is a four-year reimbursement option for eligible high poverty LEAs and schools. LEAs and schools may opt in or opt out each year. An LEA may participate in CEO for some or all schools in the LEA.

CEO Requirements for Schools As of April 1, determine the school has a minimum level (40%) identified students (NOT your free/reduced count) in the year prior to implementing the option. – April 1, 2012 for the school year. Agree to serve no-cost lunches and no- cost breakfasts to all students for up to four consecutive years in approved schools.

CEO Requirements for Schools Agree to cover with non-Federal funds any costs of providing free meals to all students above amounts provided in Federal assistance. Do not collect free and reduced price applications from households in participating schools during the period of participation in the CEO. Maintain a total count of breakfasts and lunches served to students at the point(s) students receive meals.

Identified Students Identified students: – Directly certified for free meals on the basis of their participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and the extension of benefits to students within the same household. – Homeless – Runaway – Migrant – Head Start – Foster Child

Identified Students The percent of Identified Students may be determined school-by-school, by a group of schools within the LEA, or in the aggregate for an entire LEA. % Identified Students = # of Identified Students as of April 1 X 100 Total Enrollment* as of April 1 *Enrollment is defined as number of students with access to the NSLP and SBP enrolled in the school as of April 1, 2012

Identified Students The percent Identified Students is then multiplied by the USDA determined factor of 1.6 for SY The resulting answer, capped at 100%, is the percentage of total meals served reimbursed at the Federal free rate of reimbursement. The remaining percentage of meals is claimed and reimbursed at the paid rate.

CEO Reimbursement Reimbursement is based on claiming percentages derived from the percentage of Identified Students times a multiplier* established in the law. The claiming percentages established for a school in the First Year are guaranteed for a period of four school years and may be increased if direct certification percentages rise for that school/group of school/district. *Multiplier: (Range: )* 1.6 will be used through SY After that time, USDA is permitted to change the multiplier. Schools electing CEO will use the same multiplier for the entire four-year cycle.

Example School A has 100 students enrolled as of April 1 50 of those students are in the “Identified Students” group School A has an Identified Student percentage of 50%. 50% X 1.6 = 80% Free Reimbursement Rate and 20% Paid Reimbursement Rate 80 students X per pupil expenditure = Title I school allocation

Example of Grouping Schools# of DC Students Enrollment% of Identified Students Qualify for CEO A Yes B No Grouping A & B Yes For Title I project purposes, the numbers and percentage rankings remain as individual school numbers. Do not apply the grouping average to the Title I school allocation process. The grouping procedure is used only for CEO purposes.

Impact on Other Programs It is important for all stakeholders to understand CEO prior to making the decision to participate and/or to anticipate issues that may arise. Schools that participate in CEO will not have a student meal application process. You will not know if Student A is eligible for free, reduced price, or paid meal benefits. All students in a Title I CEO school would be eligible for Supplemental Education Services and priority for public school choice would be based only on lowest-achieving students. Students in a CEO school are all classified as ‘Low SES’ for accountability purposes.

Title I Guidance from U.S. Dept. of Education Letters were issued for the school term to the three states that initially participated in the CEO pilot: Illinois, Kentucky, and Michigan Conference call with Todd Stevenson on June 13, 2012 Letter to West Virginia to be issued soon

Example of Allocations with a combination of CEO/non-CEO schools SchoolCEO (Y/N) Enroll- ment 5-17 needy students Multi- plier X 1.6 Identified Students Number Percent of needy students Per pupil amount Title I Allocation StanleyN500475N/A47595%$500$237,500 DaviesY %$500$280,000 FordN450400N/A40089%450$180,000 HypesN400200N/A20050%450 $90,000 Sulli- van N500100N/A10020%N/A0 TotalN/A2450N/A 1,73571%N/A$787,500 Without CEO – Davies School is 58% poverty and gets $157,500.

Time to Practice With your tablemates, complete the ‘Application and Synthesis’ assignment using the Barbour County data. Select a recorder and reporter. Chart your results and be prepared to share.

Work Time Barbour County Data – Title I Schools – October 2011 (5-17) Free/Reduced lunch data – Direct Certified Data Total # of Direct Certified Students Total Student Count Percentage Direct Certified % Meals Claimed as Free

Application and Synthesis 1. Use the 5-17 report to rank schools in order of percent needy – highest to lowest. 2. Use the CEO Direct Certified List to rank schools in order of percent needy – highest to lowest. 3. Compare list from Number 1 to list from Number 2. Are the schools in the same rank order? Identify differences noted. 4. Review the Title I schools list – then, find a way to ‘group’ schools together to make the current Title I schools eligible for CEO without changing the ranking you created in Number Find a way to ‘group’ schools together to make everyone eligible for CEO – without changing the ranking you created in Number 1.

Questions