1. Allocations and Calculations in ESSA
How we arrive at the numbers

2. The Federal Appropriations Process
Contents 01
The Federal Appropriations Process 02
Title I 03
Title IV
CONTENTS 04
Title IIA 05
Title III

3. The Federal Appropriations Process

4. Before anything can be allocated, the executive and legislative branches work together to appropriate money

5. Overall allocations for FY20 are official
News from Washington
Despite President’s proposal to do away with Title IIA and Title IV-A, Congress continues to fund ESSA programs through next year (FY20).
Title I: +$100 million
Title IIA: level funded
Title III: level funded
Title IV: +$70 million

6. Caveat #1
Congress appropriating more money for ESSA programs is definitely a good thing…
…however, it doesn’t necessarily mean your district will receive more money.

7. Population in the US: “Go West (and South), Young Man”
61.7%
38.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2017

8. The various definitions of poverty
Defining poverty
The various definitions of poverty
The feds use poverty estimates based on the US Census income data (refreshed annually)
DESE now uses “economically disadvantaged,” which identifies students who are in state assistance program databases (food stamps, etc.)
DESE used free and reduced price lunch (FRPL) eligibility as the measure of “low income” up until a few years ago. DESE no longer uses FRPL.

9. Title I: Allocations and Calculations

10. The allocation process, in general: Title I
The feds start with annual Census Bureau poverty estimates based on:
Income
Family size
Family composition
Note: the feds only use state SIMS for counts of students that the census cannot get at (neglected, delinquent, foster). Otherwise, they rely solely on census data.

11. The allocation process, in general: Title I
The feds use a list of school districts with geographic boundaries, associate their Census poverty estimates with those areas, and determine allocation amounts for those select districts.
They send DESE a simple Excel file that includes a list of districts with geographic boundaries, allocation amounts, and poverty population estimates for each.
The term they use for poverty population: “formula children”

12. BUT WAIT, SAY YOU!
What about districts without geographic boundaries? Charters, regional vocational schools, etc.?
GOOD QUESTION!
The feds direct DESE to adjust the allocations, using state data. It’s now up to DESE to take 298 geographic allocations, and divide them into 408 district allocations.

13. Now the Title I ball is in DESE’s court
DESE uses SIMS data to determine the proportion of K-12 economically disadvantaged students who go to a shared census area district, from a district with geographic boundaries. Those proportions are applied to formula children estimate from the feds.
From Feds
DESE Adjustment
Malden
3,000 formula children
2,670 formula children
Mystic Valley Charter -
(1%) 30 formula children
NE Metro Voc/Tech
(10%) 300 formula children
Note: Data are not real!

14. Phew! We have a file with 408 LEAs, and your formula children.
Now what?
First, we need to determine whether you’re eligible for Title I
Though you see one number, Title I is comprised of 4 separate funding components. Eligibility differs for each.

15. Am I Eligible? The Four Components Eligibility Criteria Title I: Basic
10 formula children AND 2% formula children
Title I: Targeted
10 formula children AND 5% formula children
Title I: EFIG*
Title I: Concentration
Meets Title I Basic eligibility
6,500 formula children OR 15% formula children
*Stands for (Education Finance Incentive Grants)

16. Caveat #2
If your district is hovering anywhere near these eligibility thresholds (10 formula children, 2% formula children, or especially the 5% formula children), you are at risk of losing a big chunk, if not all, of your Title I funding.

17. What can you do? What to look for: Caveat #2
Prepare for the possibility that you might lose these funds
Manage expectations!
You can’t do much to increase your numbers (remember, formula children are from Census data, not ecodis data)
What to look for:
from DESE to Title I directors in ~April 2019 with preliminary formula children estimates for FY20 (only for the 298 districts)
Your formula children final numbers from the FY19 allocation this past July (again, ed to Title I directors in July)

18. Hold Harmless
Each of the 4 components of Title I have hold homeless provisions, AS LONG AS YOU ARE ELIGIBLE.
If you’re no longer eligible, hold harmless will not apply (except for the Concentration component, where you are held harmless up to 4 years after you lost eligibility)
% Formula Children
You will receive
29.95% or more
95% of what you received last year
14.95% to 29.94%
90% of what you received last year
5% to 14.94%
85% of what you received last year

19. Hold Harmless: Tip
As long as your are safely eligible, you can plan for at least 85% of last year’s amount.

20. Several factors influence how much a district ultimately receives
Census estimates
Changes to everyone else (who becomes eligible and who loses eligibility).
Number/percentage of students in school districts without geographic borders.
Total allocations in each of the 4 grants.
Who gets held harmless (the amount needed to hold districts harmless is taken from all of the non-hold-harmless districts)
New and expanding charter school reservation.
State admin reservation

21. Title IVA: Allocations and Calculations

22. The allocation process, in general: Title IV-A
An easy calculation, linked to Title I
Take the prior year’s (not the current year’s) Title I amounts. Determine what percentage of MA’s total Title I allocation you received.
Multiple that percentage by the state Title IV-A allocation.
That’s it. In other words, if you received .5% of the total statewide Title I funds last year, you’ll receive .5% of the total Title IV-A funds this year.

23. Title IIA: Allocations and Calculations

24. The allocation process, in general: Title II-A
A slightly more complex calculation, again linked to Title I.
The Title IIA statewide allocation is split into two parts.
20% of the money is distributed by your proportion of enrolled students in the state.
80% of the money is distributed by your proportion of “formula children” in the state.
In other words, if your district has .1% of the total enrollment in the state, and .15% of the formula children in the state, you get .1% of 20% of the statewide Title IIA funds, and .15% of 80% of the statewide Title IIA funds.

25. Title IIIA: Allocations and Calculations

26. The allocation process, in general: Title III-A
Title III is the only ESSA title that uses state data exclusively; no federal Census numbers.
Eligibility
100 ELs in your district; or
You’re in a consortium of districts, and your sum total is over 100
To those that are eligible, money is distributed on a per-pupil basis

27. Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts

28. DESE uses non-public school numbers for certain calculations
DESE is required to incorporate non-public school enrollment numbers into calculations for:
ESSA Title III
IDEA (special education, not part of ESSA)

29. Ideas that cause the most confusion
The Census “formula children” numbers/percentage don’t match the state “economically disadvantaged” numbers/percentage
Why a Title I grant award decreased so much
You may have lost eligibility; if you are no longer eligible, you are not held harmless

30. Questions/Feedback
Questions/Feedback

31. Thank you
THANK YOU
Matthew Deninger, Director of Resource Allocation Strategy and Planning
75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148