Families whose students attend one of the four schools that lost their Title 1 funding next year received a letter from Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Monday to “to assure you that we are actively looking for alternative ways to preserve some of the programs.”
Brookhaven, Veirs Mill, Oak View and Strathmore elementary schools did not meet the criteria to remain as Title 1 schools after MCPS changed how it evaluates how students qualify.
According to the letter, which was signed by Acting Superintendent Monique Felder, MCPS switched to a community eligibility provision in 57 schools. Those schools provide free breakfasts and lunches for all students, regardless of need.
Therefore, few parents at those schools filled out Free and Reduced Meals (FARM) qualifying forms since they were told they would automatically receive the free meals.
As a result, rather than FARM eligibility, MCPS will now use qualifications in federal programs, such as SNAP benefits, to determine which schools have the most needy students.
Because of this change, six schools not currently ranked for Title 1 status will be included next year while the four schools listed above were removed.
Because those four schools will each lost about $400,000 in extra funding next, Felder wrote that MCPS will help those school principals know about possible other grant funding.
While some schools changed their Title 1 status, others remained Title 1 but will receive fewer extra support dollars.
Highland Elementary School in Silver Spring is keeping its Title 1 designation but losing about $190,000. “We are on the brink of losing our Title 1 status,” noted Kristi Daphnis and School PTA President Sandra Selby.
The school has a high population of immigrants who don’t qualify for federal food benefits.
The loss of almost $200,000 means the school will have 1.5 fewer reading interventions positions, one fewer STEM position and one fewer paraprofessional staff member amounting to six hours per day, according to a slide presentation by that school.
To deal with the financial loss, the school administration is considering eliminating or reducing the parent engagement programs of Lego Night and STEM Night and reducing home communication and parent support. Some general supplemental instruction materials will not be purchased, according to the presentation.
Some of the Highland students are in this country legally, but their families have “a high distrust and understanding of the federal government,” said Daphnis. Therefore, they don’t fill out SNAP and other federally funded programs that now are included by MCPS when it comes to Title 1 funding.
Annie Tulkin, whose daughter will attend Oak View next year, intends to speak during Tuesday’s Board of Education public comments session. According to Tulkin, schools that lost Title 1 funding have an average of 61.3% Hispanic and Latino students.
Highland is a Title 1 school, because 80% of its students qualify for Free and Reduced Meals.
Under the new rules, students must be receiving SNAP food stamps or the federally funded temporary assistance for needy family. They also can qualify if the students are homeless, in foster care or receiving Medicaid.
Under this new criterium, Highland’s rate of qualified needy students dropped to 67%. Consequently, Highland’s allocation, which currently is $495,300, will drop to $306,720 in Fiscal Year 2025.
Title 1 schools are reevaluated annually and are not guaranteed to remain in the program from one year to the next.
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