MONROE, Conn. — News of Stepney Elementary School being designated as a Title 1 school this year led to comments from concerned parents on Facebook, so Superintendent Joseph Kobza addressed the issue at the Board of Education’s meeting on Jan. 20.
“I think some people were alarmed about Stepney being a Title 1 school,” he said. “Just about every municipality in the state has a Title 1 school. Some have multiple Title 1 schools. It’s based on the number of students eligible for free and reduced lunch. Title 1 is a federal fund.”
Monroe designates its school with the highest percentage of students on free and reduced lunch, according to Kobza. Last year, it was Jockey Hollow Middle School and this year it is Stepney.
The superintendent said usually it is only the really small towns that do not have a Title 1 school, because at least 10 kids must qualify for free and reduced lunch, while urban areas sometimes have multiple Title 1 schools due to a significant number of students in the program.
Kobza said Title 1 schools were originally part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, which became the No Child Left Behind Act and has since become the Every Student Succeeds Act.
“It’s there to provide supplemental support to students who are at risk of not meeting grade level standards,” he said. “Eligibility rates are based on student poverty data and that is determined solely on the number of students who qualify for free and reduced lunch at a particular school.”
Kobza said the grant funds are only meant to supplement a town’s budget.
There are two types of funding models: the Targeted Assistance Model and the Schoolwide Model, in which services are provided to students with academic needs.
Districts can use the money for reading and math intervention, instruction support staff, academic programs and materials, and family engagement activities. It is highly regulated and district’s must provide an annual plan with documentation, audits and state oversight.
“We fall into the targeted assistance model, because we don’t have 40 percent of students who qualify for free and reduced lunch,” Kobza said. “Ours are targeted to students not meeting academic standards. If a school had 40 percent of its students qualifying for free and reduced lunch, then would be able to use the funds schoolwide, making it available to help all students.”
Monroe Public Schools received a $112,000 grant for Stepney and has two years to spend the money.
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