Using Alternative Proverty Data to Redistribute Title I, Part A Funds

USING ALTERNATIVE POVERTY DATA TO REDISTRIBUTE TITLE I, PART A FUNDS TO LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES WITH

FEWER THAN 20,000 TOTAL RESIDENTS (1810-0620)

Sections 1124(a)(2)(B), 1124A(a)(4)(A), and 1125(d) of Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act, authorize State educational agencies (SEAs) to use alternative poverty data to redistribute Title I Basic, Concentration, and Targeted Grant allocations determined by the Department of Education (ED) to “small” local educational agencies (LEAs) with fewer than 20,000 total residents. (See http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/107-110.pdf for the text of the relevant sections of the statute.) Section 200.74 of the Title I regulations further clarifies this provision by extending this flexibility to Educational Finance Incentive Grants. The statute requires ED to obtain approval of any alternative poverty measure they choose to use for this purpose. (See http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/finrule/2002-4/120202a.pdf for the text of §200.74 of the regulations concerning the use of an alternative method to distribute allocations to small LEAs.)

These statutory provisions have been part of the Title I, Part A statute since 1994. They were first implemented in 1999 when ED switched to allocating Title I funds directly to LEAs.

Note that there is no collection of data by ED associated with these provisions in the statute and regulations. This narrative addresses only the burden associated with the actual process an SEA must follow to obtain approval from ED to use alternative poverty data to redistribute Title I, Part A funds to small LEAs. The burden connected with SEAs collecting alternative poverty data and using them to redistribute ED-determined allocations to small LEAs is addressed in the narrative of clearance package 1810-0622 concerning SEA procedures for adjusting ED-determined

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