School faces losing two teachers, half of preschool funding
JASA SANTOS Star-Tribune staff writer | Posted: Wednesday, December 3, 2008 12:00 am
Midwest School may lose $98,900 in Title I funds after this school year, due to decreasing numbers of students who qualify for free and reduced lunch.
The school also may lose additional funding from the Wyoming Department of Education's Title I school improvement grant program.
Schools receive Title I funds to help close achievement gaps between poor and affluent students. They can be used for lowering student-teacher ratios, tutoring and professional development, among other things.
Rene Rickabaugh, co-director of Title I in Natrona County, and Mark Mathern, associate superintendent of curriculum and instruction, said no formal decision has been made about cutting the school's funding.
But Midwest principal Bruce Youngquist said the money is as good as gone.
"This isn't if we're going to lose it," Youngquist said. "We've lost it."
Losing Title I status would mean saying goodbye to a schoolwide Title I teacher, and would cut funding for preschool in half. The loss of the state grant would cut another teacher position at the school.
Because Title I and VIB [6B] funds are tied together, Midwest will also lose roughly $30,000 for professional development.
All schools are facing decreases in VIB funds, which are earmarked for rural schools to help them meet No Child Left Behind requirements.
"I don't think it's so much about the money," Youngquist said. "It's about the staffing."
Natrona County schools receive Title I funding if 45 percent or more of their students qualify for free and reduced lunch, the most basic indicator of poverty.
Midwest's percentage fell first to 43.8 percent in 2007-08, and then to 41 percent for 2008-09. The school was given a "grace year" of funding for 2008-09.
Rickabaugh said the 45 percent cutoff may change after officials meet in January to discuss how best to serve lower-income students. Officials meet every year to decide on the percentage, which has stayed consistent for several years.
"The law allows us to drop as low as whatever the district average is for free/reduced lunch," Rickabaugh said. "As a district, we have not made a decision on what the cut level is for funding [for next year]."
Mathern said Wyoming's current economy has decreased the percentage of students qualifying for free and reduced lunch in Natrona County.
"We have a booming economy," he said. "More people are working. I know just because people earn more dollars in their home doesn't necessarily mean the struggles of student achievement go away."
Yet a booming economy doesn't necessarily affect how much money the state as a whole receives, according to Brian Wright, the Wyoming Department of Education Title I coordinator.
Funding is determined by reviewing past census data, Wright explained. The amount of Title I money Wyoming received for 2007 was determined by state poverty rates reported in 2004.
"Wyoming is actually the lowest funded state for Title I," Wright said. "I don't foresee a huge cut or a huge increase."
Midwest has recently faced a number of challenges, including decreasing enrollment, potential staff cuts and low standardized test scores.
Mathern acknowledged that Midwest will be in a tough spot if it loses Title I funding.
"At Midwest, we know that there's a focus on reading, writing and math … an important focus on closing gaps," Mathern said. "I know that's tough to do without those Title I dollars. I know that's hard work."
Reach education reporter Jasa Santos at (307) 266-0593 or at Jasa.Santos@trib.com. Read her blog at my.trib.com/jasasantos.
Wyoming Title I, Part A funding
2005 $28,769,096
2006 $27,736,821
2007 $26,570,298
2008 $28,236,236
Midwest 2008 Title I/VIB funding
Title I $98,900
VI-B $30,609
What's at stake in Midwest
* Schoolwide Title I teacher
* Teacher for secondary Response to Intervention program
* Half of preschool funding