Federal education funds for student learning, student services and educator development are now on hold for Kansas schools.
Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson says the US Department of Education is officially reviewing about $50 million in various Title funding programs:
*Title I, Part C: Migrant Education = $6.2 million. This provides support to students from families whose jobs in industries like fisheries and food processing necessitate that they live in different states during different seasons.
*Title II, Part A: Teacher and School Leader Supports = $15.8 million. Also known as Supporting Effective State Instruction grants, this money pays for districts to offer professional development that helps educators and administrators learn new curriculum approaches, instructional practices, and technology tools.
Title III, Part A: English Learners = $4.8 million. C overs a wide range of services for English learners, whose number represent Kansas’ fastest-growing population of public school students. Under civil rights law, school districts must ensure students who are still learning English have equal access to education, as their peers do.
Title IV, Part A: Student Support and Academic Enrichment = $8.3 million. Improves students’ academic achievement by increasing the capacity of state educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), schools, and local communities to 1) provide all students with access to a well-rounded education; 2) improve school conditions for student learning; and 3) improve the use of technology to improve academic achievement and digital literacy of all students.
* Title IV, Part B: 21st Century Before and After-School Programs = $7.8 million. Also known as the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, it provides federal funding for out-of-school time programs, particularly in high poverty and low-performing schools. These programs offer academic enrichment, tutorial services, and other activities to help students meet Kansas and local academic standards, reinforce their regular school day learning, and engage families in their children’s education.
Watson says most rural schools get federal funds through the Rural Education Achievement Program, meaning “extra flexibility” for schools to use that money as they see fit. Separately, the Department of Education has said adult basic and literacy education programs as overseen by the Kansas Board of Regents so students can complete GED or adult education programs are essentially frozen and will not be going forward.
In unrelated education funding news, the Kansas State Department of Education says it has regained access to almost $23 million in Education Stabilization Fund grants after ongoing legal matters in federal court. The US Department of Education had rescinded extensions for these COVID-era funds in late March. The updated decision now lets states not included in a New York-led lawsuit against USDOE, including Kansas, to submit reimbursement requests as they had done previously.
