16 May 2014
Delivered via Electronic Mail
Janet, Roberts, Business Administrator
Salt Lake City School District
440 East 100 South
Salt Lake City, Utah 84111
Re: Supplementing or Supplanting Title I Money?
Dear Ms. Roberts,
In the May 6, 2014, School Board meeting, during the budget discussion about class size reduction, you distributed two documents:
- 1. Salt Lake City School District 2014-2015 Budget Development
- Salt Lake City School District 2014—15 Spring Staffing Projections
Document #2, is showing two different models of class size reduction, staffing projections, per school. I noted that several schools would receive ZERO FTE, even after the board committed additional district wide funding for that purpose. I was to understand that some schools would not receive an additional FTE because they would still meet the new teacher/student ratio as determined by the school board.
For some odd reason, the document listed no school names, only a three digit identifier under the column labeled SCHOOL. When I got home and located a key to the school numbers, I discovered that many of the Title I schools were projected to not receive an additional FTE even after the school board votes to commit additional funding towards class size reduction. I believe that is the result of you looking at the current teacher/student ration. In looking at the ratios for Title I Schools, I would suggest the following question be asked:
“Is the school able to appropriately serve all the students without Title I funds and not go over the required maximum number of students in a class at a particular grade level?”
One of the principals in my neighborhood suggested that the following steps be taken in order to verify that the District’s class size reduction efforts do indeed supplement and not supplant funding in the Title I schools:
1. Run a PowerSchool report for the grade in the school which has a class size reduction activity in the School wide Program application. PowerSchool will report the number of students in the grade and the number of classroom teachers assigned to that grade level (do not include music, art, physical education or other supplemental teachers that work with students at this grade level).
2. Subtract the Title I funded teachers for that grade level from the total number of classroom teachers for that grade level.
3. Divide the number of students at the grade level by the number of non-Title I teachers assigned to that grade level.
4. If the figure determined in #3 is at or below the state required maximum number of students per class in that grade level, then the school’s activity is supplemental.
5. If the figure in step #3 is above the state required maximum number of students per class in that grade level, then the school’s activity is not supplemental and may be considered supplanting.
Simply put, in order to determine compliance with the supplement not supplant requirement, we must determine which services a district would have provided to students in Title I schools in the absence of Title I funds. To that end, can you please provide me a revised classroom reduction model, using the steps outlined above?
As you are aware, the District may use Title I funds to supplement programs and services that are provided for, with state and local funds for the education of students participating in Title I programs. In no case may Title I funds be used to supplant—take the place of—state and local funds. Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter.
Shalom,
J. Michael Clára
Board Member, District 2
cc: Title I, Principals & SIC Chairs