As local school systems wait to receive their first stimulus installments, a number of superintendents are asking questions. Campbell's Tom Robey asks, "Is this money in place of money we're gonna get next year? Is it in addition to money we're gonna get next year?"
All do seem to agree on one point: where the money can be spent. It's targeted specifically at so-called "Title-1" programs, those created to help "at risk" students coming from lower economic backgrounds. In our area, Youngstown, Warren and East Liverpool are getting the most with a number of others receiving at least $400,000.
But there is a wide disparity in funding from one district to another. A number of them will receive less than $100,000 over the next two years; the lowest in Lowellville, where enrollment is just over 600 and only 20% to 25% fall under poverty guidelines.
All the same, don't expect poorer systems to use this one-time money to pay down their debts or create a lot of new programs, since districts will be left with few options when the funding runs out. Anthony Catale, president of the Youngstown Board of Education says systems will, "either have to incur the cost themselves or eliminate the program and be back at square one."
Now, half of the money is to be earmarked for this year, and districts will have to account for how much each received, as well as, how it was ultimately spent and even how successful the local programs were before they would qualify for next year's amount.
That means in most cases, districts like Campbell, which will receive about half-a-million dollars, will continue with Title-1 programs already in place, possibly expanding them a bit to include more students for the next couple years.
