Federal education funding freeze results in $900K deficit for D91. Here are its options

IDAHO FALLS — Due to $6 billion of education federal funding being withheld since July 1, Idaho schools face new challenges heading into the next school year in August.

During a work session with the Idaho Falls School District 91 Board of Trustees on Wednesday, District Superintendent Karla LaOrange talked about how the freeze would impact local schools.

According to IdahoEdNews, Idaho’s portion of the funding freeze is about $33 million, with many of those dollars impacting programs such as Title I to Title IV, which serve migrant students, as well as before- and after-school programs.

“I want to be clear: This is not the result of any mismanagement or action of the district (or) school level,” LaOrange said. “No individual, no department, no entity within the state or district is at fault. This is part of a much broader fiscal landscape that has been shaped at the federal level.”

The discussion during the board meeting aimed to inform the community and district teachers about the funding freeze, and no decision has been made about what direction District 91 will choose.

Title programs

LaOrange spoke about how the four title programs are going to be affected, discussing what in each title is specifically not receiving any funding.

Within Title I, she noted that Title I-C is the section affected by the federal funding freeze. Here is the breakdown of the costs:

• Title I-C focuses on migrant education, which LaOrange said is for families that move around and follow harvest seasons, requiring their children to attend school. The total withheld under Title I-C is $92,257. Of this money, $500 is allocated to support the Migrant Parent Advisory Council, $882 is for program operations, and $90,875 is allocated for salaries and benefits.
• Title 2-A deals with professional development and targets those who help students focus on learning English, which totals to $14,783. LaOrange said there are associated supplies that cost $2,000, and indirect costs amount to $4,831.
• As part of Title II-A, salaries and benefits, as well as other costs such as stipends for new teacher inductions, are also impacted through withholding, which totals $404,415. Overall, this title costs the district $426,029.
• Title III-A involves programs that aid English learners. LaOrange said supplies are given out to new teachers, introductions that cost $1,025, and licenses for the learning materials cost $800 per year. The amount in salaries and benefits involving those aiding these students is $76,402. The total cost of Title III-A is $78,227.
• And in Title IV-A, these items focus on student support and safety. LaOrange mentioned that Linewize is a cybersecurity software that also monitors searches of students that appear concerning, as well as StopIt, an app designed to allow users to report bullying or other concerns anonymously. The cost for Linewize and StopIt is $33,990. Another part of Title IV-A is elementary field trips, which cost $25,000. Salaries and benefits under Title IV-A are $245,112 for a total overall cost of $304,002.

Title IV-B, which deals with before- and after-school programs, LaOrange said, are not used in this district.

Totaling the costs for each of the titles, District 91 has not received $900,515 from the federal government. LaOrange said that just looking at salaries and benefits, the total comes to $740,302.

For each title, there are also mandatory requirements from the federal and state governments for which programs must be offered in schools. Under Title I-C, this means maintaining the Migrant Parent Advisory Council and having the schools identify students who qualify for the program.

“Any reduction in Title I-C would also require us to revisit how we would continue to meet these obligations with fewer resources while staying compliant with these federal mandates,” LaOrange said.

Looking at the state mandates that school districts need to comply with, she said these involve districts retaining and supporting teachers. These include the new teachers’ induction, as well as materials and supplies for new teachers.

And the district has funded some programs, though not by mandate, such as Linewize, StopIt and its district reading initiatives.

Funding options

Discussing ways to fund these programs, LaOrange told the board of trustees, “Federal dollars are intended to supplement. They cannot supplant or take the place of services the district should be providing.

“These funds are designed to enhance the educational experience.”

However, LaOrange said if the district decides to restore the services with general funds instead of federal funds, federal law prohibits a district from reusing the lost funds later on if they are restored.

This limits the district’s flexibility going into next year, as well as its planning for the years to come.

“I don’t think any of us a year ago anticipated what had happened on July 1,” LaOrange said.

Five options were presented to the board for consideration, which varied in their approaches to either fully or partially funding each program:

1. Fund each of the titles fully, but this would cost $900,515.
2. Restore salaries and benefits, but eliminate all other costs. This would cost the district $740,302.
3. Maintain the certified staff and fulfill the mandates from the federal and state levels. This would cost $743,327.
4. This option mirrors No. 3, but differs in that the district would evaluate all other costs. Due to the potential for what may or may not be funded, the cost ranges between $245,000 and $900,515.
5. Maintain the certified staff but reduce services to match the original budget. LaOrange said for many of the title programs, it has been funded through a combination of federal and general funds, meaning that with this option, the local funds would be utilized. The cost for this option ranges between $400,000 to $700,000.

Trustee Paul Haacke asked LaOrange about the budget as he said the general fund has been budgeted, and if some of these options are pursued, what would be sacrificed to fund each program.

LaOrange said there are items within the general fund that have been earmarked or can only be used for specific purposes, so some planned items may need to be sacrificed. However, nothing has been decided regarding on cuts the district may need to take.

However, LaOrange said there has been a conversation about the state of Idaho potentially using some of its rainy-day fund to help the districts.