Source: Washington Post
A new method for determining a child’s poverty level in school will end up leaving schools without access to necessary funding.
At one Baltimore school, more than 90 percent of students had once upon a time been determined as “poor” because they qualified for free lunch programs, which in turn qualified the school to receive funding through Title I dollars, resources provided to poor schools.
But now, some districts have changed the way they determine the population of students that are poor, by using “direct certification” which only considers those who are enrolled in government assistance programs, like food stamps, as poor.
This particular Baltimore school however, the John Ruhrah Elementary/Middle School, has many students who are immigrants and who are living in poverty, but who are not enrolled in federal public assistance programs.
According to Washington Post, experts have said that immigrants are much less likely to enroll in these programs because of the administration’s rhetoric which has led them to fear using public programs.
Already several schools across the U.S. are beginning to fear that they may lose funding through their Title I status if the way that poverty is calculated changes and if those analysis do not accurately capture the actual poverty levels that are being experienced by all students, including immigrant students.
Read Full Story: Washington Post