With its reserves running low, poverty levels increasing and budget uncertainty at the state level, the Guilford County Board of Education approved an initial allocation of Title I funding to schools for next year that is $5.1 million less than what schools received in 2014-15.

Title I is a federal program that provides additional support to schools based on the number of students served who live in poverty. The funds are used to lower class sizes, provide additional tutoring, purchase teaching materials and other strategies to boost student learning.

“We don’t have enough money no matter what,” said Board Chairman Alan Duncan. “There is no good solution, but we are responsible for spending the money in the best way possible.”

As a result, many principals are facing the reality of having big drops in Title I funding and fewer teachers in classrooms next year, while the number of GCS students who need additional support and attention from school personnel in order to perform at their peak is growing.

For 2015-16, a school must have at least 42.3 percent of its students certified as low-income in order to qualify for Title I funding. For Title I purposes, students are identified as low-income by using Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) data. This past year, GCS moved to using CEP data for schools with the higher concentrations of poverty in order to provide more students in high poverty areas with free and reduced meals.

To make the greatest impact with funding available, the board voted to concentrate its resources on schools with the greatest concentrations of low-income students. To do this, staff developed and the board approved dividing schools into groups by poverty levels or bands.

A per pupil allocation is assigned to each poverty band, and this amount is used to calculate a school’s allocation. The highest poverty band, the group of schools with the highest percentage of low-income students, will receive a higher per pupil allocation than schools with a lower percentage of low-income students. Previously, GCS used the same per pupil allocation for all Title I schools.

According to data released this month, 65 GCS schools will be served as Title I schools in the 2015-16 school year, down from 67 this school year. The board also raised the threshold of schools eligible for funding from 40 percent of students identified as low-income, as presented by staff, to 42.3 percent, which eliminated several schools from the list. The schools eliminated from the list were not identified as Title I this year.

The list of Title I schools for the 2015-16 school year are below:

1)    Allen Jay Elementary

2)    Allen Jay Middle, A Preparatory Academy

3)    Allen Middle

4)    Archer Elementary

5)    Aycock Middle

6)    Ben L. Smith High

7)    Bessemer Elementary

8)    Bluford Elementary

9)    Brightwood Elementary

10) Ceasar Cone Elementary

11) Clara J. Peck Elementary

12) Cyrus P. Frazier Elementary

13) David D. Jones Elementary

14) Doris Henderson Newcomers School

15) Eastern Middle

16) Edwin A. Alderman Elementary

17) Fairview Elementary

18) Ferndale Middle

19) George C. Simkins Jr. Elementary

20) Gillespie Park Elementary

21) Guilford Elementary

22) Guilford Middle

23) Hampton Elementary University Partnership

24) High Point Central High

25) High School Ahead Academy

26) Hunter Elementary

27) Irving Park Elementary

28) Jackson Middle

29) James B. Dudley High

30) James Y. Joyner Elementary

31) Jamestown Elementary

32) Jefferson Elementary

33) John Van Lindley Elementary

34) Johnson Street Global Studies

35) Julius I Foust Elementary

36) Kirkman Park Elementary

37) Kiser Middle

38) Madison Elementary

39) McLeansville Elementary

40) Middle College at GTCC-High Point

41) Monticello-Brown Summit Elementary

42) Montlieu Academy of Technology

43) Morehead Elementary

44) Murphey Traditional Academy

45) Northeast Middle

46) Northwood Elementary

47) Oak Hill Elementary

48) Oak View Elementary

49) Otis L. Hairston Sr. Middle

50) Parkview Village Elementary

51) Peeler Open Elementary

52) Rankin Elementary

53) Reedy Fork Elementary

54) Ronald E. McNair Elementary

55) Sedgefield Elementary

56) Southern Middle

57) Sumner Elementary

58) T. Wingate Andrews High

59) Triangle Lake Montessori Elementary

60) Union Hill Elementary

61) Vandalia Elementary

62) Waldo C. Falkener Sr. Elementary

63) Washington Elementary

64) Welborn Middle

65) Wiley Elementary