Dive Brief:
- Congress is currently weighing two proposals over how to use the $14.5 billion in Title I funding included in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
- One population-based plan would largely benefit Southern and Western states, while the alternative focuses on impoverished small and mid-sized districts.
- Each plan would change the formula governing funding distribution.
Dive Insight:
Neither plan is perfect, though one might be more unlikely to pass. Sen. Richard Burr’s (R-NC) proposal upholds the current population-based distribution model, aiding two-thirds of U.S states, but is attached to a “funding trigger” that mandates that annual Title I appropriations equal at least $17 billion before implementation. This is unlikely to happen, as the total amount of Title I funding has remained stagnant for years.
An alternative offered by Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA) diverts resources to particularly disadvantaged small and mid-size districts with higher concentrations of poverty, though critics say Thompson's plan doesn’t adequately address the real and higher costs of tackling poverty in big urban districts.
