Federal Programs

Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Act (ESEA) provides financial assistance to local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools. Districts or schools accepting Title I funds are required to provide all children with fair, equitable and significant educational opportunities to obtain a high-quality education and meet grade level state academic standards and assessments.

Questions/Answers:

1) Which Schools Receive Title I Services?

• Stowe Elementary
• Laura MacArthur Elementary
• Piedmont Elementary
• Myers-Wilkins Elementary
• Lowell Elementary (Ojibwe Immersion and English Classrooms only)
• Lincoln Park Middle School
• Stella Maris - St. James (Nonpublic)
• Marshall (Nonpublic)

2) How is it determined which schools receive Title I Services?

Answer: The district has an average poverty rate (free/reduced lunches) that is determined yearly.  This rate usually hovers around 40%.  Any schools above this rate receive Title I services.  The district then chooses which levels (Elementary, Middle School, High School) to serve.  ISD709 chooses to give services to the elementary and middle school levels.  St. James receives Title services because their campus resides within a public school boundary that also receives Title services (Laura MacArthur Elementary).  

3) How does ISD709 spend their Title I dollars?

• Reading Interventionists
• Math Interventionists
• Behavior Interventionist
• Family in Transitions (also knows as McKinney-Vento or Homeless)
• Neglected and Delinquent (also known as Residentials or Title I, Part D and include Merritt, Chester, Rockridge, Arrowhead Juvenile Center, Superior Academy)

4) What is a Schoolwide or Targeted Assisted Title I School?

Answer: An easy way to think about Schoolwide compared to Targeted-Assistend is flexibility.  In a Schoolwide Title I School, all students are considered Title I students so students can fluidly move into and out of intervention groups.  This is different than Targeted-Assisted where only certain students can receive interventions at a given time.  All of our public schools are Schoolwide Title Schools.  St. James (nonpublic) is a Targeted Assisted Title I School because Nonpublics can only be Targeted Assisted Schools. 

LINK to MDE: Title I, Part A

Title I, Part D (aka as Residentials or Neglected/Delinquent) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act’s (ESEA) provides prevention and intervention for youth who are neglected, delinquent or at-risk.  We spend our Title I Part D dollars on math and reading interventionists at our Residential sites.

Our Residential Sites within ISD709:

• Chester Creek Academy
• Merritt Creek Academy
• Rockridge Academy
• Arrowhead Juvenile Center
• Superior Academy

MDE Site: Title I, Part D

Residential Principal: Jacob Hintsala (jacob.hintsala@isd709.org)

The purpose of Title II, Part A is to increase student achievement consistent with state standards, improve the quality and effectiveness of teachers, principals, and other school leaders,  and provide low-income and minority students greater access to effective teachers, principals, and other school leaders.

Where does ISD709 spend their Title II dollars? (PD = Professional Development)

• Professional Development (Mentorship Program, Multiple Tiered Systems of Support, Professional Learning Communities, Continuous Improvement Teams)
• Professional Development Staff (PD Coordinator, Content Area Specialists)
• Sending staff and bringing in experts for Professional Development. 
• Class Size Reduction - reducing class sizes in our most at-risk schools. 

MDE: Title II Page

Title III helps school districts ensure that English learners (ELs) and immigrant students attain English proficiency and meet state academic standards.  We have to spend money in three areas:

• Language Programing
• Professional Development
• Parent Involvement

Title III monies are braided with our district's English Lanuague monies to hire staffing and provide in the three areas listed above.  Most of the EL students reside within ISD709 and Marshall Schools. Our EL Coordinator is Annmarie Barta (Annmarie.Barta@isd709.org)

MDE Site: Title III 

Title IV, Part A, also known as the Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) grant program, is a relatively new federal Title grant program under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The purpose of this annual program is to improve access to a holistic education.  Money is spent in these three areas:

• Well-Rounded Education
• Safe and Healthy Students
• Effective Use of Technology

ISD709 has used this limited funding to provide: Gifted/Talented (now called E-squared), COVID, and Helpdesk staffing.  However, the past two years ISD709 has chosen to tranfer Title IV into Title I, Part A. 

MDE Site: Title IV - Student Support and Academic Enrichment