NCLB Recommendation #26
SUBJECT
Public School Choice:
School District Financial Obligations for Transportation
P.L. 107-110 PROVISIONS
TITLE I PART A SUBPART 1 SEC. 1116(b)(13)
NSBA RECOMMENDATIONS
#26: Financial obligations for school districts to provide transportation to students who choose to transfer under the choice option should not be federally mandated when the group to which the student belongs no longer is identified as not meeting AYP targets within the student’s former school even if that school continues to be identified as not making AYP for other reasons.
RATIONALE
Title I funds are already limited. Requiring school districts to continue such financial obligations when the student’s former school makes AYP for the specific group of students diverts the much needed resources from other Title I activities. The continuation of providing transportation under these circumstances should be a local option for the school district.
PROPOSED BILL LANGUAGE
Section 1116(b)(13) is amended--
By striking “is no longer identified” and all that follows through the period at the end and inserting the following: “has made adequate yearly progress for the group in which the child is a member in the same subject for which a failure to meet adequate yearly progress triggered the transfer.”.
IMPACT OF CURRENT LAW
Current law requires a school to continue to provide transportation to students who transfer under choice even if the school remedies the AYP problem for the subgroup to which the students belonged the following year. Why divert limited resources from other Title I activities once the school immediately raises the achievement of the subgroup that failed AYP? Congress currently only funds the Title I program at 50 percent of its authorized level. School and school districts must target limited funds to students who need help most.
NSBA CONTACT
Reggie Felton, director of federal relations, 703-838-6782 or rfelton@nsba.org.