Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Staff members in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools are working collaboratively and thoughtfully to identify key priorities for the ARRA funding, with a focus on staffing needs, classroom instructional resources, professional development, and technology systems to ensure data-driven instruction and efficient support operations.
In addition to the three major funding streams (SFSF, Title I, and IDEA), Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has submitted several competitive ARRA grant applications, either as lead applicant, or as a partnering agency with other agencies. These applications are currently pending.
Guilford County (Greensboro, N.C.)
With the exception of local educational agency (LEA) improvement funds, funds for homeless services, and ARRA reserve funds for 2010-11, Guilford County Schools has allocated all Title I stimulus funds directly to the schools. The district has allowed leadership teams to decide how the funds will be used, based on the data generated at the school and district levels. With both the regular and ARRA parent involvement funds, 100 percent were allocated directly to the schools. Schools used their allocations in a variety of ways, including restoring positions lost through local and state funding cuts and creating new positions. Schools also offered additional and ongoing professional development opportunities for staff and increased the number of tutors and/or the hours of tutoring. Title I stimulus funding was also used to purchase additional technological equipment and educational supplies and materials.
The district received State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF) dollars from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction for 2009-10. The final 2009-10 state budget reflects a significant reduction in the non-instructional support allotment category. This category provides funding for non-instructional support personnel and associated benefits. These funds may be used at the central office or at individual schools for a variety of purposes, ranging from paying the salaries of clerical assistants, custodians, and substitute teachers to purchasing textbooks.
The superintendent and chief financial officer of Guilford County Schools were required to execute an application and assurances document for initial funding under the SFSF program. At that time, the state budget had not been finalized and the current budget proposal reflected the use of SFSF dollars to offset reductions in the non-instructional support allotment category and the instructional supplies category. The district was advised that executing the application and assurances documents was required/mandatory in order to receive the SFSF monies. Consequently, the district included the following statement with its executed documents:
“While Guilford County Schools (GCS) will cooperate with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) in the implementation of the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund program and will provide all requested information of the uses of the funds, we believe that we would be remiss if we did not share our concern that GCS and many, if not all other districts in the state, will face some challenges in meeting the assurances contained within the attached document if the final state budget utilizes State Fiscal Stabilization Funding (SFSF) Program funds to offset significant reductions in one or more allotment categories as does the current House budget proposal wherein the SFSF Program funds are targeted to offset significant reductions of approximately $357M in Non-Instructional Support (PRC 003) and approximately $46.5M in Classroom Materials and Supplies (PRC 061) allotment categories for fiscal year 2009-10.”
In addition to the SFSF allotment, IDEA funding will pay for 98 teaching positions. Consistent with the federal guiding principles regarding the distribution of the IDEA stimulus grant, funds will be used to retain exceptional children teaching positions in the district.
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