Assessment/Accountability No Child Left Behind
Title I

Fiscal Information

• How the Federal Government Allocates Funds to States and Districts
• How Districts Allocate Funds to Schools
• Maintenance of Effort, Comparability of Services and Supplement, Not Supplant
• Time and Effort Reporting
• Transferability, Flexibility, and Program Coordination
• Ed-Flex Waivers
• Reservations / Set-Asides
• Carryover Funds
• Show All

How the Federal Government Allocates Funds to States and Districts

Massachusetts's statewide allocation is determined annually by formulas derived from the U.S. Census, which is conducted every ten years. The annual statewide allocation is determined by the sum of the funds calculated for each district in the state. In the years between the decennial census the U.S. Department of Education uses census estimates in calculating grants for districts. Those estimates include the number of children ages 5-17 in families of poverty, the total school aged population, and total resident population for each district. Updated state per-pupil expenditure data as well as the number of children in locally operated neglected or delinquent institutions, foster homes, and families above the poverty level that receive assistance under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program are also used. In Massachusetts, the data are then adjusted accordingly by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for different district configurations, such as single school districts, regional school districts and other special cases. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) contains the following formulas for allocating Title I funds:

• Basic Grants: Districts with at least 10 children in poverty, and the number of children in poverty must exceed 2 percent of the district's school aged population.
• Concentration Grants: Districts with the number of children living in poverty exceeding 15 percent of the district's school aged population.
• Targeted Program and Education Financial Incentive Program Grants: Districts with at least 10 children in poverty and the number of children in poverty is at least 5 percent of the district's school aged population.

Hold harmless provisions may apply when districts drop in population, but remain eligible for any of the above categories.