After relentless budget cuts, 23 Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) schools have lost essential Title I funds which are worth about $400,000.
The eligibility for Title I funds is based upon the percentage of low income students from the entire general student population of a school. A student’s low income status is determined by the student’s household income and eligibility to free or reduced lunch tickets.
The previous percentage of low income students that was required was 30% but due to tight budgets, the LAUSD has raised the requirement to 50% on Dec. 13, 2011. Now, 23 schools are currently within the range of 30% to 50% and are on the verge of losing school staff members such as teachers, counselors, janitors, and crucial school programs.
Actions to appeal this change in Title I eligibility have been made by parents of student of Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies (LACES) through the media. Parents have created videos of needed school programs such as the math study groups that are funded solely by Title I funds. Several students were also interviewed in the video to show the importance of Title I funds.
School Site Council (SSC) a group composed of administrators, parent representatives, and student representatives who work on balancing the school budget, has been discussing the immense loss of funds.
“Title I funds have funded for numerous programs and are a huge reason for the academic success at LACES,” said Lily Lee, a junior at LACES and SSC student representative.
“These Title I funds are extremely important to both the school and the students and the loss of such funds will put many of the students’ educations at stake,” stated Harold Boger, the principal of LACES.
