Nevada Rep. Susie Lee’s bill would boost Title 1, special ed funding

Nevada Rep. Susie Lee reintroduced legislation on Wednesday that would allocate more money to federal programs for children living in poverty and those receiving special education services.

The Keep Our Promise to America’s Children and Teachers (PACT) Act would compel the federal government to fund Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) at prescribed levels — something education advocates say has not occurred for years.

Lee said the resulting funding gap has left states and schools to cover the costs of federally mandated services for students who qualify for those programs, often straining their general budgets.

“It’s money that’s sitting in Washington that should be coming to schools,” Lee said.

She noted that while the shortage has long been an issue for schools, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the existing inequities for both children with disabilities and those living in poverty, as school buildings closed and learning went virtual.

One indicator of the impact this year is in the number of local schools qualifying for Title I funding: 26 Clark County School District schools will become eligible for Title I funds in the 2021-22 school year, bringing total to 264.

Of the 26 schools being added, 22 had previously lost their eligibility under the district’s more stringent requirements for Title I funding, which raised the minimum qualifying threshold from 40 percent of a school’s student population receiving free and reduced-price breakfast and lunches to 60 percent.

Nevada as a whole received around $139 million in Title I funding for the 2020-21 school year, the lion’s share of which — around $119 million — went to CCSD, including district-sponsored charter schools.

Lee said that between 2005 and 2017, the state was shorted around $2.1 billion in Title I funds and another $2 billion in special education funding, or just over $300 million per year altogether.

The money can help provide additional resources for students living in poverty, reduce class sizes and recruit more experienced teachers, Lee said, while also freeing up schools’ general fund money for other purposes.

She said she’s received strong support for the bill, as well as for additional Title I and IDEA funding, with Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen introducing a companion bill in the Senate. President Joe Biden also indicated during his campaign that he supported tripling Title I funding.

A 2019 version of Lee’s bill died in committee, but she is optimistic that the pandemic has exposed the cost.

“I think across the country everyone is seeing the disparities in education,” Lee said. “When you talk about achievement, in surveys of teachers, you find the number one barrier is poverty.”

Contact Aleksandra Appleton at 702-383-0218 or aappleton@reviewjournal.com. Follow @aleksappleton on Twitter.