Betsy DeVos and the CARES Act: the Opposite of Robin Hood…
“Private schools are set to receive more support than they expected from the federal coronavirus relief package, while high-poverty school districts are set to receive less, thanks to guidance put out by Betsy DeVos’s federal education department.”
https://www.chalkbeat.org/2020/5/5/21248179/equitable-services-coronavirus-private-schools?fbclid=IwAR197TzAUebNDvP2LKsYjijs5-5tUeF0PWczPb_itNxmIRMJyFFBPBmwntw
When Congress passed the CARES Act to provide $13.5 billion dollars of education-related coronavirus relief to states and school districts, they were pretty clear on how the money should be distributed. Each state’s share was to be determined by how much money it currently gets through Title I, the federal program designed to provide additional funding to schools serving low-income students. States with more low-income/Title I students would get more CARES funding. Within a state, districts and charter schools the funds would be divided in the same way, with more coronavirus relief funding going to the districts and schools qualifying for more Title I funding. In addition, Title I funding is available to eligible, low income children in both public and private schools.
While Congress’ intentions were clear, USDOE Secretary Betsy DeVos had other ideas.
In a report released from the U.S. Department of Education last week, a different “manner” of Title I spending was advised: One that gives CARES funding, allocated to districts based on the number of low income students they serve, to wealthy children in private schools, which would otherwise be ineligible for Title I funding.
The details are explained in Chalkbeat:
“At issue is how private schools will share in the billions of federal dollars meant to help schools recover from the pandemic and transition students to learning from home.
Most of the CARES Act money is being distributed to school districts using the Title I formula, the portion of federal education law that sends money to districts with lots of students from low-income families. That means districts with more low-income students are getting more relief money.
Every year, districts that receive Title I money have to indirectly share it with local private schools that serve low-income students, too, through a provision known as “equitable services.” If 5% of low-income students who live within the boundaries of Title I public schools go to private school, for example, 5% of the district’s Title I dollars must be used for services for certain private school students, like after-school programs, tutoring, or counseling. (The dollars cannot go to the private schools directly.)
Here’s where the guidance, released last week, comes in. The federal education department says districts must set aside a portion of the relief money for private school students in a different way: by calculating what share of all students in the area attend private school, not just what share of low-income students do.
In places where lots of affluent students attend private school, that could be a substantial blow for school districts. And since private school students are more likely to be white and from higher-income families, the move effectively redistributes money away from schools serving more low-income, black, and Hispanic students.”
In a letter to DeVos, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) insisted such actions “could significantly harm the vulnerable students who were intended to benefit the most from the critical federal COVID-19 education relief funds Congress has provided.” The effect, they said, would be that private schools would receive far more federal support than Congress intended. For example:
In Louisiana, for example, non-public schools would receive at least 267% more funding under the Department’s suggested approach than they would if USED were to interpret equitable services as required under CARES. In Orleans Parish, Louisiana, at least 77% of its CARES formula allocation would be directed to non-public schools in the area.
https://ccsso.org/sites/default/files/2020-05/DeVosESLetter050520.pdf
Wow! DeVos has a history of steering public dollars away from traditional public schools, but taking essential relief funds from the neediest children at our neediest public schools and giving it to wealthy private schools is a new low… it is like the opposite of Robin Hood.
We agree with the CCSSO, CARES funding should be distributed based on need. We hope the USDOE will heed their advice.