Choice schools may be able to use Title funds for science-based literacy professional development, according to an answer shared with WCRIS by the DPI.

The department’s Act 20 FAQ states that public schools may not use Title funds for specific literacy professional development required by 2023 Wisconsin Act 20. 

It was unclear if choice schools could use Title II funds for similar professional development since the training requirements of Act 20 don’t apply to choice schools, while other provisions of Act 20 do. 

In response to one of our principal’s questions and at WCRIS’ request, the DPI shared the following: 

“For all the ESSA Titles, the determining factor comes down to the needs of the students in private schools. Will professional learning on science-based literacy instruction best meet the students’ needs? 

Title II and Title IV

An LEA and private school must together determine the students’ needs using multiple academic measures (agreed upon by both the LEA and private school). If the private school and the LEA determine and document that professional learning on science-based literacy instruction will meet the academic needs of the students, the LEA may use the equitable share from Title II or Title IV to cover those costs. It goes without saying, the LEA will need to follow the appropriate procedures to apply for and budget those funds in WISEgrants.

Title I

In most private schools, only some students (not all) attending the private school are eligible for Title I services.

    • First there must be low-income students attending the private school, who reside in a public-school attendance area that is a Title I School. This data determines the amount of the proportional share. (If there are no low-income students residing in public school attendance area that is a Title I School, then an allocation is not available for services.) 
    • If a proportional share is determined, then the LEA and private school collaboratively identify the students eligible for Title I services, using multiple academic measures. To receive Title I services from the LEA, private school students must have an academic need and reside in a public-school attendance area that is a Title I school. It is important to keep in mind some students needing Title I services may not have reading needs.

Title I services in private schools are student specific (not school specific) – similar to that of a Title I Targeted Assistance model in public school. An LEA may use Title I funds for a regular classroom teacher in a private school if:

    • the teacher had Title I students in their classroom with identified literacy needs and
    • the LEA and private school agree that training on science-based literacy instructional support is necessary for a classroom teacher to best support the TI students in their classroom.

It’s on a case-by-case basis, based on the teacher’s experience and literacy needs of the TI students in their classroom. If a teacher needed training on science-based literacy instruction to meet the needs of their TI students in their classroom, then 100% of training costs would be allowed, but the LEA and private school would need to specifically document this circumstance (the students’ needs, the teacher’s experience) in WISEgrants. 

 Title III

LEAs may only use Title III funds to support specific needs of English Learners. LEAs must use Title III funds “on top of” the Title II and Title IV funds in both for both public and private schools. In other words, charging costs for EL staff to attend the science-based literacy PD to Title III and the costs for all other staff attending the science-based literacy PD to Title II or IV would not be allowed.”