The new federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) has revised the formula for how public school districts calculate Title II payments for private schools.

For one Milwaukee-area WCRIS school, this has resulted in a $4,200 increase for the 2016-17 school year over what the school received in 2015-16 — with no significant change in enrollment.

“The principal was delighted, to say the least,” said WCRIS Executive Director Sharon Schmeling, after working with the principal to get the district to acknowledge the new funding formula.

The ESSA calculation process is based on student enrollment, which has always been the case, but now districts have to calculate the amount due to private schools based on the total amount received by the local education agency, Schmeling said.

In the past, districts could set-aside several different categories of funding. In some cases, public districts could remove as much as half of the funds it received, thus limiting the proportionate share to private schools, she said.

The ESSA won’t be fully implemented until 2017-18 school year. However, the 2016-17 school year is expected to be a year of transition where districts start using the new funding formulas, she noted.

To make sure your school is being treated according to the new law, WCRIS principals should contact the public school district and tell them you are aware the the ESSA has changed the formula for allocating Title II-A funds. In light of that change, ask the district to provide you with the following information:

  1. The amount of the district’s total Title II-A allocation for 2016-17;
  2. The proportional share earmarked for professional development for every private school in the district for 2016-17;
  3. The formula the school district used to determine the proportionate share, and how the formula differs from the 2015-16 school year.

“By asking these simple questions, you can prompt the district to review their process and recognize the new formula. If the answer you get is that nothing has changed, you need to press them to update their calculations,” Schmeling said.

“It’s important that principals contact their local public school district now, while planning and calculating is beginning for the new school year,” she noted.

“If principals go through this process, we are confident that many may discover a higher payment available for the upcoming school year.”