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View submission: The Mental Gymnastics is Infuriating
This is a great point. Unfortunately most administrators are funded through your town’s taxes not through the DOE. DOE provides some funding for IDEA and Title 1. IDEA funding goes for equipment for students with disabilities and Title 1 funding is for schools with a high percentage of students living below the poverty line. When schools are given funding through IDEA or title 1 there are strict rules schools must follow when spending those funds. For example, schools cannot simply pay for administrators out of the funds.
In our school title one funding pays for our two intervention teachers (one math and one reading) these teachers work with students struggling in reading and math). In the past we have also used title 1 funding for things like enrichment programs in science, and to fund a teacher who works with English language learners. Larger schools or inner city schools who are underfunded by their towns might get more money. They might be able to hire two or three teachers in these areas.
Our title 1 funds have been cut in recent years, so sadly we had to eliminate a couple of after school programs (one that provided teacher support for homework and one that helped students with leadership opportunities in our community).
IDEA usually pays for equipment. For example, I have had several hearing impaired students over the years and IDEA paid for and maintained some of assisted hearing devices (kind of like microphones worn by teachers so students can access instruction).
I feel like the general public has this idea that the DOE throws money at schools and we spend it in a haphazard way. The reality is the DOE is very purposeful in how much we are given AND schools need to carefully document what funds are used for. IDEA, Title 1, and other funds are very strict in what we can spend money on and there are severe consequences for failing to spend money in specific ways.
There's nothing here!