Important Title I FAQ (11-03-21)

Dear NYC Principal or Administrator,

We are happy to share that in recent years, usage of the Title I program has exponentially grown in our community. The Title I program was initially created “to ensure…disadvantaged children receive a fair, equitable, and high-quality education, by helping to close academic achievement gaps.” While almost all Title I funds go to public schools, students enrolled in private schools – including religious schools – are eligible to receive Title I services, and Baruch Hashem, our schools have made use of these programs to help their students.

We are pleased to enclose a “Frequently Asked Questions” document (FAQ), prepared by the Jewish School representative members of the Committee of NYC Religious and Independent School Officials (aka the Standing Committee), setting forth important information about the Title I program. We respectfully urge you to read the FAQ carefully if your school is using the program.

Please permit us to inject a word of caution. While the Title I program can be extremely beneficial to students in yeshivos, it is subject to many administrative rules and regulations which schools must follow. Failure to follow those rules and procedures could be deemed a violation of the Federal law and lead to severe consequences. Our advice, therefore, is that your school pursue the Title I program with a proper understanding of these rules and regulations, as, in general, we are seeing greater scrutiny by city and state officials on all government sponsored programs.

To take just one example of a program requirement that must be scrupulously observed: The law states that Title I funds can only be used to provide services that supplement, and in no case supplant, the services that would be available to participating private school children in the absence of Title I. Indeed, the regulations make clear that an LEA must use Title I funds to meet the identified educational needs of participating private school children and not to meet the needs of the private school or the general needs of children in the private school.

With this in mind, please read through the attached FAQ document and feel free to reach out to us with any questions and concerns.

Please note: While this information has been collected from various Title Guidance documents, the FAQ should not be deemed legal guidance. We advise all interested parties to consult their own legal counsel and the DOE for any questions related to the law. The Standing Committee does not provide legal counsel.