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Title IV, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (Title IV-A) is intended to improve students’ academic achievement by increasing the capacity of States, local educational agencies (LEAs), schools, and local communities to provide all students with access to a well-rounded education, improve school conditions for student learning, and improve the use of technology in order to improve the academic achievement and digital literacy of all students.

Allocation, Application, and Program

• Title IV-A funds are allocated to all LEAs that received a Title I, Part A allocation in the preceding fiscal year.
• By statute, each eligible LEA receives a Title IV- A allocation of at least $10,000.
• LEAs must consult and collaborate with required stakeholders to receive Title IV-A funds, to plan the Title IV-A program activities described in the Consolidated ESSA Application and must engage in on-going consultation about the funded activities in the Consolidated Application regarding program objectives and intended outcomes.
• LEAs with an allocation of $30,000 or more are required to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment once every three years to examine the needs for improvement of well-rounded educational opportunities (WRE), school conditions for student learning (SHS), and access to personalized learning experiences supported by technology (EUT).
• Title IV-A funds are subject to equitable services requirements for non-public schools located within an LEA’s geographic catchment area.
  
  • Each LEA should calculate a per pupil amount based on total student enrollment at the private school, regardless of the students’ district of residency.
• Transferability: LEAs may transfer a portion or all of its Title IV-A allocation to Title I-A, Title I-C, Title I-D, Title II-A, Title III-A, or Title V-B. (Prior to transferring funds, LEA must have assessed Title IV-A needs, consulted with required stakeholders, and consulted with in-district private schools to determine that transferring is the most appropriate use of funds to meet identified needs.)
• All programs and activities funded under Title IV-A for LEAs and eligible non-public schools must be based on identified needs described in the Consolidated ESSA application and shall be programmatically aligned with one or more of the three Title IV content area programs- Well-Rounded Education (WRE), Safe and Healthy Students (SHS), and the Effective Use of Technology (EUT).
• An LEA must prioritize the distribution of Title IV- A funds to schools that:
  
  • have the greatest needs (as determined by the LEA),
  • have the highest percentages or numbers of low-income children,
  • are identified for targeted or comprehensive support and improvement, OR
  • are identified as a persistently dangerous public elementary or secondary school under section 8532 of the ESSA;
• LEAs must periodically evaluate the effectiveness of the activities based on such objectives and outcomes.

Statutory Spending Requirements

• LEAs with allocations of $30,000 or more must use
  
  • a minimum of 20% of their total allocation in Well-Rounded Education (WRE),
  • a minimum of 20% of their total allocation in Safe and Healthy Students (SHS), and
  • a portion of their total allocation the Effective Use of Technology (EUT).
• An LEA receiving less than $30,000 must spend Title IV-A funds on allowable activities within any of the three content areas: Well-Rounded Education (WRE), Safe and Healthy Students (SHS), and the Effective Use of Technology (EUT).
• LEAs may use no more than a maximum of 15% of funds allotted to Effective Use of Technology for equipment and infrastructure (e.g. devices, equipment, software and digital content infrastructure technology).
• An LEA may reserve up to 2% of its Title IV-A allocation for direct administrative costs associated with implementation of the Title IV, Part A program.
• Title IV-A funds are intended to supplement, and not supplant State and local funds. Supplanting is presumed if any of the following is true, according to federal fiscal guidance (2 CFR Part 200, Appendix XI):
  
  • A district uses federal funds to provide services that are required under other federal, state, or local laws.
  • A district uses federal funds to provide services that the district provided with non-federal funds in the prior year.
  • A district uses federal funds to provide services that the district would otherwise provide without federal funds.

Note: These presumptions may be overcome if the district can demonstrate that it would not have provided the services absent the availability of these federal funds. For example, new STEAM professional development had been provided with state grant funds for middle school teachers, and the grant funds were not available for the coming year. Title IV-A funds could be used for this PD, assuming no other presumption was violated, and the district would not otherwise have been able to provide the PD.

• An LEA may carry over up to 100% of its Title IV-A allocation from the previous school year’s allocation.
• LEA must meet the statutory spending requirements once for each school year’s allocation.
• An LEA must continue to meet the previous school year’s statutory spending requirements when accessingÌýcarryover funds across content areas as planned for in the previous school year’s approved application.
• For example, if the LEA’s allocation was $30,000 or more, the LEA must ensure that funds are spent as follows:
• a minimum of 20% in WRE program activities;
• a minimum of 20% in SHS program activities; and
• a portion in EUT activities.

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For additional assistance on Title IV, Part A, districts may contact the Office of ESSA-Funded Programs
at conappta@nysed.gov or (518) 473-0295.

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