NASHUA, NH – Title 1 program director Cherrie Fulton announced during Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting that the Title I funding allocation will be decreased from $4.6 million in the 2023-2024 school year to $4.2 million for the 2024-2025 school year.
According to Fulton and Superintendent Mario Andrade, the federal allocation has been decreased across the state as the enrollment has declined.
“That’s a difference of about $391,000 that we have to adjust in what we allocate in the district to help our students,” Fulton said. “There are a few things in the grant that are non-negotiable.”
These include McKinney-Vento – protecting homeless youth and those in transition – and McKinney Vento Transportation, for which $400,000 was budgeted for the 2023-2024 school year. Fulton said this amount needs to be increased, possibly up to $500,000
Another non-negotiable is allocations to non-public schools in Title 1 areas. In the 2023-2024 school year, Notre Dame Academy, Presentation of Mary and St. Christopher were allocated funds. It is likely that these three same schools will take allocations in the 2024-2025 school year.
Suggested Title 1 budget cuts for 2024-2025 included the Blast-Off Programs, a kindergarden readiness program and Power Scholars summer program to help boost reading skills (to be cut in the summer of 2025) and Title 1 preschool to be cut in September.
“It’s not a decision that was made lightly. It’s devastating,” Fulton said.
Andrade wanted the community to be aware that the families who are signed up for the Title 1 preschool will have somewhere to go in the fall.
“We have about 50 families that signed up for the Title 1 preschool come September,” he said. “Cherrie’s working with those families. We’re going to be opening up another 30 seats at Franklin Street preschool for those families to be peers, and we’ve also reached out to our community partners [and] several already have said they’ll provide scholarships for these families, so any family that was currently signed up for a preschool program will have the opportunity for a preschool experience next year.”
Board member Regan Lampier encouraged voters to speak up about funding cuts.
“I think it’s really upsetting that our state does not fund preschool appropriately, meanwhile, they’re sucking money out of the public schools to go to private schools through their radical voucher program,” Lampier said. “I think if anyone else here has an issue with that they should probably let their representatives know and vote accordingly.”