The number of Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools with student poverty levels of 75% or higher is rising from 92 last year to 102 this year — more than half the district’s approximately 185 schools.
Those schools will all have a share in $52.3 million in federal Title I aid, designed to improve academic outcomes at high-poverty schools.
Administrators said the increase in Title I schools doesn’t necessarily signal a change in school demographics or community poverty. Student poverty is calculated based on the number of families receiving such public assistance as SNAP or TANF, as well as students who are classified as lacking stable housing.
“This year North Carolina added Medicaid participation to other measures … and this created an increase, not just in CMS but across our state,” said Title I Director Allison Whitaker.
As part of a report to the school board on Tuesday, principals of two Title I schools talked about how the money has helped their schools. Glenn Starnes from Harding University High School said he’s hired counselors to help more students graduate and academic coaches to help teachers get better results.
The results, Starnes said, include a higher graduation rate, better test scores, fewer absences, more students enrolled in Advanced Placement classes and fewer teacher vacancies.
“So as we think about Title I, we could not do the work that we do at Harding University High School without this additional funding,” he said.
Monica Palmer, principal of Albemarle Road Elementary School, says her school includes many students who speak different languages at home. Title I money pays for reading tutors and a Spanish-speaking family advocate.
Several board members lamented the negative connotations that some people attach to the Title I label.
“For the families that are in schools that are now newly going to be served with Title I funds, I hope you don’t see it as a stigma. I hope you see it as additional funding and additional staff,” said Chair Elyse Dashew, who added that her own son attended a Title I school and benefited from the extra staff.
Title I money also pays for some districtwide programs, including Bright Beginnings pre-kindergarten.
