The Education Department has released the fourth installment in a series of guidance that promotes school choice through existing federal programs. This latest guidance covers equitable services to private school students under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). Specifically, the guidance highlights ways state educational agencies (SEAs) can help local educational agencies (LEAs) serve eligible private school students. The Department notes that families of private school students still pay federal taxes and thus are eligible to receive Title I funding.

The AACS DC Office reminds schools that a private school with students using services funded by Title I is not the recipient of federal financial assistance (FFA) since the program funds services to a student not a school no matter how the services or funding is allocated. LEAs are required to consult with private school officials to determine eligibility criteria and types of services to be offered to support students. LEAs and private school officials can then offer parents different options to meet the students’ needs, such as summer school programs, one-on-one tutoring, and family literacy programs.

The guidance highlighted three ways an SEA can help LEAs and private school students by improving efficiency in the program.

1. First, SEAs can encourage LEAs to pool their resources. LEAs work with students in a single district. Private schools are sometimes discouraged from using the Title I funds because of the complexity and burden of dealing with multiple LEAs for students across various districts. By pooling resources across districts, a single LEA can then streamline the Title I process to private schools.
2. Second, SEAs can encourage LEAs to use third-party providers. An LEA with limited resources could improve efficiency by outsourcing to a third-party provider.
3. Third, the SEA could improve an LEA’s access to third-party providers. For instance, an SEA could help facilitate third party resources from another state to the LEA. The guidance also notes that an SEA could become the Title I provider instead of an LEA. This process could happen if private school officials have demonstrated that an LEA fails to appropriately provide equitable services.

The latest guidance builds on three other documents from the Education Department on promoting school choice. In March, the Department released guidance on using Title I funds for advanced coursework. In May, the Department released guidance on helping children attend safe schools. In June, the Department released guidance to expand school choice for students in failing schools. The guidance documents come in response to President Trump’s executive order on expanding educational freedom for families. “Federal taxpayer dollars should support the best education outcomes for students regardless of where they attend school,” said Hayley Sanon, acting assistant secretary for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. “The Trump Administration is committed to expanding education choice and ensuring parents can choose an education option that is best for their child.”