Updated, 7:02am, 5/26/17: This is NOT some new school voucher scheme. This has always existed. It is actually a federal rule. If public schools want federal funds, they must ensure private schools within their districts have equitable services. One of the requirements is the districts MUST reach out to the private schools, compare notes, and offer to share federal funds with them. The system is changing, thus these new Delaware DOE documents. The DOE has a larger role in making sure this happens which requires more follow-up with private schools to ensure this is happening. As well, there is a larger amount of funds required to be shared with private schools. But, the feds aren’t supplying more federal dollars to districts so that means the districts have to give up more of their share of federal dollars. Can someone please tell me, with all the headaches and angst we get from federal funds, along with the testing mandates, why we still WANT federal education dollars?
It looks like the Delaware Department of Education is in the planning stages to set up a school voucher system in Delaware based on changes to the Every Student Succeeds Act. I know some Delaware private schools do get funding from Delaware school districts for certain services. As an example, a parent could file a due process complaint over special education issues and if they win, the district may have to pay for private school for the special education child. I know Christina School District pays for transportation costs to some private schools for students with disabilities. But this? Can someone please explain this one to me?
The below document was created in PDF format on Monday, May 22nd but the document is dated February 8th, before the United States Department of Education even submitted their FY2018 budget proposal (which is chock full of funding for vouchers and charter schools). The document below that was created on the same date by the New Castle Title I Consortium and the author of the PDF was Al “Superman” Minuti (I can’t make this stuff up folks). Sorry, I don’t believe any Federal, State, or Local dollars should be going to a private school unless it is a case of wrongdoing by a school district under the terms of a lawsuit or settlement. If there is some sane and logical explanation for all this, I will gladly update this article (which I did, see above).
The Season Of Myths 
I agree…” I don’t believe any Federal, State, or Local dollars should be going to a private school unless it is a case of wrongdoing by a school district under the terms of a lawsuit or settlement.” Co-mingling of money in private schools mean that they are no longer private, and they will become another version of public schools. People who want private schools should be allowed to have them.
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This was not what I thought it was. See the update above.
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Ahhhh, you found the Easter Egg in Federal Funding. Districts are required to show effort in identifying every child in their feeder pattern that could need “services” – the big three, speech, O/T, or P/T. Although you mentioned other services such as transportation, etc. What happens when the child never attends the public system? The fed. mandate is still in place. Therefore DOE/Feds have a suggested route of least effort – otherwise known as “maintenance of effort” – divvy the funds up and provide each private school with dedicated funds as restricted speech funding or minimally special services – as this is the most popular service need among the big three. It’s actually cheaper for the feds to let these funds go to private schools than it is to bring the child into the district and provide an IEP or 504 and an education.
And I here I was so hoping you’d found out about the secret pd funds that districts are required to give to private schools.
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