To facilitate the inclusion of students with disabilities in schoolwide programs, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and its implementing regulations allow school administrative units (SAUs) to use a portion of the funds they receive under Part B of IDEA to fund schoolwide programs. In accordance with Title I, Part A, as amended by ESSA, schoolwide programs are comprehensive reform strategies aimed at raising the achievement levels of all students.
Those schools that have an approved schoolwide plan in accordance with Title I, part A, and have poverty rates of at least 40 percent, may wish to utilize Part B funds for their schoolwide plans. The amount of Part B funding used for a schoolwide program must be calculated. Those funds may not exceed the amount of Part B funds received by the SAU for that fiscal year, divided by the number of children with disabilities in the SAU, and multiplied by the number of children with disabilities participating in the schoolwide program. Additionally, children with disabilities in the schoolwide funding must receive services in accordance with their IEPs and be afforded all the rights and services guaranteed to children with disabilities under the IDEA.
For more information, contact Janette Kirk, ESEA Director-Title I at janette.kirk@maine.gov,, Jackie Godbout, Title I Consultant at Jackie.Godbout@maine.gov or Janice E. Breton, State Director of Special Services Birth to 20, at Janice.Breton@maine.gov.