The Maine Department of Education, in an effort to assist local districts plan for the coming school year, has issued preliminary allocations for the federal Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) program.
Enacted under Title IV, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the SSAE program provides formula grant awards to eligible school districts. The purpose of this funding is to raise student academic achievement by increasing the capacity of local education agencies and schools to
- Provide all students with access to a well-rounded education;
- Improve school conditions for student learning by fostering safe and healthy students; and
- Support the effective use technology in schools and classrooms.
States, local education agencies, and schools are all currently within the first year of administering SSAE programs and activities, with relatively limited funding compared to other ESEA programs. In the 2018-2019 fiscal year, federal funding for the SSAE program is slated to see a rather significant increase, which would in turn result in funding increases for many eligible school districts nationwide. It is due to this significant change in funding that the Department has made these available statewide.
The Department would also like to remind all eligible Title IV, Part A recipients of the requirements under Section 4106 of ESSA, which states that local education agencies, as part of a comprehensive needs assessment, must examine the needs for improvement of:
- access to, and opportunities for, a well-rounded education for all students;
- school conditions for student learning in order to create a healthy and safe school environment; and
- access to personalized learning experiences supported by technology and professional development for the effective use of data and technology.
In order to comply with federal law, any local education agency receiving an allocation of $30,000 or more in Title IV, Part A funding, must include the pieces outlined above as part of their Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA)/SAU Consolidated Plan. All CNA/SAU Consolidated Plans are due to the Department by July 1, 2018.
Once available, the Department will be posting final FY19 allocations for the Title IV, Part A program. Please note that preliminary allocations for all other ESEA title programs are not available at this time.
For more information on the SSAE program under Title IV, contact the Department’s Federal Grant Coordinator Travis Doughty at travis.w.doughty@maine.gov.