As Catalyst went to press, the school system’s budget office was predicting a 17 percent cut in schools’ federal Title I funds for 1996-97.
This year, 411 schools are receiving a total of $164 million from the federal Title I program, which provides money for extra services at schools with low-income children.
Budget Director David Agazzi said the 17 percent cut reflects the most recent action in Washington, D.C., where legislators continued to wrangle over the fiscal 1996 federal budget. Both houses of Congress had approved a 17 percent reduction for the program as a whole, but President Clinton had not yet signed off on the legislation, Agazzi reported.
The 17 percent figure “is still a little bit sketchy,” said Agazzi. “We haven’t finally, finally confirmed that.”
Principals must finish their 1996-97 budget by May 20