Number-Weighting Bill Drafted


Last Updated: June 25, 2011
 

This article appeared in the June 2011 Rural Policy Matters.

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A bill to address number weighting in the Title I formulas has been drafted in the U.S. House of Representatives. Number weighting is a provision in the current Title I formulas that provides more federal funding for very low-income students who attend schools in larger, more affluent districts than it does for similar students in smaller, poorer districts. The draft bill, which has bi-partisan support, would address this inequity.

Co-sponsors of the legislation — which include members of both parties who represent a variety of urban and rural districts in all regions of the country — are preparing to introduce the bill in the House in the coming weeks.

You can follow developments on the Formula Fairness Campaign website and through its blog.

You can also help line up organizational co-sponsors of the Formula Fairness Campaign. So far, 25 organizations representing both state and national interests are signed on. For information about how your organization can become a co-sponsor of the Formula Fairness Campaign, contact Marty Strange at marty.strange@comcast.net or (802) 728-4383.

Individuals can also join as supporters of the Campaign. Individuals can also sign the petition to support changes to the Title I formula here.

Number weighting discriminates against low-income students who attend school in small and medium sized districts in both rural and urban areas. You can help make Title I, an essential program for creating educational opportunity, more fair and more effective for some of the nation’s most economically-challenged children and young people.

Read more from the June 2011 Rural Policy Matters.