Indiana remains silent on how federal sequestration impacts its school corporations.
Federal funding for school corporations such as Richland-Bean Blossom Community School Corp. comes from Title I education funding and two special education funds.
The state distributes the money according to formulas it developed. For Title I, the formula accounts for the poverty rate in the school district. For the special education funds, it accounts for the number of students in preschool and the number of students at all other grade levels.
The law requires school corporations to provide special education services.
“We can’t cut services if our services are required,” said RBBCSC Superintendent Steven Kain.
Cuts would need to be made elsewhere to make up for the loss in special education funding should that happen.
The impact of the sequestration, Kain said, would probably not be felt at the school until after the end of the federal fiscal year Sept. 30.
The White House, however, estimated the impact of sequestration on teachers and schools in Indiana would be dramatic this year.
Primary and secondary schools face a $13.8 million loss in funding, potentially eliminating 190 teaching and aide positions. Up to 12,000 fewer students would be served and 50 schools could receive no federal funding.
Special education could lose $12.4 million in federal funding, which would impact jobs in that field, as well.
Gov. Mike Pence’s administration has pushed for a $127 million increase in funding for K-12 education at the state level.
“That would generate an additional $330,000 for us, but that’s all in the legislature,” Kain said, adding that it would likely not be approved until late April, if at all.
Last year, the school corporation received $1.4 million in special education funds and more than $400,000 in Title I funds.
Kain remains hopeful that the sequestration will be done before it could hit his school corporation in October.
“There’s still the possibility that Congress could decide to eliminate the sequestration,” he said.
Originally published in Ellettsville Journal, 2013. Republished here for archival and portfolio purposes.