Baldwin to receive more money after state error

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The Baldwin Union Free School District was shortchanged almost $8,000 in state funds last school year because the state Education Department overpayed 275 charter schools in the state, and three Suffolk County school districts. The SED in August revealed it made errors in calculating $12 million of Title II A Disbursements to the schools for the 2017-18 school year, resulting in the underpayments.

Baldwin is owed $7,898 Title II A funds, according to a chart handed out by the SED. The Freeport School District is owed $23,381 and the Oceanside School District was shortchanged $4,465.

School districts owed money will receive its 2018-19 allocation, plus any money its owed up to $130,728, during this school year. For Baldwin, that means its Title II A funds will go from $128,845 to $136,743 for the 2018-19 school year.

“The State Education Department regrets this unfortunate error and any undue burden it may place on schools,” SED Commissioner MaryEllen Elia said in a statement. “We are taking immediate steps to correct it and ensure it does not happen again, including strengthening our internal controls. We will do everything possible to reduce the impact for all schools, including to reimburse 99 percent of districts this year.”

Under new federal guidelines, funds have been shifted from large states with urban centers to smaller states. New York is slated to lose some $60 million in federal funding for local schools the school years from 2018-19 to 2023-24, according to the Congressional Research Service.

To offset these losses, state officials will begin allocating Title IV, Part A Student Support and Academic Enrichment funds to all eligible districts and schools. The majority schools that are able to recoup funding will do so through Title IV A funding, but additional Title II A funding will be available to some schools for the improvement of school conditions and the use of technology. Education Department officials said they expected these funds to offset any shortfalls or repayments under the current Title II A formula.