Information for Districts and Charter Schools eligible for Title I, 1003 (a) School Improvement Funding

The purpose of this letter is to provide school districts, including open-enrollment charter schools, with 2021–2022 School Improvement grant funding information. 

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has submitted a request to the United States Department of Education (USDE) that would allow the agency to waive identifying a new cohort of campuses for federal identifications during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, waiving this requirement does not allow the agency to exit campuses or remove federal school improvement labels for 2021–2022. Current Comprehensive campuses identified solely by the graduation rate criteria will have an opportunity to exit if the campus meets the graduation rate exit criteria. To help address this issue, the Comprehensive, Targeted, and Additional Targeted labels will not appear on any August 2021 accountability reports published on the TEA website. The TEA and the Division of School Improvement have also updated grant options for Title I, Part A-served campuses currently identified in the federal accountability system to support additional campuses interested in receiving school improvement support and applying for grant funding. 

TEA will provide Comprehensive Support and Improvement, Targeted Support and Improvement, and Additional Targeted Support campuses the opportunity to either apply for new grant opportunities and TEA support or to opt out of required interventions entirely and maintain all oversight of improvement efforts locally. For more information regarding the request to USDE, see the TAA correspondence released on December 10, 2020, here. 

Continuation of Formula Funding – Title I, Part A-served Comprehensive Campuses 

The Division of School Improvement will continue to offer a formula grant for local education agencies (LEAs) with at least one Title I, Part A-served Comprehensive Support and Improvement identified campus that received the Title I, 1003 School Improvement Grant in the 2020–2021 school year. LEAs that apply for the formula grant and choose to continue interventions will receive an allocation of $10,000 per eligible campus and will be able to retain any carryover funds from the 2020–2021 Title I, 1003 School Improvement Grant. LEAs that do not apply for the formula grant or that choose to discontinue required interventions will not have access to carryover funds from the 2020–2021 school year. 

The formula 2021–2022 Title I, 1003 School Improvement Grant will follow a typical schedule, with the grant expected to be posted to the TEA Grants Opportunities Page on September 13, 2021. LEAs interested in applying for the formula 2021–2022 Title I, 1003 School 

Improvement Grant should submit their interest in opting in to the grant via the survey link found here by March 10, 2021. 

New LOI Competition Grant Opportunity – All Title I, Part A served Federally Identified Campuses 

Additionally, all Title I, Part A-served federally identified campuses (Comprehensive Support and Improvement, Targeted Support and Improvement, and Additional Targeted Support) will have the opportunity to apply to opt in to funding and support from the Division of School Improvement in the 2021–2022 school year. LEAs may apply on behalf of their Title I, Part A-served federally identified campus(es) for one or more identified grant paths including participation in an Education Service Center (ESC) Vetted Improvement Program (VIP) and/or participation in an external VIP. 

The Title I, ESF-Focused Support Grant will post on an accelerated schedule, with the grant application opening tentatively on March 22, 2021. A Title I, 1003 ESF-Focused Support Grant webinar will be hosted March 12, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. to introduce the grant and review the grant requirements and performance measures for each available grant path. Please mark your calendars and use this Zoom link to join the Title I, 1003 School Improvement Competitive Grant webinar. 

2021–2022 Title I, 1003 ESF-Focused Support Grant Timeline 

Key Points 

• For the 2021–2022 School Year, LEAs with Comprehensive Support and Improvement campuses that received allotments in the 2020–2021 School Improvement Grant will have the opportunity to opt in to a formula-funded School Improvement Grant and complete grant requirements. 

• LEAs with Title I, Part A served Comprehensive Support and Improvement, Targeted Support and Improvement, and Additional Targeted Support campuses will have the opportunity to apply for the LOI Competition Grant and complete grant requirements. 

Contact Information 

Texas Education Agency 
Division of School Improvement 
(512) 463-5226 
SIDivision@tea.texas.gov