Distribution of Funds to Secondary School Programs in FY 2001



Program Memorandum - OVAE/DVTE FY 2001-06

Date: May 4, 2001
To: State Directors of Vocational-Technical Education
From: Robert D. Muller
Deputy Assistant Secretary
Office of Vocational and Adult Education
Subject: Distribution of Funds to Secondary School Programs in Fiscal Year 2001

Section 131(b) of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998 (Perkins III) requires States to allocate funds to secondary school programs using data on the numbers of low-income and total individuals ages 15 through 19 who reside in school districts served by local educational agencies (LEAs) within the State. Thirty percent (30%) of the funds is allocated on the basis of the total number of individuals ages 15 through 19 (section 131(b)(1)). The remaining 70 percent (70%) is allocated on the basis of the number of individuals ages 15 through 19 with incomes below the poverty line (section 131(b)(2)).

In Fiscal Year 2000, data for the age cohort 15 through 19 was not available to any State. For this reason, we identified substitute data elements that we would accept in lieu of the data specified in the statute:

All States proposed to use the alternative data elements that we identified in these program memoranda in the State plans they submitted to us last year. We approved the use of this substitute data until the data elements specified by the statute became available.

Use of Updated Data to Distribute Funds in Fiscal Year 2001

While we had hoped that the Census Bureau would be able to produce the data required by the statute this year, we recently learned that the data will not be available in 2001. All States, therefore, may continue to use the substitute data elements they identified in their approved State plans. As noted in the program memorandum, these databases are updated on a regular basis. You should note that both substitute data sets were updated recently. Thus, you must use the most recent version of these data sets.

The most recent Census Bureau estimates of the numbers of children in poverty and total number of children ages 5 through 17 in each school district are from 1997. You may access and download the data at the following address: http://www.census.gov/

The most recent NCES enrollment data is from 1998. You may access and download the data at the following address: http://www.nces.ed.gov/ccd/pubagency.html

Adjusting Databases to Reflect Changes in Boundaries, Charter Schools, and BIA-Funded Schools

Whichever data set you use, you should adjust the data to reflect any changes in school district boundaries that may have occurred since the data was collected and to include LEAs without geographical boundaries, such as charter schools that are LEAs and secondary schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Under section 131(i), an eligible agency must treat secondary schools funded by the BIA as LEAs for the purposes of distributing the secondary school funds. In addition, under section 133(d), an eligible agency must distribute funds to charter schools in the same manner as to other schools. Your allocation plan must ensure that charter schools receive the appropriate funds for which they are eligible in accordance with the Charter School Expansion Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-278).

Since the Census Bureau data set is also being used for allocations under Title I of Elementary and Secondary Education Act, we encourage you to coordinate efforts to reflect changed LEA boundaries and LEAs without boundaries with your State's Title I personnel.


Last Modified: 08/21/2007