Westminster Elementary School

The purpose of Title I, Part A of Public Law 107-110 is to enable schools to provide opportunities for children served to acquire the knowledge and skills contained in the challenging state content standards and to meet the challenging state performance standards developed for all children.

This purpose is accomplished by such efforts as follows:

• providing an enriched and accelerated educational program;
• promoting schoolwide reform through schoolwide programs or through additional services that increase the amount and quality of instructional time;
• significantly upgrading the quality of instruction by providing staff in participating schools with substantial opportunities for professional development; and
• affording parents meaningful opportunities to participate in the education of their children at home and at school.

It is the procedure of the School District of Oconee County that Title I schools respond to all written and oral parent concerns, problems, recommendations, or commendations related to the Title I school program within 24 hours or by the next school day, whichever comes first. If needed or requested, school officials also inform parents or other interested parties of the issue/request. All issues related to Title I compliance submitted by parents or other interested parties are filed with the principal and with the Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education.

Title I legislation includes provisions giving a parent the right to know the professional qualifications of their child’s teachers and assistants.  Our district must provide information about professional qualifications in a timely manner. Federal law allows parents to ask these questions:

• Is the teacher certified to teach the subjects and/or grade levels the teacher is teaching?
• Is the teacher’s certificate a waiver or substandard certificate?
• What are the teacher’s academic major and graduate degrees?
• What is the teacher’s certification area?

As part of legislation, the School District of Oconee County must provide a way for parents and stakeholders to share concerns, problems, recommendations or commendations related to Title I Programs within our schools.  To share any information regarding Title I programs, please use the form linked below.  

SDOC Stakeholder Response Form

You will be asked to provide your name, phone number and email.  This is so that the district can respond to your comments.  It is the procedure of the School District of Oconee County that Title I schools respond to all written and oral parent concerns, problems, recommendations, or commendations related to the Title I school program within 24 hours or by the next school day, whichever comes first. If needed or requested, school officials also inform parents or other interested parties of the issue/request. All issues related to Title I compliance submitted by parents or other interested parties are filed with the principal and with the Federal Programs office. 

The School-Parent Compact shows how parents, school staff and students will share the responsibility to improve student achievement. It describes how the school and parents will have a partnership to help children meet the state’s education standards.

More details are available within each school's Title I plan available on the school's website.

Parent & Family Engagement is extremely important. A strong connection between the home and the school is key for student success. Parents are asked to be actively involved partners in helping their children succeed.

Title I funds are used to support parent & family engagement with

• Materials, information and help from teachers
• Open houses, workshops, parent involvement policies, school-parent compact, conferences, monthly newsletters and more.

The School District of Oconee County Board of Trustees has adopted Policy KB  Parent Involvement in Education to address parent and family engagement.  This policy explains how the schools works with parents to review and improve parent involvement and describes how parents can participate in planning programs for parents.

SDOC Board Policy KB

The district’s Strategic Plan and input received from quarterly Parent Advisory Meetings form the basis for the needs assessment for district-wide projects. Currently, we are funding:

• Additional staff to implement each of the Title I School's Plan
• Pre-K Teachers and Pre-K Instructional Aides at every elementary school within the district. Title I funds supplement funds not covered by other state and local funds
• Homeless - Title I funds are set aside to assist students who are homeless by providing limited funds for (not an exclusive list): items of clothing, school supplies, eye glasses and hearing aids, student fees, birth certificates, immunizations, limited medical and dental services, counseling services not provided through the district, outreach services, tutoring services, and bus transportation to the school of origin
• Foster Care—Title I funds are set aside to provide limited funding for transportation to ensure that foster care children can remain at their school of origin, if that is determined to be in the student’s best interest

All activities in a school’s Title I plan are identified through the school’s comprehensive needs assessment. A comprehensive needs assessment if looking at a school through a magnifying glass to determine what are the needs that will help the students in that school reach their academic potential. All activities written into the plan are supported through evidence-based research. Below are some examples of activities that are funded in Title I plans:

• Small Group Instruction
• Interventionists
• Instructional Materials & Supplies
• Technology
• Math Coach*
• Guidance Counselor*
• Curriculum Specialist*
• Parent and Family Engagement Activities
• Professional Development

*These are not necessarily funded in every school's Title I plan.