Albuquerque Public Schools is changing how it allocates federal funds designed to help ensure an equitable education for students living in poverty. It means some schools in APS will see less funding from the state.

APS gets $31 million annually in operational at-risk funds from the state. The way these funds are allocated will change in the next school year to a four-tiered system that considers enrollment, poverty, and English language learners.

Each category receives funding based on enrollment, 2/3 poverty rate, and 1/3 of English language learners. Additionally, Priority school and TOPS schools, schools with a Transformation Opportunity Program that implements a “genius hour”, will receive an extra $25 per student for supplies.

Right now, all APS schools with a student body at a 50% or higher poverty rate get a base amount of $70,000 in operational at-risk funding, which is based on enrollment, poverty, the number of English language Learners, and student mobility.

APS has decided to raise that poverty threshold to 60%. Executive Director of Federal and State programs for the district Melanie Blea said this change will allow the district to have a higher impact with the money it does have.

"Operational at-risk funds are given to all schools and then based on their enrollment and specific at-risk factors are then allocated additional funds," said Blea.

These are separate from federal Title I money, which is meant to be supplemental and goes to schools with the highest poverty percentages.

“So Title funds are really there to enrich…those Title funds are there for to really accentuate and build on our standard schools,” Blea said.

Schools that do receive Title I funding spend the majority of that money on employees. Blea said that amounts to hundreds of employees whose positions are paid through Title funds.

Schools meeting the threshold of a 60% or higher poverty rate will receive an increase in school-based Title I funding, which comes out to about $777 per student.

However, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican, the legislature is currently proposing its own changes to how the state calculates schools’ at-risk funding in House Bill 63. The bill would change the State Equalization Guarantee by creating a special pot of money that would boost students who are considered to be at a risk of failing by looking at the Family Income Index, which estimates the number of students living in poverty in each public school.

In addition the bill would create a “stand-alone credit” that would be a new financial indicator for services to bolster English language learners to ensure their language proficiency.

President Trump has advocated abolishing the U.S. Department of Education and the department has laid off nearly half its staff . Meanwhile last week the Education Secretary said that schools and colleges must remove diversity initiatives or they will lose federal funding.

Blea warns this budget is not yet guaranteed for next school year as the district is still advocating for funding with the federal government. She explained that the district is not panicking and is looking at where to prioritize funding in terms of the district’s goals and guardrails and the community input officials have received.

“The implications are we would not be able to do a lot of what we are doing now as a district,” said Blea of potential cuts. “A lot of what we are able to do is a result of federal funds,” said Blea.

Title I funding streams were created by Congress, and can only be undone by Congress . But if funding does fall through, APS estimates that hundreds of positions, both school- and department-based, like transformational coaches and community school coordinators, couldn't be funded by the operational budget that is earmarked for classrooms and classroom teachers.