• Nonpublic Programs

     

    Under  the Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA) school districts are required to provide eligible children attending private elementary and secondary schools, their teachers and their families with services or other benefits that are equitable to those provided to eligible public school children, their teachers, and their families.  Services, not money, are provided by St. Paul Public Schools to eligible students, their families, and staff at the nonpublic school sites.
     

    SPPS provides services in three areas under ESEA:

     

    Title I, Part A: These services are designed to meet the educational needs and supplement the educational services provided by the private school. The Title I program provides supplemental education services so that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education.  Generally, to qualify for assistance under Title I, a student must reside within the attendance area of a participating public school located in a low-income area and be failing, or at risk of failing, to meet student academic achievement standards.  

    The SPPS Title I department provides services to 13 nonpublic schools with an eligible population of approximately 650 children.  Currently, a staff of highly qualified public school teachers and teacher assistants provide on-site tutoring to eligible students with the greatest educational needs.

     
    Title II, Part A:  These are professional development services that supplement professional development provided to private school teachers, principals, and other educational personnel at the private school.  The law requires that all uses of Title II, Part A funds supplement non-federal funds (i.e., private school funds) that would otherwise be used for activities.  Professional development provided with federal funds needs to be in addition to, and not in place of, what the private school would otherwise provide.  These services can be provided in the form areas such as training, workshops/conferences, mentoring/coaching, professional learning communities, etc. 

     

    Title III: These are supplemental language instruction services to teach English to limited English proficient and immigrant students as well as assist them in achieving grade-level and graduation standards.  Professional development services can also be provided to private school staff to support them in serving English learners.  The SPPS Multilingual Learning (MLL) department oversees Title III at Nonpublic schools.

    Title IV, Part A: These are supplemental services are designed to improve students’ academic achievement by increasing the capacity to provide all students with access to a well-rounded education, improve school conditions for student learning, and improve the use of technology in order to improve the academic achievement and digital literacy of all students. 

    All of these services are planned and provided through meaningful consultation with private school officials.  Together, district personnel and private school officials determine what services best meet the needs of participating children and staff.

    All equitable services under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act are secular, neutral, and non-ideological. All goods and materials used for equitable services for private schools are the property of the district.

     

    Links to Helpful Information

        Office of Non-Public Education - U.S. Department of Education