Federal Impact Aid Funds in Texas chools

Military children living in the United States generally attend local public schools and have a portion of their education expenses paid by the federal government. This Department of Education managed program was established in 1950 to provide financial relief to local education agencies (LEA) (school districts) that were burdened ( impacted ) by federal activity. Many school administrators do not fully understand the provisions of the program and this lack of understanding results in school districts in Texas receiving less than the authorized level of Federal Impact Aid Funds. Many school districts in Texas stand to benefit significantly from Impact Aid revenue, once administrators/staffs gain knowledge of the program and accurately account for federally connected students that impact their districts. The study asked (1) if some school districts in Texas receive less than the authorized level of Federal Impact Aid Funds, (2) does a lack of understanding, by district administrators contribute to schools losing Impact Aid funds, and (3) can practices/procedures being used in other districts, that are receiving Impact Aid funding at the maximum levels, be used to increase the funding levels of other school districts. Study participants were district administrators and campus personnel from six Texas school districts. The survey population was 372 and the sample population was 184. Data for this study was collected via an electronic survey and survey participants were afforded the opportunity to provide comments, via e-mail, to the researcher. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the survey data. Although the Federal Impact Aid Program supports several categories of federally connected students attending LEAs throughout the country, this study was limited to students whose parents are active duty military, living both on and off military installations in Texas, and students whose parents are employed on federal property. The Strategic Management Theory served as the theoretical basis for this study. The study revealed that the districts included in the study were not accounting for all students of military and Department of Defense (DoD) civilians. A lack of program knowledge and training were the primary reasons for the districts receiving less than authorized Impact Aid funds. This report concludes with study implications, recommendation, and topics for future studies