Federal Aid has financial Impact for area schools
This past school year (2010-11), Madison County school district was the benefactor of over $5.9 million through the Department of Education’s Impact Aid Program.
With the start of the new school year, the district will once again be seeking federal monies through the Impact Aid program. According to Bob Jones High School Assistant Principal Jamie Hill, the funds are available to school districts that have within their boundaries parcels of land that are owned by the Federal Government.
Although land owned by the Federal Government is removed from the local tax rolls, the county is able to obtain financial assistance through the Impact Aid Program. Since 1998, the Impact Aid Program has brought additional funds to area school districts including Madison County, Madison, Huntsville, and Arab. The federal monies are obtained if either mother, father or guardian of a student is employed on certain federal properties, is on active, full-time duty in the uniformed services or reserves, or if they live in a federal housing project. In Madison County these federal properties include The FBI Building and Court House in Huntsville, Redstone Arsenal, U.S. Social Security office in Birmingham and others.
Impact Aid for Madison schools during the 2010-11 school years was over $159 thousand with 108 students qualifying for the federal program.
According to Maria Kilgore, Ed. D, Director of Special Education – Madison City Schools, Federal Impact Aid makes it possible for the school to apply the funds to the general fund.
“This money can then be spent on supplies, materials, and other non-restrictive uses,” Kilgore said.
According to Kilgore, approximately 25 percent of Madison City School children qualify for Impact Aid by having parents or guardians who are employed with a federal agency.
Andrew Pokemire, a sophomore at Bob Jones High School in Madison is one such student. Andrew’s father, Benjamin is a Colonel in the Army and recently moved here from Stuttgart, Germany in July, with his wife Katherine. The couple recently stopped by Bob Jones High School to complete the Federal Impact Aid form.
“We are pleased to know that there are federal monies available for schools that are teaching the children of military families and whose parents are working for the federal government,” Pokemire said. “These funds are enabling the school to receive money for operating the school.”
