Just under 3 percent of Illinois students were considered homeless last year. That’s still more than 47,000 kids statewide.
Those students need extra support, and schools can help with things like transportation, clothes and school supplies. They can even cover fees for sports or field trips.
The McKinney-Vento Act is the primary funding source for homeless students, but the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness says it constantly hears from school districts that say they don’t have enough money.
So, the coalition started looking at Title I, which is a federal program that sends out billions every year to low-income schools. Schools are allowed to use it to help homeless kids, but are they?
Alyssa Phillips is the coalition’s senior education attorney.
“We realized," she said, "that some school districts were spending so little, like 88-cents-per-student-experiencing-homelessness under Title I."
The coalition’s analysis found more than 100 Illinois school districts were underfunding homeless student services with Title I. That includes Rockford Public Schools, Freeport, LaSalle 122 and many more.
Phillips says it’s not just that schools weren’t spending much, it’s that nobody -- not school districts, not advocacy groups -- seemed to know how this money was being spent.
For example, a spokesperson for Rockford Public Schools said the district doesn’t earmark any specific Title I funding for homeless students. Individual schools might use those dollars for them, but it isn't something the district tracks at the building level.
That’s why the coalition got in touch with state representative Nicole La Ha, a Republican whose district sits in the western suburbs. She introduced House Bill 3377, which passed unanimously in both the House and Senate in May.
La Ha says it requires school districts to annually report their number of identified homeless students, as well as how much funding they’re getting to support them and what those funds are spent on.
“This is a transparency bill to make sure that our homeless students get the support that is intended for them," said the representative, "and there was definitely a need for it."
Schools use McKiney-Vento money on everything from gas cards and clothing vouchers to hotel stays for families.
Republican state senator John Curran sponsored the Senate version of La Ha’s bill. He says he learned that Title I funding for homeless students can be just as flexible.
“From eyeglasses and tutoring services and counseling services and extended learning time, pre- and post-school time," he said. "It really kind of framed how much additional service is not only available, but is really needed and necessary for students that are in this unfortunate situation."
There are school districts that devote a significant percentage of their Title I budget to homeless students -- even some that have very low rates of homelessness.
Central Unit School District 301 in Kane County spent $673-per-homeless-student of their Title I budget -- as opposed to $1.91 in Freeport and $6.67 in La Salle.
“It's fascinating when you look at that $673, we obviously don't want to overspend. We also don't want to underspend," said, Matt Rodewald, a spokesperson for Central. "So, we want to make sure that we're at an appropriate level here.”
He says they spent Title 1 money on things like hygiene products and back-to-school kits with school supplies.
“And also, with the Chicago and northern Illinois weather being so unpredictable," he said, "we want to make sure we have some cold weather options for those students too. We make sure they have a winter jacket, clothing that's appropriate for Illinois winters. All of those things we use with those Title I dollars.”
They also get creative with other funds. Rodewald says they’re using money from grants to pay for transportation for homeless students. So, even if they’re spending less Title 1 money next year, it’s still the same amount overall, just coming from other sources.
Alyssa Phillips at the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness says more transparency won’t just hold schools accountable, it’ll help schools help each other and create a sense of best practices.
And for schools that are spending really low amounts, it can foster a conversation about why and if they could be doing more.
