Assessment of the Impact Aid Program

This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. State and local governments spend billions of dollars annually on the construction, renovation, and maintenance of public school facilities, yet concerns persist about the condition of some school facilities, esp. in districts serving students on Indian lands. The Dept. of Educ. Impact Aid (IA) Program provides funding to school districts that are adversely impacted by a lack of local revenue because of the presence of fed. land, which is exempt from local property taxes. IA can be used for school expenses, such as facilities and teacher salaries. This report describes: (1) the physical condition of schools in districts receiving IA because of students residing on Indian lands; and (2) what is known about how school facilities affect student outcomes. Charts and tables.

School Assistance for Federally Affected Areas (Impact Aid) helps compensate local school districts for the expense of educating federally connected children, An April 1984 LMI report 'Proposal to Revise the Federal Impact Aid Program ' (Task ML326) proposed changes that address: (1) the types of children eligible for Impact Aid; (2) the method used to compute the Local Contribution Rate; (3) the entitlement weight by type of child; and (4) the allocation method used to adjust to different levels of program funding. We tested the proposed changes by comparing payments that were made to school districts in FY 82 with payments that would have been made under the revised methods. Results show that the changes would achieve their objectives: 68% of the military dependents are in school districts that would have received higher payments. Thirty-two percent are in districts that would have received lower payments or none at all. In most of these losing districts, military dependents represented less than five percent of total enrollment. High-impact districts would be favored on a sliding scale when program funds are reduced, The payment system will be simplified. Mustering support fort these changes will be difficult because more school districts will lose funds than will gain and many districts will receive nothing at all. It is feasible to adopt parts of the package of changes rather than the whole package.

The Impact Aid Program