Dr. Karen Stoutmire, Executive Director of Federal Programs

Title I is a part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). This act provides federal funds through the Georgia Department of Education to local educational agencies (LEAs) and public schools with high numbers or percentages of economically disadvantaged children to help ensure that all children meet challenging State academic content and student academic achievement standards.

LEAs target the Title I funds they receive to public schools with the highest percentages of children from low income families. These funds may be used for children from preschool age to high school. Title I is designed to support State and local school reform efforts tied to challenging State academic standards in order to reinforce and enhance efforts to improve teaching and learning for students. Title I programs must be based on effective means of improving student achievement and include strategies to support parental involvement.

Under Title I, local educational agencies (LEAs) are required to provide services for public school students as well as eligible private school students. The Title I services provided by the LEA for private school participants are designed to meet their educational needs and supplement the educational services provided by the private school. These services must be developed in consultation with officials of the private schools.

Full implementation of Georgia’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Plan took effect in the 2017–18 school year. The new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), was signed into law on December 10, 2015, and reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). The reauthorized law replaced the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. It created a new Federal-State partnership that provides greater flexibility for States and districts; and supports educational equity for all children to help prepare them for college and careers. The new law requires that states develop plans that address standards, assessments, school and district accountability, and special help for struggling schools and students.

Douglas County School System Requests Input from Stakeholders

The Douglas County School System invites the students, Principals, other School Leaders, teachers, non-teacher school staff (Counselor, Paraprofessional, Media Specialist, School Café Staff, etc.), specialized instructional support staff, Charter School Leaders, Title I parents, parents, the Homeless Liaison/Foster Care Point of Contact, community members or partners, English Learner parents, out-of-School youth and/or drop-out participant, other organizational partners (such as Regional Education Service Agencies, Southern Regional Education Board, Regional Educational Laboratory, American Institutes for Research, Solution Tree), business partners, or district staff to participate in the review of the Streamlined Consolidated LEA (Local Educational Agency) Improvement Plan (S-CLIP). The S-CLIP fulfills the need for a plan from LEAs to be collected by the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) to define how the LEAs will support their students when accepting federal funds under The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015. This opportunity for feedback will be available until Monday, June 16, 2025 at 12:00pm. To access the CLIP and input form, please use the following link: DCSS FY26 S-CLIP Draft

Douglas County School System Consolidated LEA Improvement Plan (CLIP) Stakeholder Input Form for the 2025-2026 School Year

Thank you for your input and support. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Karen Stoutmire, Executive Director of Federal Programs at karen.stoutmire@dcssga.org