As school districts across the country are devoting more and more resources to implementing high-quality Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) processes, many district personnel are trying to figure out where the money will come from to fund such initiatives. While some funds may be available for school districts to improve their MTSS practices, many funding sources are available for school districts to implement specific components of MTSS—either across the school/district or specifically for certain targeted populations of students.
There are multiple different federal funding sources available to school districts that can be used toward MTSS. For example, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) provides federal funding in different sections to state education agencies and local school districts. However, most federal education funds target specific populations, such as students from low-income families and/or neighborhoods, migratory children and youth, English language learners, and students receiving special education services. Other funds are available more broadly for school districts to provide professional learning in MTSS, support social-emotional learning, and supplemental funds for rural school districts.
Ensuring an effective MTSS practice often requires high-quality professional learning for teachers, interventionists, paraprofessionals, and school and district administrators. Title II, Part A funds can be used to help schools and districts provide training and coaching on any of the following MTSS-related topics:
➡️ Related resource: How to Plan MTSS Professional Learning Throughout the Year
Title IV, Part A provides funds that can be used in various ways that support MTSS—specifically around behavioral and social-emotional learning (SEL) skills. These funds can be used for behavior/SEL activities across a school or district or a specific group of students. For example, these funds could be used to purchase an SEL screener to identify students in need of small-group or individual support in SEL skills, provide SEL interventions, or to hire staff or contract with outside agencies to provide support for students receiving small group or individual Tier 2 or Tier 3 SEL support.
Title V, Part B provides additional funding for rural school districts to use in a wide variety of ways. This flexibility allows school districts that are designated as rural school districts to use these funds toward MTSS-related services and activities, such as screening, progress monitoring, professional learning, interventions, and MTSS management.
Funding from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund is available for school districts to use until September 30, 2024. While some school districts have used these funds to implement targeted evidence-based interventions in schools, many school districts have been using these funds to accelerate the adoption and expansion of other MTSS activities that they plan to continue in a post-ESSER budget. See Funding for MTSS in Stimulus for more information.
Many states provide funding opportunities—either by formula or grants—to individual schools and/or districts toward MTSS-related services and activities. For example, California has allocated $50 million in 2021 to provide grants to school districts to align their MTSS practice with the state’s priorities for MTSS. In Michigan, Section 35a of the State School Aid Act provides funds for districts to administer screening assessments, provide professional learning to administer the screeners, and professional learning on data interpretation of the screener data.
Additional Help
For more information on how you can find funding for the use of Branching Minds or other MTSS-related activities, send an email to funding@branchingminds.com.
Let us help you build the right team!Branching Minds offers a variety of professional learning opportunities for states, districts, and schools to ensure instructional leaders, specialists, coaches, and teachers are able to implement RTI/MTSS as well as the BRM platform with fidelity and maximizes educators’ efforts to accelerate learning for all students. |