Freire Charter School Wilmington receives federal funding through Title I, Part A – Improving Basic Programs. The purpose of this program is to provide all children significant opportunity to receive a fair, equitable, and high-quality education, and to close educational achievement gaps. This federal program provides financial assistance to schools with high percentages of economically disadvantaged students to ensure that children meet challenging state academic standards.
Since more than 50 percent of the Freire student body is classified as economically disadvantaged, Freire uses Title I funding to operate a school wide program to upgrade the instructional program for the whole school. Our school wide Title I program is based on effective means of improving student achievement and includes strategies to support parent and family involvement.
More than 50,000 public schools across the country use Title I funds to provide additional academic support and learning opportunities to help low-achieving children master challenging curricula and meet state standards in core academic subjects. For example, funds support extra instruction in reading and mathematics, as well as special preschool, after-school, and summer programs to extend and reinforce the regular school curriculum.
In 2021-22, Freire will use our Title I funds to:
- Provide a dean of students and assistant dean to monitor student success in school.
- Provide an intensive reading teacher to help students build reading skills.
- Provide an assistant director of emotional supports to manage the student and family counseling program.
- Provide a college counselor to work with students in the college application and transition process for 8th graders and high school upperclassmen.
Federal Programs Coordinator:
Freire’s Federal Programs Coordinator is Tanza Pugliese. She can be reached at 267-583-4465 or tanza@freireschools.org. She works for the Freire Schools Network Office, which acts as the central administrative office for Freire.
Annual Title I Meeting for Families:
Freire invites parents and families to attend our annual Title I information meeting, where we will describe our participation in Title I, Part A programs, explain the requirements of Title I, and explain the rights parents and families have to be involved.
The meeting for the 2021-22 school year will be held on Wednesday, September 15, 2021, from 5-7 PM.
Parent and Family Rights Under Title I:
At Freire, we are fully committed to providing the best education for your child and appreciate your partnership in our efforts. We want families to be fully aware of their rights.
Under Title I, Part A, Freire parents have the right to:
- Be involved in our Title I, Part A programs – Freire, with the help of parents and families, will develop and implement a Family Involvement Policy and a School-Parent Compact
- Request regular meetings – Requests for meetings to discuss Title I programs should be put in writing and submitted to the Federal Programs Coordinator (see above)
- Know
teacher and paraprofessional qualifications – Parents may request, and Freire
then will provide, certain information on the professional qualifications of
the student’s classroom teachers and paraprofessionals providing instruction to
their children. Requests should be put in writing and submitted to the Federal
Programs Coordinator (see above). Specifically, you have the right to ask for
the following information about each of your child’s classroom teachers:
- Whether the teacher has met all Delaware licensing and certification requirements for the grades and subjects he or she teaches
- Whether the teacher is teaching under an emergency or other provisional certificate because of special circumstances
- The teacher’s major, whether the teacher has any advanced degrees and, if so, the subject of the degrees
- Whether any paraprofessionals provide services to your child and, if they do, their qualifications
- Request information regarding any State or School policy regarding student participation in any assessment mandated by the federal government, the State, or Freire as well as the parental right to opt the student out of such assessments where applicable.
Title I Complaint Procedures:
A parent, family member, or any other individual or organization who feels that the school is not meeting its responsibilities under Title I should first discuss the problem with the school’s Federal Programs Coordinator (see above). A violation would be something such as the school refusing to provide a parent with information on the professional qualifications of their child’s classroom teacher after the parent’s request.
To file a formal complaint with the school, you must send a signed, written letter specifying the alleged violation by the school of a federal statute or regulation that applies to the school and including facts and documentation of the alleged violation. The letter must be mailed to the Federal Programs Coordinator at Build the Future, 1617 John F Kennedy Blvd Ste 1260, Philadelphia PA 19103, or to the school at 201 West 14th St, Wilmington DE 19801.
Upon receiving a formal complaint, a Head of School will investigate the complaint and issue a written report including findings of fact and a decision to the parties involved within sixty working days.
You may also appeal the school’s decision to the Delaware Department of Education, or send an initial complaint directly to the Delaware Department of Education, by mailing a signed letter containing the information requested above to the Secretary of Education, Delaware Department of Education, 401 Federal Street Ste 2, Dover, DE 19901-3639.
The full State of Delaware Official Federal Programs Complaint Procedures can be found in the Delaware Administrative Code, Title 14, Section 258. A link to this regulation may be found below:
English: Federal Programs General Complaint Procedures
Español: Procedimientos generales de quejas para los Programas Federales
Annual Title I Notice
Click here to view Freire Wilmington’s Annual Title I Notice for 2019-20: FCSW Annual Title I Notice 2021-22
Annual Title I Meeting Invitation
Freire Wilmington’s Annual Title I Meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 15, 2021 from 5-7 PM.
Family Involvement Policy and School-Family Compact
These documents can be found in Freire’s Student and Family Handbook, with the Family Involvement Policy on pages 43-45 and the School-Family Compact (which we call our Contract for Excellence) on pages 71-72.
