Camden school district must return $393,00 in federal funds

The Camden School District, which often complains to the state that it doesn't have enough money to serve its mostly poor student population, has to return nearly $400,000 in federal aid.

Why? Apparently someone didn't file the necessary request to allow the district to roll over the unused funds from 2004-05 to the following year.

The district routinely asks for federal permission to roll over unused funds from one year to the next, spokesman Bart Leff said. However, for the year in question, he said the request for rollover permission "either wasn't made or it was made late."

The $393,000 was part of nearly $21 million in Title I aid from the U.S. Department of Education for the 2004-05 school year, according to Leff. The unused money, which is granted to help low-income children, was identified through an audit.

A vote to return the aid was made at Tuesday night's board meeting.

In an interview yesterday, board president Sara Davis said she feels state officials "share some of the blame" for the district losing the money. She said the money would have been used to fund certain math and reading programs, but state officials wanted those programs discontinued.

She also acknowledged that given administrative changes and lack of continuity within the district in recent years, "things happened that shouldn't have happened."

Camden school officials have long said the largely poor district needs more aid than it receives. To balance this school year's budget, the district had to cut staff and programs.

The board also voted to make Jan. 20, the day of President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration, a school holiday. It gives students an extended holiday since they are already off Jan. 19 for Martin Luther King's Birthday and employees a paid day off.