Change proposed in funding for migrant education

Persistent flaws and possible fraud undermine migrant education funding, the Bush administration believes.

So now, the Education Department wants to change how school districts get their federal aid. The move could alarm some teachers, but also could help school districts in states such as California, Texas and Florida, home to more than half of all migrant students.

"A problem was identified," said Alex Goniprow, a supervisory specialist in the federal Office of Migrant Education, "and the states and us have moved very aggressively to face up to it."
On Friday, the Education Department proposed potentially far-ranging migrant education revisions.

Some jobs would no longer count as migrant farm work. Some states would lose money because of student eligibility errors. Other states could gain money. Educators would do more double-checking. All the revisions are supposed to improve the distribution of some $386 million a year in migrant education funds.

From McClatchy Newspapers.