A potential citizenship question on the 2020 census could have far-reaching effects, including putting a squeeze on high-poverty school districts in Pennsylvania and beyond.
The measure, which President Donald Trump’s administration proposed in 2018, is currently before the U.S. Supreme Court and a ruling is expected by the end of next month.
At issue is how the nation counts its population and whether a census questionnaire should include a question regarding a person’s citizenship. Critics say the question could cause millions of immigrant families to decline to fill out the census forms if they are asked to name occupants who are not U.S. citizens, which would cause the federal government to undercount the number of non-citizens. That in turn would skew federal funding to states and localities driven by census figures.
Experts say such a ruling could have implications for school districts – particularly ones with a large percentage of impoverished students – that rely on federal funding based on formulas tied to population and poverty, although the potential dollar impact is unclear.
“To the extent that students in poverty might be reduced if that would turn out to be the case, then that would have some impact,” said Jay Himes, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officers. “I couldn’t hazard to guess to what extent, but it would have an impact.”
The state Department of Education administers federal programs and funding worth $700 million each year to 570 local education agencies across Pennsylvania, according to its website.
Federal aid supports resources that include the National School Lunch Program, the Head Start preschool program and grants to states under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
The largest federal program for schools is called Title I, which supports schools with high percentages of children from low-income families.
In poorer school districts like Sto-Rox – where 85 percent of its students are economically disadvantaged – Title I helps pays for resources such as specialists who give extra help to struggling readers.
“When all that money is delayed or decreased, or doesn’t come at all, we have nowhere to turn other than to eliminate what we’ve been able to provide through federal dollars,” said Superintendent Frank Dalmas. “It impacts us greatly.”
Although the extent of any potential funding dips related to the proposed census change is unclear, Mr. Dalmas said that even small shifts matter in high-poverty school districts: “We feel the pinch immediately.”
Mr. Himes noted that the ruling could also have implications for state funding. Pennsylvania’s basic education funding formula incorporates median household income and poverty rates. Census data provides an estimate of how many students live in poverty in a district’s attendance area.
The question could discourage would-be respondents from participating in the census, “and anything that depresses participation isn't helpful,” said Gregg Behr, executive director of The Grable Foundation, a Pittsburgh-based philanthropic organization.
“Whatever the court decides, we'll be ready here in Pittsburgh and in Allegheny County,” he wrote in an email. “Our local efforts are underway to make sure we will count everyone, to make sure that everyone knows that they belong.”
Matt McKinney: mmckinney@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1944, or on Twitter @mmckinne17.
First Published: May 6, 2019, 3:37 p.m.
