What is MISA
Military Impacted Schools Association (MISA) is a national organization representing school districts that serve high concentrations of military children. The organization works to provide a continuum of quality education for all military children. Formed in 1986 in Omaha, Nebraska, MISA works on funding, legislation, partnerships and programs for military families on the move.
Education is an important quality of life program for military families. MISA partners with the Department of Defense Educational Opportunities Directorate, National Military Family Association, and military leaders to ensure that all military children are afforded a quality education. In addition MISA works with local school districts and commanders to highlight best practices and partnerships that can further meet the needs of military families.
Specific areas that MISA works on include:
- Funding
- Impact Aid
began in 1950. It is basically the federal government paying its property taxes to local school districts as a result of the presence of a military installation. Funds that are received by local school districts go into the general fund to pay for operating expensestextbooks, teachers, computers, utilities, etc.just as the local property taxpayers funds go into the school district general fund. Over half a million children of military personnel are served through this program. Impact Aid, funded through the Department of Education, is currently funded at only 60% of need, as defined by law.
- DoD Impact Aid Funding for Military Children
began in FY'91. The funding was established to help school districts with significant concentrations of military students that have faced: lack of adequate funding for over a decade, challenges associated with base closures and realignments, deteriorating facilities, and safety issues since 9-11. School districts with 20% or more military students are eligible for this funding.
A new provision was implemented during the FY06 to address school districts that are dealing with BRAC, Global Re-basing, and military reorganization. The funding is specifically for school districts that qualify for DoD Impact Aid Funding for Military Children that experience an increase or decrease of 250 or more military students, or a 5% increase or decrease of military students during the school year, with a $1 M cap.
- Section 8007school construction.
Heavily impacted school districts are in need of construction/renovation funding. Many schools were built in the 1950s and have received little funding, if any, for renovations. Programs have changed during this time and schools have to be rewired for technology, made handicap accessible, deal with lead and asbestos abatement, and modified for safety. Section 8007 of the Impact Aid program, as it is written, offers little assistance to school districts serving military childrenthe program is written to send the funds to other recipients of Impact Aid. MISA is working with other recipients of the Impact Aid program and Congress to provide additional funding and a more equitable means of distribution.
- STATUS: the proposed amendment to Section 8007 provides:
- 80/20 split between "straight distribution"
- 40% military and 40% Indian lands
- 20% "grant program" (only Indian land schools can qualify)
- qualifiers for distribution are lowered from 50% impacted to 40%
- Legislation
- Privatization of military housing
- The reauthorization bill contained a provision to ensure no unintended consequences regarding Impact Aid funding for local schools as long as the land where the privatized housing is located remains federal or leased by the federal government.
- STATUS: waiting for Department of Education to rule on leased federal property. Expecting the ruling to indicate that no offset is made to Impact Aid payments if local taxes are collected on improvements.
- Another unintended consequence as a result of privatization of military housing that MISA has been working on relates to income-driven programs. The intent of privatized housing is to provide quality housing for military families with no out-of-pocket expenses. However, due to an accounting procedure on the military members BAH, many military children living in base housing would no longer qualify for free or reduced-price meals. This could result in a $70 per month per child additional out-of-pocket expense for military families. In addition, school districts would loose Title I and state aid funding.
- Free and reduced meals
- STATUS: Legislation has been passed that allows children of military personnel living in privatized military housing to continue receiving free or reduced-price meals at school if they meet eligibility requirements.
- Supplement Security Incomethe administrator of the Social Security Administration has ruled to exclude privatized housing payments in SSI eligibility.
- Head Start legislation is in place to exclude payments in Head Start eligibility.
- Title I Free or reduced-price meal legislation will keep Title I formula in place.
- MISA and local
- school districts are working with commanders to keep current on A-76 studies and potential impact on the school district.
- BRAC, Global Re-basing, and Army Mobilization
- MISA is working on funding, information, and transition issues to address the 32,000 military children that will be moving from overseas schools to the U.S. through Global Re-basing, as well as the impact on school districts as a result of BRAC and the Army mobilization.