Sponsor
Burgess Owens
Representative · R-UT
Representative · R-UT
The bill provides rapid, flexible financial and instructional support to families and students during temporary Title I school closures but imposes administrative costs on LEAs and raises equity and compliance risks for taxpayers and low-income families.
Parents and families of students at Title I schools receive direct payments to cover education-related expenses when their child's school is closed more than three days for public health or strike reasons.
Students at affected Title I schools gain access to alternative instructional resources (tutoring, instructional materials, therapies) funded directly during temporary closures, helping preserve learning continuity.
Local education agencies (LEAs) must plan in advance for temporary closures, improving preparedness, clarity for families, and defined processes for support during interruptions.
LEAs will incur administrative burden and additional costs to set up and operate direct payment systems, potentially diverting staff time and funds away from instruction and other services.
Title I taxpayer funds could be used for private school tuition or other nonpublic services during closures, raising equity concerns and questions about use of public dollars for nonpublic education.
Parents—especially low-income families—may face cash-flow and compliance risks because they must return unused funds or produce receipts within 30 days after reopening, creating potential repayment demands.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Conditions Title I eligibility on LEAs providing direct, per‑day payments to parents when a Title I school is closed >3 days for a public health emergency or collective bargaining action, reimbursable for defined educational expenses.
Requires school districts that receive Title I funds to prepare a plan to make direct daily payments to parents if a Title I public school fails to provide in‑person instruction for more than three days in a school year because of a public health emergency or a collective bargaining action. Payments are calculated from the school’s allocated Title I funding per student per school day and may be used for a defined set of educational expenses; parents must provide receipts or return unused funds after in‑person instruction resumes.
Official title: To establish an alternative use of certain Federal education funds when in-person instruction is not available.
Introduced March 12, 2026 by Burgess Owens · Last progress March 12, 2026