APS To Get $5 Million For Poorest Students.(Final)

Byline: AndreaSchoellkopf Journal Staff Writer

Albuquerque Public Schools will get a $5 million funding increase for its poorest students next school year.

That amounts to a 29 percent increase over last year's budget, to $22.5 million, said U.S. Department of Education spokesman Trey Bohn.

Schools receive Title I money if half of their students qualify for the federal free- or reduced-cost lunches.

New Mexico overall will receive a $20 million increase, or $103.2 million, said state Title I director Sam Ornelas.

Schools have used the money for reading programs or to lower class sizes, Ornelas said. …