Madison City Schools Superintendent Dr. Ed Nichols joined Huntsville and Madison County school leaders Oct. 12 in the annual kickoff for federal Impact Aid money. (Dr. Nichols explains in this video appeal how parents can help MCS secure the funding).
Parent form accessible here.
Impact Aid is money the federal government pays local school systems to offset education taxes that don’t come from employers on tax exempt government property. Parents whose workplaces qualify must complete the Impact Aid form to qualify the school district for this extra money.
The Army, NASA, FBI, FAA, federal courthouse and U.S. postal service, TVA and defense/aerospace operations on Redstone Arsenal are examples of such employers. Approximately one-fourth of the students in Madison City Schools are military connected.
Redstone Arsenal Garrison Commander Col. Brian Cozine joined Dr. Nichols, Huntsville Schools Supt. Dr. Clarence Sutton and Madison County Schools Superintendent Mr. Ken Kubik in urging parents to partner with schools in garnering Impact Aid funds simply by filling out the forms.
Redstone's Col Brian Cozine with school superintendents Ken Kubic (Madison County),
Clarence Sutton (Huntsville), Ed Nichols of Madison at Sparkman High School Impact Aid kickoff
Madison City Schools has received $5.3 million in Impact Aid funds since 2000 and nearly $13 million in related DoDEA education grants.
School districts only get this money, however, by parents filling out federal Impact Aid forms that confirm employment on tax exempt federal property. The online forms are accessible through PowerSchool (see link above and much quicker to fill out, but paper forms are still available through your school. Impact Aid dollars are factored per child, so it is important to list every child in MCS schools when filling one out. Parents need to complete only ONE Impact Aid survey because all of their children attending a MCS school can be listed on ONE survey form.
The deadline to complete Impact Aid forms is October 26th. Appropriations are based on the number of parents/guardians who work on federal property and/or families living on federal property such as base housing or public housing. Approximately 26 percent of students in Madison City Schools have a parent employed on federal property, so Impact Aid can be very substantial.