Can Title IV-A Pay for a School Assembly Speaker?

Speaker fitPossible. Your district decides.

What is Title IV, Part A?

Title IV, Part A is a section of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as rewritten by the Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015. The U.S. Department of Education says it “improves student’s academic achievement by increasing the capacity of States, local educational agencies” and schools. The money goes to states, and states pass it to districts by formula. Nobody writes a competitive application for it. A district plans how it will spend its share each year as part of its federal programs application.

The law sorts the spending into three areas (20 U.S.C. §§ 7117 to 7119):

• Well-rounded education (section 4107)
• Safe and healthy students (section 4108)
• Effective use of technology (section 4109)

How much does a district get?

Each district’s share follows its Title I share from the year before. Federal law says no district’s allocation can be “less than $10,000,” then lets a state reduce that minimum when its money runs short (20 U.S.C. § 7115).

In practice, a lot of small districts land right around that $10,000 floor. Indiana’s 2026 list, for example, shows dozens of small districts and charters within a few dollars of $10,000, and a handful below it (Indiana Department of Education). Large districts get far more. Your district’s exact number is on your state’s allocation schedule.

To put that in perspective, a district with $10,000 for the year that books a $1,000 assembly is spending a tenth of it on one morning. That’s a real decision, and it’s the district’s to make.

Districts that get $30,000 or more have to spend at least 20 percent on well-rounded education and at least 20 percent on safe and healthy students (20 U.S.C. § 7116). Idaho can now waive those set-asides for districts that apply (more on the Idaho page).

Where does an assembly fit?

Safe and healthy students. This area is about improving school conditions for learning. The law’s own examples include programs that “help prevent bullying and harassment,” teach relationship-building skills, and improve “school dropout and re-entry programs” (20 U.S.C. § 7118).

Well-rounded education. Programs that broaden what students get out of school beyond the core classes. Whether a given talk counts is your district’s call.

What are the rules that trip people up?

It has to add, not replace. Title IV-A money has to supplement local money, not supplant it. The U.S. Department of Education’s guidance says there is “a presumption of supplanting” when the money goes to “costs previously covered with non-Federal funds” (Non-Regulatory Guidance, October 2016). If your school booked an assembly from the building budget last year, ask before moving it to Title IV-A this year.

Prevention has to be evidence-based. Drug and violence prevention paid for with Title IV-A has to go to “activities and programs that are evidence-based” (20 U.S.C. § 7118). An assembly isn’t a research-tested prevention program, and I don’t pitch my talks as one. If your district is looking at Title IV-A for one of my talks, the fit is school climate and a well-rounded education, not prevention.

Is Title IV-A still funded?

For now, yes. The U.S. Department of Education’s program page lists total funding of $1.38 billion (program page). For fiscal 2026 the administration asked Congress to fold the program into a block grant (ED budget justification); Congress funded it anyway in the 2026 spending law signed February 3, 2026 (Congressional Research Service).

Fiscal 2027 isn’t settled. The administration’s 2027 request asks for no money for Title IV-A and would fold it into a new $2 billion program (ED FY 2027 Budget Summary). Congress hasn’t finished the 2027 education budget. A stopgap law signed September 2, 2026 keeps federal programs running at 2026 levels through December 11, 2026 (Congressional Research Service). If you’re planning for next school year, ask your federal programs director what they’re expecting.

How do you ask for it?

1. Find your district’s federal programs director. That’s the person who writes the Title IV-A plan.
2. Ask which area the assembly would fall under, and whether it’s already in this year’s plan or would need to be added.
3. Send them the principal approval packet. It has a paragraph written for exactly this kind of request.
4. Ask early. Plans are set a year at a time.

Title IV-A by state

Every other state runs Title IV-A through its department of education. The U.S. Department of Education’s program page lists allocations by state and a map of the federal contact for each one.

Last checked November 5, 2026. This page isn’t legal or financial advice. Grant rules change every year, so confirm with whoever manages your district’s money before you spend it.