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Rural and Low-Income School (RLIS) Program


Title V, Part B, Subpart 2

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The Rural and Low-Income School (RLIS) Program is an extension of the REAP (Rural Education Achievement Program). It provides discretionary funds to meet the needs of rural, low-income schools.

Formula grants are awarded by the U.S. Department of Education to the state, which in turn will award subgrants to eligible school districts. In Wisconsin, funds will be awarded by formula based on student enrollment as determined by average daily attendance.

RLIS funds may be used for any allowable activities under Title I, Part A; Title II, Part A; Title III; and Title IV, Part A; as well as parental involvement activities. In short, the Title V-B funds can be used for almost any allowable activities under the other Titles (i.e., Title I - IV). Note: there are no “allowable” activities under Title V-B itself, so all funds must be spent under one of the other Titles.

In Wisconsin, funding is expected to be targeted at improving student achievement in reading and/or mathematics.

Nuts & Bolts:

Each summer, the DPI contacts all eligible districts to let them know when and how to apply.

A Local Education Agency (LEA) that is awarded RLIS funds is required to submit a budget in WISEgrants to the DPI showing how they intend to use those funds. The LEA's budget must be approved before any spending can occur.

U.S. Dept. of Education created a searchable guide for both SRSA and RLIS funds at Searchable Guide

Additional Grant Information:

A list of eligible RLIS schools is available for review using the Master Eligibility Spreadsheet can be found at Master Eligibility Spreadsheet

General REAP Resources can be found at REAP Resources 

Additional RLIS Information can be found at RLIS program 

For questions about this information, contact Mark Schwingle (608) 267-9273