Parents/Guardians Can Help Fund Schools By Returning Federal Survey Cards

Students at most schools last week brought home Federal Impact Survey Cards, which your school is asking parents/guardians to complete and promptly return to their schools. The returned cards qualify the public schools for significant dollars in federal funds.

The annual survey determines the number of military and non-military federally connected students in the public school system for whom the district receives impact aid funds. These funds provide partial reimbursement to the district for local tax loss resulting from tax-free federal installations or property. By filling out and returning the survey cards, parents help our schools claim and benefit from the district’s authorized share of federal support. Each survey card is important because federal impact aid is determined from the survey card responses. Please, complete, sign and return the card as it is the children who will benefit.

"If you're active duty military, live in Navy housing, or are a civilian working on one of our bases or a federal property, you know the importance of returning these cards," said Superintendent Bill Kowba. "But it's important for all parents to return these cards. It only takes a few minutes and it helps our district qualify for much-needed federal funds."

The San Diego Unified School District has a high proportion of military dependents and federal lands within its boundaries, as San Diego is a worldwide center for Navy and Marine Corps activities.

"These school districts face special challenges — they must provide a quality education to the children living on the Indian and other Federal lands and meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act, while sometimes operating with less local revenue than is available to other school districts, because the Federal property is exempt from local property taxes," says the US Department of Education's website.

Under federal privacy rules, information on the Impact Aid survey cards is not used for any other purposes. If you have questions about Impact Aid or the Impact Aid survey card, please contact your principal.