In education, funds always seem to be limited when it comes to implementing new and creative innovations into a curriculum. This chapter will explore some of the alternative avenues that educators can use to obtain funding to purchase drones, but educators still need to ensure that they follow all laws and district policies when pursuing an alternative method for procurement.
Title I funding may be an option for qualifying schools when it comes to financing drones. Title I, Part A (Title I) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended (ESEA), allocates financial funding to primary and secondary schools (Every Student Succeeds Act, 2015). Financial assistance is provided to local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools with high percentages of children from low-income families. The school must focus Title I services on those students who are at risk of failing to meet academic standards. A Title I school with at least 40% of students from low-income families can use the funds to operate a schoolwide program. This means Title I services can be provided to all students.
All costs associated with Title I must be “necessary, reasonable, allocable, and legal under state and local law” (Every Student Succeeds Act, 2015). Title I funds must be used to supplement not supplant educational programs and materials required by law (Every Student Succeeds Act, 2015). Title I funds can be used to purchase drones and drone-related services if the rationale proves that using drones for instruction is necessary to supplement teaching and learning in a core area. The following is a sample rationale for using drones in instruction.
Schoolwide data shows a deficiency in mathematics, and students must be exposed to higher-order-thinking activities in order to help them prepare for the rigor of standardized assessments. Personalized instruction and interventions for at-risk students must be provided in order for these students to meet proficiency. Drones serve as a tool for remediation by (1) providing personal learning opportunities for students by differentiating activities; (2) supplementing skill-based instruction by encouraging collaboration and peer interaction while problem solving; (3) helping at-risk students by providing various interventions; and (4) modeling abstract concepts which then become concrete examples. Using drones in instruction promotes higher-order math conceptualization and understanding.
The Title I budget is broken into several accounts, with each account having a unique function and object code (Allison, Honegger, & Johnson, 2009).
Function/Code 100-600—Instructional Supplies Used by Students. Schools can purchase drones using this account. Other acceptable purchases include repair kits, batteries, and accessory kits.
Function/Code 200-300—Professional Development. Professional development designed to train teachers on the use of drones can be purchased using this account. Training teachers to operate drones is vital in the implementation of drones in any curriculum. Teachers need to not only be familiar with drone safety, rules, and regulations but comfortable in navigating drones in order to successfully engage students in drone activities. Training on how to implement the use of drones in instruction is necessary to achieve student success.
Function/Code 100-300—Vendors Contracted for Direct Instruction to Students. In order to use this account, the professional-development provider must work directly with the students. An example would be training the students to fly a drone.
Function/Code 400-731—Individual Items Valued at $2,000 or More. The purchase of a high-end, professional drone would fall into this category.
According to the Every Student Succeeds Act (2015), Title II, Part A is related to teachers and administrators, with the intention of improving student achievement by improving teacher quality. Allowable expenses are based on a needs assessment and must meet certain criteria. This criteria includes being aligned with state academic and achievement standards. To determine eligibility for using these funds to pay for drone-related expenses, a rationale as to how drones can be aligned with academic and achievement standards in at least one of the core content areas would have to be provided.
Title II, Part A is strictly for teacher resources. This includes professional development for teachers in core content areas. Materials related to the professional-development activities would be included—as long as they are for the teacher. For example, a drone for the teacher to model activities for the students would qualify. The device the teacher uses to control the drone (iPad, phone, etc.) would also qualify.
According to Forbes, crowdfunding is defined as “the practice of funding a project or venture by raising many small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via the internet” (Prive, 2012). This is usually done using an online platform specific to crowdfunding, and the fees associated with crowdfunding sites vary. The fundraiser advertises the details of their project, including their financial goal and deadlines, and donors make contributions through the website, often receiving some form of recognition for their donation. There are many applications of crowdfunding, including education. Be sure to check with your school district before starting a crowdfunding campaign, as some districts prohibit teachers from participating. If your school district allows participation in crowdfunding campaigns, certain crowdfunding sites cater to education.
GoFundMe is a crowdfunding platform that allows users to create a website to advertise and describe the project for the funding. GoFundMe has assisted their users in raising money for a wide variety of situations and events. A user would simply create a website as to why they are raising money to purchase drones for use in their classroom lessons. They would include their fundraising goal along with videos, pictures, and whatever else they feel will help raise money for their cause. Users then share their links via social media and email. The staff at GoFundMe reviews the campaign, and if the campaign qualifies, it will appear in the public search directory. Donors make their contributions through a secure website using a debit or credit card. As a fee, GoFundMe automatically deducts 5% from the donations the user receives.
DonorsChoose.org allows individuals to donate directly to a public school classroom project of their choice. Teachers create accounts and submit requests for materials and resources to complete their projects. Each project contains a line-item budget specifying the cost of the materials. A teacher with an account can request certain drones, batteries, repair kits, drone accessories, and materials for different activities; and a price would be specified for each item listed. Then DonorsChose.org purchases the materials and ships them to the teacher at the school once the listed price is collected.
Projects are searchable using a variety of options—school name, teacher name, location, content, material, and keywords—and donors give at least $1 to the project of their choice. Everyone who donates receives pictures of the projects and a letter from the teacher. Those who make donations of $50 or more get handwritten thank-you notes from the students. The fee for DonorsChoose.org is an optional 15% donation to cover overhead and maintenance.
There are many public, private, and nonprofit organizations that are willing to provide grants to fund drone projects in schools. Begin by checking the websites for the National Science Foundation, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Education.
As alternative methods for procuring money to fund educational materials and activities increase in popularity, it is important to consider existing policies that relate to nontraditional models, such as crowdfunding. Educators should consult with their school’s legal counsel to ensure that they are adhering to the district’s legal policies, procedures, and procurement practices. As with drone technology itself, fundraising is an area that has outpaced policies in many districts.