The deadline for parents to fill out the federal impact aid forms brought home by their children Sept. 30 is Saturday, meaning they actually have to be at the school Friday. So far, however, the bulk of the forms have not been returned. At one local elementary school, only a quarter have been received.
NAS Patuxent River and Webster Field are federal properties with over 20,000 employees. The majority of these employees have school-aged children in the public schools. Each school-aged child brought home an Impact Aid form on Sept. 30 for his or her parents to fill out. It is imperative to the schools that each family fills out the form accurately, and in a timely manner, as Impact Aid funds are designed to offset the lack of property taxes collected for federal properties where families live and work.
Most Impact Aid funds are considered general aid to the recipient school districts; these districts may use the funds in whatever manner they choose in accordance with their local and state requirements. Most recipients use these funds for current expenditures, but recipients may use the funds for other purposes such as capital expenditures.
There are different categories for different levels of Impact Aid. Two examples of the many different categories are: An active duty member living on federal property with a disabled child; and a DoD contractor working on federal property whose family owns their own home and has a child in the public schools. The form helps the school district appropriately request funds for each category.
The more accurate the Impact Aid forms, the more money the public schools can possibly receive. Last year, St. Mary’s County received approximately $1.9 million in Impact Aid. Out of the $180 million school budget, this provided much-needed income.
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