Title 20EducationRelease 119-73

§7703b Assistance to local educational agencies that benefit dependents of members of the Armed Forces and Department of Defense civilian employees

Title 20 › Chapter CHAPTER 70— - STRENGTHENING AND IMPROVEMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER VII— - IMPACT AID › § 7703b

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary of Defense must give money to local school districts that serve lots of military-connected students or that suddenly gain or lose many such students. A district can get help if, after checking with the Secretary of Education, the Defense Secretary finds the district cannot provide the same minimum level of education as other districts in the state without the money and at least 20 percent of its students (by average daily attendance the previous year) were military dependents. The Secretary must also help districts that have a big change in military students during a recent period (checked with the Education Secretary): a rise or drop of at least 5 percent or at least 250 students, when the change comes from things like rebasing, creating or activating units, base realignment/closure, or changes to on-base housing. The payment equals a per-student rate times the net change in military students for the district. The per-student rate is the total funds for the year divided by the total net changes across all eligible districts. No district can get more than $1,000,000 in a year. No aid may be given after September 30, 2014. The Defense Secretary must tell each eligible district by June 30, 2006 and by June 30 of each later year when funds are available whether it is eligible and how much it will get, and must pay the money within 30 days of that notice. Definitions: "local educational agency" means a local school district, "military dependent students" means children of Armed Forces members and of Department of Defense civilian employees, and "State" means the 50 States and the District of Columbia.

Full Legal Text

Title 20, §7703b

Education — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)The Secretary of Defense shall provide financial assistance to an eligible local educational agency described in paragraph (2) if, without such assistance, the local educational agency will be unable (as determined by the Secretary of Defense in consultation with the Secretary of Education) to provide the students in the schools of the local educational agency with a level of education that is equivalent to the minimum level of education available in the schools of the other local educational agencies in the same State.
(2)A local educational agency is eligible for assistance under this subsection for a fiscal year if at least 20 percent (as rounded to the nearest whole percent) of the students in average daily attendance in the schools of the local educational agency during the preceding school year were military dependent students counted under section 7703(a)(1) of this title.
(b)(1)To assist communities in making adjustments resulting from changes in the size or location of the Armed Forces, the Secretary of Defense shall provide financial assistance to an eligible local educational agency described in paragraph (2) if, during the period between the end of the school year preceding the fiscal year for which the assistance is authorized and the beginning of the school year immediately preceding that school year, the local educational agency had (as determined by the Secretary of Defense in consultation with the Secretary of Education) an overall increase or reduction of—
(A)not less than five percent in the average daily attendance of military dependent students in the schools of the local educational agency; or
(B)not less than 250 military dependent students in average daily attendance in the schools of the local educational agency.
(2)A local educational agency is eligible for assistance under this subsection for a fiscal year if—
(A)the local educational agency is eligible for assistance under subsection (a) for the same fiscal year, or would have been eligible for such assistance if not for the reduction in military dependent students in schools of the local educational agency; and
(B)the overall increase or reduction in military dependent students in schools of the local educational agency is the result of one or more of the following:
(i)The global rebasing plan of the Department of Defense.
(ii)The official creation or activation of one or more new military units.
(iii)The realignment of forces as a result of the base closure process.
(iv)A change in the number of housing units on a military installation.
(3)(A)The amount of the assistance provided under this subsection to a local educational agency that is eligible for such assistance for a fiscal year shall be equal to the product obtained by multiplying—
(i)the per-student rate determined under subparagraph (B) for that fiscal year; by
(ii)the net of the overall increases and reductions in the number of military dependent students in schools of the local educational agency, as determined under paragraph (1).
(B)For purposes of subparagraph (A)(i), the per-student rate for a fiscal year shall be equal to the dollar amount obtained by dividing—
(i)the total amount of funds made available for that fiscal year to provide assistance under this subsection; by
(ii)the sum of the overall increases and reductions in the number of military dependent students in schools of all eligible local educational agencies for that fiscal year under this subsection.
(C)A local educational agency may not receive more than $1,000,000 in assistance under this subsection for any fiscal year.
(4)Assistance may not be provided under this subsection after September 30, 2014.
(c)Not later than June 30, 2006, and June 30 of each fiscal year thereafter for which funds are made available to carry out this section, the Secretary of Defense shall notify each local educational agency that is eligible for assistance under this section for that fiscal year of—
(1)the eligibility of the local educational agency for the assistance, including whether the agency is eligible for assistance under either subsection (a) or (b) or both subsections; and
(2)the amount of the assistance for which the local educational agency is eligible.
(d)The Secretary of Defense shall disburse assistance made available under this section for a fiscal year not later than 30 days after the date on which notification to the eligible local educational agencies is provided pursuant to subsection (c) for that fiscal year.
(e)In this section:
(1)The term “base closure process” means the 2005 base closure and realignment process authorized by Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 (part A of title XXIX of Public Law 101–510; 10 U.S.C. 2687 note) or any base closure and realignment process conducted after January 6, 2006, under section 2687 of title 10 or any other similar law enacted after January 6, 2006.
(2)The term “local educational agency” has the meaning given that term in section 7713(9) of this title.
(3)The term “military dependent students” refers to—
(A)elementary and secondary school students who are dependents of members of the Armed Forces; and
(B)elementary and secondary school students who are dependents of civilian employees of the Department of Defense.
(4)The term “State” means each of the 50 States and the District of Columbia.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990, referred to in subsec. (e)(1), is part A of title XXIX of div. B of Pub. L. 101–510, Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 1808, which is set out as a note under section 2687 of Title 10, Armed Forces. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Tables. Codification Section is comprised of section 572 of Pub. L. 109–163. Subsec. (g) of section 572 of Pub. L. 109–163 repealed section 386 of Pub. L. 102–484, formerly set out as a note under section 7703 of this title. Section was enacted as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006, and not as part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 which comprises this chapter.

Amendments

2015—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 114–95, § 9215(ccc)(1), made technical amendment to reference in original act which appears in text as reference to section 7703(a)(1) of this title. Subsec. (e)(2). Pub. L. 114–95, § 9215(ccc)(2), made technical amendment to reference in original act which appears in text as reference to section 7713(9) of this title. 2013—Subsec. (b)(4). Pub. L. 112–239, § 561(b)(1), substituted “
September 30, 2014” for “
September 30, 2012”. Subsecs. (e), (f). Pub. L. 112–239, § 561(c), redesignated subsec. (f) as (e) and struck out former subsec. (e) which read as follows: “Of the amount authorized to be appropriated pursuant to section 301(5) for operation and maintenance for Defense-wide activities— “(1) $30,000,000 shall be available only for the purpose of providing assistance to local educational agencies under subsection (a) of this section; and “(2) $10,000,000 shall be available only for the purpose of providing assistance to local educational agencies under subsection (b) of this section.” 2009—Subsec. (b)(4). Pub. L. 111–84 substituted “
September 30, 2012” for “
September 30, 2010”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2015 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 114–95 effective Dec. 10, 2015, except with respect to certain noncompetitive programs and competitive programs, see section 5 of Pub. L. 114–95, set out as a note under section 6301 of this title. Plan and Authority To Assist Local Educational Agencies Experiencing Growth in Enrollment Due to Force Structure Changes, Relocation of Military Units, or Base Closures and Realignments Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title V, § 572(b), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2141, as amended by Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title V, § 552(b), Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1401, formerly set out as a note under this section, was transferred and is set out as a note under section 7703c of this title. Pub. L. 109–364, div. A, title V, § 574, Oct. 17, 2006, 120 Stat. 2226, as amended by Pub. L. 110–181, div. A, title V, § 573, Jan. 28, 2008, 122 Stat. 120; Pub. L. 110–417, [div. A], title V, § 553, Oct. 14, 2008, 122 Stat. 4469; Pub. L. 112–81, div. A, title V, § 573, Dec. 31, 2011, 125 Stat. 1427; Pub. L. 114–92, div. A, title X, § 1072(h), Nov. 25, 2015, 129 Stat. 995; Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title V, § 572(a), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2141; Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title V, § 552(a), Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1401, formerly set out as a note under this section, was transferred to section 7703c of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

20 U.S.C. § 7703b

Title 20Education

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73