HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – Families living on base with children enrolled at Bedford High School have until Oct. 31 to complete the 2019-2020 Federal Impact Aid Survey for federally-connected students.
The Federal Impact Aid Program assists local school districts that have a significant number of students living on military installations or other federal properties.
“We owe it to our students and our schools to take the survey seriously,” said Col. Chad Ellsworth, installation commander. “I encourage every family that receives a survey to complete and return it before the Oct. 31 deadline.”
Impact Aid acts in-lieu of certain taxes for federal families, and replaces a portion of what other individuals would pay in taxes to fund public education. Information collected by the surveys helps determine the amount of funding a school receives.
“The survey is very important because it directly impacts the school’s budget,” said Laurel Wironen, installation school liaison officer. “Teacher and teacher aide salaries are included in the funding, and if we don’t return our surveys, the school may be forced to pull the money from other areas of the budget.”
The forms are confidential and the information collected is available only to school and federal officials.
“The survey itself can present a lot of questions that can be very individualized,” said Wironen, who recommends contacting the school or herself for any concerns on disclosing personal information in the survey.
“Bedford High School provides a quality education and it’s an incredibly valuable partnership,” she said. “This survey and funding will only benefit our children and our students.”
Completed forms should be returned to Bedford High School by Oct. 31. Families may also email their forms to laurel.wironen@us.af.mil. For any questions or concerns regarding the form, Wironen can also be reached at 781-225-1482.