Four more Montgomery County schools are being placed in a special category for schools with more than 55 percent of the students near the poverty line, and one has been put on watch, according to high-ranking administrators who spoke with The Examiner.

A district document listed 28 eligible schools in 2008-09, up from 23 this year. The newly added schools are Clopper Mill Elementary in Germantown, Silver Spring's Glen Haven, Cresthaven, and Jackson Road elementaries, and Rockville's Brookhaven Elementary, the document said.

Although school spokeswoman Kate Harrison would not confirm the information, a senior administrator, who asked not to be identified for fear of reprimand, told The Examiner the schools could stand to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars as their funds, referred to as Title 1 money, plummet from almost $2,000 per student to about $1,300.

The most dramatic increase in poor students came at Clopper Mill, where in two years the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch has increased from 45 percent to 60 percent.

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The hit in funding, which is available to principals for staffing, could throw a wrench in the district's acclaimed plan to keep class sizes small in schools with the most at-risk populations. Already, administrators said, they've had to submit lists of teachers to the district for involuntary transfers.

The news comes as the County Council begins hammering out a final budget in early April. About 75 percent of school funding comes through local dollars.

"This falls onto the list of things we'll have difficulty finding the resources for," said Council President Mike Knapp, adding it will be a challenge for the council to fund any agency fully, including the schools.

"This is one more thing we need to fund to take care of our most vulnerable students," Knapp said, angry the federal government contributions are falling despite increased pressure to meet the standards of No Child Left Behind.

lfabel@dcexaminer.com