Carson City School District applying for grants to fund 20 programs

The Carson City School District is in the process of finalizing grant funds for the 2016-2017 year.

The school district has applied for 23 grants, and has received funding for 16 so far. Some of the grants are formula grants, meaning the states provide the funds each year and some are competitive grants in which the district needs to essentially bid for funding by presenting viable programs that the money would be used for.

So far, the district has been awarded more than $4.7 million in grant money, though that number could increase, depending on whether or not the district receives any money from the additional seven grants they applied for.

“We are just trying to understand how the process is going to affect our revenues,” said Superintendent Richard Stokes. “There are a lot of projects that we have in the district that the competitive grant money can assist and strengthen our positions and help supplement the funds.”

The money from the grants will go toward funding or partially funding nearly 20 programs within the district such as the Career and Technical Education program, the Jumpstart program and full-day kindergarten.

To receive competitive grants from the state, the Director of Grants and Special Programs Valerie Dockery and staff have to plan the programs the district wants to create and plan for the money, even though it isn’t certain if the district will receive the grant money.

Some of the competitive grants the district has already received created funding for programs like the pre-kindergarten classes at Mark Twain Elementary School and Bordewich Bray Elementary School which received more than $200,000, a $443,000 social worker grant — which will put a worker in the schools — and a $254,000 great teaching and learning grant which will help develop the science standards for the elementary curriculum.

Other competitive grants the district received included $400,000 of funding for Gov. Brian Sandoval’s Read by 3 program to help all students be reading at grade level by the third grade, and more than $900,000 in additional funding to the Senate Bill 405 Zoom program that helps English as a Second Language learners.

Most of the program funding only lasts for a year, and any money not spent is returned to the state and the district needs to reapply for all the grants at the beginning of 2017.

“It is challenging, but thanks to the great staff in the district, it’s been successful and we are happy with the outcome,” Stokes said.