Schools come together for 21st Century Grant

ALBERTON – If their grant application is accepted, the Alberton and Superior schools will become hubs of education, recreation and services as they become 21st Century Community Learning Centers.

On Thursday, March 13, Scott Kinney and Clay Acker, superintendents of the Superior and Alberton schools respectively, met to discuss writing their application for the 21st Century Grant.

According to the guidelines of the grant, a 21st Century Community Learning Center serves as a “nurturing environment where children can participate in enriching activities during times when school is not in session.” The programs and activities held at the centers are funded by the grant.

“The 21st Century Grant is a federal grant that encourages low income schools to offer extended-day programming,” Acker said.

The guidelines continue, stating a program must give tutorials to help students boost their performance in school to local standards. It must also provide services for youth development, drug and violence prevention, counseling, art, music and recreational activities.

“The money is to supplement ongoing educational efforts,” Kinney said. “Things are much more diverse than just the regular school curriculum.”

The grant only allows certain projects to be funded with the money it provides. The guidelines state the money can only be used to buy equipment necessary for the project. It also cannot be used in land acquisition, construction or replacing existing equipment.

In the past, Superior has held cooking classes and babysitting classes. According to Kinney, they have also held programs about technology use and paleontology. Because the grant program goes all year, the school has also had summer programs.

“It’s just a tremendously robust program offering things that we wouldn’t normally offer as part of our regular curriculum,” Kinney said. “They’re enrichment opportunities for kids. They’re very, very popular.”

If the grant is obtained, the projects will be funded for approximately five years. The amount and availability of the funding is based on the successful implementation of the program as well as how much money the government gives the state.

According to the United States Department of Education website, in 2012 the grant gave approximately $1.13 billion split up among 52 groups.

Only schools serving an area with a high percentage of low-income families are eligible for the grant. Organizations who work with schools can apply for the grant, but they must work with an eligible school to qualify.

“For Montana, this means that grant awards are restricted to projects that primarily serve students attending schools that meet or exceed 40 percent free and reduced-price meal eligibility,” the grant guidelines stated.

The exception to these rules is schools who are considered high-risk. A school or organization falls into this category if they are not financially stable or do not meet federal management standards.

Final decisions on grant recipients will be made at the end of May. They will then receive a written notice and a copy of the Grant Award Notification. 

According to Kinney, the schools have not decided what they want to do with the money yet. Kinney said the options were only limited by their imaginations and whether they can find the teachers or counselors for a given activity.

“Right now, it’s too early to tell,” Kinney said. “We have to receive the grant before grant programming will start.”