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Cloverdale School Corporation awarded at least $175,000
CLOVERDALE -- The Cloverdale School Corporation has been awarded at least $175,000 from the Indiana Department of Education.
The funds were made available as a grant from the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program, it was announced Tuesday. The funds will be continued for up to four years, depending on annual reviews and successful program implementation. They automatically drop 10 percent from the original amount in the third or fourth year, which brings total funding to $650,000.
And not a moment too soon, said Director Beth Wernz.
“You have to pay people to work,” Wernz, who wrote the grant with the help of Treasurer Mendy Shrout, said. “We certainly couldn’t have continued to offer the program for free.”
The Knoy Center is staffed by teachers who spend their time and effort after regular hours to provide more than 100 students with after-school programming that includes snacks, 10-15 minutes of activity, engaging lessons and homework help. Although they are paid a small stipend, their work is optional.
“Cloverdale is fortunate to have several teachers willing to stay and work with our students,” Wernz said, “as well as having an outstanding site coordinator in Mrs. Jackie Ramsay.”
Ramsay, who has her own students to teach, is responsible for single-handedly managing all communication as well as recording and submitting attendance and grade reports to the state.
The program currently serves kindergarten through eighth-grade students, but will discontinue services to kindergarten students next year.
The grant from IDOE is in its third cycle with this last round of funding. While some schools have dropped from the program, the Knoy Center has continued to grow.
“For this next four-year cycle, we hope to have more lessons in the areas of STEM, character education and digital citizenship,” Wernz said. “In order to do this, part of the budget is set aside for professional development. We are in the process of arranging some of that training, specifically in STEM.”
The funds can also be used to purchase supplies and equipment, fund field trips and run administration.
A total of 75 schools applied, but only 57 received grants ranging from $75,000 to $325,000, making a total of $10.3 million available to schools that provide extracurricular academic programming.
“Students spend more time out of school than in our classrooms,” Glenda Ritz, Indiana’s superintendent of public instruction, said. “That is why it is essential that we support organizations that provide enriching academic programming to Hoosier students. I am honored to recognize this important work today by awarding more than $10 million in 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program grant funding to 57 high quality out-of-school time organizations.”
Indiana’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers aim to increase access to high-quality non-school hour programming across the state for students in low performing and high-poverty schools.
Centers provide a range of high-quality services to support student learning and development, including academic enrichment, tutoring and mentoring, and homework help, as well as music, arts, sports and cultural activities. They also offer literacy and other educational services to the families of participating children.
The 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program is an out-of-school time initiative authorized under Title IV, Part B, of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act and reauthorized under the Every Student Succeeds Act.