School City of Mishawaka to accept $99,884.50 early literacy grant; stipends planned for K–3 staff

The School City of Mishawaka Board of School Trustees voted Jan. 8 to accept a 2024 Early Literacy Achievement Grant in the amount of $99,884.50 and to distribute one‑time cash stipends to eligible K–3 staff.

The grant award will fund one‑time payments ranging from $325 to $650 for staff who were responsible for K–3 literacy instruction during the 2023–24 school year and who remain employed at the time of distribution. Board members were told 149 employees qualify for the stipends and that payments will appear on the Jan. 17 paycheck.

Doctor Stockdale, who presented the grant background, said this is the second year the district has received the award and described how the state formula factors district pass rate, growth and student complexity into allocations. “This grant awards funds to schools based on their IRE pass rate, their performance, their achievement, as well as their growth from the year before to the current year,” Stockdale said.

The board’s presentation noted School City of Mishawaka’s third‑grade IREAD‑3 pass rate rose by about 6.1 percentage points and that the district’s student population includes higher rates of poverty and special education service than the state average — factors that increase the district’s complexity score in the grant formula. Instructional practices cited in the presentation included a tiered response‑to‑intervention model, small‑group and one‑on‑one intervention, and curriculum supports such as UFLI and HMH.

School leaders said last year’s grant totaled a little over $66,000 and that this year’s increase reflects growth, complexity and other formula elements. The board voted to accept the grant and approve distribution of the stipends.