Geneva School District 304 staff on Sept. 8 updated the board on federal and career-technical education grants for the coming year, outlining how the district plans to use the money to support student learning and professional development.

At a board meeting presentation, George Petmesses summarized Title allocations: the district will receive $159,435 in Title I funds, about $62,000 in Title II funds, roughly $13,000 for Title III (the Language Instruction Educational Program, or LIEP) and a little over $10,000 for Title IV. He said the district's Title I schools this year include Harrison Street, Geneva Middle School South and Geneva High School; Title I funds generally follow students identified as at risk or disadvantaged, and the district coordinates allocations to nonpublic schools where required.

Petmesses also described two career and technical education grants: a CTEI award of about $38,000 and a Perkins Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act grant of roughly $20,000. He said CTE funds largely support supplies and equipment for high-school CTE courses, including items such as sanders for cabinet and millwork classes or equipment for child development labs.

On Title III, Petmesses cautioned that the LIEP grant may be sunsetting; he said the state recently suggested districts should not count that grant for FY 2027 planning. Superintendent Andy Barrett reiterated how federal funds are delivered: "These aren't really that. What these grants are is, these are federal flow through dollars," Barrett said, adding that Geneva receives a relatively small share of its overall revenue from federal sources and thus the district is less exposed than some neighboring districts to federal-grant fluctuations.

Why it matters: Title grants fund targeted services—Title I primarily supports schools with higher proportions of students from low-income families, Title II supports professional development, Title III funds EL instruction and Title IV covers college- and career-readiness and safe-school activities. Changes to Title III availability could affect English learners' supports and budgeting in future years.

Discussion and follow-up: Petmesses said much of Title I will pay salaries and benefits; Title II will largely pay for professional development and salary/benefits for the EL coordinator; Title IV will support software subscriptions, health and safety and hands-on math and science materials. The district plans to reach out to nonpublic schools in spring to allocate required funds. Board members asked about year-to-year declines in grant totals; Petmesses and Barrett said declines reflected a combination of lower poverty counts reported (free/reduced-price-lunch metrics) and declining enrollment in the district.

Ending: Staff will continue to monitor state and federal grant guidance, and the finance director incorporated finalized grant numbers into the district's tentative and final budget presentations.