Portsmouth board approves Title I–IV federal grant applications as allocations remain preliminary

The Portsmouth City School Board on June 5 approved applications for five federal grants under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act for the July 2025–September 2027 grant cycle, while staff cautioned the school division has only preliminary allocations and that some applications may be held by the state.

The board voted, by roll call, to approve the Title I Part A, Title I Part D, Title II Part A, Title III Part A and Title IV Part A applications as presented. The vote was unanimous.

The approvals matter because the grants fund people and programs used “to supplement, not supplant” the division’s general fund, staff said. “These allocations are subject to change,” the Office of Federal Programs presenter said when outlining the preliminary numbers, adding the grant cycle runs from July 1, 2025, through September 2027.

Miss Hills, presenting for the Office of Federal Programs, listed the division’s preliminary allocations and program uses: Title I Part A (improving achievement for disadvantaged students) at about $6,990,000 to pay for instructional supplies, technology, tutoring, stipends, family engagement and services for McKinney‑Vento students; Title I Part D at about $188,000 to support Harbor Point Behavioral Healthcare with behavioral and instructional resources; Title II Part A at roughly $800,000 for teacher and principal training, mentoring and recruitment; Title III Part A at about $21,000 for language and literacy supports for English learners; and Title IV Part A at about $541,000 for student support and academic enrichment, counselors and behavior interventionists.

Hills told the board that VDOE monitoring this spring left the division with a situation in which “only Title I may be the only approvable application upon submission” and that other titles “may be on hold with no timeline for approval.” When a board member asked what would happen if titles II, III or IV were withheld, Hills said positions funded by those grants “are subject to elimination” because those jobs are contingent on final funding and the division could not guarantee absorbing all positions into the general fund: “I couldn’t say we could absorb 100%.”

Board members asked for clarification about services to private school students in Title I attendance zones, a change from prior practice. Hills said Portsmouth had been part of a multi-division bypass that provided services through a shared vendor; under the new approach the division will use a vendor (Catapult Learning) to provide tutoring and instructional materials directly to eligible private‑school students who live in Title I attendance areas.

The board approved the applications after staff introduced the teams who developed the submissions and answered members’ questions about contingencies, private‑school equitable services and the timetable for VDOE action. The division noted that final allocations are expected later in the summer and “are subject to change.”

The board did not adopt any programmatic changes as part of the motion; the action was to submit the federal grant applications to the Virginia Department of Education on or before July, as required by state guidance.

Board members and staff said they will notify affected staff and families if grant approvals or final allocations change in ways that affect positions or services.

What happens next: the division will submit the applications to VDOE, await final allocations (expected late summer), and monitor which applications are approved. Staff said grant-funded salaries and positions remain contingent on finalized pay scales and final allocations.