Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Stronger Connections Grant topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
KSDE outlines Stronger Connections grants; Greenbush to handle federal evaluation
Summary
Kansas Department of Education staff described a U.S. Department of Education-funded Stronger Connections competitive grant program that awarded 13 high-need districts and a separate state technical‑assistance award; Greenbush will provide the mandated federal evaluation and data collection.
Roxanne, the state coordinator overseeing the Stronger Connections grant at the Kansas State Department of Education, told the committee the grant stems from the bipartisan Safer Communities Act and funds evidence‑based strategies to support students’ social, emotional and mental health.
"I'm gonna give a brief overview of what the Stronger Connections grant is. I am the state coordinator that oversees the administration of the grant," Roxanne said, explaining that Kansas made 13 competitive awards to districts defined as high‑need because of poverty and exclusionary discipline rates.
Nut graf: The grants require recipients to implement comprehensive, evidence‑based strategies that address student social, emotional and behavioral needs, increase access to place‑based interventions, engage families and communities, and design equitable policies. KSDE also received a separate federal technical assistance award to support states in administering the program; KSDE will contract with Greenbush to deliver that support and to prepare annual and final reports for the U.S. Department of Education.
Bonnie Hauck, a project manager with Greenbush contracted to provide the evaluation work, said Greenbush will collect the Department of Education’s required measures and report on implementation and outcomes through a data portal. "Our task for this project is to effectively collect the US Department of Education's required measures for annual and final reporting," Hauck said, describing plans to analyze school climate, disciplinary records, attendance and dropout data and to assess performance against grantee baselines.
Greenbush staff said evaluation activities will use both qualitative and quantitative methods and that the final federal report is scheduled for late 2027. Roxanne and Greenbush representatives listed the 13 awardees by USD (district) number in response to committee questions: USD 217 (Rolla), USD 233 (Olathe), USD 261 (Haysville), USD 266 (Maize), USD 305 (Salina), USD 333 (Concordia), USD 401 (Chase‑Raymond), USD 404 (Santa Fe Trail), USD 403 (Dodge City), USD 497 (Lawrence USD 497), USD 500 (Kansas City), USD 501 (Topeka), and USD 506 (Labette County).
Committee members asked whether evaluation data would be disaggregated for students with disabilities and by grade ranges. Greenbush staff said they did not see legal impediments to disaggregation, that grantees submitted baseline data across subgroups, and that KSDE and Greenbush would verify subgroup reporting. Roxanne confirmed the primary 3‑year grant runs through Sept. 30, 2026, and that the technical assistance award goes to the state to support data collection and implementation across grantees.
The presenters said districts may select strategies that fit local needs (for example, MTSS, PBIS or restorative justice) and that Greenbush will support grantees in measuring impact and reporting to the U.S. Department of Education. Committee members asked about timeline and the likelihood of future rollouts; presenters said the technical assistance award is intended to build state capacity and that KSDE will share results and lessons as data become available.
Ending: KSDE and Greenbush presented the program’s scope and evaluation plan and committed to follow up on subgroup disaggregation and implementation details. The committee said it will invite the Greenbush evaluation team back to report on early data and technical‑assistance progress as implementation proceeds.
