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St. Mary Parish School Board approves LSU GEAR UP grant totaling $5,566,400
Summary
The board voted to approve participation in an LSU-awarded GEAR UP grant that will serve current sixth- and seventh-graders for seven years; LSU will manage operations and federal reporting and the program begins Oct. 1.
The St. Mary Parish School Board voted to approve participation in an LSU-awarded GEAR UP grant totaling $5,566,400 that will serve students who are currently in sixth and seventh grade and follow the cohort through high school into their first year of college.
The grant was described by Stephanie Givens, associate director of the Gordon a Kane Center, who said the award was confirmed "just in the past couple of weeks, totaling $5,566,400, which is just an incredible sum of money to support the students and the schools here within the Saint Mary Parish School District." Givens told the board LSU will manage program operations and federal reporting so there is "no fiscal burden, placed on Saint Mary Parish schools." The program’s official start date was given as Oct. 1.
Board members and the presenter said the seven‑year grant will fund a range of services for the identified cohort regardless of students’ academic level or background, including tutoring, mentoring, ACT preparation, college visits, family engagement workshops and professional development for teachers. Givens also said the program can provide stipends for teachers and that participating students may qualify for scholarships tied to program participation, academic progress and postsecondary milestones.
Board discussion focused on costs, scope and enrollment. Givens and district staff said LSU will oversee staffing, service delivery and fiscal management and that the district’s role will include in‑kind contributions such as use of facilities and personnel time. The board was told in‑kind contributions are estimated at about $279,000 over seven years (roughly $40,000 per year), and that LSU and partner organizations plan to supply matching funds each year; district in‑kind contributions are part of that match.
Givens said annual budgets will be submitted each year and can be adjusted if staffing or school participation changes. She told the board that student participation will be voluntary and that the program team intends to "pitch" the opportunity to students so they know they are part of it, though some classroom activities funded by the grant (for example, test prep) could occur as part of regular classes.
A parent of a sixth grader moved to approve the district’s participation in the grant; Miss Dennis seconded the motion. The board approved the motion by voice vote.
Next steps discussed included LSU and the district working with principals and counselors to identify and inform eligible students and to finalize annual budgets and implementation details. The board was told LSU will handle federal reporting and compliance with U.S. Department of Education requirements.
The board approved the grant and authorized district staff to work with LSU and program partners to implement services for the identified cohort.
