Board authorizes $50,000 innovation grants pool to fund teacher proposals
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Summary
The board approved starting an innovation grants program, creating a $50,000 initial fund and allowing school staff to apply for awards of up to $2,500 for out‑of‑classroom initiatives. The district will combine SBCO donations with district funds and develop an application rubric.
The Coffee County Board of Education approved creation of an innovation grants program and an initial $50,000 funding pool to support teacher‑led projects that fall outside the regular school day.
Committee members described the grants as competitive awards for proposals that support academics, mentoring, mental‑health supports, behavior improvement, extracurricular activities and the arts. Applicants will use a Google form and may request up to $2,500 per proposal; the district will use an itemized budget requirement and a rubric for vetting. The Sportsman and Businessmen’s Charitable Organization (SBCO) had already provided about $25,000 for teacher projects, and the board agreed the district would seed an additional pool to broaden the program’s reach.
Board members discussed whether the funds should be tightly tied to state accountability goals (for example, eighth‑grade ELA and math improvement) but emphasized the need to avoid a rubric so rigid it killed innovative ideas. The board voted to appropriate the initial $50,000 from unassigned fund balance and passed the enabling motions and associated budget amendment.