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District details more than $1 million in Title I spending; rural grant adds roughly $160,000
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Summary
District staff outlined allocations from federal, state and local grants for fiscal year 2025-26, including a Title I allocation described as "a little over a million dollars," a new Rural and Low-Income Schools (RLIS) award and CTE and Perkins investments. The board discussed continued applications for 21st Century after-school funding and noted a
The Santa Cruz Valley Unified District governing board heard a grants update Oct. 28 detailing federal, state and local funding streams that support instruction, after-school programs and career-technical education.
Meg Padilla, PLA director, and Carolina Dugan, grants coordinator, presented grant-by-grant uses. "This page this first page will show you our total allocation. It's a little over a million dollars," Dugan said, summarizing the district' Title I allocation that primarily funds instructional salaries and student supports.
Key grant points presented:
- ESEA consolidated grants (Title I/II/IV and Rural and Low-Income Schools (RLIS)): Title I funds support ELA and math interventions, after-school tutors, summer reading and reading-intervention paraprofessionals; Title II funds instructional coaches and professional development; Title IV funds well-rounded education activities such as STEM kits and STEAM night stipends. The presenter said Title I includes carryover and that much of the allocation goes to salaries and benefits.
- RLIS (rural, low-income) grant: Board members noted the district received RLIS funding this year after not qualifying the prior year. Board member Rene Ramirez described the award as about "close to $160,000" in discussion, which district staff did not enumerate in exact dollars on the slide. The district said two instructional specialist positions are split-funded with Title I under RLIS.
- Title III and English-learner supports: Title III will fund professional development and substitutes for teachers attending EL-focused conferences and instructional materials for targeted EL instruction.
- 21st Century (after-school) program: Rio Rico High School is in year five of a 21st Century grant that funds after-school staff, summer programming and security for summer sessions; district staff said the application process for the next cycle opens in January.
- CTE and Perkins: Career and technical education funding covers CTSO stipends (career student organizations), dual-enrollment stipends for teachers (current stipend amount discussed as $500 per teacher in the meeting), state-priority funding for CTE conferences, and purchases for film/TV and engineering equipment.
- IDEA and School Safety grants: IDEA funds staff and special-education services; a competitive school-safety grant (year three) funds counselors at each site.
Board members asked about substitute accounting in drills, camera capability and the donated welding equipment (a donation from the Pima J data foundation, not a grant). Trustees expressed appreciation for the work securing and managing grants and discussed plans to apply for 21st Century funding across sites next year.
The transcript did not include detailed line-item dollar amounts for every grant; where presenters cited amounts (Title I and the RLIS comment from a trustee) the meeting record was explicit or described as approximate.
