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Wenatchee School District outlines how “braiding” state and federal grants sustains services amid funding uncertainty
Summary
Director of state and federal programs Tim Shepherd told the school board that combining ("braiding") federal and state grants lets the district stretch support for interventions and multilingual learners but warned that competitive and uncertain federal awards — including a loss of a McKinney‑Vento competitive grant — have forced short‑term shifts and planning for contingencies.
Tim Shepherd, the Wenatchee School District’s director of state and federal programs, told the school board the district uses a “braiding” approach to combine separate federal and state grants so they work together to support interventions, professional learning and language services.
“Braiding funds…empowers districts to maximize funding impact,” Shepherd said, describing braiding as a way to use multiple funding sources for a single initiative while keeping each source’s statutory identity and reporting requirements.
Why it matters: where one funding stream ends or is cut, services — and the staff who deliver them — can be at risk. Shepherd warned that some federal allocations remain uncertain and highlighted recent competitive‑grant outcomes that have already reduced local capacity.
Shepherd outlined the main federal sources the district manages: Title I…
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