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Board agrees to move forward with regional 'Bridges' workforce grant despite new local‑match requirement
Summary
Spotsylvania County staff and schools asked the board to authorize negotiation and acceptance of a FY2025 Regional Bridges workforce grant that now requires a 25% local match; the School Board agreed to backstop funding and the supervisors voted to proceed and to pursue grant‑funding options from community foundations and partner localities.
Susan Hahn, coordinator of the Bridge to the Future Program, told the board the program — funded by the Virginia Department of Social Services and serving TANF families — provides GED, English‑language acquisition, workplace skills and job‑placement assistance. She said the program has operated regionally for 20 years but the current award carries a new 25% local match requirement.
“...we have to move forward. We have a deadline from the state of August 16. We have to let them know whether or not we're gonna accept this award and move forward or not,” Susan Hahn said, summarizing the timeline.
The Schools' finance director (Mr. Tread) told supervisors Spotsylvania County's school board agreed to provide a backstop so the application would not 'die on the vine,' and asked county staff to contact partner jurisdictions (Stafford, Fredericksburg, King George) to seek contributions for the match. Annette (staff) identified two community‑foundation grant opportunities (one for $5,000 and one for $50,000) that could reimburse local contributions if awarded.
Supervisors debated the short timeline and whether Spotsylvania should initially carry the match while other localities are asked to participate. Supervisor Hayes and others supported moving forward to preserve the program, noting its workforce and education benefits.
A motion to authorize staff to negotiate with the state and proceed was made and carried by roll call (7 yes). A separate direction was recorded to pursue community‑foundation grant applications and to ask county staff to reach out to other localities. The board also directed adding a legislative request to seek removal of the local‑match requirement for the Bridges program on the county’s legislative agenda.
The board expects the item to return Sept. 10 for formal acceptance and appropriation if county staff completes negotiations and funding arrangements. The schools will serve as fiscal backstop in the near term while partner contributions and grant applications are pursued.
