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Director reports GEAR UP partnership, programming and facility updates for Clay County Schools
Summary
The district director told the board Clay County Schools received a multi-year GEAR UP grant in partnership with Tennessee Tech, reported progress on a school kitchen project, a shoes grant and expanded preschool and before/after-school programs, and noted athletic schedule changes due to weather.
The district director reported several grants and program developments during the Clay County Board of Education meeting on Sept. 12.
The director said Clay County Schools "has been awarded" a GEAR UP grant and described it as a seven-year partnership with Tennessee Tech designed to help students plan for post–high-school opportunities. The transcript referenced the grant amount inconsistently (both "$1,000,000" and "$11,000,000" were spoken); the director described the program as multi-year and supervised by Tennessee Tech.
The director gave several other updates: the KA Kitchen project is nearly completed pending equipment hookups; the district received a "soles" grant that will deliver 50 pairs of shoes for preschool through 12th grade; the district received a 21st Century grant for before- and after-school programming (K–8); and Hermitage Springs School has a before/after care program operated by Angela Strong. The director said preschool classes across the county should reach 90–100% enrollment by next week and that the football game scheduled for tomorrow was moved to Clay County Hospital stadium for tonight because of anticipated weather.
Several of these items were funded or will be supported by grants or cooperative agreements, including device purchases through an ISM grant noted elsewhere in the meeting packet. The director invited board members to visit the KA Kitchen once equipment hookups are complete and asked for the public commenter’s written remarks so staff could ensure they addressed community concerns.
What happens next: Staff will follow up on grant implementation timelines, finalize equipment hookups for the kitchen, and coordinate with coaches and athletics staff about schedule changes. The director said staff would research notification-policy examples and consult law enforcement and regional directors to inform any policy work recommended to the board.
