District seeks David C. Ford digital learning grant to expand math intervention for K–5; schedule shifts outlined

Dr. Ray Lewis asked the MSD Steuben County School Board for permission to apply for and accept competitive funds from the David C. Ford educational technology fund to support math intervention, saying the district intends to use technology to diagnose students' needs and provide targeted interventions. "This past legislative session, they passed into law requirements around mathematics intervention," he said, framing the application as a response to that mandate.

Lewis described how the district would adjust instructional minutes: at the elementary level, five minutes would be taken from the morning meeting and five minutes from science and social studies blocks so the math block could be restructured. He said the result would be a 60-minute math instructional block plus 20 minutes for math intervention for a total of 80 minutes of math-focused time per day. "We will be taking 5 minutes away at the elementary level for their morning meeting time... and that adds 10 minutes to our math block," he said.

At the middle school level, Lewis said the plan includes a daily schoolwide intervention period of about 35 minutes, with students grouped by need based on screening and checkpoint data. He noted the grant target is grades K–5 with possible expansion to grades 6–8 if funding allows.

No motion or roll-call vote on the application appears in the transcript excerpt provided; the discussion in the record is limited to Lewis's presentation of the proposed use of funds and schedule changes.