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Board approves Title VI Indian Education submission after program update showing gains and grant uncertainty
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Summary
Staff reported the Indian Education program serves 794 students documented with ED 506 forms, shared reading and attendance gains, and the board voted to waive second reading and approve the Title VI item so the district can submit the grant by May 11; presenters said the $500,000 demonstration grant sunsets Sept. 30, 2027 and contingency planning is underway.
Lincoln Public Schools presentations on April 18 updated the board on the district’s Indian Education Program and secured board approval to submit a Title VI grant application.
Marco Pedroza, with federal programs, outlined the Title VI funding formula and said the district identified 794 students with completed ED 506 forms this year, increasing the program’s funding base. He said the team plans to submit the Title VI application by May 11 and asked the board to waive the second reading to allow timely submission. “We are asking to waive second reading because we do want to get that submitted by May 11,” Pedroza said.
Joe Russo, the Indian education grant coordinator, described program goals in four areas: social-emotional supports (in partnership with Morningstar Counseling), cultural supports and native spaces (land acknowledgments and flag displays at middle and high schools), academic supports and staff development, and attendance and graduation supports. Russo and Pedroza presented assessment data showing largely positive gains in MAP scores and grade-level reading interventions (words-per-minute) for students the program served, though they noted the seven-year graduation rate is trending downward and will be analyzed further this summer.
Pedroza and Russo described the Indian Education Demonstration Grant, a discretionary award that provided roughly $500,000 per year from a 2022 award and is scheduled to sunset Sept. 30, 2027. They said they are pursuing federal conversations and contingency planning in case funding is reduced or eliminated.
After the presentation, Board Member Barb moved to approve item 9.2.3, Title VI Indian Education Program, and waive the second reading; the motion was seconded and passed by roll call. The board also discussed using district Washington, D.C., contacts to advocate for continued demonstration grant support.
Board members thanked the team for transparent data and noted the program’s role in increasing identification of Native students and connecting them to supports. Staff said grant funds are used to pay for services such as ACT-prep for eligible students and to support events that honor students across grade levels.
