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District reapplies for DOJ safety grant and outlines Act 20 reading-training plan
Summary
Administrators told the board they are reapplying for a DOJ COPS school-safety grant to fund interior classroom locks, cameras and hardening measures (requesting about $309,000 with an estimated $77,000 local match). They also described a funded, multi-year plan to train K–3 teachers under Wisconsin’s Act 20.
Administrators at the Tomorrow River School District told the board they are reapplying for a Department of Justice COPS school-safety grant to pay for interior classroom locks, expanded camera systems with remote access and other security upgrades.
The application requests about $309,000, down from last year’s approximately $389,000 request; administrators said roughly $232,000 would be covered by federal grant funds if the district receives the full award and the district would need an estimated $77,000 local match. Jim (staff) submitted the application on the district’s behalf, district officials said. The district has previously learned awards later in the year (staff noted last-year notifications arrived in October).
Why it matters: the upgrades are intended to allow classrooms to lock from the inside rather than relying on exterior key access, expand surveillance and enable authorized access to camera feeds from mobile devices by school and county personnel.
At the same meeting, administrators outlined the district’s approach to meeting Wisconsin’s Act 20 requirements on reading instruction for kindergarten through third grade. The district reported it received $14,000 in state literacy reimbursement grants ($4,000 previously and $10,000 newly awarded) to support teacher training. Five staff members will complete the second volume of a letters-based training and serve as in-district trainers; the plan is to have all teachers complete volume one by the end of next summer and volume two by the summer of 2026. Each staff member’s training commitment was described as roughly 80–90 hours; the district plans to use inservice days and after-school time and expects some online work to reduce substitute-teacher needs.
Administrator (presenting budget and program details) framed the application with district context: “we are low spending and high achieving,” and said the narrative was updated to emphasize those points in hopes of a stronger grant award. The administrator also noted the district has been developing memoranda of understanding with local partners for evacuation and temporary relocation options as part of its safety-plan updates.
Next steps: staff will submit the COPS application and await notification (timeline not guaranteed); training rollout will proceed as staff complete state-funded training volumes and the district develops internal trainer capacity.
