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Board approves hiring of grant-writing firm after divided discussion on outsourcing
Summary
The board authorized contracting Learn, Apply, Design, Inc. to prepare two competitive grant applications (a literacy grant with a 25% match and a DOJ prevention grant up to $1,000,000 with no match), amid debate over paying $10,000 per application vs building internal capacity.
The Cuba City School District board voted to hire Learn, Apply, Design, Inc. to prepare an Innovative Approaches to Literacy grant application and to prepare a separate Department of Justice school-violence prevention application. Administration told the board the firm charges $10,000 per grant application and cited an 80% first‑year success rate and 100% second‑year rate (per the firm) for comparable applications; the literacy grant would require a 25% local match if awarded.
Board members raised questions about outsourcing grant-writing work, suggesting the district explore internal options or stipends to incentivize staff to write grants. Several trustees argued that local staff may lack dedicated time for competitive federal applications and that hiring a professional writer can increase chances on large, competitive grants. Others said $10,000 per application is significant and urged the board to evaluate whether nearby cooperatives (e.g., CESA 3) or local retired administrators might provide a lower-cost alternative.
Despite the debate, motions to contract the firm for the two grants were made and passed. Administrators emphasized that if an awarded grant includes staffing, any new positions would be brought back to the board for approval. The board also agreed to explore building local grant-writing capacity in the longer term.
