Board approves state grants to schools for literacy, math and improvement programs

Caroline County’s public schools asked the board for budget authority to accept multiple state grants awarded to the division this year. Chief Operations Officer Marcia Stevens presented four VDOE awards and a fiscal-year-26 SOQ bonus that required county appropriation authority so the division could spend the funds before their expiration dates. (Marcia Stevens)

Grants approved by the board covered: a comprehensive literacy grant for Bowling Green Elementary and Caroline Middle (about $219,640), a Bowling Green Elementary improvement grant (about $44,974), a math innovation implementation grant (about $251,952) and a math acceleration grant for secondary math support (about $36,172). The board also approved acceptance of a SOQ bonus payment of $464,445; schools said they would meet the local-match requirement from existing local funds in fiscal 2026. The county auditors confirmed the requests complied with GASB and federal uniform guidance. (Marcia Stevens, county auditors)

Board members asked whether any local funds were initially used for programs now being replaced by grant funding; school staff explained the grants are not supplanting federal funds that prohibit substitution and that carryover and accounting treatment will be managed per state and county rules. School officials also offered to present detailed grant accounting and program outcomes at a future joint meeting if the board requested it. The motions to appropriate the listed grants and SOQ bonus were moved, seconded and approved by voice vote.