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Board approves grants for teacher coaching and student supports; endorses Project AWARE application
Summary
The board accepted a $20,000 Martha Holden Jennings Foundation grant to expand instructional coaching and a $10,420 UCMHB grant to support an NTSS coordinator; the superintendent also signed an endorsement for a possible five-year Project AWARE federal grant that would fully fund an elementary school psychologist if awarded.
The board approved two grants to support teacher development and student services and endorsed a county mental-health application for a larger federal grant.
The superintendent described a $20,000 award from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation to expand a future-ready instructional-coaching program, add a second authentic-learning teacher cohort and fund educator externships with local businesses. "Last year we had about 18 teachers go through cohort 1," she said; the grant will support cohort 2 and continued instructional coaching through Partnerships for Authentic Learning and Leadership.
The board also approved a $10,420 grant from the UCMHB to be used toward the salary of an NTSS coordinator (transcript referenced Tristan Zaborg as the position). The superintendent explained that Project AWARE funding had been expected to end and that leftover funds were being used to help support this role for one more year.
Separately, the superintendent said she signed a letter endorsing the County Mental Health and Recovery Boards application for another Project AWARE grant, a five-year federal opportunity described in the meeting as supporting school psychologists and behavioral rotations; if awarded, the grant would provide approximately $1.5 million per year and allow the district to fund a school psychologist for five years.
Why it matters: the instructional-coaching grant funds teacher capacity-building tied to career-connected learning and classroom practice. The small UCMHB award will help retain an NTSS coordinator for continuity of multi-system student supports. The Project AWARE endorsement signals district support for a larger mental-health partnership but does not commit district funds beyond the endorsement.
Vote: both grants were moved, seconded and approved by the board.
Next steps: the superintendent said cohort work and externships will be scheduled in the coming school year and that the district would update the board if the federal Project AWARE award is received.
