Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Superintendent: district applied for 21st Century grant and awaits state funding news
Summary
Superintendent Corinne Woodridge said the district submitted a 21st Century exemplar grant application (potentially close to $200,000) and discussed a proposed $100 million state reserve that could provide Webster roughly $190,000–$215,000 in one-time funding based on enrollment.
Superintendent Corinne Woodridge told the Webster School Committee that district staff submitted a 21st Century exemplar grant after weeks of delay and that "this grant will give us close to $200,000" if awarded. She thanked staff (Patty McKay and Lois Taylor) who worked on the application.
Woodridge also summarized a state proposal she described as a $100 million reserve funded by the fair-share ("millionaire's") tax designed to distribute one-time funds to districts based on foundation enrollment. "We could get anywhere between 190,000 to 215,000 should this pass," she said, but added the money would be nonrecurring and cautioned against hiring permanent staff with such funds.
Committee members and the superintendent noted uncertainty on federal and state timelines for grants such as Title I and special-education funding. Woodridge said the district was monitoring enrollment-driven formulas and state-level commissions that could affect Chapter 70 funding in later years.
The superintendent described the funding as a short-term resource that should be used cautiously to avoid unsustainable staffing changes when the money expires.
