North Las Vegas touts microgrant program after schools report gains in attendance and engagement

Ingrid Johnson, the city’s Education Initiatives Manager, presented results from the 2024–25 Microgrant Program and said the city invested directly in teachers and administrators to foster classroom-level innovations. She told the council the city awarded $5,000 grants to teachers and $10,000 awards to administrators, supporting 40 educators across 19 schools and enabling projects tailored to students’ needs.

Johnson detailed outcomes at individual campuses, citing Priest Elementary’s “Stay in School” initiative that reached 755 students and helped transition 40 chronically absent pupils into regular attendance, and Cozine Elementary’s library project that increased preschool book checkouts from 2% to 57%. “When you trust educators with resources, they design solutions that directly meet their students' needs,” Johnson said. Johnston Middle School’s Mario Torres described using a microgrant to build a STEM sound studio and said it boosted student pride and engagement. George Arioste of Desert Rose High School said his grant funded celebrations and graduation cords that recognized student achievements.

Councilmembers praised the program’s local impacts and the city’s partnership with the Clark County School District. Johnson said the city has invested $700,000 in microgrants since the program began and announced that applications for the next round open Sept. 18. The item was for discussion only; council took no formal action at the meeting.