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District says Smart Start grant of roughly $73,500 will reduce local cost for program
Summary
Officials told the Board of Finance they were awarded roughly $73,500 for the Smart Start program after community advocacy; the district said most families would return and that existing grants (about $97,000) plus stabilization funding bring the program close to fully funded.
District officials in the meeting said the Office of Early Childhood and community advocacy yielded an additional Smart Start award of roughly $73,500, which reduces the need to fund the program solely from local dollars. "We were awarded an additional 73,500," the district official said while explaining outreach to families and confirmation that most would re-enroll in the program.
Officials said the state-provided Smart Start funding supplements an existing grant (approximately $97,000) and a stabilization appropriation, bringing the program close to the revenue needed to preserve it without further local reductions. The chair acknowledged the funding arrived after the prior referendum and thanked the board of education and advocates for pursuing state-level engagement.
The district said it will confirm how the grant is reflected in formal budget documents and that the proposed budget figure under discussion reflects the referendum number while some offsets may be handled as special revenue.
