Grants and Other Financial Assistance Programs: FY2010

The purpose of this state-funded continuation grant program is to help school districts continue or expand middle school and high school level district and inter-district Alternative Education programs that service students who are:

1. suspended or expelled from school; and/or

2. at-risk of educational failure due to truancy or dropping out of school.

Grants will be awarded to districts that propose programs with designs based upon empirically validated interventions (science/research-based strategies with proven effectiveness) that:

1. educate students using the same academic standards and curriculum frameworks as used with all students;

2. provide an opportunity for students to earn a high school diploma (for high school programs);

3. have small class sizes that use engaging instruction, address individual learning styles, and provide a supportive environment;

4. use flexible scheduling;

5. use existing resources in school districts, educational collaboratives, community colleges, other agencies, service providers, and community-based organizations;

6. use family-based approaches and self-improvement, behavior management, and life skills training to help provide students with tools to better manage their lives and attitudes;

7. assist students and teachers during students' transition back to general education classrooms;

8. provide a comprehensive array of social services to support students with issues that can cause school failure, excessive absenteeism, truancy, and dropping out of school; and

9. use pre- and post-evaluative data in program development and assessment of program outcomes.

Due to limited state funds available for the grant line item in FY2010, continuation grant amounts are restricted to the following formulas.

• For each continuation grantee entering Year 2 (originally awarded Fund Code: 790 grants in FY2009), the maximum FY2010 grant amount is equal to 27% of the grant amount in FY2009.

• For each continuation grantee entering Years 3, 4, and 5 (originally awarded Fund Code: 790 grants in FY2006-2008), the maximum FY2010 grant amount is equal to 14% of the grant amount in FY2009.

The Department reserves the right to alter the award to each funded school district. See Attachment A in the Additional Information section below for a list of eligible continuation grant applicants and the maximum grant amount that may be applied for in FY2010.

Grant funds may be used for salaries for staff to coordinate the program, curriculum development, teacher stipends, consultants, substitutes, a range of approaches to address behavior issues, technology, travel, conferences, purchase of materials and supplies, printing, and reproduction of materials.

These funds may not be used for programs serving exclusively students with disabilities or to supplant existing alternative education programs (not previously funded through Fund Code: 790).

Proposals must be received at the Department by 5:00 p.m. on the date due.

1.      Part I - General - Program Unit Signature Page - (Standard Contract Form and Application for Program Grants)

2.     Part II Workbook - Budget (II-A) and Budget Narrative (II-B)*
   
   (Print and mail with the application all four budget and budget narrative pages. See important opening instructions below.)

3.     Part III - Required Program Information

4.     Part IV - Student Support Collaboration and Coordination

5.     Grant Assurances

6.      Alternative Education Self-Evaluation Tool for FY09

*NOTE: The Budget and Budget Narrative Workbook is a Microsoft Excel file which includes macros that enable the workbook to compute totals and summary tables.

1. For Microsoft Office 2000/2003, you may need to change the security setting in Excel before opening the file. In Excel, click 'Tools', 'Macro', and then 'Security'. When the dialog box appears, change the security setting to 'Medium' and then click 'OK'. You can now open the budget file.

2. For Microsoft Office 2007, you must save the workbook as an earlier version of Excel (.xls not .xlsx).

1.      Attachment A - List of eligible continuation grant applicants and the maximum grant amount for which they may apply in FY2010.

2.     Schedule C (Optional form for the FY2010 application, to be completed by any partnering agencies that are external to the district. Note: Different partnering agencies can be listed on separate Schedule C forms if that is helpful.)

3. Budget Detail - Description of Line Item Information

Submit two (2) sets of the completed application, each with an original signature of the Superintendent/Executive Director. Mail to: