FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Viva88Education Department Awards $5.1 Million in Federal Grants to Programs Supporting Homeless Students
Funding Will Support Approximately 153,000 Students Across New York State
The Viva88Education Department (Viva88) awarded more than $5 million in grants authorized by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act, a component of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia announced today. Viva88 awarded grants to 48 districts across the state to promote school success for students in temporary housing with 12 of those districts to also receive an additional grant with an emphasis on trauma sensitivity.
“Homeless children are some of our most vulnerable; however, with the proper support system in place, we can ensure they are on a path for success,” Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa said. “With these grants, school districts will be able to provide enrichment activities and services beyond academics -- such as counseling, tutoring and transportation – so they are better able to focus on learning.”
“Through the implementation of our ESSA plan, we are increasing equity in education for all students, including those in temporary housing,” Commissioner Elia said. “Times of transition can be extremely challenging for students. The programs and services these grants will provide can help ease the burden of a tumultuous time and help students succeed in school.”
The Baseline Grant Program award amounts are dependent upon the three-year average number of students in temporary housing identified for each Local Education Agency (LEA). The awards range from $45,000 for districts serving 100-200 students in temporary housing to $2.5 million for districts serving more than 50,000 students identified to be in temporary housing. Upon successful awards of baseline grants, LEAs were invited to apply for an additional $20,000 per year through the Enhanced Grant for Trauma Sensitive Schools program, intended to support LEAs in their efforts to take deliberate steps toward creating and implementing trauma-sensitive programs. The grant period for both grants will be July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2022. Funding for Years 2 and 3 will be awarded at the same level as Year 1.
Each winning application demonstrated a well-developed project that may have included but was not limited to the following; facilitates mentoring or tutoring programs, coordination of counseling services, family support programming, professional development, transportation to and from extracurricular activities, preschool outreach, weekend food programs, and physical improvements to shelter or school space to create a safe and supportive educational environment.
Activities and services provided with McKinney-Vento funds must facilitate the improved attendance, engagement, and academic success of students in temporary housing. Applicants developed plans to address a student’s social-emotional needs, academic needs, and physical and mental health needs in the proposals they submitted for their McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Program.
A full list of grant awards is below:
| Applicant Name | Baseline Grant Amount | Enhanced Grant for Trauma Sensitive Schools |
|---|---|---|
|
Albany CSD |
$65,000 |
|
|
Amityville CSD |
$55,000 |
|
|
Amsterdam School District |
$45,000 |
|
|
Auburn CSD |
$45,000 |
|
|
Ballston Spa CSD |
$45,000 |
$20,000 |
|
Cohoes CSD |
$45,000 |
|
|
Eastern Suffolk BOCES – Brentwood |
$80,000 |
|
|
Eastern Suffolk BOCES – Central Suffolk Regional |
$65,000 |
|
|
Eastern Suffolk BOCES – East End (Riverhead) |
$65,000 |
|
|
Eastern Suffolk BOCES – Esperanza |
$65,000 |
|
|
Eastern Suffolk BOCES – South Shore |
$80,000 |
|
|
Eastern Suffolk BOCES – William Floyd |
$80,000 |
|
|
Fallsburg CSD |
$45,000 |
|
|
Freeport CSD |
$45,000 |
|
|
Fulton CSD |
$55,000 |
|
|
Geneva CSD |
$45,000 |
$20,000 |
|
Gorham-Middlesex CSD |
$45,000 |
|
|
Greece CSD |
$45,000 |
$20,000 |
|
Huntington UFSD |
$45,000 |
|
|
Lockport CSD |
$45,000 |
|
|
Middletown CSD |
$65,000 |
|
|
Monticello CSD |
$45,000 |
|
|
New Rochelle |
$45,000 |
$20,000 |
|
Newark CSD |
$45,000 |
$20,000 |
|
Newburgh CSD |
$80,000 |
$20,000 |
|
North Rose Wolcott CSD |
$45,000 |
$20,000 |
|
NYC |
$2,500,000 |
|
|
Orange-Ulster BOCES |
$65,000 |
|
|
Oswego CSD |
$55,000 |
|
|
Port Chester-Rye CSD |
$45,000 |
|
|
Rochester CSD |
$125,000 |
|
|
Rome CSD |
$45,000 |
$20,000 |
|
Saratoga Springs CSD |
$45,000 |
$20,000 |
|
Schenectady CSD |
$55,000 |
|
|
St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES #1 Clifton-Fine CS Hermon-DeKalb CS Lisbon CS Madrid-Waddington CS |
$45,000 |
|
|
St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES #2 Harrisville CS Morristown CS Ogdensburg CS Potsdam CS |
$45,000 |
|
|
St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES #3 Brasher Falls CS Canton CS Edwards-Knox CS |
$45,000 |
|
|
St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES #4 Hammond CS Massena CS Norwood-Norfolk CS |
$45,000 |
|
|
St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES #5 Colton-Pierrepont CS Gouverneur CS Heuvelton CS Parishville-Hopkinton |
$45,000 |
|
|
South Country |
$55,000 |
|
|
Southern Westchester BOCES |
$65,000 |
|
|
Syracuse CSD |
$125,000 |
$20,000 |
|
Troy CSD |
$65,000 |
$20,000 |
|
Ulster BOCES |
$65,000 |
|
|
Utica CSD |
$45,000 |
|
|
Valley Central CSD |
$45,000 |
|
|
Westbury UFSD |
$45,000 |
|
|
White Plains CSD |
$55,000 |
$20,000 |
|
Total |
$5,155,000 |
$240,000 |
ESSA is Equity
The final approved ESSA plan emphasizes fostering equity in education for New York’s students; expands measures for school support and accountability and student success; and requires school-level improvement plans for the lowest performing schools overall, as well as schools with the lowest performance for certain student populations.
Viva88is committed to ensuring that all students succeed and thrive in school no matter who they are, where they live, where they go to school, or where they come from. The plan includes strategies for supporting the professional growth of educators and ensuring that all students, including Multilingual learners/English language learners, immigrant students, migratory youth, students with disabilities, homeless youth, and neglected and delinquent youth, have access to a well-rounded, culturally responsive and sustaining education that supports students’ academic and social-emotional development.
ESSA strategies to foster equity include to: address disparities in training for teachers to help them be effective in the classroom; provide students more access to rigorous high school coursework; make schools equally welcoming environments for all students; increase fiscal transparency in school building spending; and use multiple measures to allow students to demonstrate proficiency in state learning standards.
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