The Leflore County School Board approved applying for two grants Monday — one for rural and low-income districts and another for students who are homeless or live in substandard housing.
Both grants are offered through the state.
The district has been designated to receive $73,311 for the Title VI Rural and Low Income Grant, based on its number of students and then poverty level. Superintendent Jean Hall said most of the money will be used to pay tutors. Also, because the district must provide transportation home for students who are tutored, a small amount will go to the bus drivers. Whatever is left will go toward tutoring in the extended school in the summer, she said.
Hall said the $73,311 is less than last year's grant because of the decline in enrollment.
The other grant is made available through the McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program. Among the children qualifying are those who are homeless or must live with other relatives because they have lost their homes. Hall said about 200 students in the district meet the criteria.
It has not been decided how much money the district will seek, but Hall said it probably will be between $35,000 and $40,000. The last time the Leflore County schools received this grant, the amount was $39,192.
The majority of the money would be used for tutoring, which, under a plan being discussed, would be offered for 31 hours a week for about 43 weeks. In the past, the remainder of the money has helped pay for case management services.
Hall said the district has received this grant before but is not assured of receiving it again. The application is due in Jackson on Thursday.
Also Monday, the board authorized sending two students from Leflore County High School and two from Amanda Elzy High School to Washington, D.C., in December for a national leadership conference that will include competitions in public speaking and interviewing. The four students will be selected through local competitions.
This opportunity is offered through Jobs for Mississippi Graduates, a dropout prevention program.
