Healthy grants
Several local or district health departments, a school district and a medical clinic in Kentucky have received federal grants to support school-based health centers.
The Kentucky awardees are among the 278 funded nationwide by the Health and Human Services Department to increase the capacity of their school-based health centers by more than 50 percent. The centers provide health screenings, health promotions and disease prevention activities. The federal money comes through the Affordable Care Act.
The Kentucky grantees are: Marshall County Health Department, Benton, $186,080; Pennyrile District Health Department, Eddyville, $498,978; Jefferson County Public Schools, $28,410; Lake Cumberland District Health Department, Somerset, $26,575; and Cumberland Family Medical Center, Burkesville, $500,000.
On a related front, the U.S. Department of Education awarded physical education grants to two Kentucky school districts and an education cooperative. The Carol M. White Physical Education Program grants will help schools initiate or expand P.E. and nutrition education programs for grades K-12. Boone County Schools received $615,868 and Butler County Schools received $345,000. The Northern Kentucky Cooperative for Educational Services won a $534,600 grant.
Last chance
November 15 is the deadline for applying for the major awards that will be presented during KSBA’s 2012 annual conference, Feb. 3-5. The honors include the F.L. Dupree Award for outstanding superintendent; the Warren Proudfoot Award for current or former school board member, judged and presented by the Kentucky PTA; the Friend of Education Award recognizing contributions to local school districts by an individual or organization; and the Kids First Advocacy Awards honoring advocacy by a school board member, superintendent, state senator and state representative.
Fundraising tips
Kentucky school foundations that are planning fundraisers may want to check out a recent publication by Guidestar, an information resource for nonprofits. Its report, “The Fundraising Methods That Worked Best in 2010—and Could Work Best in 2011,” draws on the results of the Nonprofit Research Collaborative’s 2010 Fundraising Survey to answer these questions. Among other things, the report examines the fundraising techniques that raised the most money for survey participants in 2010 and shows why the fundraising methods used most often weren’t necessarily the most effective. The information is free online and can be accessed here.
Massey front and center
Boone County school board member C. Ed Massey, president-elect of the National School Boards Association, took part in a Capitol Hill briefing by the Pre-K Coalition on Oct. 4. NSBA and six other leading national education organizations are urging the federal government to take a more active leadership role in assuring that all children have access to quality preschool education.
The briefing was for a report the coalition has issued calling on policy makers at all levels to better fund pre-K and integrate it with the rest of the education system.
“We believe if we have them ready to learn in those important years, it will have a huge effect on the years they’re in the [K-12] system,” said Massey, who also is a former KSBA president. “Pre-K is not separate, apart from K-12. It is a part of that process.”
The coalition also called on Congress to expand the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to include early education practices and interventions.