Newark, MD, July 25, 2023– Worcester County Public Schools (WCPS) was notified this week that the school system will receive over $2.6 million from the competitive Stronger Connections grant program under Title IV, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA).
The competitive grant, which spans the next three academic years, provides funding to increase the school system’s capacity to provide students with safe, inclusive, and supportive learning environments. Dovetailing with WCPS’s Blueprint implementation efforts, the Stronger Connections funding will increase students’ sense of belonging – both culturally and linguistically, forge connections that bolster existing school safety efforts, and provide additional support to those students overcoming challenging and traumatic experiences.
The grant enables the school system to hire five additional positions for the duration of the grant period. The below positions and programmatic enhancements will be evaluated at the conclusion of the grant to determine sustainability beyond the grant term.
- A certified health education teacher will support WCPS’ integrated Health Literacy Program. The position, based at Pocomoke Middle and Snow Hill Middle Schools will support outreach efforts, including those initiatives by local partners, to target declining student health data measures at the schools.
- A certified music and movement teacher will be added at Pocomoke Elementary School to increase access to high quality instruction at the school system’s most diverse Title I elementary school. The teacher will support students’ physical health, well-being, and motor skill development as measured by the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment.
- Two pupil personnel workers will be added to the Office of Student, Family, and Community Connections. These workers have become not only an integral component of the school system’s crisis management processes, but a key factor in increasing family engagement. In addition to support schools during School Improvement Planning, the workers will offer case management and wraparound services for students and families.
- An early childhood education coach will support the enhancement of Early Childhood Education across the school system through guiding the implementation of play-based learning strategies during instructional centers in order to further increase rigor during students’ early learning years.
In addition to personnel, the grant provides for additional wraparound services in the form of sensory integration training for school system occupational therapists as well as contracted services for Board Certified Behavior Analysis for students who display extreme behavioral challenges. The grant also targets identified programming inequities in the school system’s Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program and will allow for the development of a teacher training cohort in the implementation of play-based learning activities during instructional centers.
“We are incredibly proud to have secured this multi-million dollar competitive grant, which will have a direct impact on so many of our students,” Superintendent of Schools Lou Taylor said. “While Worcester County is a high performing school system, we are also identified as high-need by the State, and bringing these funds to our students helps us to continue to put programs and staff in place to ensure every student can succeed in school.”
The Stronger Connections competitive grant program was available to school systems identified as “high need” as defined by the following criteria:
- a high number or percentage of students living in poverty (e.g., at least 40 %).
- a high student-to-mental health professional ratio.
- high rates of chronic absenteeism, exclusionary discipline, referrals to the juvenile justice system, bullying/harassment, community and school violence, or substance abuse; or
- where students recently experienced a natural disaster or traumatic event.