USD 257 superintendent Brian Pekarek gathered a small group of motivated teachers in Iola High School’s lecture hall Wednesday to discuss writing grant proposals to seek funding for local classrooms.
The presentation was a product of a job-embedded staff development program instituted by the school district. However, Pekarek said the teachers assembled voluntarily and the program is not required by the administration. The program was set up to instruct teachers on ways to attract funds from organizations willing to grant them to school districts, Pekarek said.
According to Pekarek, last school year the district acquired over $1.3 million in grant funds. Contributing organizations included Early Steps to Schools’ Success, Save the Children and a $600,000 grant from 21st Century. Grant money is distributed throughout the district to fund school trips, do facility upgrades and provide programs.