Hamilton County schools to benefit from $1.5M in grants

Published 12:00 pm Thursday, February 1, 2018

JASPER — The Hamilton County School District is hoping two different grants will help improve the quality of education and overall wellbeing of its students.

The district received grants totaling $1,578,000 to help students at both Hamilton County High School and Hamilton County Elementary School.

The Unified School Improvement Grant (UNISIG) provided HCHS with more than $200,000 and HCES around $400,000 in grant funding, according to Superintendent Rex Mitchell.

Mitchell said the money from the UNISIG grant will be used for creating a resource teacher position at the high school, which will help students who need help in individual areas instead of being one class all day long. This grant money will also be used to have a social worker at both schools to help students who have social and emotional needs.

That grant is also being used for software for reading and math that will track the students’ progress.

“The second grant is the Top 3 grant which is a very competitive grant,” Mitchell said. “There are only 25 given in the state and we were one of the one’s chosen.

“To qualify for the grant we have to create a contract that includes a wrap around plan as a grant proposal. Not just focusing on the students academically, but by taking care of their needs emotionally, socially and behavioral.”

That grant is for HCES and is a grant that gives $2,000 per student. According to Mitchell it took the number of students who were enrolled from North Hamilton Elementary to calculate the amount of money received, which calculated to $978,000.

With that funding, the district is going to bring in resource officers for each grade level.

With the resource teachers and the social worker, Mitchell stated this will help cut back on office visits with them being able to communicate with the student and figure out what needs to be done.

During the summer, the school will also now provide two programs, including a two-week program for teachers to relearn the teaching methods for reading, an area the schools have struggled with according to Mitchell. There will also be a 20-day reading camp for all elementary school grade levels.

“This is the first year we are having more than just the third graders attending the reading camp,” Mitchell said. “Third graders have to because of Florida law, but the school wants to allow all students the opportunity and will have buses available due to this grant funding.”

The school will also be able to contract with medical service to help meet some of the medical needs of students, Mitchell said. During the summer it will also be adding 3-year-olds to its pre-kindergarten program to get a head start.

Mitchell said HCES will be receiving a new art teacher in the 2018-19 school year as well as a truancy intervention person to help cut down on the amount of students missing school.

“We have a lot of good opportunities over the next 15 to 18 months by grants that is being funded through the state of Florida,” Mitchell said.