Valdosta BOE approves $3.5M grant for afterschool programs and student trips

Published 1:00 am Thursday, July 31, 2025

VALDOSTA — The Valdosta City Schools Board of Education convened for a called meeting on Tuesday to review several student-focused action items, with a major highlight being the approval of a substantial five-year federal grant aimed at expanding afterschool opportunities.

Dr. Terri Lockhart led the presentation on the fiscal year 2026 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant, a federally funded program that supports high-quality afterschool and summer opportunities for students in high-need areas. Valdosta City Schools has been recommended by the Georgia Department of Education to receive $3.5 million in total across two programs — $350,000 each per year for five years.

Lockhart, who championed the district’s application for the grant, walked the board through the benefits for students’ academic and personal growth. The 21st CCLC programs offer tutoring, STEM and arts enrichment, physical activities and homework support in a structured setting outside regular school hours. The funding is intended to help students succeed both in and out of the classroom. 

Programming and sustainability will depend on continued allocation of these funds through the full five-year grant cycle. The board approved the acceptance of these funds.

In addition to the grant, the board also approved two travel-related items. The Valdosta High School Marching Cats will attend the 2025 HBCU Labor Day Classic Battle of the Bands in Mississippi and the 2025 US Band STATS Competition in South Carolina. Both trips will be funded through band fundraising efforts. SL Mason Elementary also received approval for an end-of-year field trip to Disney World, scheduled for May 12-13 of next year.