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Valley schools slated to receive more than $2M in grants
By Denise Dick
COLUMBUS
More than $2 million in state dollars is headed to the Mahoning Valley to fund education initiatives.
The Straight A Governing Board recommended $14.8 million in 23 grants to 90 schools. The state controlling board, which meets Aug. 8, must approve the grants.
The Mahoning County Educational Service Center is recommended for $990,048 for its Mahoning Valley Prepared for Success project.
“The Mahoning Valley Prepared for Success project will make a stronger connection between education and economic developing in the Valley,” said Ron Iarussi, superintendent of the ESC and Mahoning County Career and Technical Center. “It’s based around college and career readiness.”
Austintown, Campbell, Canfield, Columbiana, Poland, Springfield and Struthers schools and the career and technical center are participants.
Campbell City Schools are the lead applicant for the $915,603 grant for the North East Ohio Literacy Consortium. Participating schools are Austintown, Beaver, Brookfield and West Branch schools, Newbury Schools in Geauga County, Windham Schools in Portage County and Youngstown Community School.
MCCTC also is participating with Marion Schools in Lucas County to implement a simulated work place. That grant would be for $623,606.
Iarussi said the Prepared for Success program includes a component to prepare students who don’t want to go to college to be job-ready. That would include students earning industry credentials in high school.
It also will get students who want to go to college prepared, he said.
The literacy consortium for which Campbell schools is the lead applicant is for professional development and training of staff to implement the Literacy Collaborative in the respective schools.
Literacy Collaborative is a pathway created by Ohio State University to bolster students’ reading.
“Literary Collaborative is a proven framework that if implemented with fidelity yields positive results for all students,” said Matthew Bowen, Campbell superintendent.
Kim Davis, director of teaching and learning at the Mahoning County ESC, said the difference between the Literacy Collaborative and other literacy programs is meeting students at the skill level where they are.
“It really is individualized,” Davis said.
The $623,606 grant for simulated workplace would teach students “soft skills” along with the hard skills to do the job.
Soft skills including arriving to work on time, making eye contact, communicating with others and working with others.
Community business representatives have told educators that young people lack these skills when they enter the workforce.
Gov. John R. Kasich created the Straight A Fund in 2013, and the state budget signed last summer included $30 million for a two-year continuation.