Kane County Reporter

At the Sept. 12  Geneva Community Unit  School district Board of Education meeting, the board heard from Shonette Sims, director for Learning & Teaching, who gave a review of the annual grants that the district has received and how it spends that money.

"And we're very fortunate, our district provides quite a bit to each student already. So this is absolutely a wonderful addition to what they receive generally," Sims said.  "This is a collaborative and ongoing process that we engage in. And again, it happens throughout the year and it just kind of kicks back up and we do the same process, you know, pick up where we left off and start again.”

The board reviewed its current grant status for the 22-23 school year and fiscal year. The district received its annual grants, like Elementary and Secondary Education App, Consolidated Technological Education, ESSER funds (including ESSER II and III), various Emergency rescue grants, Language Instructional Education Program grants, and some others. The LIEP was approved just hours before the board meeting.

Sims reviewed the three title grants, which are all under the ESEA. Title One funds are given to students who have been identified as in need and at risk based on the percentage of students in the school who are on free and reduced lunch plans. Title Two is for everyone in the district and mostly goes to retaining and recruiting staff. Title Four goes to ensure well-balanced education for all students, so it can cover areas where the district is falling behind.

The ESSER funds that were given to the district were in response to the COVID pandemic. The funds are for reopening schools and maintaining education through the virus. Initial funding for it was received in 2020, when the district received $350,000, most of which was used for cleaning. The district received almost $1.2 million through ESSER II, using a lot of money for cleaning and personnel costs to cover hybrid learning. The district also purchased drinking fountains and bottle filling stations. Through ESSER III, the district received over $2.6 million, which went to cleaning costs and purchasing new curriculums.