The Rochester City School District has been awarded almost $4 million in grant money to support “well-rounded educational opportunities.”
The $3.75 million grant distributed by the state comes from a $28.5 million pot of federal money designated for “persistently dangerous” low-income schools with “consistently underperforming subgroups of students.”
Schools could apply for grants in one of three categories: safe and healthy students, effective use of technology, and well-rounded educational opportunities.
The Rochester district received nearly a third of the money the state gave out in the educational opportunities category. The education department said that grant should go toward helping students “make important connections between their studies, their curiosities, and their passions.”
The grants are flexible, the state education department said, allowing local districts to decide where the money can best be spent. They are funded under Title IV of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, which allocates money to states for them to distribute to local districts and public charter schools.
Other area districts receiving grant funding include the Lyons Central School District, which got $600,000 in the educational opportunities category, and the Pembroke Central School District, which received $37,000 to help educators use technology.
Christie Maisano, director of technology for the Pembroke district, said the grant will fund professional development that teaches teachers.
“We have new interactive displays with extraordinarily more options than the old smartboards,” she said. “We’re excited about our new technology, but we need help and support to know how best to use it.”