Nearly $32K awarded to CTCs in West to Southwest Philly to support safe return to learning
Rep. Joanna E. McClinton August 6, 2020
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 6 – Students West to Southwest in the legislative district of state Rep. Joanna McClinton will return to learning in a safer environment thanks to pandemic relief funding meant to help schools implement safety plans for students and staff.
According to McClinton, Continuity of Education and Equity Grants were awarded to William L. Sayre High School ($8,178) and the Southwest Leadership Academy Charter School ($23,700) in her legislative district.
The funding comes from the federal CARES Act and authorizes governors to determine the educational use of these relief funds. Continuity of Education and Equity Grants provide funding to support effective continuity of education programs such as summer and other expanded programming and industry credential assessments for students enrolled in career and technology centers negatively impacted by COVID-19 mitigation.
“COVID-19 has put numerous and seemingly insurmountable obstacles in front of us each and every day,” McClinton said. “It has derailed education and career readiness in ways we have yet to fully grasp. I am grateful there are grants like this available to help our career schools stay focused on educating our young people in the safest way possible. And, I will continue to work in my capacity as a legislator and advocate to collaborate on ways to ease the burden our community, state, nation and world are facing as we battle this deadly virus.”
According to McClinton, the funds may be used for a variety of resources, including protective equipment, hand sanitizer/cleaning products, equipment or technology to take classrooms online, installation of barriers or other protective devices in building structures, and the purchase of health apps to assist in contact tracing and monitoring of students.
The funding is part of a $10.2 million package allocated to career and technical schools throughout the state. Schools will be able to access the funds in the next week.
The Department of Education said grants were calculated based on the allocation formula for federal Perkins CTC grants, which takes into account the population of students ages 5-17 and the percent of poverty within the same age group. In addition, the formula includes a factor to account for a local education agency’s overall student enrollment in career and technical education programs.