MONROE - A grant awarded to Wisconsin from the U.S. Department of Education in late October may affect Monroe students who attend a virtual charter school, but it's still too early to know how much, if at all.
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction announced the five-year grant, which will total more than $95 million. According to the release sent by DPI Communications Director Tom McCarthy, the program will be able to use grant funds to open 80 new charter schools and expand 27 existing charters throughout Wisconsin.
"The grant, the largest in the country this year, will support the growth of high-quality charter schools, especially secondary schools that serve educationally disadvantaged students; strengthen and improve charter authorizing quality; and promote and support collaboration and sharing of best practices across the state," the release stated, adding a comment from State Superintendent Tony Evers about students deserving access to innovations "regardless of their circumstances."
As part of the JEDI Virtual Charter School Consortium, some Monroe school district students may benefit.
JEDI Director Leslie Steinhaus said the board of directors met Nov. 15 to discuss options. The group concluded the best option is to apply for a subgrant. First, the virtual school will need to evaluate the students it serves to see how many fall into the category of educational disadvantage, whether that means the student has been short on credits following their freshman year or proved unsuccessful in courses.
"In particular, we were looking at applying for subgrants and writing for those kids who need that help," Steinhaus said.
According to data from Monroe District Administrator Rick Waski, Monroe High School currently has two full-time students enrolled in JEDI along with six part-time students. That number is likely to increase as the year continues, he said. Last school year, there were three full-time and 14 part-time students utilizing the virtual school's curriculum. In Monroe Middle School, there have only been part-time students, a total of six in two years.
Steinhaus said the school will now shift its focus to collecting data on how many students they serve who are considered at a disadvantage.
"It was already our goal anyway," she said.
The process will take three months, beginning in December and ending in February, before an application can be submitted for a subgrant in March. If awarded to JEDI, the funds would be dispersed in the fall. Steinhaus noted that the school will not know how many students may be in need of help, but the data should aid in identifying them.
In addition to funding individual charters, the grant will establish the Wisconsin Resource Center for Charter Schools, according to the release. The goals of the center would be to provide development programs and create collaborative partnerships with schools throughout the state. Steinhaus said JEDI would welcome the tool.
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction announced the five-year grant, which will total more than $95 million. According to the release sent by DPI Communications Director Tom McCarthy, the program will be able to use grant funds to open 80 new charter schools and expand 27 existing charters throughout Wisconsin.
"The grant, the largest in the country this year, will support the growth of high-quality charter schools, especially secondary schools that serve educationally disadvantaged students; strengthen and improve charter authorizing quality; and promote and support collaboration and sharing of best practices across the state," the release stated, adding a comment from State Superintendent Tony Evers about students deserving access to innovations "regardless of their circumstances."
As part of the JEDI Virtual Charter School Consortium, some Monroe school district students may benefit.
JEDI Director Leslie Steinhaus said the board of directors met Nov. 15 to discuss options. The group concluded the best option is to apply for a subgrant. First, the virtual school will need to evaluate the students it serves to see how many fall into the category of educational disadvantage, whether that means the student has been short on credits following their freshman year or proved unsuccessful in courses.
"In particular, we were looking at applying for subgrants and writing for those kids who need that help," Steinhaus said.
According to data from Monroe District Administrator Rick Waski, Monroe High School currently has two full-time students enrolled in JEDI along with six part-time students. That number is likely to increase as the year continues, he said. Last school year, there were three full-time and 14 part-time students utilizing the virtual school's curriculum. In Monroe Middle School, there have only been part-time students, a total of six in two years.
Steinhaus said the school will now shift its focus to collecting data on how many students they serve who are considered at a disadvantage.
"It was already our goal anyway," she said.
The process will take three months, beginning in December and ending in February, before an application can be submitted for a subgrant in March. If awarded to JEDI, the funds would be dispersed in the fall. Steinhaus noted that the school will not know how many students may be in need of help, but the data should aid in identifying them.
In addition to funding individual charters, the grant will establish the Wisconsin Resource Center for Charter Schools, according to the release. The goals of the center would be to provide development programs and create collaborative partnerships with schools throughout the state. Steinhaus said JEDI would welcome the tool.