Maine DOE to apply for School Improvement Grant funding, seeks public comment on waiver

The Maine DOE will again apply for federal School Improvement Grant funding that the Department would distribute to help the state’s most struggling schools close achievement gaps.

Maine’s application for SIG funding, which is in progress, will include a “period of availability” waiver request.  This waiver would extend the time period in which funds for new SIG awards could be utilized and thus school improvement efforts carried out. If approved, the waiver would take the current limitation of a three-year funding cycle for SIG and extend it to five years. This proposed change to the current grant cycle would benefit local districts as there will be additional time for planning, pre-implementation and sustainability activities related to the SIG program and overall school turnaround efforts.

If Maine is successful in receiving federal SIG funding, schools that are categorized as “priority” under the State’s Title I accountability system would be eligible to apply for the grant and would be contacted with more detail on doing so. Eligible schools include:

Comments related to the Department’s intent to apply and waiver request should be sent to Maine DOE Federal Grant Coordinator Travis Doughty at travis.w.doughty@maine.gov. Comments will be accepted through Thursday, March 26.

Last year, the Department awarded $1.6 million in SIG funding to the James Otis Kaler Elementary School. The South Portland school intends to raise student proficiency in math and reading by 10 percent annually over the three years of the grant.

For more information about the School Improvement Grant program, visit http://www.maine.gov/doe/sig/ or contact Maine DOE Federal Grant Coordinator Travis Doughty at travis.w.doughty@maine.gov or 624-6709.