This message is for school administrative units that have received funding under the following grants under Rural Education Assistance Programs (REAP) including the Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) or Rural and Low Income Schools (RLIS). If your district has not received funds from these programs in the past, you may disregard this notice.
On April 3, the U.S. Department of Education sent a letter to local education agencies regarding the Rural Education Assistance Program (REAP) administered under Title VI of the Elementary Secondary Education Act. The U.S. Department of Education Letter outlines new provisions resulting from the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in December, 2015 and contains information regarding 2017 eligibility. Please note the following important notes regarding SRSA grants.
- Districts eligible for SRSA Funds must submit an application directly to www.grants.gov
- The application window opens early May and will remain open for 60 days.
- If no application is received and the district is NOT dually eligible for RLIS then no Title VI funds will be awarded to the district
- If a district is dually eligible and no application is received then they will be considered for the RLIS grant automatically
For questions regarding the Rural Education Assistance Program and available grants, contact Daniel Weeks at Daniel.r.weeks@maine.gov or 207-624-6749.