BOISE, Idaho — Students are the future of our communities and something worth investing in. Millions of dollars will go to Gem State schools as part of a federal grant program to help rural communities across Idaho.
A $6.5 million grant will be used to support community school programs across Idaho, including in rural areas. U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona visited Boise schools on Tuesday to announce the grant and meet with students.
"$6.5 million is coming to enhance the already strong, full-service community school programs in Idaho," Secretary Cardona said. "We're proud that we could see it firsthand [at Whitney Elementary School] to see the benefits that it has for students, for the entire community - they get it right here. We know that for far too long, rural communities haven't been given the attention they deserve. So we're pleased to see that these dollars are also going toward that."
Secretary Cardona visited two community schools, Whitney Elementary and Frank Church High School in Boise. His visit also included a roundtable discussion with education and community leaders. Cardona called Whitney Elementary a "model program" with resources like after-school programs and a community center.
United Way of Treasure Valley applied for and was awarded the grant. United Way President Tim Jackson said that community schools, which offer resources outside the classroom, can be cornerstones of the community.
"We recognize that for every child to succeed in school, they need not only a lot of support academically, but to be healthy, well-rounded children," Jackson said. "We want every child to succeed. So bringing the community into the school means making resources available in the school, having activities and engagement opportunities for parents - things before school, after school, summer programming, enrichment activities - just really helping our children to flourish."
Idaho has 41 community schools across 25 districts. Jackson said the grant will help spread community school programs to 50 more schools across the state.
A large focus of the statewide initiative is on schools in rural areas and Title I schools.
"If you think about the fact that more than 70% of Idaho is rural, and a lot of rural communities have limited additional resources to help children outside of the school setting, this grant is going to help bring those resources together and help to support those students," Jackson said.
The $6.5 million for Idaho schools is part of a nearly $74 million nationwide initiative to support community schools announced by the U.S. Department of Education.
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