USD 428 in Great Bend has secured a $15,000 grant that will help homeless students in the school district. The money comes from the McKinney-Vento Homeless grant, which Director of Teaching and Learning JoAnn Blevins helped secure for the school district. The McKinney-Vento grant comes from the U.S. Department of Education. Its purpose is to remove barriers from unhoused children and youth so everyone has equal access to free and public education “We applied for the max amount that we could apply for, which was $15,000, and so that’s what I applied for, and that’s what we were lucky enough to receive,” Blevins told KSN. “Those funds will be used to help further establish our McKinney-Vento program. In Great Bend, the number of kids we have living in poverty is to the extent that we should be identifying more kids that are eligible for McKinney-Vento support.” Blevins said the money will be used in part to develop an educational campaign that will help the community know more about support from the McKinney-Vento program. Eligible students and families will have support like paying for school fees for high schoolers working on college classes or supply fees for welding or art classes. They’re also eligible for free breakfast and lunch, clothing and medical, dental and vision needs, which Blevins said are all barriers to learning.
Source: KSN-TV
