Galion City Schools awarded more than $2 million in grants

GALION—The Galion City Schools is excited to announce that the district has been awarded more than $2 million in grants.

The Galion City Schools was awarded the Comprehensive Literacy State Development Subgrant for Birth to 5, totaling $394,000 from the Ohio Department of Education. This grant is designed to develop new procedures and processes in the area of literacy for ages Birth to 5 and be able to maintain and sustain at the end of the grant with Galion being a model school for the state.

“We currently have approximately 69% of our students reading at grade-level and prepared for kindergarten,” Galion Director of Instruction Melisa Watters said. “Our ultimate goal is to have 90% of our preschool students prepared for kindergarten by 2024.”

The district, in collaboration with the Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center (MOESC), has also received the 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) grant, which was awarded to the Galion Primary and Intermediate Schools and the Galion Middle School. The 21st CCLC grant totals $400,000 per year over a five-year period, equating to approximately $2 million for before and after school programming for Galion students.

“Study after study has shown that a quality before and after school program can be a tremendous benefit to students,” Galion Superintendent Jennifer Allerding said. “Thanks to MOESC we are working with former Galion administrator Mrs. Sandy Powell to develop the new programs that will assist our families with before and after school options and will help our kindergarten through eighth-grade students build skills necessary for success.”

MOESC Superintendent Kevin Kimmel said this is an exciting opportunity for the Galion City Schools students, families and staff.

“The 21st CCLC grant will have a profound impact on the success of Galion students for many years to come,” said Kimmel.

The monies from each grant are required to be spent on very specific items related to the expenses to conduct each program.

“The grants require us to only use the funds for the intended purposes outlined in each grant application,” Allerding said. “We are excited for the future that these programs have for the students of the Galion City Schools.”