At State School Superintendent Richard Woods’ recommendation, the State Board of Education (BOE)voted Tuesday to distribute $48.2 million in federal funds to 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) subgrantees, using carryover funds to hold the amount steady for local communities despite a decrease in federal funding.
21st CCLC funds, which support after-school and summer learning programs for students throughout Georgia, were released by the U.S. Department of Education (USED) last week following pressure from Woods and other state and local leaders. USED also announced last week it will release all other previously unawarded federal funding.
GaDOE had funds available to cover the gap for 21st CCLC subgrantees to ensure the agency could weather changes in federal funds without impacting Georgia students.
“It is incredibly important to us in Georgia to be good stewards of federal and state dollars and responsibly manage these funds so services can continue in our public schools,” Woods said Tuesday. “That prudent fiscal responsibility allowed us to see a decrease in federal funds for afterschool and summer learning programs without passing it on to local communities or students.”