WiRSA Update - October 1, 2024

Highlights / Opportunity

EPA CLEAN SCHOOL BUS - CSB Rebate Applications (NOW OPEN)

Announcing the 2024 Clean School Bus Rebate Program

On September 26th, the EPA is announcing the opening of the 2024 Clean School Bus (CSB) Rebate Program application period! This is the third rebate funding opportunity through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s multi-year CSB Program. Under the 2024 CSB Rebate Program, the EPA anticipates awarding up to $965 million in rebate funding with the potential to modify this figure based on the application pool and other factors.

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Fab Labs Grant Program for WEDC. 

• The Fab Labs Grant Program from WEDC is a non-competitive grant program and only requires a match of 50% to 1 to allow for purchases for equipment related to STEAM education. 

• The FY25 grant round will be opening on October 15, 2024.  We have funded many rural districts throughout the state in this program, but I feel that there are so many more that we haven’t reached or may not be aware of the program. A map of districts funded through the program is here, as well as links to the webpage regarding the program.  https://wedc.org/programs/fabrication-laboratories-grant/

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Rural Schools Collaborative

• Grants in Place Fellows - How Grants Empower Teachers

• Right now, the applications are open for Rural Schools Collaborative’s Grants in Place program. Grants in Places Awards exceptional rural teacher-leaders with modest grants to carry out Place-Based Education projects in their communities, creating meaningful learning experiences for students and transforming the role of each participating Fellow.

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U.S. Department of Education News / Dept. of Labor 

• READ, SHARE, & USE / 50 State Fact Sheets detail Biden-Harris investments in America’s students, schools, and colleges

  Earlier this month, the Department released 52 fact sheets, detailing the specific actions and investments the Biden-Harris Administration has taken to strengthen schools, colleges, and universities and invest in students across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, and the impact of those investments delivering results for students, families, and communities. The fact sheets illustrate, in concrete terms, how the Biden-Harris Administration’s Raise the Bar: Lead the World initiative is at work in our communities, bolstering educational experiences for students with historic levels of federal funding, championing public education, and delivering results for families. These fact sheets can be found here.

   

• WATCH & SHARE / See a summary of Secretary Cardona’s visit to rural Wisconsin!

  As part of Secretary Cardona’s annual Back to School Bus Tour, he was able to visit Wisconsin Heights High School in Mazomanie, WI. Watch this video to learn more about Wisconsin Heights School District and the great work they’re doing to support their rural school.

• REGISTER & SHARE / New Emergency Planning Course for Rural Schools

  The Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance (TA) Center, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Safe and Supportive Schools, is pleased to offer the course “Planning Considerations for K-12 Rural Schools,” which will provide strategies that enhance emergency management planning for rural schools. Available as virtual or live trainings, the REMS TA Center will provide—free of charge— training materials, as well as one or more live subject matter expert trainers and staff support for the event hosted at your site or online.  

   

  Please plan to complete and submit the Training by Request Application at least 45 days prior to the requested training date. REMS TA Center staff will confirm the receipt of your application. A REMS TA Center team member will contact you to discuss your training needs and to answer any questions you may have. Training dates will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. 

   

• FOR YOUR AWARENESS / Website Update

  We are excited that the Department’s website recently went through a modernization process and reorganization, and it looks great! With the redesign, most previous hyperlinks no longer work. I encourage you to play around on the website a bit to get a sense of the new organization and have a sense of where things live now- the search function is also much improved, so it will hopefully be easier to find things that aren’t immediately apparent. Please also note that in the transition, the Rural Education landing page has not yet migrated. We are working on getting this fixed and apologize for the inconvenience! If there’s anything specific you are looking for, please don’t hesitate to reach out directly to me at Julia.Cunningham@ed.gov. In the short term, the Rural Education Programs handout is located here.

• REGISTER & SHARE / Blending & Braiding: How to Make it Easier to Use Different Funding Streams to Meet the Needs of the Whole Child

  I am excited to invite you to the kickoff of a webinar series titled Blending and Braiding: How to Make it Easier to Use Different Funding Streams to Meet the Needs of the Whole Child. The series is co-hosted by the U.S. Department of Education and the White House to increase awareness and understanding of how essential services from federal, state, and local governments can be accessed more easily by students and families. Please register here: Blending and Braiding Webinar Series (zoomgov.com)

   

  We’ve heard from education and community leaders across the United States the need for more support and examples of how to blend and braid multiple funding streams to meet the needs of the whole child. This webinar series will highlight examples of how states, districts, counties, cities and schools are blending and braiding funds to provide cradle-to-career supports—making it easier for students and families to access services and help communities thrive. In addition, speakers will describe how to use federal, state, and local funds to sustain whole child investments (e.g., mental health professionals, counselors, tutoring, mentoring, and after-school, summer learning and enrichment programs) that were bolstered by the American Rescue Plan Act. 

   

  We’re looking forward to seeing you during these webinars to engage with experts, identify promising approaches, and surface best practices on how to more easily use federal funds to strengthen communities for our students and families, from cradle to career.

• SHARE / Updated Newsletter Registration Link

  Thank you for your patience as we updated the subscription process for the Rural School & Community Updates newsletter. You can now manage all your ED newsletter subscriptions using this link. I encourage you to double check if you’re subscribed, even if you have previously done so. Unfortunately, in our transition to a new software platform, a number of emails did not migrate over.  Please share the subscription link with anyone you think may be interested in receiving the Rural newsletter!