Grants and Other Funding Sources

Written by Jane Roush | 05 August 2010

Waterways

The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) gave Washington State $30 million to help clean up the waters of Puget Sound earlier this month. Two grants totaling approximately $2 million were awarded to the Squaxin Island Tribe in Mason County.

The first grant for $1 million is to clean up the shorelines in Budd and Henderson Inlets in Thurston County.

The other grant for $975,000 will be used to improve the Oakland Bay watershed habitat. Specifically the grant will fund a program to protect and enhance habitat in Goldsborough Basin and the Shelton harbor. Non-EPA funds will total $322,500.

Puget Sound Partnership (PSP) received $2 million for public outreach, education and stewardship. The EPA has promised PSP another $3 million over the next 3 years for the same purpose. PSP will form an organization comprised of 300 agencies in the 12 counties surrounding the Puget Sound. PSP (or the organization???) will funnel the money into local groups, which will inform the public of problems facing the Sound.

The source of this information was the US Environmental Protection Agency news release dated July 6, 2010.

PSP was also in the news this month regarding its reaction to an adverse audit report by the Washington St Auditor. PSP had previously hired a director of finance and administration. Subsequently they had hired a fiscal and contracts coordinator. PSP is now recruiting a fiscal manager. The agency only has 35 employees. It sounds like overkill to me but perhaps it is what they need.

PSP is moving this summer to the new Center for Urban Waters building on Tacoma's Thea Foss Waterway.

The source of information for this story was The Daily Olympian, dated July 5, 2010.

Schools and Things

Several months ago I wrote that the Shelton School District had turned down dollars from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). I was in error and I want to apologize to the school board and administrators of the district.

It started me thinking however of how much all of the school districts in Mason County received from ARRA and what programs were funded. I used recovery.gov to compile the following figures and explanation of programs. They are through 3/31/10.

These explanations are directly from the federal site:

Title I, Part A – Improving Basic Programs Operated by Local Educational Agencies – Improve teaching and learning for students most at risk of failing to meet state academic achievement standards.

State Fiscal Stabilization Fund – Education Fund – Education Fund for the support of elementary, secondary, post secondary education, and, as applicable, early childhood education programs and services.

Preschool Grants for Children with Disabilities – Assist states to make available special education and related services for children with disabilities ages 3 through 5 years.

Title II, Part D – Enhancing Education through Technology—Educational technology grants to states to improve student academic achievement through innovative use of and the effective integration of new and emerging technology with teacher training, curriculum development, and successful research-based instructional methods in elementary and secondary schools.

Grants to States for the education of Children with Disabilities – Assist States in providing special education and related services to children with disabilities in accordance with Part B of IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act).

Education for Homeless Children and Youth – Ensure that each homeless child and youth has equal access to the same free, appropriate, public education, including a public preschool education, as other children and youth.

A total of $6,232,000 was received by the school districts in Mason County.  The funds were used to support ongoing programs.