ARLINGTON, VA

The DoDEA grants focus on enhancing student learning opportunities, student achievement, and educator professional development at military-connected schools with projected military student growth between 2007 and 2009 due to force structure changes. This data is based on a Report to Congress on Assistance to Local Educational Agencies for Defense Dependents Education published in March 2008. School districts serving 22 military installations identified through that report were invited to submit a grant proposal.

“The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System plays a vital role in assisting Fort Campbell and its Soldiers and Families attain distinction as a world class Army community,” said Charles A. Munson, Deputy to the Fort Campbell Garrison Commander.

CMCSS Director of Schools Michael Harris

“We are honored to provide educational services to children of our military men and women. And, we appreciate the financial support this grant provides,” said CMCSS Director of Schools Michael Harris.

“Attending to the educational development of area young people, particularly the Family members of our Soldiers, enhances the well-being of our military community, as well as the community as a whole. Fort Campbell is proud to be a partner with the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System and salutes those that make the system work so well,” Munson said.

The CMCSS grant for Project Eagle Wings is focused on insuring that all students exit elementary and middle school with grade-level proficient skills in math and reading increasing their ability to graduate high school. Students’ academic needs will be addressed with a three-tier intervention model designed by the district.

“This grant could not have been awarded at a better time as we implement the new more rigorous academic standards adopted by the state of Tennessee,” said Michael Harris, Director of Schools, Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools. “This will go a long way in helping us support our military dependents and their academic needs.”

“This is the first year DoDEA has been able to execute our grant program and it’s very gratifying to be able to offer assistance to the schools that are educating our military’s children.” said Dr. Shirley Miles, Director of DoDEA. “We are looking forward to seeing how the districts implement the programs they’ve developed. We know that all children in the grant recipient districts will benefit from these awards.”

DoDEA’s aim is to enhance the education of military students, but funds may be used to raise student achievement for all students.

In FY 2007, the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act allowed DoDEA to expand its reach to the approximately 92% of military students that do not attend DoDEA Schools. Through collaboration with the Department of Education, DoDEA is working to ease the transition of military students and providing resources to Local Education Agencies (LEAs) who educate military dependent students.

DoDEA consists of the Department of Defense Dependents Schools located overseas, and the Department of Defense Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools located in the U.S. and its territories and possessions. DoDEA provides education to eligible DoD military and civilian dependents from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. DoDEA also provides support and resources to Local Education Activities throughout the U.S. that serve children of military families.

The CMCSS schools which meet the grant requirements include: Barkers Mill Elementary, Glenellen Elementary School, Hazelwood Elementary School, Kenwood Elementary School, Liberty Elementary School, Minglewood Elementary School, Northeast Elementary School, Rossview Elementary School, Sango Elementary School, West Creek Elementary School, West Creek Elementary School, Woodlawn Elementary School, Kenwood Middle School, New Providence Middle School, Northeast Middle School, Rossview Middle School, West Creek Middle School, Kenwood High School, Northeast Elementary High School, Northwest High School and Rossview High Schools. In order to qualify, schools must serve a minimum of 200 military dependents, and the military dependents represent 15 percent or greater of the building’s total student population.

Nashville

“Since Tennessee began authorizing charter schools in 2002, we have continued to provide additional and innovative educational opportunities for our students,” Governor Phil Bredesen said. “This grant provides unprecedented resources to increase those opportunities and gives Tennessee another chance to show the nation our leadership in the area of education reform.”

The Charter School Program Grant will be distributed over the next five years and objectives include: expanding the number of high-quality charter schools, supporting the success of Tennessee’s charter schools through state and local involvement, encouraging dissemination of best practices within charter school to the broader public and improving academic achievement of charter school students.

“It is time for us to take bold action in education reform and this will allow us to continue our reforms,” Education Commissioner Timothy Webb said. “With this funding we can elevate the quality of our public school system and provide students the stronger skills they need to compete globally.”

In addition to providing financial assistance to charter schools through their planning and implementation years, this grant will encourage bridge-building and local involvement between LEAs, non-profit organizations, institutions of higher education and businesses through summit events and workshops. The Department of Education will ensure fiscal and programmatic monitoring and evaluation in order to ensure the highest level of transparency and accountability.

Tennessee this year passed legislation expanding charter school eligibility for students who receive free or reduced-price meals and who are enrolled in school district’s that have an average daily membership of 14,000 students or more and three or more schools designated as high priority schools under the federal No Child Left Behind law.

For more information, contact Rachel Woods at (615) 253-1960 or Rachel..

Arts Build Communities (ABC) is a program funded by the Tennessee General Assembly and administered by the Clarksville Arts & Heritage Development Council (AHDC) in cooperation with the Tennessee Arts Commission (TAC). ABC grants offer financial support for arts projects in all disciplines such as dance, music, opera/musical theater, theater, visual arts, design arts, crafts, photography, media arts, literature, interdisciplinary, and folk arts.

Funds awarded to a single organization in this grant category range from $500 to $3,000. Eligible organizations in the counties of Montgomery, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys and Stewart can apply for these grant funds. In order to be eligible, applicants must be state-recognized, non-profit (501c3) organizations or government entities (including public schools and libraries) and must be able to provide a dollar-for-dollar match toward the single proposed project. In addition, the proposed project or program must occur between October 15, 2009, and June 15, 2010.

Interested applicants can download grant guidelines and an application form on TAC’s website at www.arts.state.tn.us/community_arts_abc.htm.

Completed ABC applications can be either mailed or hand-delivered to the Clarksville Arts & Heritage Development Council; mailed applications must be postmarked by 4:30 pm on Friday, August 28, 2009. A representative from the applying organization should be present at an open panel review on Thursday, September 24, 2009, at the Customs House Museum in Clarksville to answer questions that may arise about the application or proposed project. Awards will then be announced in mid-October.

Last year, thirteen groups in Montgomery, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys and Stewart counties received some $16,159 in funding through these grants (although the Arts & Heritage Development Council received over $33,000 in requests, making it a very competitive year). Since ABC awards are not restricted to arts organizations, this grant program brings the arts to a larger segment of the community through arts projects at public schools, libraries, and other service organizations.

For more information, please contact Diane Batson-Smith, Executive Director of the Clarksville Arts & Heritage Development Council, at (931)551-8870, (615)598-0858 or .

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced that $4 million is available to improve methods to detect and control lead-based paint, mold and other housing-related safety hazards that harm children. These grants will be awarded competitively to multiple academic and non-profit institutions, State, Tribal or local governments that advance the recognition and control of residential health and safety hazards or improve our understanding of the link between housing and health.

“Anything HUD can do to continue to improve the methods for protecting our children from dangerous home hazards is crucial to American families, their children and their future,” said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. “Investing in healthy homes is not only good for health reasons, but good for the environment and the economy as well.”

These grants will further the implementation of HUD’s Healthy Homes Strategic Plan, and the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Healthy Homes, both recently released, which encourage government agencies, other research organizations, and scientists to develop and support a portfolio of rigorous healthy homes research. In addition, both documents recommend that agencies and sectors work together to provide guidance and technical assistance to support safe, healthy, and environmentally friendly housing options.

HUD will award approximately six to ten grants ranging from $250,000 to $800,000 each. Applications may be downloaded from the Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control’s Website at www.hud.gov/lead. The application provides instructions, including submitting proposals by Federal Express (FedEx), United Parcel Services (UPS) and overnight Express Mail delivery services. The deadline for receiving grants is 5:00 PM eastern time, July 20, 2009.

State Senator Tim Barnes (D)

Senator Tim Barnes said that a grant for Houston County’s airport is the kind of investment that helps the area compete for companies with good-paying jobs.

“Our rural airports, like the one in Houston County, are important to their communities, Senator Barnes said. “They need to have their facilities  in top shape because they are part of the total package when a company is looking for a place to locate.”

Governor Phil Bredesen and the state Department of Transportation announced last week that the Houston County Airport would receive $3,150 as part of an aeronautics grant. The funding will be used for tree trimming. Senator Barnes added that this facility needs to be a competitive part of the statewide transportation network. “When a major company requires this kind of facility for its executives, we want to be in the game to compete for jobs.”

Senator Barnes represents Cheatham, Houston, and Montgomery Counties. You may contact his office by email at: <sen.tim..gov> or 1-800-449-8366, extension 1-2374 or via postal mail at 305 War Memorial Bldg, Nashville, TN 37 243-0222.

]]> http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2009/05/28/houston-county-airport-to-benefit-from-state-aeronautics-grant/feed/ 1 http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2009/05/06/treasury-hud-announce-housing-grants-funded-through-recovery-act/ http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2009/05/06/treasury-hud-announce-housing-grants-funded-through-recovery-act/#comments Wed, 06 May 2009 15:00:46 +0000 News Staff http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/?p=19170 Grants Will Increase Jobs, Provide Boost to Local Housing Economies

Washington – As part of an innovative partnership aimed at job creation and easing the pressures on the housing market, the Department of the Treasury and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today jointly announced programs that will provide billions of dollars in recovery funds to spur the development of thousands of affordable housing units in states around the country. Funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (The Recovery Act), the programs together will provide approximately $5 billion for states to finance the acquisition and construction of affordable housing for working families.

Through the Recovery Act, the Treasury Department will now for the first time provide state housing agencies resources from which they will in turn provide cash assistance to developers of qualified affordable housing developments to fill the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LITC) gap. The program will increase the supply of newly constructed or recently renovated affordable housing units for families – affordable housing that otherwise may not have come to market due to current economic conditions.

“Affordable housing is key to every American’s economic security,” said Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. “As the recession has worsened, unemployment has risen, and working families have suffered a loss of income, which has caused a downward economic spiral for too many American families and made it more difficult for those families to find affordable housing. With this new program, we are not only creating new jobs through new construction, we are ensuring the availability of affordable housing, which is good for the nation’s economic stability and the economic security of millions of American families.”

The economic and financial crises have presented significant challenges for the construction industry, particularly residential construction. Housing starts have fallen 80 percent from the peak level seen at the beginning of 2006. Houses currently under construction are at a 12-year low, down 60 percent from the peak in the first quarter of 2006. This collapse has led to severe job losses in the residential building and specialty trades sector related to housing, with employment down by nearly one-third — a loss of close to 1 million jobs. Such losses not only indicate the significant problems in the residential construction sector, but also suggest that the need for affordable housing has risen markedly during the recession.

In addition to Treasury’s new program, HUD will be awarding $2.25 billion in grants to state housing credit agencies through the Tax Credit Assistance Program (TCAP) to complete construction of qualified housing developments. The TCAP program will ultimately provide affordable housing to an estimated 35,000 low-income households.

“The intended purpose of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is to jumpstart the nation’s ailing economy, with a primary focus on creating and saving jobs in the near term,” said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. “These programs are an important step in achieving the goal of putting American people back to work while at the same time providing quality, affordable housing options for low-income families. We are proud of the collaboration between Treasury and HUD that enabled us to announce these programs together today.”

One of the by-products of the economic crisis has been the freezing of the investment in Low Income Housing Tax Credit, the federal government’s program for the development of affordable rental housing. Tax credits provide an incentive for investors to participate in the program, which in turn provides equity to developers to build multi-family rental housing for moderate and low income families across the nation. Developers depend on the equity generated as a result of the incentive provided by the tax credits to fill project financing gaps. In the current financial crisis, credit is tight, and as a number of traditional equity investors have left the market, the value of tax credits have plummeted. The result is that as many as 1,000 projects containing nearly 150,000 units across the country are on hold.

The Treasury and HUD programs will help jumpstart the market for construction of affordable housing by providing these combined $5 billion in funds for states to finance the acquisition and construction of buildings for affordable housing, which will create thousands of jobs in the construction and specialty trades sectors, from laborers to architects and engineers around the country. The funds will also provide housing for a broad cross section of individuals and families affected by downturn of the housing market.

Additional information is available at www.treasury.gov/recovery and www.hud.gov/recovery.

Nashville, TN-Governor Phil Bredesen announced on May 1st that $548,604 in Aeronautics Grants have been approved for five Tennessee Airports.

“Our local airports are vital to the economy and travel system of Tennessee,” said Bredesen.  “Investing in our airports helps keep them competitive and efficient at meeting the needs of businesses and travelers.  I’m pleased to support their continued improvement.”

Airports receiving grants include Everett-Stewart Regional Airport, Lawrenceburg-Lawrence County Airport, Maury County Regional Airport, Nashville International Airport and Springfield-Robertson County Airport.

For more information on each of these grant awards visit www.tn.gov/tdot or http://news.tennesseeanytime.org/taxonomy/term/39

The grants are made available through the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s Aeronautics Division.

“This division administers federal and state funding to assist in the location, design, construction and maintenance of Tennessee’s diverse public aviation system,” reported TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely. “We are pleased to continue to support Tennessee’s general aviation and commercial airports.”

Except for routine expenditures, grant applications are reviewed by the Tennessee Aeronautics Commission (TAC), which is a five member board charged with policy planning and with regulating changes in the state airport system plan.

TAC Chair Larry Mullins explained, “Our board examines the applications carefully to ensure that the proper state and local matching funds are in place and that the grants will be put to good use.”

About TDOT’s Aeronautics Division

The TDOT Aeronautics Division has the responsibility of inspecting and licensing the state’s 126 heliports and 75 public/general aviation airports.  The Division also provides aircraft and related services for state government and staffing for the Tennessee Aeronautics Commission.

The Montgomery County Rail Service Authority requested a $1.5 million dollar transportation enhancement grant from the State Department of Transportation for this project. The grant uses federal funds administered by the state with matching local funds (80% Federal /20% Local). This would involve approximately $300,000 in matching local funds (state, county, city). This grant was spearheaded by a consultant for the RJ Corman Company who wrote it up and brought it to the county.

Why is the RJ Corman Company not being required to pay all or a significant portion of the refurbishment costs for it’s bridge. The taxpayers are basically being asked to give the RJ Corman company corporate welfare. Sure, the county is asking for the grant, which is mostly free money as far as they are concerned, but in the end it still comes out of the taxpayers pockets.

The bridge could be reasonably called an eye sore, due to its current state. It is past the time to require the RJ Corman Company to perform the maintenance, that they should have been doing all along.

If the city or county wants other additions such as specific paint colors or additional decorative lighting, then of course they should contribute towards the cost of those improvements, but sandblasting and painting should be the sole responsibility of owners of the bridge, the RJ Corman Company.

If we pay for the maintenance this time, we will likely end up paying for it from now on. The RJ Corman Company will have no interest in paying to maintain their bridge when they know that the city, county, and state will do it for them, for free.

References:

1. http://www.theleafchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060711/OPINION01/607110303/1014
2. http://www.theleafchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060710/NEWS01/607100322/1002/NEWS17