Grant Proposals Approved by Saline Area Schools

The Saline Area Schools Board of Education approved a list of grant proposals as part of its second round of CARES Discretionary Funds program.

The Saline school board approved by a 7 to 0 vote “Round II distribution of CARES Discretionary Funds in the amount of $28,604” at its April 14 meeting.  The list of grants were recommended by the CARES Advisory Council and submitted by Brian Puffer, Director of Community Education.

Here are the proposals receiving funding this round:

• Family Friday Food (Saline Alt HS) – $2,666
• Robotics Advances (Saline Heritage FIRST Lego League) – $3,068
• Little Free Library (City of Saline ACC/GS Troop 40180) – $1,739.70
• Saline Additive Manufacturing Education Lab (Saline STEM Boosters) – $15,000
• Pole Vault Pit/Mats (Saline MS Track & Field) – $6,129.70

According to Saline Area Schools, the purpose of the CARES Recreation Millage is to provide funding for recreation programs and facilities that enhance the life of residents within the Saline Area School District community. In November 2017, voters passed the CARES Recreation Millage for 0.5 mills for 10 years. The millage will provide annual funding for five specific programs and also create a Discretionary Fund which may be allocated annually through a grant process to meet additional recreation needs.

As part of the Discretionary Fund process, an application is submitted by an interested organization. Here are some examples from the grant applications approved this round:

From Saline Alternative High School: “We would like to provide cooking of a weekly family dinner and budgeting, meal-planning, and grocery education for Alternative Education students, addressing food insecurity while building life skills and some family engagement for the school year.

From the City of Saline Arts and Culture Committee (ACC); Girl Scouts of America (GSA): Troop 40180: “To replace four Little Free Libraries on Saline Parks property (at Risdon, Mill Pond, and Brecon Parks, as well as the Rec Center), and to add a Little Free Library to Curtiss Park.”

From the Saline STEM Boosters: “The purpose of this grant will be to establish a world-class additive manufacturing (3D printing) lab for use by Saline Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) students and clubs that support competitive extracurricular enrichment activities such as High School and Middle School FIRST Robotics, Science Olympiad and other teams in the district.”