Yelm Community Schools (YCS) was awarded a $1.25 million grant from the Department of Defense (DOD) to improve literacy and support for military-connected students, Superintendent Chris Woods announced at the Thursday, Sept. 26, Board of Directors meeting.
The grant will allow the district to provide intensive staff training, improved assessment, targeted instruction and tailored interventions. It also allows the district to “employ and keep” two staff members, Woods said.
According to Woods, this is the eighth grant that the district has received from the DOD, totaling over $5 million, and YCS is the only grantee in the region that has received every award attempted.
“The purpose of the grant is to support military-connected students, however, the Department of Defense encourages us to reach all students with the projects and the work that we do. So it’s not one of those grants where we’re limited on who we can serve,” Woods said.
Woods credited the work of YCS Director of Student Learning Kendall McNutt for building the relationship between the district and the DOD.
“This is the eighth grant that we received from the Department of Defense, in large part because of Kendall. Kendall has built a very strong relationship with them. She’s also done a fantastic job of writing the grant,” he said.
