Acton-Boxborough Receives Education Grant

State Repr. Cory Atkins recently announced the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District has received a grant of $27,650 from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

According to Atkins, the purpose of the grant is to provide funding to schools that are taking an initiative to encourage regional, collaborative and cooperative services.

"The funds received are a one-time allotment," she said in a release. "These funds will be used to improve service delivery through innovative and cost-effective approaches, creation of operational efficiencies that might be shared with other districts, regional and collaborative planning, and other cooperative services."

A total of $3,319,596 in grants was requested, however, the state awarded only $500,000. The awards are decided by a panel from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.  

"Priority was given to proposals that possessed support of the formation or expansion of a regional district and pilot projects demonstrating the innovative use of collaborative in helping districts meet their administrative and instructional needs more efficiently," she said.

The official start date was Dec. 18, and all funds must be spent by June 30. By July 31, a final report is due to the Office of Regional Governance that describes the actions taken to address the purpose and priorities of the grant, how the project will be sustained in future years, and how to share the results with other districts.