Lipper-Garabedian & Lewis Applaud Grants for Melrose Schools

Melrose state legislators Representative Kate Lipper-Garabedian and Senator Jason Lewis announced that Melrose Public Schools were selected for the multiple state grants from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) including the Civics Teaching and Learning Grant; a Summer School Expansion & Engagement Grant; and a Proficiency-based Outcomes for Languages Other than English grant.

The Civics Teaching and Learning Grant program is designed to support civics teaching and learning. The grants will support development of civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions among Melrose students. The City of Melrose partnered with a number of other communities to access $94,650 in grants to develop curriculum; participate in the Cross-District History Mapping Consortium; implement student-led civics projects; and provide professional development opportunities.

Summer school expansion matching grants issued by DESE this summer helped support summer school programming in Melrose. These grants were designed to address learning gaps that may have resulted from the pandemic-interrupted school year. Melrose accessed $100,000 in matching state funds through this grant program.

Proficiency-based Outcomes for Languages Other than English grants support districts in their efforts to collect and analyze data relative to language proficiency, and to support educators in their efforts to align their teaching to the 2021 Massachusetts World Languages curriculum framework. Melrose received $15,400 from this grant program this summer.

“As a former seventh grade teacher and the parent of a Melrose third grader, I congratulate the Melrose Public Schools on receiving state grant funding for multiple initiatives essential for our students during this challenging time,” said State Representative Kate Lipper-Garabedian. “These grants provide critical investments in our world language curriculum, summer school programming, and civics education teaching.”

“All students deserve access to a high-quality education and unfortunately we know that the pandemic has severely disrupted their learning," said State Senator Jason Lewis. “I'm very pleased that both our state and federal governments are providing additional financial resources to the Melrose public schools to help students recover this learning loss and support their health and well-being."

In sum, Melrose Public Schools have received more than $2.4 million in state and federal grants this fiscal year.