At Tuesday night’s Tyrone Area School board meeting, the district accepted a grant involving participation in the Blazing New Projects while it awaits word the actual grant has been approved.
“The grant hasn’t been approved yet. It’s been submitted and originally thought it would be approved back in January,” said Sam Dean, the district’s grant administrator.
The reason for the delay is the agency managing the grant has been changed from a school district in Westmoreland County to an intermediate unit.
“Originally, the grant was being administered by the Belle Vernon Area School District,” explained Dean. “That district eliminated its alternative education program and as such could no longer administer the program. It’s now been taken over by the Westmoreland County Intermediate Unit.”
Dean indicated while the program has been in transition between the two agencies, the approval of the grant has been delayed. Dean expects to get word of the grant’s approval at the end of April or early May. He didn’t want to elaborate on too many particulars about it until he gets the written approval.
He did explain how the program works in general and which schools are included in the grant.
“The grant comes from the department of education on the federal level and comes to us through the state,” said Dean. “In order to qualify, a district has to have an alternative education program. The purpose of this particular grant is to assist with the state’s Rails to Trails program. Students who are required to do community service work on the project.
“The grant helps pay for supervision, transportation, meals along with materials, supplies and equipment,” said Dean.
“In addition to Tyrone, the grant’s also been written for Bellwood-Antis, Juniata Valley as well as for the Grier School,” according to Dean. “Greentree through Pyramid Healthcare is also involved in the consortium.”
The grant is designed to provide for a maximum amount of $42,502 to fund the program explained Dean. He indicated Tyrone would receive the bulk of the grant money and the other entities which are involved to a lesser extent.
Dean directed interested persons to a web site for more information on the program, www.blazingnewtrails.org.
The site explains more about the program and describes it as a statewide cooperative program between the various alternative education programs and the “Rails to Trails” program within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The site goes onto indicate the program was so successful in 2003 that it was decided to it should continue in 2004.
The program is a supplemental enhancement program for students who are suspended or expelled and required to perform community service hours. The state is in the process of converting old railroad lines to recreational walking and biking trails through the “Rails to Trails” project. Individual school projects may vary according to local community needs, but have to be related to the “Rails to Trails” program. The program’s intent is to develop creative solutions to the needs of local “Rails to Trails” initiatives.
The local grant written by Dean is for the 2004-05 Blazing New Trails grant program.
