$6 million grant helps Dysart with staffing

Dysart's $6 million grant

An update on Dysart's $6 million Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative grant.BackgroundIn July, the U.S. departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Justice awarded the Dysart Unified School District a $6 million federal grant through the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative. The four-year grant will fund activities, programs and services that create safe learning environments, promote healthy childhood development, and prevent violence, alcohol, and drug use. Under the initiative, Dysart also will work with local public mental-health agencies, law-enforcement and juvenile-justice entities to implement a community plan. Dysart will receive nearly $1.5 million for the first year of funding.

What's newThe district has created several new staff positions to be funded during the first year of the grant. They include a program and evaluation manager, an early childhood school psychologist, three districtwide social workers, an administrative assistant, three high-school-level prevention specialists, one community-outreach specialist, and eight elementary-level prevention coordinators. Dysart's governing board approved the positions Sept. 24.

What's nextThe district's priority is to hire a program and evaluation manager in the next few weeks. The goal is to fill the rest of the positions by Nov. 1. Dysart will still have about $679,400 left to spend during the grant's first year, after funding the new positions. The money will be used to provide training to new employees and current school staff; purchase materials for an alcohol and tobacco curriculum; and fund an after-school program for middle-school students.- Sherry Anne Rubiano, The Republic/azcentral.com, sherryanne.rubiano@arizonarepublic.com