PRESS RELEASE
January 16, 2020
The NC Innovative School District (ISD) is one of 10 recipients of a 2019 North Carolina Innovative Partnership Grant (IPG). The grants were developed by the NC Department of Public Instruction for public-school units—i.e., school systems—and presented them with the opportunity to compete for the federal dollars through the Title I, School Improvement set aside funds.
Southside-Ashpole Elementary, ISD’s school in Rowland, NC, and its students will be the beneficiaries of the IPG awarded to the ISD. The school will receive $1.4 million in grant funds over the next 3.5 years (January 2020 – June 2023).
Through a competitive grant process, the IPG was open to any public school system in the state with one or more identified Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) schools as defined by the state’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Plan. The purpose of the funds is to support CSI schools in achieving goals related to improving student achievement and outcomes.
Thirty-four school systems submitted grant applications. With the applicant names hidden, each submission underwent three levels of review by third-party evaluators. The ISD’s application scored the highest among the submissions.
Dr. James Ellerbe, superintendent of the ISD, acknowledged the efforts of his team in receiving the grant award, “Their efforts in preparing the application have given us access to tremendous resources to assist in the ongoing efforts at Southside-Ashpole.” He added, “We are thrilled to be awarded the IPG funds; they will go a long way in implementing evidence-based practices at Southside-Ashpole and furthering school improvement efforts, which are being driven by school director, Dr. Kenneth Bowen, his leadership team and his dedicated staff of educators. They are doing an excellent job of facilitating growth and achievement for all the students at Southside-Ashpole.”