Grant Writing

Calling all grant writers! When you're in the education world amid $15-27 Billion in cuts that will directly affect you and the way your classroom operates IF you get to teach a class, you look for every penny you can find.

I had a little experience with grants last year. Our district received Promethean Boards, ActivSlates and ActivVotes using grant money. As part of our obligation to the grant, every teacher in the district must undergo 24 hours of technology training during the current school year.

Another grant Walker and I both applied for and are working on this year is geared toward teacher incentive of technology use, DATE Grant. We use/implement 12 new technologies in the classroom, keep close track of student learning progress, maintain quite a few records and are given incentive pay for the portfolio we turn in at the end of the year. In most other districts that offer the DATE Grant, the incentive pay is based on the progress as measured by TAKS scores. Our district already has an exemplary rating due to TAKS scores, so we had to use other measures. This ended up being a whole lot more work on the part of the teachers, which we are hoping will pay off come June.

As you are hearing on the news, Texas schools are making major cuts. We work in a small district with a small budget. We are in Tier I of cuts and so far more than a handful of people have been told that their contracts are not being renewed. I know each of these people, work with them. Many of them live in this community. In this community of less than 1500 people. Neighbors. There are up to four Tiers of funding cuts, we are just in the beginning stages. Many valuable and beneficial programs and activities are being cut, out of necessity. High School Drama is included in the cuts. Drum Corp is included in the cuts. Tennis, Golf...it's a long list. Not knowing how much to cut is another issue. Our district has taken the middle ground.

I am applying for a grant for the Drama class. While I have been on the receiving end of grants before and have served on committees that determine the qualifications of a grant, I have not actually written one. If you have experience in this area...why did you write the grant? Did you receive it? I'm struggling with whether to tell stories to convey the main point (why we need the money) or to lay out a cost analysis of what we would do with the funding? I have a few weeks before it needs to be turned it and would appreciate any input on grant writing that you may be able to provide.