By Kathryn Schiliro
Managing Editor

Morgan County school and system administration learned last week that neither the middle nor the high school will receive funds from a state Department of Education (DOE) Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy planning grant, applied for in December.
The schools applied separately for the grants. Morgan County Middle School requested near $497,000 and Morgan County High School asked for $245,000.
The collective more than $740,000 was to be used for technology, professional learning, teacher collaboration, instructional enrichment, feedback and assessment, all relating to literacy at the middle and high school levels. “Vertical articulation,” the knowledge of Common Core standards between grade levels, was to be addressed though these grants, Assistant Superintendent Debra White said.
With or without the grants, vertical articulation must still be addressed as it’s at the backbone of the Common Core standards.
“We need resources, and resources cost money,” White said.
“We will not give up,” White said. “With or without the funds, we will support our teachers.”
Grant applicants were divided into three groups according to the size of the system. Morgan County’s applications were up against about 30 others, White said.
Morgan County Primary and Elementary schools received Striving Readers grants from the state DOE in March 2011. The grant serves to strengthen literacy from PreK to grade 5 and to align literacy efforts between the schools.

Printed in the February 28, 2013