Pottstown SD, Career And Tech Center Get Education Relief Grants

POTTSTOWN, PA — Pottstown School District and the Western Montgomery Career and Technology Center will receive nearly $200,ooo in state Education Relief grants.

State Rep. Joe Ciresi (D-Montgomery) announced the grants for his district Friday.

Western Montgomery Career and Technology Center received a grant of $72,294 . The money is to assist in the resumption and continuation of operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Continuing of Education Equity Grant (CEEG) of $123,605 was awarded to Pottstown School District.

Based in Royersford, WMCTC is one of many career and technology center in Pennsylvania to receive a share of the approximately $10.5 million in CTC Equity grants.

"Western Montgomery Career and Technology Center has long provided students of our community the opportunity to learn and grow and become even better citizens," Ciresi said. "So, I am thrilled this great institution will be on the receiving end of this critical help. The ability of our schools and education centers to adapt and provide safe, quality instruction is crucial to helping our entire commonwealth steer its way through this pandemic."

The grant for Pottstown School District is designed to help provide access and inclusion for all learners by bridging the gap for students who are currently limited in their ability to participate in continuity of education.

"Schools are the heart and soul of communities, and this grant for Pottstown School District will help ensure that students lacking equal access to resources are given the opportunity to learn with the help of technology otherwise not available to them," Ciresi said.

The CEEG funding can be used to purchase computer equipment, such as laptops, tablets and internet hot spots, or it can be used toward providing instructional materials, such as paper lessons and coursework.

"Pottstown School District and the community are extremely grateful for all the support we’ve received to advance our students’ educational opportunities," said District Superintendent Stephen Rodriguez. "We plan to put this resource to good use for our students immediately."

WMCTC Administrative Director Chris Moritzen said, "I was excited to receive notification that the Western Montgomery Career and Technology Center was awarded $72,000 through the Department of Education GEER grant. These additional funds will greatly assist us as we move forward into the 2020 school year."

Part of the federal CARES Act allocated through the Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER), the grant amounts were calculated based on the allocation for federal Perkins grants, which take into account the population of students aged 5-17 and the percent of poverty within the same age group.

The funds can be used toward the safe reopening of schools, including the purchase of protective equipment, hand sanitizer, cleaning products, equipment or technology to take classrooms online, installation of barriers or other protective devices in building structures, or to purchase health apps to assist in contact tracing and monitoring of students.

More information about these grant programs is available by contacting Ciresi's office at 484-200-8265.

This article originally appeared on the Pottstown Patch